Abundant Grace Fellowship
Our Gos Is Reasonable Part 1-3
Our God is Reasonable
Part 1
By Pastor J.D. Link
agf-blanco.com
Eze 4:12-15 says, “And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.”
Ezekiel was a prophet/priest during the time of the Babylonian captivity of Judah, and was given not only words to speak to the Jews, but also physical demonstrations. In this particular demonstration, Ezekiel was to bake his food using human dung (which was detestable), in order to show the complete destruction the Babylonians executed. However, Ezekiel asked God if He could use something else - and He granted his request. He allowed him to use cow dung, which was common to use (being mixed with straw) during that time.
The point I would like to make from this story, is that our God is a reasonable God. Many Christians portray God as unreasonable, and in turn it causes the world to think God is unreasonable. He is not. Our God is not like the wizard of Oz, with smoke and mirrors, being an unreasonable tyrant. I believe many Christians see Him as such. “God is sovereign! You never know what He’s going to do! He’ll cure you one minute, and kill you the next!” This is not reasonable - or true.
God is sovereign (self governing, independent); but the definition of sovereign has warped into meaning God is unpredictable and irrational. He’ll just kill your baby or give you cancer when He feels like it. This is not the case. Even in the Old Testament, God declared what He would do through His prophets (Amo 3:7). When something was God’s judgment in the Bible, there was no doubt about it. A world wide flood; 185, 000 soldiers dead in one night; a city wiped off the map. Now, we call a crack in the Washington Monument the judgment of God. Really? Did God speak that to you? Do you know for certain a seasonal drought or flood or hurricane is God’s judgment? Do you accuse God - with no facts to back it up? Think about that for a moment. We should not accuse God falsely.
Read the Book of Revelation. If it’s God’s judgment, it is thorough - and you know it is Him. We are not in the Tribulation at this point in time. When that great and terrible Day of the Lord comes, there will be no doubt about it. Some people say, “Everything is God’s will”. Well, God doesn’t will that any perish, but that all men would come to repentance (1Tim 2:4). Are all coming to repentance? No. We are to pray for God’s will to be done (Mt 6:10). If it automatically happens no matter what, why are we instructed to pray for it do be done?
As Christians, we have a real enemy. His name is satan. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy (Jn 10:10). We are to resist him - not blame God (Jam 4:7). He goes about like a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour - not God (1Pt 5:8). We are to put on the full armor of God and fight satan’s lies - not say, “Well, it just must be God’s will. What can you do?” That is convenient, but it’s a cop out.
God is for us, not against us (Rom 8:31). God gives us abundant life (Jn 10:10). God thinks thoughts of peace towards us, and has a future and a hope for us (Jer 29:11). God is our friend (Jn 15:15). God has given us His Holy Spirit to show us all things (1Jn 2:20, Jn 16:13-15). We have the mind of Christ (1Cor 2:16). God has revealed His mystery to us (Eph 3:3-4). God says, “Come, let us reason together (Isa 1:16-20)”.
Vain traditions and worthless religion has taught that God is beyond knowing, irrational, and unreasonable. However, Abraham reasoned with God (Gen 18:23-33). Abimelech reasoned with God (Gen 20:4-7). Moses reasoned with God (Num 16:20-26). David reasoned with God (2Sam 24:17-25). This was in the Old Testament. We have a better covenant with better promises; yet we throw up our hands like we don’t have a real enemy; and then blame everything on God. That is wrong. We might think it shows God respect; but it doesn’t. It actually undermines and insults what Jesus came to do - which is destroy the works of the devil.
Our God is rational. Our God is reasonable. Our God is good to His children. If the churches, homes, and businesses of born again Christians are destroyed in a natural disaster along with the wicked - that is not God. Abraham had more sense than that (Gen 18:23), and we should as well. There is much more to say on this, but until next time, rejoice in The Lord!
Our God is Reasonable
Part 2
By Pastor J.D. Link
agf-blanco.com
Acts 17:31 says, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” I would like to continue this week talking about how our God is reasonable. He is no sporadic, random, irrational, or unreasonable. He has laid out His plan for the ages in the pages of The Bible. He has not left us to guess, or assume what is from Him and what is not. We must not be false accusers of God, and blame Him for everything evil that happens in this world - especially not when the righteous perish in it. It’s time to know our God.
Modern day “prophets” can’t wait for some disaster to happen before they are shouting from the rooftops “God is judging America!”. Consider this: these people never predict these things before hand. True Prophets in the Bible predicted accurately and clearly when something was God’s judgment. They didn’t wait for something to happen, and then declare it was God! Why do so many of us Christians jump on that bandwagon? Are you a prophet? Did God speak to you years ago that an earthquake, flood, fire, hurricane, etc., was going to hit a specific place and time, and did you write it down? Did it come to pass? This is almost never the case. We need not be judges of God. That is not our business or our right.
Jesus said we would see these things (earthquakes, floods, famine, etc.) towards the end, but the end is not yet. These things are indiscriminate. God’s judgment is not indiscriminate. It is specific, and it is upon the unrighteous. These are simply birth pains. The earth is groaning in travail, waiting for the Lord to make all things right again (Rom 8:19-22). It’s like when an old house is fixin’ to come down. It creeks and moans and groans before it collapses. Were not the righteous delivered from the judgment on the wicked? Was not Noah delivered? Was not Lot delivered? Was not Rahab delivered? Yes. The righteous were delivered out of God’s judgment. True, the righteous will sometimes suffer tragedy on this earth; but it is because we live in a sinful, fallen world, and because satan seeks whom he may devour- not because God is judging us. Jesus already took the judgment of the righteous. If you are in Christ, your judgment fell on Him, and you are delivered. Just meditate on some of these Scriptures: Isa 53:3-6, 1Jn 4:10, Rom 8:3-4, Gal 3:13-14, 1Jn 3:5, 1Pt 3:18, Heb 2:9, 1Tim 2:6. Jesus came to save men’s lives, not destroy them (Lk 9:56). He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Lk 19:10, Mt 18:11). Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it (Jn 12:47). When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are not condemned with the world (Jn 3:16-18). You see, today is the day of salvation (2Cor 6:2). We are to be ambassadors for Christ, and our ministry is the ministry of reconciliation - not condemnation. Our word is to be the word of reconciliation (2Cor 5:17-21). That is the Gospel. “Be reconciled to God, because He has reconciled Himself to you through the cross of Jesus”. There is a day appointed for judgment (Acts 17:31). Judgment day, the last day, the great and terrible day of the Lord, etc.. That will be the day of judgment. That day is not today. Check out all of these Scriptures concerning this: 2Pt 2:9, Rev 19:11, Jud 14&15, 2Tim 4:1, Mat 12:36, Jn 12:48, Jud 6, Rom 2:5 & 16, Heb 9:27, 2Pt 3:7. This is not an exhaustive list. When is judgment? On the last day. Who is judged? The ungodly and wicked. As Christians, we are to have boldness and confidence in the day of judgment, because we are in Christ right now (1Jn 4:17). When The Lord comes, then the judgment will come (1Cor 4:5). The world likes to blame God when tragedy strikes. Sadly, God’s own children do the same thing. Do we not live in a fallen world? Is satan not the god of this world system? Do we not have a real enemy that we are to resist (Jam 4:7)? God is on our side. He loves us. He is for us. He is our Father. Jesus is our friend and brother. If God is for us, who can be against us? We are heirs of God, co-heirs with Jesus Christ. We are victorious in Christ. We are justified, sanctified, redeemed, made righteous, forgiven, accepted, complete in Jesus Christ. We must declare this. We must believe this. This is where are victory is. Satan is the accuser of the Brethren, but many times the brethren are the accusers of God. Let’s start proclaiming God’s goodness. Let’s start praising Him - our hope, our peace, our righteousness is in Him. If you are a Christian, your righteousness is not filthy rags; for our righteousness is God’s own righteousness. Lord willing, we will talk about Christian judgment next week. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord! Our God is Reasonable Part 3 By Pastor J.D. Link agf-blanco.com
Ezekiel 14:13-14 says, “Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.” I would encourage you to read through verse 20 on your own. In continuing our series on how God is reasonable, we see from this section of Scripture that the righteous are spared in God’s judgment. Even in the Old Testament, when Israel failed to keep the law and turned to idols, when God judged them for it, He would spare the individual who was righteous (see also Ezk. 18).
This, once again, shows that God does not indiscriminately judge the righteous with the wicked. God is on the side of the righteous. If God be for us, who can be against us? As we saw the last two weeks, God is not judging His children with destruction. Our judgment was passed upon Jesus, and He suffered it for us. There will be a judgment day, but that day is not today. Otherwise, why would it say in Romans 2, that the unrighteous are storing up for themselves wrath, for the day of wrath? We are not in the day of wrath; but I believe that day is coming shortly. We need to be faithful to Jesus, and be ready for His return. Some would look at 1 Peter 4:17 & 19, and say that God is judging us, and wills for us to suffer. To say that is to totally take those verses out of context. The context of 1 Peter 4 is persecution. In context, the judgment that starts at God’s house is persecution. Are you a real Christian? Are you judged worthy to suffer for Christ? All those who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2Tim 3:12). Peter is saying, that if you suffer, let your suffering be because you are a Christian; and not because you are an evil doer. Do you see the difference? He is saying that if you are going to suffer, it is God’s will you suffer for being righteous, rather than suffering for being unrighteous.
The righteous will not be judged with the unrighteous - in this world, or in the world to come. The righteous will be judged at the judgment - or reward - seat of Christ (2Cor 5:10, 1Cor 3:13-15). We know this is the case, because in this judgment, the person is already saved; only their works are being judged. Only Believers in Christ Jesus stand in this judgment, and their works are tried by fire. Works of the flesh are burned up like wood, hay, & stubble; works of the Spirit withstand the fire, and become crowns to lay at the feet of Jesus.
The unrighteous will stand at the Great White Throne judgment. The Book of Life will be opened, and their name will not be found in it. Then the books will be opened, and they will be judged according to their works - then be cast into the Lake of Fire and suffer eternal torment. Each of us must choose in this life right now what judgment we want to stand in. If we call on Jesus from a pure heart to save us, and submit to His lordship in our lives; we will stand in the first one. If we refuse Him, we will stand in the second. “But doesn’t God chasten His children?”, one might ask. Indeed, He does - but not with evil. Calamity, killing, stealing, and destroying is from the thief; the enemy of God and His children. Chastisement, or child training, is good; and is from God (Heb 12:5-12, Rev 3:19). God chastises, or trains us, through His Word (Ps 94:12, 2Tim 3:16-17, Ps 19:7-8, Ps 119:9, 104, 130). If you had to hit rock bottom before you looked up to God, then praise God you looked up. However, don’t mistake that as God putting you at rock bottom. He would rather you heed His Word, and look up to Him now. If we would be trained by His Word today, we would avoid so much destruction in our life from the hand of the enemy. We should not view our Heavenly Father as an abusive Father whom we can’t trust. “Will He bless me one day, then curse me the next?” This is a flawed view of God, tempered by vain tradition and a lack of understanding of Who Jesus is and what He came to do; as well as His finished work on the cross. I pray this series has blessed you and helped clarify God’s nature for you. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!