May 16
1 Sam 18:5-19:24 | PS 112:1-10 | Prov 15:12-14 | John 8:31-59
With each conversation, each stance that you take, each vote that you cast, whether you like to admit this or not, you are choosing sides. God is clear through His Word on a multitude of topics which are in our current headlines. His Word is absolute, and He unwaveringly speaks clearly on issues. There are essentially three attitudes that you can adopt. You can choose to avoid controversial topics for fear of another's response. This might seem safe. But we read in Luke 9:26, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels." So, this is not as safe as it might seem. If you find yourself siding with abortion, with the LGBTQ agenda, with social justice, along with a host of other issues, you will find yourself standing in opposition to God. If you try to defend your position by saying things such as, "it won't be fair for this child to be born to unloving parents", or "everyone deserves to be loved, they were just born this way", or, "people have the right to be angry and act out because of all the hurt in their past", this might seem good to the masses who will deem you sensitive, etc. but make no mistake, you have made a decision to stand for the world and in opposition to God. When viewing candidates for election, their personalities and how they speak should not carry much weight. The question is if or if not they align themselves according to God's Word, or not. Also, even things such as the Green Movement which might seem to be outside the realm of God, consider this, do you really think that God cannot, if He so desires, clean up our planet with just one spoken word from Him? Stand for God, and the things of God unashamedly, and your path will become clear.
David was blessed in everything that he did, as God was with him. Jealousy had consumed King Saul and he realized this as well, as we see his attitude in 1 Samuel 18:28-29, "Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually." Saul probably justified his position, even in his own head, but he was fighting against God. Jesus was clear in John 8:44-47, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”" The religious leaders justified their position, even in their own heads, but they were literally fighting against God. After Jesus ascended, we find the apostles under arrest, and we read the intent of the religious leaders and the wise counsel of Gamaliel in Acts 5:33-35, 39, "When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men...but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” Yes, these religious leaders found themselves standing against God, though they actually believed they were representing Him.
So, where do you stand on everything? Whether you are attending church regularly, whether you are a leader of the church, or even if you are the leader of a particular denomination, it matters little. What matters is whether you accept God's Word as absolute truth or not. If you are twisting God's Word to garner popularity or to appear more relevant, then you are fighting against God. If you are speaking to others who don't know God and you gloss over issues for fear of driving them away from God, then you are fighting against God. God is clear: you are either for Him or against Him. He doesn't offer us a line item veto in which to decide which issues we agree with Him and which issues we don't. He is Sovereign. He is perfect. His Word is infallible. He is also incredibly clear. It is us who like to make things a bit more fuzzy so that we can take a stance which is not so firm. We all need to to be resolute in our reading of His Word, as Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”"
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: