The Growing Abomination

“Except the LORD of hosts had left for us a very small remnant,

we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like Gomorrah.”

Isaiah 1:19

The abomination of perverse immorality plagued ancient Judah, too.  Judging by what Isaiah said, homosexuality had all but taken over the little nation in his day.

Later, a hundred years after Isaiah was called and anointed by God to prophesy to the Israelites, young King Josiah began his reign.  Unlike Isaiah, Josiah had the authority and means to do something about the despicable perverseness of God’s people.  The single act that Josiah performed which best shows how far into debauchery God’s own people had sunk is recorded in 2Kings 23:7: “And he broke down the houses of the sodomites that were by the temple of the LORD where the women wove hangings for the grove.”

Yes, a hundred years after the LORD lamented through Isaiah that His people had given themselves to the demons of homosexuality, His people had become so depraved that they had built houses for homosexual activity right beside the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.  And notice that the Bible says “houses”, not “house”.  There were so many queers in Israel by Josiah’s time that just one house was not enough.  There may have been a bunch of them; we are not told how many.

Be patient, my brothers and sisters in Christ. It will get worse in our time, too.  The abomination will increase.  But you keep yourselves pure.  Jesus will come and make all things right again, for God has promised, “though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished.”  In the meantime, be still, and be faithful.

Now You Can Shake Your Head

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!  For the LORD has spoken:

‘I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib,

but Israel does not know; my people do not consider.’ ”

Isaiah 1:2–3

Before shaking your head at Israel for not knowing where her blessings came from, consider this: Peter predicted, accurately, that many of God’s New Testament people wouldn’t know, either.  He wrote, “There shall also be false teachers among you, who shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them. . . .  And many shall follow them. . . .” (2Pet. 2:1–2).  How did this happen?  I will tell you.

It is the holy Ghost baptism that makes us clean in the sight of God, not repeating a few verses of scripture and “getting saved”.  You are purchased by Christ only when he puts the “down payment” of the Spirit in you (2Cor. 1:22, 5:5; Eph. 1:14)!  Paul said, “The Lord is the Spirit” (2Cor. 3:17), but when someone claims that he received the Lord (“got saved”) before he received the Spirit, he is “denying the Lord that bought him.”  And most of God’s New Testament people are doing just that.

The holy Ghost is what gives us hope of being raised from the dead (Rom. 8:11); the holy Ghost is what washes your sins away, and sanctifies, and justifies you (1 Cor. 6:11); and without it, you do not belong to the family of God (Rom. 8:9b).  But almost none of God’s children in this covenant know that, for they have been taught to claim to have been spiritually cleansed before God bore them witness, baptizing them with the holy Ghost into the body of Christ (Acts 15:8; 1Cor. 12:13).  They give more honor to the spirit under which they “got saved” than to the Spirit that comes from God and truly cleanses the soul.

Now you can shake your head.

The Sweet Influence of the Gospel

Much of the irrational, hateful behavior and judgment we see in our time is a direct result of society holding back from this generation the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus.  The sweet influence of the gospel is so great that even if a person does not become a believer, if he has been taught the gospel story, his spirit is influenced for the better by it.

This is a plea for you fathers, and you mothers, to take advantage of the precious time you have with your children still in your home, and teach them about Jesus.  Read the Bible with them.  If you want them to be reasonable in their dealings with others, if you want them to be happier and more stable persons in this life, God has given you the tools and the opportunity to help make it happen.

THE MEETINGS OF THE SAINTS ARE NOT ENOUGH!  The meetings are not the answer.  The greatest help the young will receive is in the quiet of their home, with you.

Love your children with the kind of love which does the most good.  Love them with the love you received from God as He patiently taught you many stories about His Son.

John, and the “Instead-of-Christ” Movement

In John’s first epistle, he warned that an “anti-Christ” movement had become very strong (2:18; 4:3), but to perceive his meaning, we must understand that in first century Greek, anti did not mean “against” as it does today; rather, it meant “instead of ”.  For example, Jesus said, “What father among you, when a son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or also a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of [anti] a fish, will he?” (Lk. 11:11).  So, what John meant by “anti-Christ” is “instead of Christ”, not “against Christ”.

This agrees with Paul’s description of false teachers who, he said, considered themselves to be apostles of Christ (2Cor. 11:13).  Those men did not present themselves as enemies of Christ, nor did they speak evil of him.  If they had done so, no believers would have followed them.  What those men did was to proclaim – in Jesus’ name – a gospel different from the true one, and by doing that, they persuaded God’s people of a way of worship different from the right way.  And by doing that, they were, in fact, teaching a Jesus that was different from the real Jesus, and a spirit that was different from the real Spirit of God, just as Paul said (2Cor. 11:4; cp. Gal. 1:6–7).  They were not opposed to the name, “Jesus”, or to the word, “God”; they just offered a different Christ than the true one.

John called such men “deceivers”, adding that they had “gone out [from the faithful saints] into the world” (2Jn. 1:7).  It is important to note that John did not say that the deceivers had come in from the world.  Sinners of the world would not come into the Assemblies of God to proclaim any kind of gospel at all.  These “instead-of-Christ” ministers were believers who “went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out that they might be exposed” (1Jn. 2:19).  John’s point was that those men did not stay among “us”; that is, the believing Jews.  James referred to brothers who had gone out from the Assembly in Jerusalem to teach believing Gentiles not to trust in Christ alone, but to trust also in the law: “We have heard that certain men among us, to whom we gave no charge, went out from here and troubled you with words, saying you must be circumcised and keep the law. . . .” (Acts 15:24).  These were some of the men who, as John said, “went out from us,” but “were not of us.”

Finally, it should be noted that the word “anti-Christ” does not appear in the book of Revelation.  And it does not appear in that book of prophecy because Revelation concerns the future, and the “instead-of-Christ” movement was already going strong in John’s day.  John had no need to prophesy of a future enemy of God named “the Anti-Christ”, for he said, “even now, many have become anti-Christs” (1Jn. 2:18).

You need not look for the anti-Christ to come in the future.  As my father, “Preacher Clark”, once said, “The anti-Christ has been here so long, God’s people have forgotten about him.”

Beautiful

“The LORD takes pleasure in His people. 

He will beautify the meek with salvation.”

Psalm 149:4

The new, glorified bodies that Jesus has promised us are beautiful, every one of them, and every person who receives a glorified body when Jesus returns for us will be a stunningly beautiful creature.

Let’s live meekly in the beautiful life of holiness now, so that Jesus will crown us with a beautiful, glorified body at his return.

God’s Dwelling Place

“Let them praise the name of the LORD . . . .

His glory is above the earth and heaven.”

Psalm 148:13

God does not live in heaven; He lives somewhere far above it.  When He glorified Jesus to sit at His right hand, He glorified him, Paul said, “far above all heavens” (Eph. 4:10).

This heaven and this earth shall be destroyed.  Jesus said so (Mt. 24:35).  But God’s dwelling place shall never be destroyed.

“Don’t Internalize Me”

“I cried to the LORD with my voice;

with my voice did I make my supplication to the LORD.”

Psalm 142:1

Jesus spoke to Brother Gary not long ago and told him, “Don’t internalize me.”  What Jesus meant was that he wants us to speak out loud when we pray.  He wants us to really talk to him, the way David said he did, “with our voices”.

God Has Done His Part

“He shows His word to Jacob,

His statutes and His judgments to Israel.

He has not dealt so with any nation.

And as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Praise ye the LORD!”

Psalm 147:19–20

Just “a remnant” in ancient Israel obeyed God, but that sad reality does not negate the fact that God chose and blessed Israel and blessed as He did no other nation.

In this covenant, just a remnant in the body of Christ walk in the Spirit, but that sad fact does not negate the fact that God has chosen and blessed the body of Christ as He has no other people.

God has done His part.  He has always done His part.  And He is doing His part right now for those who trust in Him.  Praise ye the LORD!

Prisoners

“The LORD looses the prisoners.”

Psalm 146:7

“The LORD does not despise His prisoners.”

Psalm 69:33

When God has prisoners, He does not despise them, but works with them so that they might be free again.  Because of their rebelliousness, God cast the whole nation of Israel into a prison of spiritual darkness, but He loved Israel, and Jesus said in his very first sermon in Nazareth that God sent him to set the captives free (Lk. 4:18).  He could have plainly told them that day that God sent him to set them free, but he knew they did not want to hear that.  And later, when he did tell them, they were outraged: “‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’  They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s seed, and we have never been slaves to anyone.  How can you say, “You shall be free”?’  Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.’ ” (Jn. 8:32–34).

The Father, through Isaiah, told the Son that the day was coming when He would “give you for a covenant of the people . . . saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out!’  And to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ ” (Isa. 49:8b–9a).  And again through Isaiah, He spoke to the Son, and said, “I, the LORD,  have called you in righteousness, and I will hold your hand and keep you hidden.  And then, I will give you for a covenant for the people, for a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house” (Isa. 42:6–7).

If you feel imprisoned by anything – sickness, spiritual weakness, a bad memory, or any unpleasant circumstance – please do not be discouraged.  God does not despise you!  He sent His Son to set you free and make you happy again.  Just admit you are in prison, and Jesus will bring you out!

Abundantly Telling

“They shall abundantly utter the memory of your great goodness,

and shall sing of your righteousness.”

Psalm 145:7

We “utter the memory of God’s greatness” by giving our testimony.  But to do just that is not the way of the righteous. No! The righteous “ABUNDANTLY utter the memory of God’s greatness”.  They repeatedly tell what God has done for them because they love it!

The whole congregation knows what God has done for the righteous soul, the one who has “abundantly” told them about it.  So, how well does your congregation know what God has done for you?

Spiritual Beauty

“Praise ye the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God,

for it is pleasant, and praise is comely.”

Psalm 147:1

“Give the LORD the glory due to His name;

worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

Psalm 29:2

In the realm of the Spirit, a righteous person who praises God is beautiful.  Isaiah agreed with this.  He said, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD!  My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He has clothed me . . . with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isa. 61:10).

The Bride that Jesus will come back for and take for himself will have the kind of beauty found only in the holy Spirit of God.

Jesus Upholds and Raises All

“The LORD upholds all that fall, and raises up all those that be bowed down.”

Psalm 145:14

If something has tripped you up in your walk with the Lord, look to Jesus! He will forgive and uphold you! And if you have been discouraged by any of the multitude of earthly trials we may face, Look up! Jesus is well able – and eager – to make you feel encouraged again.

The only people who fall and don’t get up, or who are discouraged and stay that way, are people who do not want to try again and will not let Jesus help them. Jesus does his part for all who want him to do it for them.

The Psalmist went on to say this: “The LORD is nigh to all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserves all them that love Him” (Ps. 145:18–20b).

Every Day Means Forever

“Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.”

Psalm 145:2

If your life blesses God every day, He will see to it that you continue to live so that you may praise Him forever.

Strange Children

“Send your hand from above!  Rid me, and deliver me

from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaks vanity,

and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children,

whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood!”

Psalm 144:7–8, 11

“Strange children” in the family of God are children of God who speak or act as if they do not belong in His family.  What comes out of their mouth is worldly, and their “right hand” of friendship cannot be trusted.  In the above verses, the Son is pleading with the Father to rid him of such strange children, and we know that the Father will do whatever the Son asks.

Then, let our words be seasoned with God’s grace, and let our friendship be fellowship in the light.  Otherwise, we will be as strange children to God, and He will answer His Son’s prayer to rid him of us.

Merciful Destruction

“Bring my soul out of trouble.  And of your mercy cut off my enemies,

and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am your servant.”

Psalm 143:11b–12

It will be of God’s mercy to destroy the wicked in the Day of Judgment – mercy for the righteous whom the wicked had persecuted.  On that day, when the wicked are destroyed, the righteous will greatly rejoice in God’s mercy.  As for the wicked, they will not rejoice, for they will feel no mercy whatsoever.

No Hell for Us

“The enemy has persecuted my soul;

he has smitten my life down to the ground;

he has made me to dwell in darkness,

as those that have been long dead.”

Psalm 143:3

This was the Son of God speaking through David, foretelling that he would be persecuted, and killed, and then would descend into hell, in the heart of the earth.  Those who believe in Jesus have also been persecuted, and some have also been killed, but because Jesus descended into hell, no one who believes in him will ever go there.  God’s faithful children who die now go up, not down, and enter into Paradise, where Jesus is.  As Paul said, for God’s New Testament saints to be absent from the body means to be present with the Lord (2Cor. 5:8).

The Help of the Spirit

“Enter not into judgment with your servant,

for in your sight shall no man living be justified.”

Psalm 143:2

There is no way that man, on his own, can stand before God clean and acceptable.  Jesus said it this way: “With men, it is impossible” (Mk. 10:27).

Thankfully, that is not all that Jesus said.  Here is the whole sentence: “With men it is impossible, but not with God.  For with God all things are possible.”  In other words, with God’s help, men can stand clean and acceptable before Him.  Jesus suffered and died to make God’s help available to us, the help of the Spirit.  Without the Spirit, no man will be acceptable to God on the Day of Judgment.  But God will save those who receive the Spirit and walk in it.

Prisons

“Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your name!”

Psalm 142:7a

There are many prisons in this life.  Sickness is a prison; fear is a prison; confusion is a prison; ignorance is a prison; being surrounded by people who slander and hate you is a prison; the human body itself is a prison; and death is a prison.  

The Son of God from heaven came into our prisons.  But the Father set him free from them all, and He promised the Son that he would be surrounded forever with the people who followed him out of the prisons of this life.  That precious promise thrilled the Son.  It is what the Son was speaking of in the last half of the verse quoted above, when he said to the Father, “The righteous shall compass me about, for you shall deal bountifully with me” (Ps. 142:7b).

Demons Love Holy, Joyous Singing

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down.

Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.

For there, they that carried us away captive required of us a song,

and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,

‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ ”

Psalm 137:1, 3

The wicked who take God’s people captive love their holy, joyous singing, and want to hear it.  The singing of the children of God reminds demons of the music they once heard in heaven before they were forever cast out.

A Living Testimony

“Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense,

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Psalm 141:2

This was the Son, asking the Father, for our sakes, to replace worship in ceremonies with worship in spirit and truth.  God answered His Son’s prayer, but for it to happen, the Son first had to come to earth and pay the awful price of the cross.

To worship in ceremonies denies that God ever answered the Son’s prayer.  Ceremonial worship is a testimony that the Son prayed that earnest prayer of Psalm 141:2 in vain.  But every time we worship in spirit and truth, we are part of God’s answer to the Son’s prayer, and living testimonies to God’s love for His Son.