FEBRUARY 26 – See this Great Thing

FEBRUARY 26 – See this Great Thing

1Samuel 12:16  Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 

Watch this! I am going to rain on your parade. The first of this verse is stand. This reminds me of children that are often fidgety. The Lord says, PAY ATTENTION. His address is really about their rebellion in asking for a King. God is going to show His displeasure because of their rebellion. Pay attention and see what I will do right here before your eyes. This was an occasion that God wants the people to remember. This could be called “cause and effect.” Because of rebellion, God was going to affect their lives and not in a good way.

For all we do, there are consequences. Some are good. Some are bad. The question, why do we run the risk of bad consequences. The answer is we yield to desire and relinquish the mind of God to exercise our human mind in futility. It is futile to try and out-think God. Man always has a better way than God’s way. All too often it is youth and a desire to do great things that propel us to disaster. I am guilty and I have little doubt you are guilty. Has this thought run through your mind? If I did this, I would really get some attention for God? I thank the Lord that these were temporary thoughts that were never put into action. The Word dissuaded me.

The other thought that would come to accompany the new plan was does God approve or am I going to have to rationalize what I do to make it acceptable. I noticed how ineffective my rationalizing influenced my wife. That caused me to remember that God looks on the heart. I made the determination that I did not need the thunder and rain in my life.

I determined to not rebel and simply do things God’s way.

FEBRUARY 25 – Do Not Be Rebels

FEBRUARY 25 – Do Not Be Rebels

1Samuel 12:13  Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 

14  If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 

15  But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers. 

We should always be aware of what we have chosen. Sometimes we choose because of pleasure. Other times we choose because of desire. Then there are times we choose because of rebellion.

1Samuel_15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

This is the scripture of what Samuel told Saul. See the extreme wickedness that is applied to rebellion.

Samuel is instructing the nation about their rejection of God and desire for a king. Let me rephrase this for you. “I will give you one more chance. Follow my commands and be obedient and my hand will be with you. If you rebel, my hand will no longer be with you.

Let us apply this to individuals. If you will obey, I will be with you. If you rebel, I will withdraw my hand. This is a great responsibility that is put on an individual. Each individual is responsible to God for their obedience. You can not blame your rebellion on mother, father, Church or pastor. You are totally responsible.

Because an individual is responsible before God, the Church is not off the hook.

FEBRUARY 3 – SIN WILL DISPLACE YOU

FEBRUARY 3 – SIN WILL DISPLACE YOU

Judges 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

There comes a time when God says, “enough is enough. When God has shown His love to someone that has strayed, when God has gently urged one to return, when God has tenderly touched lives in a way to call someone back from the wrong path; God says enough is enough.

We must learn that evilness does not please God. Notice the thought of delivered. God has a final response and that is to give his people into evil hands to prove to them that evil is not what they want. Why do people want to be like others that are involved in wickedness? Some run with the crowd because of the social aspect. I know that business deals is one aspect of why a certain Church is selected. All the business men that go to Church, go there.

There is also the emotional element. There are those that want to be moved emotionally. I was reading some comments about a T.V. show. It made you laugh and it made you cry. People were hooked on this show because it moved them emotionally. This kind of people will leave a Church that preaches the Bible to go to a Church that makes them laugh and makes them cry. They will accept heresy because they are emotionally moved.

There are those that want to be entertained. I met with a man and we talked Church and Bible doctrine. I went through the plan of salvation and we were in agreement. We discussed security of the believer and agreed. We talked about baptism and we agreed. We read scripture on the Lord’s Supper and we agreed. We pursued the Local Visible Church and came to the agreement that is what the Bible taught. He and his family came to Church a number of times and brought visitors. They then quit coming. I visited the man and he said, “we are going to such and such a church because they have a youth group and pool parties and my wife wants to go there. This church agreed with us in salvation only. Every other doctrine was unbiblical.

Those people have given themselves over to evil. No, they are not murdering. They are not performing abortions. They have simply rejected the truth of God’s Word. This makes God a liar. To reject truth is evil.

When God brings the evil world against His own people because of rebellion, it will be a terrible time. It will be a time when caves and dens are a welcome abode. Our nation is suffering because of the rejection of Gods Word. It is a time to renew our efforts to make sure that what we believe lines up with the Word of God. Study to show ourselves approved.

May we with fervor proclaim Gods true Word.