TKC Ministries - 1/06/12 Leon Hagins
Website : tkcm63.webs.com
Where Do You Stand?
?
?
It’s not the things in the bible , that I don’t understand , that bother me , it’s the things in the bible that I do understand that bother me.
Mark Twain
As Mr. Twain stated, when one reads the scriptures and has an understanding of what it’s saying , many of the scriptures will and should bother us. Especially those concerning God’s displeasure with this world’s current condition. The scriptures make several things very clear. For one it’s constantly reminding us that one day Jesus is going to return to this earth and set up his kingdom. Another is the fact that everyone is going to spend eternity somewhere. Most folks don’t want to talk about these things. Nevertheless these situations are real and you as a human being are involved whether you like it or not. Whether you believe in this or not, you still are involved.
I am always amazed at the fact that our Creator wants to have a personal and intimate relationship with each and every one of us.
And I am equally amazed at how many people could care less.
God put together , or should I say, had the plan of salvation already mapped out prior to his creating planet earth. (Revelation 13:8)
Even though man fell in the garden, God has provided us a way back into fellowship with him , and that is a belief and trust and most of all a love in Jesus Christ. That’s it! There is no other way , and if anyone tries to tell you different , you know right well that they are not of God!
However , with this great plan of love, forgiveness, saving and redemption, most folks scoff at the word of God. (2 Peter 3:3)
God is trying his best to show us the right way, but we have our own agendas , our own life to live…………..and that’s just it , you don’t know how long you are going to live. No one is promised tomorrow , so it would be in your best interest to set up your 401K Eternity package with the good Lord , before you find yourself suddenly plunged into eternity.
This could happen to any of us. A day prior to the New Year , I was going over a news article showing photos of all the celebrities , sport stars , and other famous or important people who died in 2011.
There were a wide variety of subjects , some young and some old , some male , some female , along with all sorts of colors , races and nationalities, for you see when it comes to death…….he’s not picky!
Whenever I hear of a person dying, the first thing that comes to mind is…….“off to eternity”. Then the next question is where are they going to spend eternity?……..with God or without God?
And that’s my question to you……..
Where are you going to spend eternity
With God or without God
Many of us we are only concerned about ourselves , and when it comes to the things of God , well, we have this attitude of “I’ll get to it when I have some time cause right now I have a lot going on”.
But as I stated before who knows what tomorrow might bring. Not only could you possibly die , but there is always the chance that Jesus might return sooner than we think , and it’s highly advisable that you be prepared for that day.
I’d like to go through the scriptures and find some of those concerning the urgency for people to get right with their maker.
Proverbs 1:20-33 - Wisdom crieth without; she uttered her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttered her words saying , how long ye simple ones , will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning ,and fools hate knowledge?
Turn you at my reproof: behold I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Man’s rejection of God……
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Please pay close attention to God’s response and his reaction…
A gospel preacher , C.D. Brooks , whom I watch and listen to on the internet, had these words from his sermon “The laughter of God”
After reading the above scripture Proverbs 1:20-33 , Mr. Brooks said he knew a person who while he was alive and healthy, he could care less about God, he mocked God and gave him no respect. Yet when this same person was on his dying bed he was crying like a baby for the Lord to save him.
Mr. Brooks tells of another incident where he was on an airplane , and to their great horror the Captain came over the loud speaker and announced that the landing gear for the plane would not come down. After exhausting all efforts to release the landing gear the pilot came on again and said that he had no other choice but to crash land the plane. The stewardesses instructed everyone to assume the crouched over crash position used in these situations.
Mr. Brooks remembers looking out the window and seeing the ambulances and fire trucks that were racing along side as the airplane was coming down , and he also remembers some the passengers who had, just a short while ago, been drinking and gambling and having a good old time , now were crying out to God to save them. Fortunately the pilot was able to land the plane and no one was hurt.
Mr. Brooks then made another statement concerning a person’s decision to ignore the things of God. He said……
If you wind up in hell , you will have gotten there after going through the bruised , broken , battered and bleeding body of Christ. For he stands in your way and the cross is there as an obstacle of destruction. You have to bully your way past it (the cross) , to be lost.
You have to ignore the greatest love and greatest sacrifice and the greatest gift and the greatest offering along with the most desperate desire to save.
God can see all those who slam the door of mercy right in their own face.
Mr. Brooks made a quote from Mrs. Bill Graham , she said….
If God doesn’t come soon and punish this wicked generation, he’s going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.
* You can find C.D. Brook’s sermons at youtube.com
My friends , where do you stand when it comes to hungering after the knowledge of God and his kingdom?…….
Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge , I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Where do you stand?….
Zephaniah 1: 1-6 - The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah , the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will utterly consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.
I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; (idol worshipping priests) and them that worship and swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham; (the king / god / idol) And them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for him.
Here’s one to share with your co-workers……
Zephaniah 1: 14-18 - The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly , even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry their bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess , a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men , because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust , and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
In the following passage of scripture, the apostle Paul is talking about The Antichrist , and how is able to deceive people because they don’t love God’s word. Then Paul states God’s reaction to all of this…..
?
Here’s another passage of scripture that is nothing short of bone chilling……..
Isaiah 24:1-6 -
The earth mourned and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
The earth also is defiled (polluted) under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance , broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned , and few men left.
Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste , and turneth it upside down, and scattered abroad the inhabitants therefore. And it shall be , as with the people, so with the priest; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
In Jeremiah 7 :1-15 - We find God calling and pleading with the people to change their ways , and to stop believing in lies , and to stop doing all these things and then have the nerve to come to his house (temple/church) , and say in your hearts we are delivered to do all these abominations? God states that his house , called by his name has become a den of robbers , and he has witnessed it. And to further the affliction , God states that he, yet again , spoke to the people about changing their ways , yet they heard him not.
In the following verses of scripture we find God telling Jeremiah “do not pray for these inconsiderate folks!”
Finally God has had enough…….
Jeremiah 7:16 - Therefore pray not thou for this people , neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
As I conclude this topic I must admit that I am concerned about those who put off salvation. Those who feel that the coming of the Lord is off somewhere in the distant future. And yet it’s signs are all around us.
I’m concerned about those who don’t even have the courtesy to thank God for making the plan of salvation available to everyone. And not only do many not consider some form of appreciation , but now they even scoff at God’s word. I have heard some pretty awful things that have been said about our beloved creator. I just wonder, especially after one reads some of these scriptures, I’ve presented here, along with the many others in the bible , just how much more of this will God put up with?
And when time is up….where will you stand?
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders , and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
King Solomon made an interesting statement that more people should take heed to. He said….
Ecclesiastes 8:11 -
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil.
Basically what Solomon is saying is, because God doesn’t bop us off the head every time we do something wrong , men have a tendency to continue on doing wrong.
Finis Dakes puts it this way - Here Solomon gave the principal reason for men continuing in open sin and rebellion against God and civil government. If the penalty for law breaking would be executed quickly and completely upon sinners , there would not be so much crime; but since sentence for evil is not carried out immediately, and there are many ways of escaping the penalty, the hearts of men become fully set on running the risk of doing evil. Ref. DK’s Bible pg.1120 letter e.
Genesis 6:11-13 - The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. (sounds like our present day society)
And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them ; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
The scripture below is one of many that really pierces the heart, as we see God pleading with mankind to take of his goodness, kindness and understanding , and yet man rejects his loving kindness which then causes God to leave man to his own folly.
