Christmas, blogging, Jesus

Merry Christmas all!

Yep, I’m only going to do one lousy verse this week, but I hope to have a late Christmas gift for you soon. I’m collecting all the blogs so far and combining them into a pdf file for easy download. So if you’re a late-comer to the blog, this will be an easy way to catch up.

Hope you have a wonderful day, and remember Jesus, who is the reason we celebrate this day. Remember the miracle of His birth, but also why He came, to die that we might live. If you do not know Him, take this day to learn. I know, you’re spending time with your family, opening presents. But it wouldn’t take that long this evening to take a look at the Gospel of John. Take a look at who this Baby was that we celebrate today.

God bless!

Proverbs 1:33: Peace

[Wisdom says:] “but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
-Proverbs 1:33

This verse shows up for me at a very odd time. You see, this past weekend was an interesting one, and full of contradictions. On Saturday night I was in a situation, and I failed to seek God in it. I ended up getting very upset, very frustrated, and said a lot of things I shouldn’t. It was pretty ugly, and I greatly regret the whole thing. On Sunday, I found myself in a similar situation, and I stopped myself and prayed, and everything was almost instantly better. The situation was not really better, but I was, and that was enough. Likewise, my wife had to suddenly go to her hometown because a family member passed away, and I could not accompany her because I could not get the time off from work. I wish I were with her to comfort her and care for her, and yet I am at peace because I’ve been trusting God to take care of things.

We are concluding our look at Proverbs 1 today with this verse, and I am reminded of one of the first posts I did on Proverbs, which talked about how God’s blessing isn’t necessarily wealth. It’s deeper than that. A lot of Christians would look at this verse and think that God is going to make them rich. That’s not it at all.

The world doesn’t change for you; you change in relation to the world.

This is what is promised to us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

What a wonderful promise. I have to say, I would rather have these things than wealth. I am not a wealthy man, and yet the peace of God makes me very content in what I earn.

There are times when I look inward, and in doing that I start to panic. I start to lose sight of God. But when I listen to Him, I am “at ease, without dread of disaster.” In those times (and those times are increasing in me), I know that He is in control.

It is not something I deserve, and not something I could ever earn. It’s Grace. It’s mercy. When Jesus died, He paid my debt. Now I am free to follow Him, to accept love, joy, peace, patience, etc. I am able to come to God and know that He is in control.

It is only through Jesus that this can happen. Only by His Blood are we able to be forgiven, for only He has paid the price that we should pay for our sins. If you do not know Him, I ask you to repent of the wrongs you have committed. Go to Him and ask for Grace. Not for money, not for power, and not for anything worldly, but for life. For love. For joy. These are things the world cannot offer, and yet are worth more than all the gold in the world.

Proverbs 1:32: Where? Behind the rabbit?

[Wisdom says:] “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;”
-Proverbs 1:32

I love the rabbit scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

If you haven’t seen it, an enchanter named Tim is leading Arthur and his knights to where the Grail is hidden, but there is a terrible monster blocking the path. Tim takes great pains to warn Arthur of the danger, and he really gets the knights riled up with his description of the peril.

But when they get to the cave, there is nothing there but a white rabbit.

The knights are incensed. They can’t believe that Tim had them so worried. “Look at the bones!” Tim cries out, hoping they will listen. They don’t, and Bors goes to take care of the rabbit.

And the rabbit leaps up and rips Bors’ head off.

The knights cower in fear, and all Tim can say is, “I warned you!”

(It’s very funny; trust me.)

There are three reactions a person can have when hearing the truth about God. They can turn away, saying, “I don’t believe that.” Like Bors rising up to kill the rabbit, they scoff at God. They turn away, in the words of this verse.

Other people just assume they’re okay. “Oh, I’m a good person. I have nothing to worry about,” they might say. They are complacent.

And both of these reactions will earn you death.

The reason is simple. We are imperfect beings, and God is perfect and Holy. We have earned death in our pride, greed, lust, and hatred. God’s mercy is the only way we can have life. But if we turn away from Him actively, or passively assume we’re good enough, then we have foolishly accepted the death sentence we deserve.

But the other way to react is by accepting the call of Jesus and repenting. Only He did not deserve to die, and yet He died anyway. He died in our place.

Turn away, stay, or bow. Those are our only choices. The first two are simple and foolish, and they get us nowhere. But trusting in Jesus will get us eternal life. Ask for His forgiveness and follow Him.

Proverbs 1:31: Where this all is going . . .

[Wisdom says:] “therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.”
-Proverbs 1:31

Paganism is not necessarily worshipping a volcano or tree nymphs. It certainly can include that, but that’s not the whole of it. Paganism is any time you worship something that is created rather than the Creator.

It can be money; it can be women; it can be a nice car; it can be television; it can be the environment; it can be donuts; it can be a singer; it can be your job. Whatever is most important in your life, that is your god. Whatever you sacrifice your time, money, and energy for, that is your god.

I tell you this because I need to tell you where your sin is leading. When you do not have the true God as your Savior and Lord, your sin turns into an idol, whether it be lust, pride, greed, or whatever. Whatever that sin is, it becomes your religion. Is it lust for you? The hot woman will be your idol. Greed? Money will be your idol.

I tell you this because it is something you need to recognize. It is not something to be put off until later, because it may get to the point where you are too far gone to make a difference.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
-Romans 1:22-25

Eventually, God is going to give you up to the lie, and you won’t even notice. You’ll be so absorbed in the creation that you will lose sight of the Creator. You won’t even realize that you are missing out on something incredible.

In doing this, you are earning Hell. We have all sinned and deserve death, and in this sin you will be swallowed by it. You will get exactly what you deserve.

We were all on this road! Don’t think I’m picking on you, because we were all there at one time or another. We were so focused on this earth that God’s Son had to come here as a man to save us. Yet still were we so absorbed in ourselves that we killed Him for the effort.

And still He is willing to take us back. Repent of those old ways. Because of the Cross, Christ is able to take your place in death and give you life. He will give you a new way, free from the bondage of sin. He can take you off the road you are on. Repent of that sin and ask Him for His forgiveness. Ask Him for His Spirit to guide you. With His help, sin will have no more hold on you.

Proverbs 1:31: Every sin will be punished

[Wisdom says:] “therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.”
-Proverbs 1:31

It seems like the trend has slacked off a bit, but for a while there, you kept hearing about violent criminals getting set free over technicalities. Confessions were being thrown out of court because a cop did one tiny little thing wrong in the interrogation. Testimonies were being forbidden because of some obscure law that was poorly written.

In the live actions version of THE TICK, there was a very funny parody of this sort of thing, when a super-villain’s lawyer successfully got a trunk full of evidence kicked out of the trial. That evidence had been placed on a table in the middle of the courtroom, and the bailiffs began hauling it out. The judge instructs the jury to ignore the evidence, and the Tick stands up, crying out, “But it’s all RIGHT THERE!”

That sort of thing never struck me as a good thing. It is true that we need rules to follow when it comes to criminal justice, but I don’t think you can make a case that justice was served when an obviously guilty person is set free.

And even if you do, would you think justice was served if a violent criminal pleads guilty, all the evidence is in order, nothing was done wrong in the investigation, and the judge says, “I refuse your plea of guilty and find you not guilty”?

My friends, we are guilty. We are guilty of pride, lust, selfishness, and hatred. And if you deny that, then you are lying, which makes you guilty just as quickly.

We are all in the same boat here. From Hitler to Mother Teresa, we have all sinned to some degree or another. And it really doesn’t matter to what degree either, for God’s standard is perfection, and so any sin means we deserve the punishment: death.

And God is just too. He’s not a judge that would ignore the evidence and find you innocent “just because.” His Law is perfect, and therefore His standard is too. He is holy, and nothing less than holy can stand in his presence. Because of His justice, every sin will be punished, and every sin will be punished with death.

And that is why Christ is so important. Jesus was the only man who ever lived who did not deserve to die, and yet He died anyway. And in His death He paid the price that we earned. He spilt the blood that should have been ours.

Every sin will be punished, yes, but Jesus has made it so that He can take that punishment instead of you.

If we turn from our rebellion, confess our sins, and trust in Him, we will find life.

If we do not take His sacrifice, then we will have to pay for our own sins. We will “eat the fruit of our ways.” We will find the death we deserve.

We do not have to. A pardon can be issued. Go to Him and ask for forgiveness, forsaking your old ways. He will give you life.

Proverbs 1:30: A tale of two children

[Wisdom says: I will not answer because they] “would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,”
-Proverbs 1:30

What do you think is going to happen to those people who scoff at God?

You’ve met them. Perhaps you are one of them. Those who say, “I don’t need God!” or, “No one can tell me what to do and what not to do!” or, “People who believe in God are foolish!”

It surprises me, truthfully, how many people in churches ignore the Bible completely. A lot of people cling to the truth that grace comes by faith alone (with is true), and then go about their sinful lives with little regard for Christ. What they never considered is that all those who believe also follow (John 14:12).

What about those people? What about those who go to church on Sunday morning and are cheating on their wives by late afternoon? Who speak the name of Christ and yet con everyone out of money?

What of those who shake their head when the Bible is mentioned, making all sorts of excuses as to why that particular part was “cultural” or no longer applies?

What would YOU do?

What would you do if you child ignored your every word, made fun of you to others, denied you completely, disobeyed your every command, mocked you, mocked those who loved you, and then, when he was down on his luck, demanded everything you had without apology for his actions?

I’m not sure how I would react, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t give him everything I had.

Say you had a child who did all those things, and then, one day, appeared at your door, threw himself at your feet, and begged for mercy, saying, “I was wrong in all those things I did and said. I can never make it up to you, but I ask for your forgiveness.”

Maybe you’d be wary, but if somehow you knew his heart, and knew he was telling the truth, I’m willing to bet you’d embrace him and welcome him inside.

You are one of these children. You are. The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and betrayed God in these ways. Not one of us is innocent. And God tells us what is going to happen to those of us who act in these ways. For those who continue in that way, who never repent, who never turn away from those actions and turn to Him, those people will earn for themselves eternal death.

But for those who repent, who turn to Christ and lay their sins upon the Cross, we will find life. We will be welcomed home.

But make no mistake. We can only reach Heaven through Jesus, for He is God, and there is no other god. You cannot repent to Baal and expect Jesus to accept that, just like if your rebelling child apologized to your neighbor but still ignored you, you wouldn’t take that to mean your relationship was restored.

We have all rebelled against God, but He sent His Son to restore our righteousness. In Christ’s death, He took on our sins so that we could take on His righteousness. Do not ignore His counsel and reproof. Accept them and turn to Jesus, for in Him you can have life.

Proverbs 1:29: Sending yourself to Hell

[Wisdom says:] “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,”
-Proverbs 1:29

“I don’t believe God will send ANYONE to Hell!”

I’ve heard that statement quite a bit. That’s what we like to think about God, isn’t it? That He is so loving and generous and merciful that He would allow anyone to get into Heaven, so matter what. That’s loving, right? It’s not loving for Him to say, “You are damned!”

Except that’s not at all what is happening here.

Let me reset the context for this verse. Wisdom is speaking here (almost like a spokeswoman for God), and she is asking people to turn away from their folly and follow her. But if they don’t turn toward God because of her words, then she’s going to laugh at them when they find eternal death. Why?

We reach our current verse. “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD.”

Here is the truth of things. If we find ourselves in Hell when we die, it is because we chose it.

How do we choose it? We choose it when God makes the truth known to you, and you reject it. That truth is that none of us is worthy of Heaven, and by justice we all deserve death. And yet, as Wisdom said a few verses back, in repentance we may find life. Christ, the Son of God, the same God who created the universe, came to earth as a man and died upon a Cross. In that death He took on the sins of the world. He paid the price we were supposed to pay because of our own sins. If we turn away from our sins and ask for His mercy, repenting of all that came before and choosing to follow Him, we will find life.

If you read that paragraph, you know the truth. You have probably heard it before. Now is your choice. Will you accept the truth (many of you reading this probably already have accepted it), or will you reject the knowledge there? Will you choose to follow God or not?

God isn’t going to “send you to Hell.” But if you reject Him, you are sending yourself there.

There is only one God, the God of the Bible, and His name is Jesus. He is the only way to have eternal life, for you cannot be good enough to make it on your own. If you say, “The god I believe in isn’t like that,” then the god you believe in is a false god. If you say, “God will let everyone get into Heaven,” then the god you refer to doesn’t exist. Turn away from these false beliefs and look to the Bible, where the one true God is revealed. There you will find His mercy, His love, His grace, and also His justice.

He, in love, has given us His Son so that we may live. Do not be defiant and deliver yourself into death when life is offered so freely.

Proverbs 1:28: Before it’s too late

[Wisdom says:] “Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.”
-Proverbs 1:28

Have you ever had one of those moments, perhaps as a child, when you acted so defiantly until you realized what the punishment was going to be, and then suddenly you were begging for mercy?

There was one time, many years ago, when I was punished for something I did, and the punishment was a long one. Basically, I would be grounded for several weeks. Well, a child as I was, several weeks seemed like forever, so in that moment, I decided to at least get my money’s worth. So I started talking back, and the punishment kept growing, but I didn’t care, and I kept going.

In the end, my sentence was set at about six months without television or video games.

Not my greatest moment. Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled with myself afterward. I made some attempted to apologize and lessen the punishment, and got some taken off, but it was basically too late.

I used to work in the court systems, and there were a few times when a criminal would come in very cocky and mocking of the whole process, at least until the guilty sentence was handed down, and then they started begging for mercy.

I’m going to be blunt with you. You have your whole life to figure out that you’re not a terribly good person, and that you need God if you want to escape eternal punishment. It’s what we all deserve, and this life is your chance to learn that.

Because after that, it’s too late.

God is so loving that, while we deserve punishment for our pride, anger, ambition, and lust, He sent His Son to take our place in death and then to rise again, insuring that we can have a place with God in heaven. He has called for you and shown you the truth, but perhaps you ignored it. I did for many years. He has offered mercy, but perhaps you have decided that you don’t need it. He has warned you of the wrath to come, but perhaps you have said you don’t believe it.

On the Day of Judgment, you will learn that it is all true, but it will do no good to beg for mercy then.

Had I asked for mercy from the beginning rather than defied my parents and scoffed at their punishment, perhaps I would have been let free right away. In the same way, some people play chicken with death for their very souls, saying, “I will find God when I am older,” as though any of us were guaranteed another day.

In mercy, God has given you your whole life to repent and turn to Him. He has given His Son to pay your price for you. But do not think that God’s love will cause Him to ignore His justice. Repent now, for in the next life, He will not answer.

Proverbs 1:27: Oh, hell

[Wisdom will laugh] “when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.”
-Proverbs 1:27

I don’t like talking about this. I don’t. But I’m going to, because it’s true. Because it’s important.

There is a hell. It is a place of eternal torment and eternal death. And people are going there. And because I know it’s true, then I have to speak of it, because this is too important to not say.

When we were made in the likeness and image of God, we were given souls that do not perish. That part of us is eternal. We will live forever. Period. The question is not IF we will live, but WHERE.

The two options are that we will live with God or without Him. Anyone would prefer heaven to hell (despite what some may claim), but there’s a problem.

We are in rebellion against God. He is perfect, Holy, righteous, and just, and we do not follow His Law. We do not consider Him worthy of praise, even though He created everything. We do not follow Him, but we follow our own devices instead.

And because God is just, He cannot let these transgressions, what the Bible calls “sin,” go without punishment.

There’s no fine we can pay. There’s not a prison we can go to for a few years. The price for rebellion, for treason, has always been the same: death. Without blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.

Revelation 20:15 says this: “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

No one is righteous, not even one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You have sinned. I have too. We have both rebelled against God. We have both fallen short. We both deserve the lake of fire.

Take a look at this verse from Proverbs. It’s one of many biblical descriptions of what is to come. Terror, calamity, distress, and anguish. That is what we deserve for our treason.

There is only one way to escape this fate. The debt is too high for us to pay, but the Son of God can to earth in human form to pay the debt for us. He died upon the Cross to pay for our sin. In Him, we may have life.

Nothing you can do can earn it. It is His gift if you would take it. Lay down your arms; renounce your rebellion. Repent, repent, repent, and ask for His mercy.

There is no other way. Christ told us this: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He is our source of life. Religion cannot do it; being a “good person” cannot do it. Only Him. Repent to Him, for He is our only hope.

Proverbs 1:26: They’re all going to laugh at you!

[Wisdom says:] “I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,”
-Proverbs 1:26

Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I found it funny sometimes.

I used to work in the criminal courts, and I was always amazed at some of the people who asked some of the things they did. Sometimes they had just been convicted of crimes that very day, and they came to me, wanting me (a lowly clerk) to wipe it off their record, or maybe clear a fine for them. So boldly they asked, as though they deserved it! Sometimes they wanted me to write letters to employers that their record was clean. And when I wouldn’t, they would get upset at me, like I was the problem!

Most common of all were the people who didn’t go to a court date because they didn’t feel like it, and then they would yell at me when a cop came to their door to arrest them. I would try to explain that they had missed their court date and a warrant was issued, but they didn’t feel like those rules applied to them.

My coworkers and I would often laugh at this. We weren’t laughing so much at the situation these people were in, but that they somehow thought it was OUR fault.

We sometimes have that attitude with God. We don’t even think about it! Whenever we die, we are sure God will have no problem just wiping away any sin we have committed. God is love, right? Surely He won’t really expect us to pay for what we have done! We’re good people!

Let me tell you the truth. We are thieves, liars, blasphemers, and murderers. Have you ever stolen anything? Ever told a lie? Ever used the Lord’s name in vain? Ever been unduly angry at someone? Then we are guilty.

Do you think that all thieves, liars, blasphemers, and murderers should be allowed into heaven, or only you? Are you like one of those people in my court, who don’t think the law applies to you?

Say a murderer went before a judge and said, “Sir, I am a thief, but you are a loving person, let me free!” Say the judge said, “Okay, you’re right! Go free!” What would we think of the judge? Not much, I imagine. We would not think him just at all.

How much more just is God than any of us? God invented justice, after all! Why do you think He would not justly punish those who do wrong? The punishment is not one you want to face, for breaking merely one part of the Law is a transgression against the entirety of the Law (James 2:10), and the sentence for sin is death (Romans 6:23).

If you are just shrugging off the things you do wrong, thinking that God won’t care or He won’t notice, then you’re in for a surprise. You will be mocked. You will be punished.

But isn’t God merciful? Indeed He is, more so than any of us ever could be. That is why He sent His Son.

See, every sin must be paid with blood, but the perfect Man, Jesus Christ, died undeservedly, and in that death He is able to take our sin and pay our debt for us. In exchange, He is able to give us His righteousness so we can walk in the light.

But as with any gift, you must accept it. You must repent of your sin and turn your life over to Christ. If you get to Judgment Day with an attitude that “I am good enough,” you’ll find a perfectly just God laughing at your sheer silliness. But if you go with the confession that you are NOT good enough, but that you have laid your sins at the foot of the Cross, you will find that Christ has already paid the price for you.

This is too important to be left until tomorrow. If you do not know Him, then seek Him today. Ask for His forgiveness and His mercy, and let His wrath against you be sated at the Cross.

Proverbs 1:25: Repentance or regret?

[Wisdom says:] “because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,”
-Proverbs 1:25

What happened when you repent?

I ask because we don’t seem to know. Is it a matter of saying sorry and then ignoring the problem? Is it making a confession and then going to do the same thing again?

“To repent” means “to turn away from.” I find that very interesting. If you are going to really repent, you are going to turn away from that thing of which you are repenting. Are you repenting of junk food? Then you won’t eat it any more. If you do keep eating junk food, then you never repented; you only regretted.

I worked with a woman a few years back who smoked. She was making an effort to quit, but never could get over the cravings, and so she always went back. She would make an announcement to the office that she was quitting. A couple of days later she would be smoking again.

It’s interesting that she always said that: “I’ve quit smoking,” but she never did. I think that’s how a lot of people who go to church view repentance.

That’s not what it is.

The modern church clings to the truth that we are saved by faith. That is absolutely true, but they forgot part of it. What they do not understand is that faith must lead to repentance, which must lead to a change. If there is no change, there has been no true repentance; if there is no repentance, there has been no faith. In other words, if I have not been changed by the awesome power of Christ, can I really claim to have experienced it?

Take this example. If a man claims to love his children, but does not care for them, does not provide for them, and does not even speak to them, can we really say he loves them? Obviously not!

Take a look at John 14:12a: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do.” Did you catch that? If you believe in Christ, then you will also follow His example.

How about 1 John 1:6? “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

Part of the call of Christ, of Wisdom in this chapter in Proverbs, is a call to obey. Turning to Christ means obeying Christ.

Some of you are going to read this and say to yourself, “We must obey Christ to get to heaven!”

You have it wrong. Faith is what gets us to heaven, not works. Works come out of faith. If you look at your life and you see no evidence of Christ in your heart, then your problem is not a lack of works. Your problem is a lack of faith!

The Bible tells us these things so we can test ourselves and know that we are children of God (1 John 2:5-6, 2 Corinthians 13:5). Have you repented, or only regretted?

Right now, some of you are getting upset, because you’re thinking, “Hey, I prayed a prayer when I was eleven and the pastor said I never had to worry about getting to heaven again! How dare this blogger question that!”

And I say to you, many will say “Lord, Lord” who never knew Jesus, and He says He will tell them to depart (Matthew 7:21-23). The Bible never says that you can pray a certain prayer and never worry about your spiritual state again. The Bible tells us to repent and to examine ourselves to see the evidence of Christ. I was one who prayed one of those prayers and thought I was saved, only to come to the truth years later when I truly repented. Examine yourself!

If you find yourself still in sin, then the solution is not to “try harder.” The solution is to turn away from sin and turn to Christ. Repent of your ways and seek His Grace. It was the religious who put Him to death, not who followed Him. And yet Jesus’ sacrifice has made room in heaven for even the most hardened, self-righteous, proud, religious person there is.

Look at yourself. Do you know Him? If not, let today be the day you turn.