October 11
Jer 16:16-18 | PS 81:1-16 | Prov 25:6-8 | 1 Thes 4:1-5:3
On day 6 of creation, when God created man, it is as if He set a ship in the sea, leaving the port and moving steadily towards heaven. God, being the captain, has been and remains in charge. One has to make the decision to get on this vessel. You can not get on by pedigree, or through mindlessly going through certain rituals. God is immutable, or unchanging. He is not adjusting His course. The seas are full of life’s circumstances. When our circumstances get tough, and they do, and they will, we all have a choice. We either seek the will of our Captain, or abandon ship and climb aboard a different ship. The choice remains ours. But remember, there are not multiple vessels, there is only one leading to the correct destination.
We read in Jeremiah 16:19-21, “O Lord, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things.” Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? “ “Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the Lord.” The Israelites were invited first. The Gentiles, largely remained ignorant. But, Jesus changed everything. He walked and preached among the Jewish people, but sadly, many rejected Him. The people and their religious system removed God’s provision for sin, which always required blood, and exchanged it for new laws and being good. While, some Gentiles, who were lost chose to be covered by the blood of Jesus. Roman’s 11 speaks of this process of being grafted in. The choice is ours. We read in 17:5,7, “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord… “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.”
On this vessel, we still have choice as to how we choose to live aboard this ship. We can remain willing to be molded, or we can move backward in sin. The Captain is not aloof. He is approachable and willing to mold us into what we can become in Him, as we read in Jeremiah 18:1-4, “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.” There is only one choice, and it is in Jesus. Jesus was not an adjustment, His coming as a man was known by God since the foundation of the world. People either accept Him, or sadly they place their Hope and trust on a different vessel. Realize sin is an archery term meaning missing the mark. Even if another ship is only 1 degree off the mark, over time you will find yourself landing on something unrecognizable. God, the Father, is sinless. Jesus is sinless. Those aboard God’s ship, though sinners, are covered by the blood and one day enter heaven without sin. Again, the choice is yours.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: