MIKE JOHNSON GOT IT RIGHT – JOE BIDEN WAS GOD’S APPOINTMENT FOR PRESIDENT

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The House Speaker, Republican Mike Johnson, was asked by an unidentified member of the media at the weekly press conference for GOP leadership on Jan. 17 whether he thinks President Joe Biden’s victory in the bitterly contested and politically heated campaign was, in fact, “God’s will.”

Johnson, a 51-year-old Evangelical who was elected speaker last fall after receiving the backing of former President Donald Trump, told reporters he believes Biden’s victory “must have been God’s will” because of his personal faith in the Scriptures.

“I said in my speech before I took the gavel that, look, I’m a Bible-believing Christian, right? A Bible-believing Christian believes what the Bible says, right?” Johnson replied. “The Bible says that God is the one who raises up people in authority.”

He explained that not only does he believe God is “sovereign,” but that America’s Founding Fathers held a similar view. Johnson pointed to the Declaration of Independence, a document he said shows the Founding Fathers “acknowledge[d] that our rights don’t come from government, they come from God, and we’re made in His image. “Everybody’s made the same,” added Johnson. “We all are given equal rights and value and that’s something that we defend.”

Based on those beliefs, he said, “then you believe that God is the one that allows people to be raised in authority.” “Biden’s election must have been God’s will then. That’s my belief,” said Johnson.

At times, God ensures we get the government we deserve so that we live with the consequences. Fortunately, God has shown us what will unfold in the future as the world turns its back on God and lives as if he does not exist.

In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:36-39, Luke 17:26-27) Jesus told us that in the last days before He returns to Earth to enforce righteousness the world will be like it was in the days of Noah, evil and lawlessness will abound. We are even told that Satan and His demons are cast out of heaven and Satan knowing his time is short takes over the body of the Antichrist and declares himself to be God. During the reign of the Antichrist, for Christians, it will be like the time of the early church, it will be a time of great persecution. It will also be a time for the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to shine, knowing their redemption is close.

“For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:26-28

THE GENERATION THAT DID NOT KNOW GOD OR HIS WORD

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How quickly one generation can depart from knowing God and His Word. We should not be surprised; look what happened when Joshua died after leading the people of Israel into the promised land defeating 30-plus armies.

“And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” Judges 2:8-10

And just as the Lord judged and punished the generation following Joshua so will God shortly come against this rebellious generation when He pours out His wrath with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements

“And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.” Judges 2:14-15

The prominent online dating service eHarmony is facing backlash from the conservative Christian group One Million Moms for its recent LGBT-inclusive advertisement featuring a lesbian couple in a domestic setting.

The commercial is part of eHarmony’s “Get Who Gets You: Warm Laundry” campaign, which, One Million Moms says, is “normalizing and glamorizing the LGBTQ lifestyle.”  

In the commercial, a lesbian couple is shown intimately lounging on a couch, their legs entwined and heads close together. As the laundry cycle completes, one of the women stands to collect the clothes while her partner sprawls on the bed. The scene continues with the first woman carrying the warm laundry to the bedroom. Standing next to the bed, she playfully cascades the laundry over her partner, then bends down for a kiss, hidden amid the clothes.

“Lost in Love” by Toodlum Barker & Emil Lomax sets a romantic tone in the background. The commercial wraps up with eHarmony’s slogan, “Get Who Gets You.”

How times have changed 17 years ago in 2007, eHarmony was sued for not offering services to gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Linda Carlson, accused eHarmony of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Carlson denied access to the dating service due to her sexual orientation, and alleged discrimination in eHarmony’s policies.

The company, founded in 2000 by Evangelical Christian Dr. Neil Clark Warren, had strong ties with the religious conservative group Focus on the Family at the time. Warren, CEO of eHarmony, has publicly addressed the impact of the same-sex marriage debate on his company.

In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, Warren, a self-described “passionate follower of Jesus,” expressed his exhaustion with the controversy and its detrimental effects on eHarmony. He recounted the backlash from the Christian community following the launch of Compatible Partners, a service catering to same-sex couples, as part of a settlement in a 2008 New Jersey discrimination case. Warren compromised with the world to save his company. Just as the church is compromising with the world over homosexuality, gay marriage, and transgenderism. Thank goodness God has told us in advance that this would happen before Jesus returns to rescue His Saints and God pours out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.

“And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Revelation 6:13-17

GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT

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How do you line up with Paul’s assessment of people living in his day? Has God given you up “in the lusts of your heart to impurity” If you continue to deny Him and His goodness He will. Look around you at the beauty of the world He created. You do not take your next breath without Him making it possible. How can you deny His existence? Moreover, your Creator God sent His son, Jesus to become a man to not only reveal the truth about God but also pay the price for the original man and woman’s rebellion (SIN) against God. If this does not reveal His goodness to you nothing will.

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 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.
For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:21-32

THE TRUTH ABOUT PALESTINE

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The young Australian actor Nathaniel Buzolic is an exceptional example of someone who did his homework before making a decision and telling the world about it. In an interview that took place today on Israel’s Channel 13, Nathaniel mentioned that when he was growing up, he was familiar with the Israel-Palestinian narrative as it was told to him by Palestinians. But Nate was eager to learn the facts, asked the right questions, and even traveled to Israel to witness events with his own eyes. So the next time you see celebrities and influencers taking sides in any conflict, regardless of nation, religion, culture, or whatever, ask yourself if these people made even a fraction of the effort that Nathaniel Buzolic made. You know what? Ask yourself if any of the people you encounter on social media and in real life put in such efforts to understand why Nathaniel Buzolic eventually decided to bravely stand with Israel.

God has raised up Nathaniel for such a time as this. It is obvious that Nathaniel knows God and is doing what He requires of him by walking away from all of the worldly success he could have achieved as an actor.

Australian Actor Nathaniel Buzolic Interview in Israel’s Channel 13

Let’s remind ourselves just what happened three weeks ago. Two Gaza-based terrorist groups inspired by Islamist ideology, committed to the destruction of the state of Israel and backed by at least one government, staged an attack whose sadism and savagery exceeded even the horrors perpetrated by the Russian butchers of Bucha in Ukraine. The video evidence of their crimes, much of it recorded by the perpetrators, is horrifying. More than 1400 Israelis were killed, including children and even babies. More than 200 were kidnapped and are being held hostage. The idea that Israel should do nothing in response to this outrage – other than increase the flow of aid into Gaza – defies both human emotion and strategic sense. Only those wearing ideological blindfolds cannot see that.

GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE IS INFINITE AND UNCONDITIONAL

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“But [King David] covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, ‘O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!’ 2 Samuel 19:4

Absalom, like King Saul, had a kingly and charismatic appearance but a self-serving bent. He gradually began to see himself as a potential successor to his father’s throne and began gathering supporters among the northern tribes of Israel. It was his intention to raise an army, mount a rebellion against his father, and take over the throne. But in a battle with David’s armies, Absalom was killed, throwing David into an extended season of grief. Even though Absalom was his enemy, David loved him unconditionally, even at the time of his death. 

Loving an enemy unconditionally is the New Testament’s picture of our salvation. Even while we were God’s enemies, He sent Christ to die for us. Thank God today for His unconditional love.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:8

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.“ Romans 8:35

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

GOD IS A RIGHTEOUS GOD AND HIS WRATH WILL BE POURED OUT ON AN UNREPENTANT WORLD

God poured out His wrath once before on an unrepentant world at the time of Noah’s Day and we know from Biblical prophecy that He will pour it out again in the not-too-distant future with the Trumpet (Revelation 8) and the Bowl (Revelation 16) judgements.

“But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:5

GOD IS SOVEREIGN

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We know as Christians that God places rulers in power to accomplish His purposes, as difficult as that might seem for us.

“He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Daniel 2:21

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1

These verses and others like them are great reminders of God’s sovereignty in history. These are the kind of bedrock verses to meditate on when a new government arises headed by an Islamic leader, who seemingly will be big trouble for Christ-followers.

Our faith cannot be shaken by whoever is in the driver’s seat of any given government. God is in control and often we get the leader we deserve. In Australia, the Victorian people voted in the ungodly Daniel Andrews and they are now getting the anti-God legisation they deserve.

It is useful to reflect on how God uses kings for His purposes. For example, Divine judgment came against the Lord’s people by means of King Nebuchadnezzar and the nation of Babylon. God refers to Nebuchadnezzar as His servant, meaning that the king was doing the work of God in punishing the people of Judah.

The fact that Nebuchadnezzar was referred to as the Lord’s servant should not be interpreted to mean that he was a righteous king. It is also not an indication that Babylon was replacing Judah as God’s special people. This is made clear as God’s judgment would later be pronounced against Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon.

“‘Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. I will bring upon that land My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.’” Jeremiah 25:12-13

We must drill down into the Rock. Jesus and cling to Him as world events continue to mold a godless future at a faster rate than ever seen before. We must also use the many prophecies of these future events for what I call apocalyptic evangelism. They prove the inerrancy of the Bible and the fact God is in control of History. The Bible clearly indicates the world gets darker as the world comes under greater control of Satan and his demonic powers. God even allows Satan to install his Antichrist and prophet to rule for three and a half years prior to Jesus’ return to earth with the glorified Saints to rule and reign for 1000 years.

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:5-6

GOD’S PROVIDENCE: HE IS A GOD OF INTENTION

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“Providence” is a word we use frequently in talking about God, but we may not have thought deeply about what it means. Theologian Timothy George defines it as “God’s faithful and effective care and guidance of everything which He has made toward the end which He has chosen.”

In quadriplegic’s Joni Eareckson Tada’s book Pain and Providence, she writes about God’s providence in Joseph’s life:

“I draw a lot of inspiration from the story of Joseph. There were plenty of unfortunate mishaps in Joseph’s life, like being tossed by his envious brothers into a pit and left to die. But later on, after more mishaps, Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20-21).

I like that word, intended. He is a God of intention—He has a purpose, a target, a goal, and a plan. Joseph’s problems did not catch God off guard. From the beginning, God calculated for Joseph to experience all these things. Why? For the salvation of others.

God is not a sweep-up boy who follows you with a dustpan and brush, second-guessing how everything will fit into a divine pattern for good. God’s hands stay on the wheel of your life from start to finish so that everything follows His intention for your life. This means your trials have more meaning—much more—than you realize.

Consider this: If Joseph had not been sold to those caravan traders by his wicked brothers, he would not have ended up as the right-hand man to Pharaoh. And if Joseph had not become Pharaoh’s right-hand man, no one would have built giant grain silos to ward off the famine. And if the famine hadn’t happened, Jacob and his family would never have come to Egypt for food and safety. And if Jacob’s family weren’t in Egypt, there would have been no slave laborers. And if no slaves, no Exodus, no Israel and no giving of the law to Moses. And no Promised Land. And, finally, no line of Judah from which the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come.

What an amazing example of the providence of God! It is enthralling to see how the troubles of one young man named Joseph could kick-start a whole chain of earth-shaking events which would ultimately lead to our salvation.

Joseph’s story could be yours. Only heaven will reveal the incredibly complex intertwining of events in which you have played a pivotal role. Like Joseph, you may not be able to discern it at the time, but God has it all in hand. He has it all in control. And you, dear friend, are needed in His marvelous plan to spread His kingdom in your corner of the world.”

God is in control of history and in His Word, the Bible, He has told us the entire story of this world from the start, a perfect world to its firey end. We know that we are living in the time before Jesus prophesied second coming to earth, first to raise the dead Saints and to rapture the living Saints and pour out His wrath on unrepentant earth, and second to return to earth one year and ten days later for the battle of Armageddon and set up His Millennial Kingdom.

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

I AM CONTENT WITH WEAKNESSES, HARDSHIPS, PERSECUTIONS, AND CALAMITIES

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I am content with weaknesses, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. Who can say such a thing? From a worldly standpoint, it is insane. It was Paul that said it and it is useful to look at Paul’s circumstances at the time of making such an outlandish statement.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Christians in Pakistan are truly living as Christians despite intense persecution.

To put this Scripture passage in context, Paul tells us of his experience of being taken by God into the heavens where it would be easy to become conceited. Why? “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations“ he was given and where “he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” This was why he was given a thorn in the flesh. But what was that thorn in the flesh? It was “a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”. For us, it should be remembered that whenever we are being obedient to God’s call that we can expect messengers of Satan to harass us. Persecution comes with the territory of being an obedient Christian.

Paul discloses this experience not so that we should focus on the attack; we are to focus on Jesus’s words instead. The Lord’s revelatory word of grace to Paul becomes the apostle’s reason for living – to proclaim the gospel. He can now “boast” in the weaknesses of his many sufferings and persecutions, knowing that such weakness brings on the power of the Holy Spirit to enable him to do what God has for him to do (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). He also discloses this experience as a way to help us understand that God does use Satan and his demons for his purposes particularly to teach us that a humble and contrite heart is what He desires.

Lessons to Be Learned from the “Thorn” in the Flesh

  1. Sometimes our most blissful experiences with the Lord follow, precede, or are accompanied by hardships and suffering.
  2. The Lord says, “no” to Paul’s request to remove the thorn. Do we recognize that sometimes God’s answer to our prayers may be “no”? And that he might have a higher purpose for us in our predicament, as he did Paul?
  3. The Lord also promises: “my grace is sufficient for you.” Despite our suffering, God is with us to comfort us, just as he was with Paul despite all his hardships and experiencing persecution.
  4. Like Paul, the Lord may want us to learn that there is strength and power in humility, weakness, and suffering. As Paul says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM SUBMITTING TO GOD?

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The process of self-emptying so that we can be filled with the Spirit of God and made into new creatures is often easier for those who are naturally wretched and miserable, as opposed to those who seem to have it “all together” like Denzel Washington.

The reliance on natural gifts can not only prevent us from coming to Christ but also hinder our daily reliance on His Holy Spirit once we have. Relying on our own powers and failing to recognize the ultimate source of those powers can stunt our relationship with our Creator and, ultimately, lead us into the first of all sins, the sin of pride.

That the Christian life is fundamentally related to the humility of the soul before God is itself revealed in the life of Christ. Paul talks of God’s “self-emptying” (kenosis):

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11

The process of self-emptying so that we can be filled with the Spirit of God and made into new creatures is often easier for those who are naturally wretched and miserable, as opposed to those who seem to have it “all together”:

Men like Denzel Washington endowed with incredible natural gifts like charisma and talent, find it harder to rely on God’s power and providence. It is so easy for them to say who needs God, I can supply all that I need. That Denzel struggled to “want [the Holy Spirit”], didn’t want to “go too deep” and wasn’t “ready to live it” is an honest account of what it is often like for those who are gifted by God to not want to acknowledge the source of those gifts, but to rely on them as their own. But, that Denzel is as outspoken a follower of Christ as he is, given his incredible circumstances, is itself a testimony to God’s grace and Denzel’s faithful response to that grace.

For C.S. Lewis, who called himself “the most reluctant convert,” it was not his looks per se, but his natural gift of intellect that prevented him from humbling himself before God. For many of us, it may be something other than looks or intellect that hinders us from coming to Christ. But, that some part of our natural gifts may be the very thing keeping us from the Giver of those gifts, is very likely the case.

What about you?

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN EVANGELISM

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What is God calling Christians to do? We are simply to be found faithful in the task of delivering the Gospel message. We are to bring the gospel into our workplaces, friendships, and families, to whomever and wherever. All that is required is to look to where God has placed us and simply to be found faithful to the task of proclaiming the good news to those who are dead in their sins. It requires that we not be ashamed of the good news of the gospel, which includes not being ashamed of the bad news of God’s judgment against sin.

Whatever the result of that proclamation of the gospel may be, whether a hardening or a softening of the heart, God effectually uses this message for His purposes.

Not every instance of proclaiming a message of repentance is designed by God to bring the people who hear it to repentance and faith. In fact, Scripture often demonstrates the opposite is true—that the proclamation serves to condemn the recipients rather than restore them. A great example of this is found in the commissioning of the prophet Isaiah:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said,

“Go and tell these people: Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of these people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” and He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitants, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate, the Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, and it will again be subject to burning, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump” Isaiah 6:8-13

As Brevard Childs ( Isaiah. Westminster John Knox Press, (2001): p56). puts it, “Isaiah, the prophet is to be the executor of death, the guarantor of complete hardening. His very proclamation is to ensure that Israel will not turn and repent.” How would you like to be called by God to deliver that message?

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish in the Lake of Fire, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” Charles Spurgeon

We may not necessarily like the implications of God using our proclamation of judgment and salvation to effectively harden an individual’s heart. We may not believe the implications of this are even fair—but we ought to remember in the midst of everything that we don’t want fair because our idea of what’s fair doesn’t square with God’s.

What’s fair is God condemning every man, woman, and child to eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire. What’s fair is that the only blameless One to have ever existed would not be put to the cross to pay for the sins of others. What you and I desire is mercy and grace, because mercy is not giving people what they deserve, which is condemnation, and grace is giving people what they don’t deserve, which is no condemnation. The gospel is a scandal to the world because it sees the murderer, rapist, racist, and the like, on equal footing with the sweet old lady who doesn’t confess Christ—and offers them all the same grace of God in Christ. What that very simply means is that the gospel is not barred from anyone on the basis of their own doing or choosing, but rather, on the sovereign choice of God Himself. If those who struggle with evangelizing were to focus on the sovereignty of God in evangelism, it would free many a burdened soul up to take joy in the work that God has given them, realizing that whether the person they share the gospel with rejects or receives it, God is glorified in accomplishing His work through the preached word.

This post was extracted from an article by Grayson Gilbert, A Lesson from Isaiah on the Sovereignty of God in Evangelism  July 23, 2020, http://www.patheos.com