April 5
Deut 28:1-68 | PS 77:1-20 | Prov 12:18 | Luke 11:14-36
Suppose I had a small pond in my backyard filled with alligators. If I warned you verbally, gave you something in writing about it, even put signs and warnings all around the pond, if you chose to put on your bathing suit and go for a swim in that pond anyway, would it be reasonable to turn around angrily at me and blame me for not adequately warning you if you were hurt? But this is exactly what we do with God. He has been more than forthcoming about the truth behind heaven and hell and He has taken all the mystery out of who actually winds up in either destination. Jesus spoke about hell three times more than heaven during His earthly ministry, not wanting anyone to go there. But as though God had not spoken or written His clear explanation in the Bible, everyone goes along totally clueless and would actually be angry if you inferred that due to their not engaging in a relationship with Jesus Christ, that hell is where they will be unless they make the choice for Jesus prior to death. We read in Hebrews 9:27, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,” (so much for purgatory). We read in Romans 3:12, “ All have turned away; all have become useless; No one does good, not a single one.”, 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”, 6:23, “ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (so much for being good enough to get into heaven). In John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (so much for all roads lead to heaven). We read in Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (So much for most people going to heaven).
But God has always been straightforward. Notice in Scripture there is very little use of words like maybe, possibly, might, hopefully, etc. Instead God speaks in absolutes: You will, you won’t , never, always, etc. We clearly read in Deuteronomy 28:1, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.” That is very straightforward, as He goes on to describe these blessings in the ensuing verses. We read in 28:15, “ But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:”. He then goes on to vividly describe what would befall them if they disobeyed. These curses all came true to the nation of Israel/Judah, even those describing cannibalism in 28:53-57. So, we, living in our godless nation walk around shocked in the aftermath of what has happened? Why? Do we honestly believe that as a nation we somehow deserve His blessings? Can we really be that delusional? Looking at the history of many of those empires that fell before us, do we not see parallels to our nation now? Many fear another powerful nation like Russia or China. Others fear a nuclear attack. But the truth is like every powerful nation or empire who came before us, we should not fear external threats. Our undoing is because we are rotting and crumbling from within. Our nation was founded with God at the center and we were blessed. But like nations before is, as we prospered we became complacent and turned from God. Our moral weakness is what has brought us to the vulnerable place we now find ourselves in. As such, revival in turning back to the One True God is our only hope.
More importantly, every funeral has beautiful pictures highlighting the life of the deceased (which is a beautiful thing). The one leading the service always speaks of the departed being in a better place despite the deceased having nothing to do with entering into a relationship with Jesus. Do the words of the clergy presiding over the ceremony take precedence over the words of Christ Himself? God gave us His Son, as payment, since we will never be good enough. God gave us His word, the Bible, so we don’t need to question what it takes to enter heaven. He couldn’t have made it any easier, as we read in Romans l0: 9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved”. Jesus clearly stated in Luke 11:23, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Notice there is no middle road as an option. If that isn’t clear enough, God gives us a clear picture of both: hell in Revelation 20:11-15, and heaven in Revelation 21-22. God has given us all that we need, ignorance is not an excuse. Please take this seriously if you have not previously done so. Please share God’s straightforward message to others who are heading down the wrong path before it’s too late.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: