Category Archives: Justice / Judgment

Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Slow to Anger, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

God Is a Righteous Judge; the Judgment We Receive Depends on How We Live

We should not expect that we can reject God, live without Him, and then not receive judgment at some point for doing so. It may or may not be in our current lives, but judgment will certainly come when we die or when Christ returns. We may receive judgment and consequences in our lives as well.  If you experience this in your life, take it as a reminder and a gift that calls you back to the LORD so you will be in a good relationship with Him when you meet Him for final judgment.

Jeremiah 5

Jerusalem’s Godlessness

1“Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look now and take note.
And seek in her open squares,
If you can find a man,
If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,
Then I will pardon her.

      2“And although they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’
Surely they swear falsely.”

      3O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?
You have smitten them,
But they did not weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.

      4Then I said, “They are only the poor,
They are foolish;
For they do not know the way of the LORD
Or the ordinance of their God.

      5“I will go to the great
And will speak to them,
For they know the way of the LORD
And the ordinance of their God.”
But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.

      6Therefore a lion from the forest will slay them,
A wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
A leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many,
Their apostasies are numerous.

      7“Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.

      8“They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

      9“Shall I not punish these people,” declares the LORD,
“And on a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?

      10“Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
But do not execute a complete destruction;
Strip away her branches,
For they are not the LORD’S.

      11“For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the LORD.

      12They have lied about the LORD
And said, “Not He;
Misfortune will not come on us,
And we will not see sword or famine.

      13“The prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”

Judgment Proclaimed

14Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts,
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire
And this people wood, and it will consume them.

      15“Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.
“It is an enduring nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.

      16“Their quiver is like an open grave,
All of them are mighty men.

      17“They will devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

      18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19“It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

      20“Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

      21‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
Who have eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.

      22‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the LORD.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.

      23‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.

      24‘They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the LORD our God,
Who gives rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The appointed weeks of the harvest.”

      25‘Your iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.

      26‘For wicked men are found among My people,
They watch like fowlers lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch men.

      27‘Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.

      28‘They are fat, they are sleek,
They also excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper;
And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

      29‘Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the LORD,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’

      30“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:

      31The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?

As I read, I can easily slip into a mindset that thinks He may as well be talking about our nation today. People declare His name, but do not follow Him. People are living in sin and putting other things in their heart where only God should be. Take this warning. Understand how God feels about us and our nation when we reject Him. Let that motivate you to rededicate yourself to God. Ask Him to show you any areas where you need to make changes in your life… your attitudes or actions.

Give Him thanks for His patience and for his word to guide us.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Justice / Judgment, Protector / Deliverer, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Turn Fully to God and His Ways; Don’t Wait for Difficulty to Drive You There

God wants to bring His people back to Him. He often warns them of impending difficulty He will bring and calls them to repent without needing it to be delivered. All too often, His people do not listen. Then He needs to bring about the hardship or remove His protection to help draw His people back to Him. We read about this in Jeremiah 4.

We may not face war and invasion in our lives, but the concept is often the same. We allow ourselves to drift from God. He wants to be in a relationship with us. He may call us back to Him, and if we don’t listen, He will remove His protection or bring challenges upon us so that we will seek Him again. How much more glorious if we choose to seek Him without having to go through the suffering first!

Jeremiah 4

Judah Threatened with Invasion

1“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD,
“Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,

      2And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory.”

      3For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
“Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.

      4“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”

      5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.’

      6“Lift up a standard toward Zion!
Seek refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing evil from the north,
And great destruction.

      7“A lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins
Without inhabitant.

      8“For this, put on sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the fierce anger of the LORD
Has not turned back from us.”

9“It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”

      10Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the throat.”

      11In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12a wind too strong for this—will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

      13“Behold, he goes up like clouds,
And his chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are ruined!”

      14Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?

      15For a voice declares from Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.

      16“Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim over Jerusalem,
‘Besiegers come from a far country,
And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

      17‘Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about,
Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the LORD.

      18“Your ways and your deeds
Have brought these things to you.
This is your evil. How bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”

Lament over Judah’s Devastation

19My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!
My heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.

      20Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,
For the whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.

      21How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?

      22“For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”

      23I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.

      24I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
And all the hills moved to and fro.

      25I looked, and behold, there was no man,
And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

      26I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

      27For thus says the LORD,
“The whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

      28“For this the earth shall mourn
And the heavens above be dark,
Because I have spoken, I have purposed,
And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”

      29At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees;
They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
Every city is forsaken,
And no man dwells in them.

      30And you, O desolate one, what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
Although you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your lovers despise you;
They seek your life.

      31For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,
The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
Stretching out her hands, saying,
“Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers.”

Turn back to God. Do not force Him to do something harsh to get your attention. Joyfully seek Him. Let go of those things which separate you from Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Submitted / Servant

Break the Cycle, Remain Focused on God at All Times

God’s people can often get distracted and lose focus on Him. At times, ungodly nations or forces may have power and authority over God’s people, but God is always able to clear them away in His timing. It is good to recall at all times the mercy and lovingkindness of the LORD. When we don’t, even if the LORD delivers us from the nations, we still end up with rebellion against Him. When His people rebel, God is not going to bless them. Rather, He will be against them. Then the people remember Him and all that He has done for them. Then they return.

How awesome if we could adjust this cycle and just remember the goodness of God all the time. It seems very hard to do it as a nation, but perhaps first we each need to seek to do so as individuals.

Isaiah 63

God’s Vengeance on the Nations

1Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

      2Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

      3“I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My raiment.

      4“For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.

      5“I looked, and there was no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.

      6“I trod down the peoples in My anger
And made them drunk in My wrath,
And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled

7I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has granted us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

      8For He said, “Surely, they are My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely.”
So He became their Savior.

      9In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

      10But they rebelled
And grieved His Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.

      11Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them,

      12Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,
Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

      13Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble;

      14As the cattle which go down into the valley,
The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.
So You led Your people,
To make for Yourself a glorious name.

“You Are Our Father”

15Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;
Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.

      16For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, O LORD, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.

      17Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways
And harden our heart from fearing You?
Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

      18Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have trodden it down.

      19We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.

Be intentional to reflect on all God has done for His people and specifically for you. Keep on praising God. Stay focused on Him. We don’t have to turn from Him and experience His displeasure in order to find Him again. We can pursue Him now!

Spend a few minutes in prayer thanking God for all He has done for His people and for you. Submit to follow His will and His instruction in your life. Give Him praise.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Prophecy, Prophecy, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Behold My Chosen One in Whom My Soul Delights

Isaiah 42 contains a significant prophecy about our Messiah, Yeshua. There are some themes to look for as you read. These themes still resonate with us today if we take the time to listen and consider them.

  • Verses 1-4: Prophecies about Yeshua’s first coming.
  • Verses 5-12: The work of redemption through Yeshua reconciles man back to God. It is an invitation to return to worshipping Him and being in the right relationship with Him.
  • Verses 13-17: God will lay low His enemies and graciously guide those who cannot find their own way (“the blind”).
  • Verses 18-25: Many hear the message and profess to follow God, but do not live it out. They do not live according to His law. They are not willing to walk in His ways.

For more detailed thoughts expanding on these, consider Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary for Isaiah 42.

Isaiah 42

1“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.

      2“He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.

      3“A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.

      4“He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

      5Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,

      6“I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,

      7To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

      8“I am the LORD, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.

      9“Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

      10Sing to the LORD a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.
You islands, and those who dwell on them.

      11Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.

      12Let them give glory to the LORD
And declare His praise in the coastlands.

      13The LORD will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.

The Blindness of the People

14“I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.

      15“I will lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.

      16“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.”

      17They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame,
Who trust in idols,
Who say to molten images,
“You are our gods.”

      18Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.

      19Who is blind but My servant,
Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the LORD?

      20You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;
Your ears are open, but none hears.

      21The LORD was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the law great and glorious.

      22But this is a people plundered and despoiled;
All of them are trapped in caves,
Or are hidden away in prisons;
They have become a prey with none to deliver them,
And a spoil, with none to say, “Give them back!”

      23Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will give heed and listen hereafter?

      24Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers?
Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they were not willing to walk,
And whose law they did not obey?

      25So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not recognize it;
And it burned him, but he paid no attention.

This chapter has a lot of information to take in. Take time and reread it. Reflect on the themes summarized at the beginning of this article and how they apply to your life. Where are you in your relationship with God? We would not want to miss out on a right relationship with God for lack of walking out what we know (or should know) in our lives. Ask God to give you eyes to see and ears to hear.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Creative, Eternal, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Strong in Our Weakness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Reflect on the Greatness of Our God

As you read through this today, reflect on the greatness of our God. This is not a time for speed reading or hurrying. This is a time for slowly digesting the word and what it means in our lives.

Isaiah 40

The Greatness of God

1“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

      2“Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the LORD’S hand
Double for all her sins.”

      3A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

      4“Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

      5Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

      6A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

      7The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.

      8The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

      9Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

      10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.

      11Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

      12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the span,
And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?

      13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?

      14With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?

      15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

      16Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

      17All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

      18To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

      19As for the idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.

      20He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To prepare an idol that will not totter.

      21Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

      22It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

      23He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

      24Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.

      25“To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.

      26Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

      27Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?

      28Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.

      29He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.

      30Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,

      31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Take a few more minutes and ask the Holy Spirit to really bring forth the rich message in this scripture. Meditate for a few minutes on the greatness of our God. What impact should this have on how you live your life?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Holy / Set Apart, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Self Control, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Rejecting God Has Serious Consequences

We can not simply claim to follow Christ and continue in sin, in direct rebellion against Him. Those who genuinely turn their lives to Christ will show it through their actions and attitudes. We will not be perfect. Certainly not. However, we will strive to turn away from sin rather than embrace and accept it. Our Father could not be more clear… those who continue in sin and rebellion against the Father will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

      9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Take caution not to rationalize your sin. The world would have you believe that everyone will inherit the kingdom of God, regardless of sin and rebellion against the Father. God’s word could not be more clear. There are serious consequences for those who choose to remain in sin rather than repent and submit to Jesus as Lord.

Be encouraged. Our sins can be forgiven through Jesus. God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus.

Take a few minutes right now. Pray for God to help you overcome sin and rebellion against God through the Holy Spirit and submit to Him in obedience. Give thanks for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for our sins to be forgiven.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus), be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Discerning / Judging, Justice / Judgment

Let Not the Righteous Rely on the Unrighteous for Justice

A community of true followers of Yeshua should be able to work through challenges and disagreements without having to come against one another in a legal court system. The righteous, living amongst a righteous community of believers should be able to resolve conflict internally. It is truly a disappointment when sin and selfishness divide the body of Christ and none within the body can step forward to help resolve the conflict.

1 Corinthians 6:1-9

Lawsuits Discouraged

      1Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

      7Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.

      9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

For the righteous to rely on the unrighteous for justice and to resolve conflict is disappointing… is a failure. Of course, it is a different matter when a believer is in conflict with an unrighteous person. Let us not look to the world to set the bounds of right and wrong, but internally look within the community of believers and to God and His written word as means of guiding our steps and resolving our conflict.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Unteachable / Foolish

We Will Each Face Judgment – Do You Want Grace or That Which You Deserve?

The judgment of God is a very real thing we will each face. The unrepentant sinner will receive his due. He will receive the punishment he deserves. Those who have repented and received forgiveness through Yeshua will experience grace in receiving the good things they did not deserve. This is a constant message through scripture. Do not disregard it. There is hope and peace on one side, through Yeshua, and reason to fear for those who refuse Yeshua’s offer of forgiveness.

Isaiah 33

The Judgment of God

1Woe to you, O destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.

      2O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.
Be their strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of distress.

      3At the sound of the tumult peoples flee;
At the lifting up of Yourself nations disperse.

      4Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.

      5The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

      6And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

      7Behold, their brave men cry in the streets,
The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

      8The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased,
He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for man.

      9The land mourns and pines away,
Lebanon is shamed and withers;
Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.

      10“Now I will arise,” says the LORD,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.

      11“You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath will consume you like a fire.

      12“The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.

      13“You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

      14Sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with continual burning?”

      15He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

      16He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

      17Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land.

      18Your heart will meditate on terror:
“Where is he who counts?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”

      19You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

      20Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart.

      21But there the majestic One, the LORD, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—

      22For the LORD is our judge,
The LORD is our lawgiver,
The LORD is our king;
He will save us—

      23Your tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
The lame will take the plunder.

      24And no resident will say, “I am sick”;
The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

Please take a few minutes and prayerfully reflect before God. Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Don’t blame God as “harsh” if He has made a way to receive forgiveness by grace through faith and you just refuse to accept His offer.  That responsibility lies solely with you.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Drunkenness, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Justice / Judgment, Selfishness

Woe to Those Who Habitually Sin

In Isaiah 28, we get another demonstration where God speaks out against drunkenness. It is once again clear that drunkenness can distance you from God and wreck your personal life and relationships. If it becomes pervasive in a community or culture, it can wreck that as well. In this case, God Himself came against them because of their sin.

Isaiah 28:1-13

Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted

1Woe to the proud crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim,

And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

Which is at the head of the [a]fertile valley

Of those who are [b]overcome with wine!

2Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent;

As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,

Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,

He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.

3The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is trampled underfoot.

4And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

Which is at the head of the [c]fertile valley,

Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to the summer,

Which [d]one sees,

And [e]as soon as it is in his [f]hand,

He swallows it.

5On that day the LORD of armies will become a beautiful crown

And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;

6A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,

A strength to those who repel the [g]onslaught at the gate.

7And these also reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:

The priest and the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,

They are confused by wine, they stagger from intoxicating drink;

They reel while [h]having visions,

They stagger when rendering a verdict.

8For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place

9“To whom would He teach knowledge,

And to whom would He interpret the message?

Those just weaned from milk?

Those just taken from the breast?

10“For He says,

‘[i]Order on order, order on order,

Line on line, line on line,

A little here, a little there.’”

11Indeed, He will speak to this people

Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

12He who said to them, “This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”

And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.

13So the word of the LORD to them will be,

“[j]Order on order, order on order,

Line on line, line on line,

A little here, a little there,”

That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.

If a whole nation embraces drunkenness, it wrecks them. We certainly have many living with habitual drunkenness in our culture today, though not as pervasive as I read in Isaiah 28. But there are other sins as well that can overtake a nation. I think selfishness and coveting have overtaken our nation. Selfishness is the root of many arguments and poor choices. Selfishness wrecks marriages and leads to broken families. Selfishness leads to abortion and many other problems. Coveting has practically become a national pastime. There is always someone with something cooler, newer, or better and too many of us are always coveting what others have even when it is beyond what we can afford.

Be encouraged. With God all things are possible. As individuals, communities, or even a nation, we can be restored to God. Repent and turn from sin. Turn toward God and His ways. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

James 4:8 

 8Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you [i]double-minded. 9Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You that You are filled with mercy and grace and provide forgiveness through Yeshua. Thank You that Your word shows us the way we should go. Help our nation repent from sin and return to You! Amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Justice / Judgment, Peace / Rest, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God, Wickedness / Evil

Trust in God’s Protection

As you read Isaiah 26, remember that the people of Israel had gone through tough times. Other nations had ruled them. They had drifted far from the LORD. There was a remnant that held tight to God. Think about the joy and praise emotionally that they were feeling when He rescued them from that and restored them! Whatever you are experiencing, you can put your faith in God and trust Him.

Rejoice in the LORD! Trust in Him for protection and sing songs to glorify Him. Praise Him.

Isaiah 26

Song of Trust in God’s Protection

      1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security.

      2“Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that remains faithful.

      3“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.

      4“Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.

      5“For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.

      6“The foot will trample it,
The feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.”

      7The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.

      8Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.

      9At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

      10Though the wicked is shown favor,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.

      11O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it.
They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.

      12LORD, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.

      13O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we confess Your name.

      14The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And You have wiped out all remembrance of them.

      15You have increased the nation, O LORD,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have extended all the borders of the land.

      16O LORD, they sought You in distress;
They could only whisper a prayer,
Your chastening was upon them.

      17As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains,
Thus were we before You, O LORD.

      18We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were inhabitants of the world born.

      19Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

      20Come, my people, enter into your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs its course.

      21For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.

Be encouraged! The LORD is our protector and our savior. There is nothing and nobody that is too big or too challenging for Him to handle.

I invite you to take a few minutes to pray.

Reflect on all that God has done for you. Give Him thanks and praise in a personal and specific manner. Then share with Him whatever challenges you still face and ask for His help. Put your faith in Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.