RE Verse reading–Isaiah 10:5-27, 11:1-10 (day six) Happy Cinco de Mayo! “Very soon. . . my wrath will be directed to their destruction” (vs 10:25) It is the beginning of wisdom–a lesson we learn that leads to wise choices. God disciplines everyone who sins. No favorites. No exceptions. Christian and non-Christian, rich and poor. The Assyrians would have been well served to remember. A time of prosperity made them arrogant. Little did they know their pride was being noted for later correction. (cf vs 12) The New Testament teaches the same fear. “Therefore let him who thinks he stand take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) May the Lord give all of us this healthy fear of His discipline. When we see others in a time of trouble, may we remember that apart from His help we will be next. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. What we sow, we will reap.” (Galatians 6:7) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7)
Interesting. As I meditated on the Word yesterday, the exact same verse you started with today (10:25) was what stood out to me…. except all of it “Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.” I saw it as a promise that under the New Covenant God will make a way for us and then looking at us as Holy, turn His anger/wrath to the kingdom of darkness. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (not the sinners). And then he went further…. “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
Gal 6:8 finishes the thought (of 6:7) with “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” We do still have a choice….and we will reap….even more reason to choose LIFE.
I am probably the only one who questions things like this, but in last week’s sermon you talked about knowing God is not holding your sins against you…. and yet here you say God disciplines everyone who sins. The Word says “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
Paul made such a great case for Grace versus Works that he then had to say, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Then said, “May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” That was an absurd thought to his spiritually renewed mind!
God does discipline those He loves, but is that the same thing as the absolute destruction depicted in the O.T.? I am not sure what good a dead disciple is to the Kingdom.
My heart is that we indeed give a message of reconciliation. I heard someone say yesterday, One does not perish because of sin…one perishes (and sins) because they are spiritually dead. Sin is the fruit of spiritual death. I have been meditating on this all day. Jesus told Nicodemus “YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.”
Focusing on “sin management” will not lead to eternal salvation. WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN. The Spirit gives birth to spirit. WE WILL PERISH IF WE ARE NOT SPIRITUALLY ALIVE.
The real reason I care about all this is because I plan to bring millions with me into the Kingdom ….I have already asked and it is settled…. and therefore must receive Wisdom as to how this all works…. not just settle for what others tell me. If no person knows/cares about me personally….it does not matter. However, the message we give does very much matter. There is a New Covenant and we must learn how to step into all He has provided for us. I am confident we will as He teaches us… if we will allow Him to teach us. One thing I know for sure is that it is not by works, lest any man should boast…. but by His Spirit. I was thinking today how is it possible that America is in the moral shape it is in…. with all its lostness that causes the lack of morality…. and yet there are so many professing Christians who are making very little significant impact on our nation. Do we not know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?
Heavenly Father, please give us Wisdom and Understanding.