God is loving, but He is not only loving. Isaiah says, “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted…. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings…. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty”Isaiah 6:1–3 Notice that the angels before his face day and night do not cry, “Love, Love, Love is the LORD Almighty.”
Lest we believe that God’s love in the New Testament eclipses His holiness in the Old Testament, the final book of the Bible reveals the present and future in a picture similar to Isaiah’s vision: “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8
God did not cease to be uncompromisingly holy when Jesus came into the world. God’s eternal character does not change (see Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). That means the following Old Testament declarations remain just as true now as when they first appeared in Scripture:
“Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11
“Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” 1 Samuel 6:20
“Your ways, O God, are holy.” Psalm 77:13
“Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; He is holy…. You were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.” Psalm 99:5, 8–9
Of course, holiness is not God’s only other attribute, which makes it all the more important that we refuse to reduce Him only to love. But we can distinguish holiness from love, so it serves as a good example. Notice how Joshua appealed to God’s holiness, not His love:
“You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you.” Joshua 24:19–20
To demons, God’s defining characteristic is His holiness. A demon said to Jesus, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Mark 1:24
Only one attribute of God forms part of the name of a member of God’s triune person—not the Loving Spirit, but the Holy Spirit. The angel announcing Messiah’s incarnation referred to all three members of the Trinity. Note the prominence of God’s holiness and power:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” Luke 1:35
When Paul alludes to two godlike qualities, the Lord’s righteousness and holiness come to his mind:
“Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:24
It is imperative we remember that God cares as much that we share in His holiness as in His love:
“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness…. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord” Hebrews 12:10, 14
Biblical prophecy reveals that persecution of Christians will escalate as we get closer to Jesus return. We are already seeing intense persecution of Christians. Apostasy is one of the major “end times” signs and we see that occuring at a rapid rate as much of the institutional church compromises with the world’s values that are contrary to God’s Word: gay marriage and homosexual pastors are just two that standout.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14
Make sure you are one of those that proclaims the Gospel until the end, whatever that might be, knowing that He will be with you no matter what.
Extracted from an article by Randy Alcorn “God Is as Just and Holy as He Is Loving” on http://www.patheos.com November 21, 2022.
There is only one claim that might be more radical than Jesus rising from the dead. It is that Jesus also claimed to be Holy God. Consider these words from Jesus Himself. He states that
“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30
This statement drew considerable anger from many of the Jews, as just a few verses later we read they tried to stone Him – in their eyes this was blasphemy.
Elsewhere in the book of John, Jesus declares that:
“… before Abraham was born, I am.” John 8:58
Here, Jesus is basically quoting God in the Old Testament when God declares Himself to be:
“I AM.” Exodus 3:14
I can think of nothing more radical than claiming to be God. Yet, this is what Jesus claimed and demonstrated. He was God. Correction – He is God. He is very much alive.
“I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
Jesus, The Only Hope for Sinners
The truth about Jesus is that He is the eternal, holy, and magnificent God. He existed in eternity past before the world ever was. In Him, creation was made. He is perfectly holy, supremely righteous, and wholly just. Being just, he must also deal with sin and evil appropriately.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:15-20
When sin entered our world through Adam, all men fell and death reigned. As the book of Romans says,
“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (v. 3:23) and “The wages of sin is death” (v. 6:23).
Every member of the human race is fatally flawed and stained with sin. Because of this, we’re born evil and we choose evil. We rage war against the laws and morality of God. We lie, we lust, we steal, we hate, we murder, we blaspheme, we make idols, and we deny the very God who made us. All of us are deserving of judgment and eternal death for our sins.
Yet, from the beginning, God had a rescue plan. He made a promise to redeem His people from the guilt, shame, and judgment of their sins. Prophecies were made about a Messiah and in a mystery that was hidden for ages, God revealed that He is Messiah. Truly – Jesus is the Christ.
For sinners, such as you and me, the person and story of Jesus offer eternal hope. Born of a virgin and fulfilling every prophecy made about the coming Messiah, Jesus came to bring forgiveness, life, and hope. God took the form of man, lived a perfect life, and fulfilled the law completely. He was captured, beaten, tortured, denied, and executed by those He came to save. In doing so, He bore the stored wrath of the Holy God. He became the substitute and took the punishment His people deserve; the innocent died for the ungodly. After this, He rose from the dead and established His church.
You can have your sins forgiven if you repent of your sinful life and receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, thereby committing your life to His example and commands. Jesus’ blood spilled on the cross covers your sins and the judgment you deserve is transferred to Him. Instead of wrath, you receive life. This gospel has been preached for 2,000 years by men willing to die horrible deaths for their faith.
For those in Christ, we are credited, or imputed, with the righteousness of Jesus. Meaning, that in the eyes of God the Father, we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Jesus also made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to be our counsellor, comforter, and teacher and thereby enable us to live the Christian life. Nevertheless, the effects of our sinful natures linger and will ultimately kill us in this life unless, of course, we live until the time Jesus returns to rapture, first the dead in Christ and then those who are living, prior to the wrath of God being poured out on an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements of Revelation 8 (Trumpet), 16 (Bowl).
Folks, today you are faced with a binary decision. You can choose to believe and trust that Jesus is everything He said He was, or He wasn’t. In denying Him, you remain under the wrath of God and judgment waits for you. Receive Him today! Trust Him! Believe in Him! The Bible tells that “All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” There is no sin or evil you’ve committed that grace cannot cover. Forgiveness is available to all who seek it.
Seek Him while He still may be found.
adapted from an article by Jack Lee on April 11th, 2019 “Who was Jesus?” http://www.patheos.com
Scripture is clear: “As He who called you is holy, you also must be holy in all your conduct”1 Peter 1:15
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
Look what A.W.Tozer said:
“I look back and remember a day when it was common for men and women to come to an altar of prayer and kneel there, shake, tremble, and weep in agony of conviction over their iniquity. We do not see it now because the God we preach is not the everlasting, awful Holy One who cannot look upon iniquity. When we get a vision of the Holy One as he desires to reveal himself, this will come back as a mighty power to change us into his likeness.”
Tozer then quotes this hymn by Charles Wesley:
Lord, incline me to repent; Let me now my fall lament, Deeply my revolt deplore, Weep, believe, and sin no more.
Repentance is the lost word in the Christian dictionary. You may want to consider adding the sentiment of Charles Wesley’s words to your next prayer. I am sure you won’t use Wesley’s words exactly.
It is not as if we have to repent and be holy in our own strength. Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to enable us to be holy. He will produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life and enable you to do the ministry that God has called you to do. We just need to submit to His leading day by day and not grieve Him or quench His work in our lives.
This is an extremely good sermon on the evil and suffering that exists in our world. John MacArthur is one of the most eloquent preachers that I have heard and on this subject he does a great job.
One of the most pressing challenges to Christianity is the problem of evil. Unbelievers are quick to ask how Christians can believe in the existence of a good God in the face of so much evil. In this session, Dr. John MacArthur examines what Scripture teaches regarding evil and suffering and why it exists in the world. You need to listen to this and send it to others. God is sovereign and actually has a purpose for evil which for most of us is hard to comprehend but all of us must come to grips with this truth.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me, there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.“Isaiah 45:5-7
“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.” Romans 9:22-23
John MacArthur preaches eternal conscious torment as God’s judgement for unbelievers. I do not hold to that position because Jesus taught punishment and second death.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’” Revelation 2:11
“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 20:6
The following Scripture clearly teaches that the second death occurs in the Lake of Fire: “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
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”Revelation 21:8
How many more references do we need to a second death before we believe that it is the eventual judgement of God for sin.
Everyday should be more exciting than the one before. God is a creator and we are made in His image, expect something new today, says Francis Chan
Francis Chan recommends that every Christian take some time to read through Revelation with fresh eyes. He did, and it changed his perception of the book. In this teaching at Azusa Pacific University, Chan talks about Jesus’ dire warnings to the early church and why we need to take the end times seriously.
Another great sermon from Francis on the end times. Make sure you have the time to see it through and to contemplate what it means for you.
Jesus said to him (Thomas), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. John 14:6
“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16
Only the one “by whom” and “for whom” all things were created could “take away the sin” that destroyed the first creation and bring in a “New Creation“.
There is only one KEY to open the Kingdom of Heaven for lost humanity. It is found in only four words “JESUS IS THE CHRIST“. He who was “in the beginning with God” and “was God” became a man to take away “the sin” that entered into the world through the first man Adam.
“You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning.” 1 John 3:5-6
There are many Scriptures which show that because of the holiness of God there is only one way our Heavenly Father could restore humanity. Moreover, it would reveal the extent of His love for us. He was prepared to ask His only son to become a man, Jesus, to live a sinless life, so He could die in our place and thereby offer us redemption from our sins (our rebellion against God and His ways). Such a sacrifice on our behalf, and all our Heavenly Father requires of us, is to acknowledge and repent of our sins and embrace His son, Jesus, as our Saviour and Lord.
Jesus is the KEY to restore us, and once we repent and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, our Heavenly Father sends the third person of the Trinity, The Holy Spirit to indwell our Spirit. We cannot be holy without the Holy Spirit, our body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. Notice that all three persons of the Trinity are involved in our Salvation.
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 