John 1:4 "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

 John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." 

MONTHLY LESSONS DESIGNED TO CONVERT.

APRIL, 2021 - NEW KING JAMES VERSION

“A Fearful Thing!”

God’s word is full of facts to believe, commands to be obeyed, promises to receive, and warnings to heed. Much is shared concerning the subjects that seem to set well with folks, the things that are easy on the conscience. Yet, at the same time, God tells us that we cannot possibly be considered legitimate children, unless we endure the chastisement of God (literally His discipline!).

Hebrews 12:3-11 “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁴ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. ⁵ And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
⁶ For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” 

There comes a time in every person’s life that they need to be aware of certain undisputable consequences to the choices they make! The theme of this lesson has come to Christians who were about to give up their faith in Christ Jesus and turn back to a system of righteousness that had been done away with by His power (Hebrews 10:9 “then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.”).

Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  

This warning to those who have entered into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ His Son, speaks volumes to their legitimacy as His children and His desire that they remain safe from His wrath.

What about everyone else?

The Creator of every man wishes that all repent (Acts 17:30 “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent”).

To repent is to turn away from the present course of one’s life, serving our own desires and ignoring the one who created us and gave us purpose. What purpose? Fear God and keep His commandments – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  ¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

To this end, He has provided a Way for that to happen!

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

God gave His Son as a demonstration of His love (John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”), which also provided for us (His creation), a way to have our sins removed (the first step in creating a relationship with God, as He is light and in Him is no darkness at all – 1 John 1:5 “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”); 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

To this end, God also provided the Good News (Gospel), about this redemption and charged it to be spread to everyone (without respect of anyone).  

The Apostles of Jesus Christ were commissioned to preach this Good News to everyone, note:

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

Luke 24:46-47 “Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

In the commission to deliver the Good News concerning the Way to redemption (to be bought back), we not only see the way out of the separation from God, but also we must note the warnings concerning the choice to ignore, remain neutral, or despise what God has done: “but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

Friends, as the Gospel came to the world for the first time, and the Apostles of Christ began to speak concerning the Christ of God and His salvation from sin, many asked what they should do! They were told exactly what they (the Apostles of Jesus Christ) were commissioned to state:

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

In addition to this simple instruction, these people also received warnings to heed, note:

Acts 2:40 “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

There is a vital picture drawn by this statement of Peter, first is that remaining neutral, choosing to ignore, or despising this plan of salvation is to remain a perverse generation, and thus remain subject to God’s righteous wrath.

The sin that separates men from God is simply lawlessness (without law), as in ignorance of the laws of God. So even if you think you are a good person, but have never attempted to really know what God would have you understand in order to be righteous (right with God), you are alienated from Him. The Good News was created to change that situation, note what Paul said he was charged to speak to all,

Acts 26:18 “to open their eyes (Awareness), in order to turn them from darkness to light (Repentance), and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins (Baptism) and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me (Salvation - Redemption).’”

However, to ignore this, or simply choose to reject it, guarantees that you remain in darkness and a servant by choice, of the enemy of God. To this end, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”

The universal choice before you today is to be a saint or a sinner, to be blessed or cursed, to know your Creator’s love or to know His wrath!

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” – Proverbs 1:7