A man recently wrote the following to our ministry: "I don´t know
who put me on your mailing list, but please remove my name
immediately. I can´t stand your gloomy gospel and your hammering
against sin. None of us is perfect, not even you. I´ve had it with
your King James gospel of doom."
Isaiah spoke of this kind of response: "This is a rebellious people,
lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: which
say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto
us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Get you out of the way" (Isaiah 30:9-11).
The word "smooth" in this verse means "nice, flattery." The people
of Israel were saying, in short, "Don't tell us any more bad stuff.
Describe how we´re going to prosper, how great things lie ahead
of us. If not, then get out of our faces."
No believer who hides sin in his heart ever wants to hear a holy,
sin-exposing word. That person will always flee the Holy Spirit´s
voice of truth. And he´ll turn to some preacher who is soft on sin,
offering smooth talk and flattering prophecies.
So, you ask, what hard message did God´s voice deliver to His
people on Mount Sinai? He said simply this: "I am the Lord thy
God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house
of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou
shalt not make thee any graven image. . . . Thou shalt not bow
down thyself unto them, nor serve them" (Deuteronomy 5:6-9).
Here was the pure, unadulterated word of the Lord, coming directly
from His mouth. It should have sent the people flying to their tents
to smash their graven images. It should have stirred their hearts
and brought them to their knees. But instead they cried, "No more
thunder, fire, shaking. No more audible voice speaking to us. Give
us a spokesman who is like us, and let him speak to us. Then
we´ll hear and obey."
-Source-
http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/27275
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TX 75771-0260, (903) 963-8626
April 16, 2014
ReplyDeleteWhy we suffer is God’s business. How we respond is ours.
The Bible speaks a lot about pain, suffering, and the trials we encounter, offering partial answers why we must endure adversity in life. Yet, as much as Scripture addresses the problem of pain, it never quite quells our endless queries. Frankly, I believe God intends that, for if we knew all the answers, there would be no need to depend upon Him.
Why some people suffer and others don’t has puzzled the minds of many throughout the ages. The only answer that makes any sense to me is this: The answer is none of our business; it’s God’s. But, how we respond to adversity is our business, for our response is an expression of our faith, trust, and belief that God is who He said He is, and that our only responsibility is to love Him and walk in obedience to His call upon our life. It’s that simple, but not always easy!
We live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).