20160113 Evil, Adulterous Generation

Evil, Adulterous Generation

Matthew 12:38-45 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want You to show us a miraculous sign to prove Your authority."  (39)  But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.  (40)  For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.  (41)  "The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.  (42)  The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.  (43)  "When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.  (44)  Then it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order.  (45)  Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation."

The request, “Show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority,” is met with a strong declaration. First of all, he had just performed a miracle and they accused Him of being possessed of a demon. Second, Jesus is not a side show for anyone’s entertainment pleasure.

He starts and finishes His answer by declaring they are an evil generation. In the beginning He includes the term, “adulterous.” When the Bible uses the term “adulterous generation” it is talking about idolatry, worshipping something other than God. He still promises them a sign, but it is one that was planned from before the beginning of the dawn of time. It is His death, burial and resurrection. He leaves it vague enough they do not understand at the time and perhaps they didn’t understand until their own demise and judgment.

He then reminds them of people who listened in the past. One group listened to a prophet who did not want to preach to them but did and they repented. Another, a queen who traveled many miles to learn and to gain wisdom.

Then He throws a curve ball and starts talking about evil spirits leaving and returning and matters becoming worse for the one possessed… Did you catch that? He turned the table on them. He is now telling them they are demon possessed, or at least have been and will be again. Take a peek at 2Timothy 3:1-5.

They acted religious… had a form of godliness… but they denied the power that could bring about real change in their hearts and lives. They wanted to see a miracle but refused to let the Miracle Worker do a miracle in them.

What or who is at work in your life? What is more important to you? Is time with God important? I’m talking about time where you shut everything else out and listen and let the Holy Spirit search your heart and bring conviction for sin. I’m talking about letting the Miracle Worker work in you, change you to be what He made you to be. Ephesians 2:10

You see the Pharisees, for the most part were just putting on a show. Inside they were dead. Outside they had the rules down, they looked good, they spoke the right jargon, but inside they were void of real life.

Jesus offers abundant life. Have you received Him as Lord and Savior? Or are you just going through religious motions? Here is a link to Lifeway’s ABC’s of Salvation.

Father in heaven, perhaps someone will read this and realize their need for Jesus to make a miraculous change in them. Please draw the lost to Yourself. And show us the truth of our own hearts. Are we…, am I more in love with You or this world? Bring Your Holy Spirit conviction to our hearts and grant us the gift of repentance. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

JUSTIFIED

JUSTIFIED

Matthew 5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

The word, “justice” would better be translated “justification.” The original word used gives the idea of being in a state that is acceptable to God. So this hungering and thirsting is a desire that can only be satisfied by being made right or righteous in God’s sight. One definition of the word, “justified” is; made just as if I never sinned.

Unfortunately, many give little or no thought to standing before God. Hebrews 9:27 “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…” None of us will escape the death of our flesh and after that is a judgment. The next verse in Hebrews 9 says, “so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Those who have found the satisfaction for their justification in Christ long for His return and they will not be disappointed.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

It is important to understand that our justification before God is complete in Christ Jesus. Knowing this frees us to serve Him out of love, not out of fear. His return will not be to judge those who are eagerly waiting for Him, rather it will be to bring our salvation to full fruition.

See here what awaits both the believers and the unbelievers; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, (8)  in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.  (9)  They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power.

If you are reading this and have never given much thought to eternity and your need of Christ Jesus I urge you to begin now. The Word of God teaches us that we are all sinners who fall short of God’s perfection and therefore deserve His wrath. But God is not willing that any should perish. He desires your salvation so much so that He made a way by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to come to this earth, live a sinless life and die on a cross in our place. Jesus being totally righteous took our sins upon Himself and paid the penalty when He died on the cross. Because He is totally righteous God did not leave Him in the grave but raised Him from the dead. And Romans 10:9-11 tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  (10)  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (11) As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.’"

And so I urge you to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Become a child of God today. If you have more questions about this please feel free to call Fairview Baptist Church at 765-452-9237.

As believers we do not need to fear Christ’s return but can look forward to it with great expectation that He will indeed and has indeed satisfied our hungering and thirsting by giving His life on Calvary’s cross.

Father in heaven, thank You for the promise that You have fulfilled in Christ Jesus by making us righteous through His sacrifice. Grant that we, Your children would have full assurance of Your love for us and live in love for You, instead of in fear of punishment. Through Christ our Lord, AMEN!!!

REPENT

REPENT

(Matthew 4:17)  From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. "

Repent:

1) to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent

2) to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins

The above definition is from Thayer's Greek dictionary. When John the Baptist spoke to the Pharisees he said, (Matthew 3:8) “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

Repentance calls for three things:

1. To change our minds so that we agree with God.

a. agree that we are sinners

b. agree that sin as defined by God is heinous

c. agree that to live by God's standards is right

2. To hate our sin.

3. To start living and continue living according to God's standards.

Note this is the message that Jesus preached "from then on." This was and is His Gospel or good news. The good news part is that the Kingdom of God is near, at hand, here right now and you are invited to partake in it. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that there are ways of living that will keep one out of the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, [10] or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people-none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5

You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

There is a teaching that says, “All you have to do is believe and you will be saved.” It is based on pulling a few verses from their context and is often referred to as “easy believism.” It is true that one receives salvation by believing in the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and by confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord. (Romans 10:9 my paraphrase) But, to believe in the heart means a change in the life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

The heart will change causing a change in the outward actions. A toddler doesn’t believe that touching a flame on a candle will hurt her hand, and therefore she will reach for the pretty glow. Hopefully the parent can persuade the child, but in most cases one touch is what it takes. After that, the child is a believer and that believing will forever after alter her behavior around fire.

Likewise, believing that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin and that God raised Him from the dead, and proclaiming Jesus as LORD will change the heart, which will subsequently change the actions. This is repentance; agreeing with God, seeing sin as He sees it, and changing our actions to match His standards.

Repentance becomes a lifestyle for the believer, daily turning away from evil and turning toward our Heavenly Father. It is continuously seeking His Kingdom and Righteousness.

Father in Heaven, Help us today to seek You, Your kingdom and righteousness. Lead us in paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake. Keep us from evil.

In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!