Carnal Christians / C.I.N.Os & Looking at The 10 Virgins

By Ray Gano

The Christian Church has long confessed that the books of the New Testament and the Old Testament are divine Scriptures, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is absolute truth and it is infallible Word of God.

This is pretty much a given if speaking to someone who claims to be a born again Christian. Try it yourself next time you are in Sunday school, prayer meeting ect, ask folks if they believe that the Bible is in fact the infallible Word of God written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

I would say most people you ask in those environments would agree with that.

If that is the case, why do people say that doctrine is not important and in fact “doctrine divides?”

I am hearing more and more of these sugar coated Christians that doctrine does not matter, all I have to do is “believe in Jesus” and “love one another.”

Many of you know that I have a Facebook page and in fact it is how I stay in contact with a lot of folks out there. Just go to www.facebook.com and search for Prophezine, I will pop up.

For most of my life I attended Christian School, and I have folks from my old school linked into my Facebook page.

Recently old school mate caught my attention, let’s call her “Nicci.”

Nicci talks about how much partying she does, drinking, hanging out, ect. Her Facebook picture is of her holding a martini glass leaning up against someone and just below that is the lyrics to “”Jesus Jesus Jesus.”

For her Religious Views, she states – I love Jesus! I would not survive without Him!

On Facebook you can make comments, tell people what is on your mind, share links, videos, ect.

Here are some of Nicci’s comments.

“It amazes me that people think they have the right to judge others. This is only God’s right….

On judgment day for our unforgiven sins, also those who cast judgment on others will be judged by God harder….”

Ok… thank you for sharing.

Please understand that I am not trying to put Nicci down or judge her. But I show her as an example of what is becoming the standard for Christianity today.

A side note, I did contact Nicci and told her my concerns. She appreciated that I took the time and told her in a way that was not being mean. I was firm and showed scripture that I know she could relate with. The main thing I did was asked her a lot of questions, thus allowing her to come to her own conclusion and allowing the Holy Spirit to convict her.

It worked. She pulled down some stuff, changed some stuff. We will see if it took hold.

Carnal Christianity and the refusal to live a holy life is becoming the norm. But what is sad is that this is all being done under the name of “Grace.”

“ I can do what I want because I am forgiven.”

“ Sin no longer matters to me, God died for my sins.”

“I am saved by Grace” which translates to “now I can live like hell.”

I can go on and I am sure you have heard many of these sort of things too, but show any of these people the following and watch the wrath break loose.

1 Peter 1:16 (KJV) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

John 14:15 (KJV) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Romans 12:1 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Why is it that so many people claim the title Christian, agree that God’s Word is the truth and then they refuse to obey what God says?

1Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It is the natural thing for man to sin, but when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives we are no longer the natural man, we are called to submit to Him because we are now His bought with His blood.

So who are those who claim the title and yet live as the natural man? The answer is simple… Carnal Christian. Another way of putting it is “Christian In Name Only” aka C.I.N.O.s. This is the person with one foot in and one foot out. I pity them because they deceive themselves.

Here is what Christ says about them…

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Those on the “broad way” see themselves as doing right, but in the end it leads to destruction. It is those who are on the narrow path that lead to life.

Here is another example.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Yet another…

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Revelation 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

I pray that these people, these carnal Christian / C.I.N.Os, will wake up. They are living a life that no longer is part of them. In fact I bet that their lives are miserable, but they refuse to submit fully to the Lord because they love the world to much.

Are you a Carnal Christian – Look at The 10 Virgins

I know that by now some of you may be asking “am I a carnal Christian / C.I.N.O?”

How does one really know?

In scripture we find a great example, the Ten Virgins.

Matthew 25:1-12 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Most people when they read this portion of scripture attributes it to being a rapture reference. Yea, I can see that.

But when I read it, I see something more there to glean from.

The main focus of this parable is the oil. Traditionally the oil has represented the Holy Spirit.

But in light of Matthew 7, where Christ is warning Christians that they can be on the “broad way” and others be on the “narrow path,” here we see 5 virgins who have oil and 5 who don’t.

In this, I believe that 5 of the virgins were representing bible believing Christians and had the holy spirit. These are the type of Christians who are on the narrow path. They are obedient and being diligent for the Lord and His kingdom.

The other 5 you can call carnal Christian / C.I.N.Os and did not have the holy spirit. They did not take their job of being a Christian seriously. They were also not proper “lights to the world” because they lacked the holy spirit / oil to be those lights.

So when the bridge groom came, five were ready, and the other five missed out because they really were not saved in the first place, thus the representation of having no oil for their lamps.

We as bible believing Christians are called to be the salt and the light. You can see that 5 had the oil (holy spirit) and because of that, they had “light,” or the ability to share the gospel.

Until you have the holy spirit living within you, you are not to effective at being a good witness or sharing the gospel.

Without the holy spirit things of God do not make sense to you.

Remember the natural man?

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Here are some other verses that come to mind…

Isaiah 8:20 (KJV) to the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

1 John 2:4-5(KJV) He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

So back to that question, ” am I a real Christian?”

Think about it for a moment. What distinguishes a true Christian from a carnal Christian / C.I.N.O.?

When we really think about it, in most cases, the answer comes down to one word – guilt.

Those who are truly Christians are convicted when they sin and feel guilt whenever they do sin (FYI… we all sin).

Those who are not true Christians don’t feel the guilt. This is either because they have quenched / seared the Holy Spirit or because they were never saved in the first place.

In fact, one of the sure ways to find out if you are really saved is how you react to sin.

If you just shrug it off and say “everyone sins”. Then you have problems.

If you hate every sin you have committed and feel guilt every time, you are saved.

I say that because it boils down to serving the one true God who saved us.

God gave us His all. He gave us His only Son. He allowed His only Son to die on the cross for us, so that we may live with Him.

Because Jesus paid the price and died, it is our reasonable service / obligation to live for Him.

Scripture says…

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Who Do You Serve?

Jesus stated the following…

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

If you do not have Christ in your life, you will spend eternity in hell. This is a fact. It does not matter if you believe this or not, it is the truth spoken by Jesus himself. If your name is not written in the Lambs Book of Life you will go to hell for what you have not done and that is accepting Christ as your personal savior.

To be placed in the Lamb Book of Life, you need to turn your life completely over to Him. Having “head” knowledge or “just believing in Christ” is not the same as having “heart” knowledge with Christ living in your heart. Even the “devils” believe in God.

James 2:19 (KJV) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

We work hard at Prophezine to show that Bible Prophecy is coming to pass. Because of this fact, we know that the Bible is true. Since the Bible is the true and is the inerrant word of God, there is a heaven and there is a hell.

If you claim the title of “Christian” then take account of yourself this day. Many claim the title, but we read in God’s Word that the title does not get you into heaven.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Who you serve will determine where you will spend eternity. If you are not serving Christ and a true child of God, then you are serving Satan and a child of the enemy.

If you are not 110% sure, then take account of yourself, your very life depends upon it.

1John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Ron Cantor: Facts About Palestine Not From the Mainstream Media

Chris Cotter on Fox New’s Redeye, confidently declared the following words:

Referring to Helen Thomas’ statement that the Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine” Cotter said, “Thomas remembers (before 1948) when Palestine was a nation.” Somehow, a reporter on the Fox Business Channel assumed that Israel came into being by taking over an Arab country called Palestine.

Hopefully he knows his stocks better than his history. (UPDATE! Cotter has since moved on to ESPN where history is not a requirement.) Sadly no one on the show corrected him. So I will…

No Mr. Cotter, Palestine was not a nation in 1947, 46 or 45, not in 1847 or 1047 or 47. In fact, Palestine has never been a nation. To be fair, so many, not just Cotter, simply assume these things from what they pick up in the media. So let us look at these 15 historical facts.  

15 Facts About Palestine

1.  Palestine was NOT an Arab nation that the Jews came in and took over after the UN vote in 1947. Great Britain, in fact, controlled that region of the Middle East until she grew tired of governing the volatile area and asked the UN to decide what to do with it. Before Great Britain won the land in WWI, the Turks had controlled it since the early 1500s. Turks are not Arabs. In fact, Palestine has never been the name of any country!

2. Where did the name come from? The Romans! In an effort to rid Judea of its Jewishness, the Romans renamed the area Filistia (Palestine) in the mid-130s CE. They were tired of pesky Jewish uprisings and so decided to deport the Jews and change the name. The name came from the ancient Philistines (who have no connection to present day Arabs. The Philistines were wiped out in 1200 BCE). It was a region not a nation. There has never been a president of Palestine (before Arafat), or a government of Palestine! It could be compared to New England, which is a region in America and has no government.

3. The UN Vote did not merely give Israel authority to create a state, but granted to the Arabs living on the West side of the Jordan river to also create an independent country. The Arabs rejected it. They could have had their own nation in 1948, but they said no. The Jews accepted it and on May 14th, 1948 Israel was re-birthed. The Arabs became part of Jordan.

4. When the PLO was created, Jordan controlled the West Bank. The goal of the PLO was to liberate Palestine. However the West Bank was already in Arab hands. They wanted Israel. In other words, if their goal was to create an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, they should’ve been fighting Jordan, not Israel! Of course, their goal was Israel’s demise.

5. Before Israel was re-birthed in 1948, any person who lived in that region was considered Palestinian: Arab or Jew. The Jewish newspaper was called the Palestine Post. Why would any Jew name his newspaper after another people group? Why would any Jew name his paper after an Arab country?

6. Jerusalem was first capital of Israel under King David. It has never been the capital of any other country—including the fictitious Palestine. It has never (until Israel controlled it) been significant to Arabs. In others words you will not find these words in the Quran, but the Hebrew Scriptures: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” (Ps. 137: 5-6)

7. When Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967, it was not from Palestinians, but from Jordan. Why didn’t Palestinians demand Jerusalem, when Jordan controlled it (1948-1967)? Why didn’t the Jordanians create an independent Palestinian state with the West Bank? It was certainly in their power? The reason is simple. Jordanians made no distinction between Arabs that lived east of the Jordan and those who lived west of the Jordan. They were all Jordanian. According to the quote at the top of this blog, Jerusalem has always been the capital of Palestine. Did anyone tell the Jordanians?

8. Israel had no plans on attacking Jordan during the Six Day War. However, King Hussein believed the false reports from Egyptian President Nasser of Egypt that they were winning the war. King Hussein, in hopes of getting more land, attacked Israel and his troops were driven back over the Jordan River in a matter of days. That is how Israel ended up with Jerusalem in 1967.

9. There is no language known as Palestinian. They speak Arabic like Jordanians and Syrians and Egyptians.

10. There is no rich Palestinian history. You will not find history books that detail Palestinian culture going back centuries.

11. Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians (a nation created by Great Britain 1922), Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc. 

12. Arabs control 99.9 percent of the Middle East lands. Israel represents one-tenth of one percent of the landmass.

13. When the Jewish people began to return to ‘Palestine’ in the late 1800s: The Turks, not the Arabs, controlled it. Every bit of Land was paid for by the returning Jews—nothing was stolen! Even in 1948, the Arab were invited to join the new state. Many did, and they became the most liberated Arabs in the Middle East. However, 600,000-800,000 fled, and of course, Israel.

14. Israel was a swamp-infested wasteland that no one, including the Arabs really cared about. Until the Jews returned the land suffered neglect. It was only after the Jews came back and made the land prosperous and fruitful again and developed a nation, that the fictitious Palestinian history was developed.

15. Religious Significance of Jerusalem. Jerusalem or Zion appears nearly ONE THOUSAND times in the Old and New Covenants, whereas it appears in the Koran exactly ZERO times!

The last thing that should be noted is that I wrote this to get  the facts out about Palestine. While the history may be made up, the Arabs who live among us here in Israel are real people who were made in God’s image. We must pray for their salvation.

Happy to help set the record straight….AGM

You Forget About God, Family When Addicted to Porn

Reblogged from http://rodiagnusdei.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/you-forget-about-god-family-when-addicted-to-porn/

Truth. From hard experience I can tell you that if you are “addicted” to any form of sexual sin, be it porn, fantasy and the resulting physical playing out of it, voyeurism (watching people and then using those images for sexual fantasy), homosexual acting out, or anything in between…men, you are destroying trust, spitting on Grace, and obliterating the heart and the trust of the wife that God has given you. If you have to be forced into seeking accountability, repentance, counsel, etc…if you simply act as if it  is all in the past with no change of fruit in your life, and expect your wife to just forget about it, if you think you can still do the same old things that were part and parcel to your sexual sin, but now it’s somehow different and “okay”…you are disingenuous and only trying to look good, not genuinely hating your sin and repenting, but merely plastering on Jesus over your willful disobedience and wickedness. If you are not deliberately, aggressively and determinedly doing what needs to be done to restore your marriage, build trust, and walk as a godly man…if you are determining FOR your wife what will do that, and not allowing HER to determine what she needs  from you consistently to accomplish those things, then KNOW that as you continue to sin against her, first and foremost  you sin against a righteous God who will never overlook it. It is my prayer that you genuinely repent and turn from your sexual sin, and surrender completely to Jesus Christ as LORD. For if you do not, then He is most certainly not your Savior. Just a deity to hide behind while you go about having your will, continuing to sin, and choosing to deny grace. Why, that is the road to hell….exactly what the father of lies who has you so bound up wants you to be taking. He hates to lose one in his sway. Think about it.

Please don’t miss the second post, below this one, titled: How Do You Counsel A Husband Who Has Revealed a Struggle with Pornography to His Wife? (Advice for pastors on an increasingly relevant topic)

via http://www.christianpost.com (photo via Facebook)

Pornography is an unspoken word in most congregations, but this powerful addiction is permeating Christian households, and is destroying marriages and parent-child relationships.

To combat the addiction to pornography, Pastor Jay Dennis of First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Fla., created his own program, “One Million Men Porn Free,” because he wasn’t able to find resource materials that he could use to defeat the devastating effects the lure of pornography had on members of his church.

“I led our church initially through this program in March and April of 2010,” said Dennis, who leads a congregation of 9,000 members. “I met with our men for six Wednesday evening sessions, with the last session being the commitment rally. I also met with our women for one session and our parents for one session. The women’s session was called ‘What Men Wish Their Wives Knew About Pornography.’ The parents’ session was titled ‘Protecting Your Child From Sexual Brokenness.’”

Dennis hopes the ”Join 1 Million Men” program will ultimately strengthen churches by helping pastors get the subject of pornography out in the open so they can work on rebuilding families and marriages.

“If the pastor is not addressing the issue, either he doesn’t feel it’s enough of a problem, or it’s too shameful to discuss in church,” said Dennis, who cites the biblical scriptures of Job 31:1, Psalm 119:37 and I Timothy 5:2 to illustrate the ways in which men should view and respect women.
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/one-million-men-porn-free-pastor-you-forget-about-god-family-when-addicted-to-porn-90771/#cc7OQ2lz48I0RgjW.99

Brian Croft: How Do You Counsel A Husband

Who Has Revealed a Struggle with Pornography to His Wife?

Read this article in its entirety here- http://theaquilareport.com/how-do-you-counsel-a-husband

Every pastor already faces this. Unfortunately, I fear the problem will only become more common in the future; that is marriage counseling as a result of a husband’s struggle with pornogrpahy. The work to restore trust and intimacy within a marriage deeply affected by this sinful struggle is only possible through the gospel and applied most effectively within the local church; having said that, consider six practical ways that husband can reestablish trust and intimacy with his hurting wife:

1) Be patient towards your hurting wife.Men are known to deal with something, then move on. A wife, especially one sinned against by pornography will not move on so quickly.

2) Understand the seriousness of your sin against her. Sexual sin hurts a wife more deeply than most other sins against her. A husband needs to realize that the reasons this sin stings so much is that it seems to confirm almost every doubt and insecurity most women already battle within themselves. Understanding the seriousness of this sin and the pain it causes will help cultivate patience and prevent a reoccurrence of it.

3) Look to your wife to play an important role of accountability. It is easy to seek the accountability of another man when it comes to this struggle because, we say, “only another man knows what the battle is like.” Yet, you do not have to sleep next to that man every night. You do not have to look into his eyes knowing the hurt you caused. You do not have to be as patient and gracious with your buddy through this like you must with your wife. It may need to be in the context of regular counseling for a while, but convince him his wife will be a great asset to establish his new patterns and protection from falling again.

4) Consistently and creatively romance your wife. A husband should have already been pursuing his wife romantically as a regular practice. Now, he must understand this pattern must be established to restore his marriage.

5) Affirm your physical attraction to her. It should surprise no man that when he looks at other women in lustful ways, it will communicate a sharp message to his wife that he does not find her attractive. Most men would confess that is not what drove them to pornography, but it is inescapable that this is how a wife feels because of it. Encourage the man verbally to affirm his physical attraction to his wife. Then, he must back it up with his actions.

6) Realize the battle never ends this side of eternity. The gospel is powerful to free men from this bondage and to establish new patterns in their lives, but the fences of accountability must always remain.

Related articles

• Porn This Way: The Devastating Effects of Lust (boldandunashamed.com)
• How Pornography Addiction Works and Affects Your Life(dilettantee.wordpress.com)
• Fake Love, Fake War: Why So Many Men Are Addicted to Internet Porn and Video Games (phenum01.wordpress.com)
• The Lies of Lust and porn (rodiagnusdei.wordpress.com)
• This Is What Happens When Kids Grow Up On Unlimited Access To Pornography (upworthy.com)
• Overcoming Pornography (exjezebel.wordpress.com)
• Iceland banning porn, Page 3 on the way out – the feminists are winning, thankfully (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)

Take No Prisoners

Reblogged from The Master’s Slave

“   Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”      Judges 2:3Containing an enemy is expedient, but deadly. History has shown time and again that such a policy simply gives opportunity for the enemy to regroup and train itself for more deadly assaults. The fatal blow must be struck or else there will be no peace. It seemed wise at the time to the Israelites. Nations either struck peace accords with them or pledged to be their servants. Not a bad deal when you’ve wandered for forty years in the desert and then had to fight to stake your claim. Most of us would have applauded our leaders for such diplomacy. But the Israelites practiced containment with deadly results. Not only were they perpetually harassed by enemies, they lost the battle for their souls to idols and immorality. I’m quick to practice containment in my own life – I corral those sins I think I can tame, fencing in small transgressions, putting borders around my disobedience. “This far and no further,” I will say to certain bad habits. Once my disobedience settles down to a manageable level, like a low grade fever, I easily move to other more pressing needs at work or with family. But sin is never contained for long. If God does not get His way with your sin, His mortal enemy, it will rear its ugly head at another time, and in uglier ways. Our contained sins can limit our effectiveness, kill our joy, and fool us into thinking we are gods that are able to manage our sin-life quite nicely on our own. _________________________ God won’t have it. His enemy must be defeated. He loves you too much. Lord God, enemy of sin, reign victorious in the battle that has already been won. Kill your enemy that I might know the peace You’ve secured for me.

Blessings,   Joni and Friends

Douglas Christie is Dying…Please Pray

Reblogged from The Master’s Slave (Thank you for this dear brother)

Friends and followers of this blog, this is a post about a man whom we know and have come to love over the last few years. His name isDouglas Christie. He is a lawyer and has been for over forty years. He was the man whom God used to help bring our children home after our long and exhaustive fight against the government of Canada.

He has a reputation for defending any and all who have been oppressed by the powers of gov’t, censorship and the like, he has defended people who would be considered hate-mongers, anti-Semites, racists, etc. However, if you can find anywhere in God’s word where his sin is greater than yours, then stop reading now. Douglas Christie is not a Christian, he is a Catholic. He is a sinner, in trouble with an angry God. He believes in God, but that’s it. Douglas Christie is dying of advanced liver cancer and has give or take six months to live.

If this man dies in the state he’s in right now, he will go to hell. It is my prayer and that of my wife for him to be saved and spared the wrath of God, but obviously, this decision is up to God and Him alone. Please pray. Please lift this man before God in prayer and ask that He show mercy to him. I recently saw my wife torn from the jaws of hell and made right and holy in the sight of God.

I don’t care about his fight with governements and oppressive powers. I don’t care about his legacy. All I care is about the man. His soul is on the verge of eternal damnation.

Please pray for his salvation.

 

http://revivalandreformation.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/12600/#comment-7066

D A Carson – What Scripture plainly says about hell

Jesus praises the faith of the centurion. A Roman, without all of the background of what we now call the Old Testament and Scripture. “Truly, I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But, the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” Now, He says this, after having said, just a few verses earlier at the end of the sermon on the mount that He has the authority to determine who enters the consummated kingdom and who does not. He is the one that will say, “Depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” And He is the one who grants entrance. And now He says, “On the last day, there will be many people there who will exhibit the same faith this centurion exhibited,” even though this centurion is not an Israelite, he’s a gentile, part of the overlord party. But, he has this faith is Jesus that is so transparently submissive to the authority of God in this God man, that he understands that when God speaks, Jesus speaks. It’s the same faith of an Abraham, who heard the voice of God and went out, not knowing where he was going. And thus, in the consummated kingdom, such people will gather around Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They will be part of this consummated glory, where elsewhere it is described as resurrection existence in the new heaven and the new earth- the home of righteousness.

And, meanwhile, many who have had the privilege of being part of that old covenant heritage, with all of its revelation and its sacrificial system, and its Godly prophets, and its wisdom literature, many who are absorbed into the kind of religiosity that really does not bow to the authority of Jesus, they will be cast out, we are told- where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is not popular today to talk about hell. Indeed, many Christians are trying to find ways of interpreting the Scripture in such a way that ‘hell becomes a little less embarrassing’: …maybe it doesn’t go on forever… maybe God’s love is so sweeping that somehow, eventually, everybody in hell will repent and hell will be emptied out.And God’s love will win.

Many, many voices like this are heard. It sounds so gentle, and so loving, but, it is very hard to square such notions with what Jesus Himself says. Most of the most startling metaphors for hell are first voiced in the Scripture by the Lord Jesus Himself. He is the one here, who speaks of outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Revelation 14 and Revelation 20 speak of hell as a place of ongoing terror. I think that one of the reasons why people will not face what Scripture plainly says is because we have talked ourselves into thinking that perhaps, that perhaps we should recognize that our sins can’t be eternal sins, or infinite sins. Our sins are finite, we’re finite people, who commit only finite sins, so, why should we be punished infinitely? And, if that’s the case, we must have some other explanation for infinite punishment. But, that presupposes that once we get to hell we all want to repent and we don’t want to sin anymore. But, I have ransacked Scripture and I cannot, for the life of me, find a single place anywhere in Scripture that suggests there’s a word of repentance in hell.

Even in the account of the rich man and Lazarus- he doesn’t want to be there. But, he lifts his eyes up, being in torment, the Scripture says, and somehow sees Abraham and Lazarus a far distance off. What do you think he will say? “Oh, Lazarus, did I get that one wrong? I am so sorry, would you forgive me please? I really did abuse you. I didn’t show any generosity, compassion. I left you ill and broken, and poor outside my gate, even though I was filthy rich. I really am very sorry. I do want to repent, I am so sorry.” Is that what he says?  No, what he says is, “Father Abraham,” playing the race card, “Father Abraham, why don’t you send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water, so that he can bring it to me?” Lazarus is still the ‘Joe’ boy, he’s still the menial. He doesn’t even address him. He’s gonna pull strings and get father Abraham… There’s not a hint of repentance anywhere. Hell is not filled with people who are deeply repentant and wanting to get out. It’s filled with broken rebels who still want to justify themselves and think of them selves as at the center of the universe for all of eternity- sinning and being punished, sinning and being punished, world without end. At the end of that conversation with Abraham, the rich man is actually contradicting Abraham, “No, father Abraham, your interpretation of things is wrong. Let me correct your theology.” This man, even in hell thinks he’s got a superior theology to Abraham in heaven. It’s unbelievable.

And, the person who is exclusively, finally responsible for making the decisions about who goes to heaven and who does not, and on what ground is Jesus Himself. The authority of Jesus is great comfort to the eyes of faith and a great terror to the merely religious.

Reblogged from agnus dei – english + romanian blog

Very Much Better

byMike Riccardi

February 15, 2013

As Paul sits chained to a Roman soldier, waiting for his trial before Nero at which he would discover whether he would be released to minister freely or be executed at the hands of the Empire, he writes to the Philippians that he has an intense, yearning desire “to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (Phil 1:23).

Sadly, many professing Christians know little of such intense yearning. Many have become so distracted and enchanted by the allurements of this life that the idea of death and reunion with Christ is viewed as little more than an undesirable consolation prize for the failure to realize our worldly ambitions. Even in the pursuit of even good things, our hearts can grow cold to our Savior.

The antidote for this—to learn to look upon the prospect of death with joy and anticipation, even as Paul did—is to stir up our hearts unto such a delight in what God has revealed that death will be for the Christian. Today I want to consider three things.

The End of Limited Knowledge

First, death will mean the end of our limited knowledge and finite understanding. I don’t mean to say that we all become omniscient; I actually believe that the glory of the character and work of the Triune God is so inexhaustible that we will continue to learn of Him and increase in knowledge throughout all eternity. Nevertheless, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 verse 12: “…now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

That is an amazing statement. One day we will know just like God knows us. One day, we’ll finally be able to see the grand mosaic of history from the perspective of the Divine Designer. And on that day, all will make perfect sense! Every trial, every tear, every grunt in the battle against sin, and every groan in the endurance of suffering will arrive perfectly at home in our understanding. Experiences that we do our best to avoid at all costs now—experiences which God nevertheless ordains that we receive—will at that time seem to us to have been so necessary that we won’t be able to imagine that it could have been any other way.

We will know with perfect clarity how a sovereign, righteous, and wise God can ordain for His greatest glory the massacre of 20 elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut. Don’t you long for the day when the cognitive and emotional dissonance that is produced by what seems to be such senselessness is banished by the gift of heavenly knowledge!

And as a result of all of the circumstances of this life that now perplex us, we will see in greater measure and fullness the glory of God.

The End of Sin

A second end that death will bring: Death will bring the end of sin. James Montgomery Boice wrote, “The Christian who has tasted the delight of God’s righteousness longs for a purity that he will never have on earth. He longs to be free of sin . . . and he knows that death brings [this].”

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul gives vent to this longing: “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” He says in Romans 8:23 that along with creation, “we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

Oh dear reader, do you groan? Are you tired of the fight with sin? Are you wearied by the war that is waged in your members? I know I am. I want to be done. I want to serve and worship Christ in perfect purity and holiness.

And the promise that one day I will—that one day by God’s grace I will finish this race—gives me the strength and power to keep running, and keep fighting, and keep battling, with my eyes fixed on Jesus, and the rest to be had in Him at the finish line.

Fellowship with Christ

And that leads to the greatest benefit of all. Ultimately, death is gain for Paul because it brings more of Christ to Paul, and more of Paul to Christ. Death for the Christian is not merely the escape of the worst this life has to offer; it’s an improvement on the very best this life has to offer. Because it brings us to unhindered, unmediated, sin-free, face-to-face fellowship with our Lord Jesus. He is the great gain and the great glory of Heaven. He is the great end of the Christian life.

That is why death is “very much better,” as Paul says in verse 23. Literally: “much more better.” Paul just piles on the comparatives, one after another, to try to find some way to express how wonderful it will be to finally be with Christ. Just as much as marriage is “very much better” than the engagement, so is death “very much better” than life, if it means that it will bring us to Christ.

The Puritan pastor Richard Sibbes, in a sermon on this text, puts it like no one else can put it:

Why doth [Paul] not say, I desire to be in heaven? Answer: Because heaven is not heaven without Christ. It is better to be in any place with Christ than to be in heaven itself without him. All delicacies without Christ are but as a funeral banquet. Where the master of the feast is away, there is nothing but solemnness. What is all without Christ? I say the joys of heaven are not the joys of heaven without Christ; he is the very heaven of heaven. … To be with Christ is to be at the spring-head of all happiness.

And the Scriptures agree with him. Listen to these passages from the worship songs of the saints of old:

• Psalm 16:11 – You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
• Psalm 17:15 – As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.
• Psalm 27:4 – One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.
• Psalm 65:4 – How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.
• Psalm 73:23–28 – Whom have I in heaven but You? … My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

And as the Apostle John brings his glorious report of his heavenly vision to a close, he speaks in Revelation 22:1–5 of the great end of God’s people. He summarizes the consummation of their entire lives lived by faith when he says in verse 4: “They will see His face.”

Jesus is what makes Heaven Heaven. Jesus is what makes death “much more better” than the very best this life can offer.

Is He enough for you?

If He is, then there’s no need to slavishly cling to this life. Everything this life could offer you is dwarfed in the light of Christ’s glory. If He is enough, then there’s no need to fear death. By repentance and faith in Christ, the death which was once our greatest and final enemy has now become our friend—merely the passageway to our greatest delight.

May the Holy Spirit, by the power of His own Word, kindle in us a holy ambition to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.

Paul Washer – How to lead someone to the Lord

Reblogged from agnus dei – english + romanian blog:

Paul Washer – America’s preachers are Gospel ignorant

From The Master’s Slave….

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Reblogged from The Master's Slave:

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