DO YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A GOD?

REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD EXISTS?

Then you are duty-bound to love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength  (Mark 12:30), since it is the obligation of all who name the Lord to worship Him.

The fact is, God counsels how we are to love him and how we are to worship him.  A lesser expression of love and worship will never be acceptable to Him as the Holy Creator of all things, visible or invisible.

And all of us show what manner of love we have for God by the way we conduct our lives.  Whether we are aware of it or not, the fashion by which we lead our daily existence is our proper worship of the Lord.

Some love Him with all their hearts and with all their souls and with all their minds and with all their strength;

Some love God by ignoring Him, by their wrongdoings, by their sexual immoralities, by their idolatry, by their adulteries, by their homosexuality, by their thievery, by their greed, by their drunkenness, by their cheating; for that is the way they live.

People, we love God by our actions, from the rising of the sun to its dawning, 24/7. 

To love God is to live for Him according to His will.

To love God is to live holy (separate from the world) and godly (with proper respect for) lives.

To love God is to obey His commandments and to edify His people.

To love God is to love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

++++++++++++

(Mark 12:30)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

JUDGE NOT?

Judging is the act by which we decide between right or wrong.  And every day we make that kind of determination, not realizing it as a conscious act on our part.

Judging is good.  Judging is ok.

But the Christian is admonished to make “RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT,” not dependent on outward appearances or the standards of the world or his own personal opinion, but on the truths as revealed in the Written Word of God, the Bible. 

What we are disallowed is to make judgment when we are guilty of the same things we are accusing others of doing (Rom.2:1-3); for even in judicial courts, the accuser must come with clean hands; More so when it comes to the economy of God.

NOTE: 

Those who accuse you of being “JUDGMENTAL,” are themselves judging you.

 

JUDGE (G2919) Properly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish: - avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

JUDGMENT (G2917) a decision (the function or the effect, for or against [“crime”]): - avenge, condemned, condemnation, damnation, + go to law, judgment.

 

++++++++++++

 

(Matthew 7:1-5)

¹“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 

² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 

⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 

⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

 

(John 7:24)

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

(Romans 2:1-3)

¹You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

² Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 

³ So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

ONLY THOSE “APPOINTED” TO ETERNAL LIFE WOULD BELIEVE THE GOSPEL

Salvation is an act of God from start to finish.

We have no hand in it whatsoever, just like in our birth in the flesh.

According to the Written Word of God, the Bible, only those whom God had chosen from the foundation of the world would come to the Lord Jesus, believe and thus be saved.

“God choosing,” is the backbone of Scriptures.  And God has the right to do that because He created all things. (Rom.9:20,21)

So the Christian must not take lightly his salvation, and from now on live for God alone and resolve to love and serve the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength.

So be it.

Are you living for God, and loving and serving Him with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength?

If not, you are taking lightly His work of salvation.

And that is a very scary prospect.

++++++++++

[JOHN 6:37

37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.]

[JOHN 6:44

44 “NO ONE can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.]

[Acts 13:48

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.]

[Romans 9:20-21

20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?“ Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”  21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?]

SODOMY IS JUDGMENT IN ITSELF!

(Romans 1:21-32)

Sodomy is not merely a sin, but, in itself, is a judgment for the sin of idolatry, which, in the perversion of homosexuals/lesbians, is the worship of SELF.

Not only is the depravity of sodomy a slap to the face of the Creator God, whose Son is the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the God who is with us, but the corruption is so wicked that it is shadowed/accompanied by the following sinful acts (vs. 28-31):
depraved, wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient, senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Sodomy is embodied by sin upon sin, that those who do such things have no excuse and could expect only total destruction on the day of judgment.

++++++++++++

[Leviticus 18:22

“‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.]

[Leviticus 20:13

“‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.]

[Deuteronomy 22:5

A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.]

[Romans 1:21-32
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 
25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 
30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 
31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 
32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.]

THE ONE THING A CHRISTIAN CAN BOAST ABOUT

THAT HE KNOWS GOD AS THE GOD OF LOVE, JUSTICE, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jer.9:23,24)

As Christians, we must refrain from saying that “GOD IS LOVE,” for although that is true, it is not a faithful description of who God is.  Here is the complete formula:

GOD is the GOD of love, justice, and righteousness.

God's LOVE cannot be alienated from His PERFECT HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE. 

Many say “God is love,” because they want to continue in their transgressions, believing that God would understand and always forgive.  That is not so, boys and girls.  God’s standard of righteousness is PERFECT HOLINESS, which can only be achieved by faith/trust in the Lord Jesus.

++++++++++++

[JEREMIAH 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

    or the strong boast of their strength

    or the rich boast of their riches,

but let the one who boasts boast about this:

    that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,

    justice and righteousness on earth,

    for in these I delight,”

declares the LORD.]

STOP STORING “FOR OURSELVES” TREASURES ON EARTH!

That’s a direct commandment from the Lord Jesus!

It is not difficult to see that the garbage dump contains everything man lives and works for on this planet.  Everything money can buy ends up in a stinking landfill.

The Lord Jesus is commanding us to stop storing up material things if we have already started accumulating goods that we can actually do without.  What we have to be so sure of is that we desire to own things because they are essential in order for us to serve God by spreading the gospel and edifying the church, never to flaunt our wealth or to enjoy the pleasures of life to the fullest and as long as they would last.

Life is not for our pleasure.  Life is meant for the service of God.  And that is where true joy and fullness of life can be found.

++++++++++++

[Matthew 6:19-21

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.]

WHO ARE GOD’S ESTABLISHED GOVERNING AUTHORITIES THAT WE SHOULD FEAR, HONOR, AND OBEY?

WHAT ARE THEIR CHARACTERISTICS?  (ROM.ch.13; DEUT.17:14-20)

1)    Established by God (Rom.13:1; Deut.17:15)

2)    A terror to those who do wrong (Rom.13:3)

3)    Commends those who do what is right (Rom.13:3)

4)    God’s servant for good (Rom.13:4)

5)    God’s servants/agents to bring punishment on the wrongdoer (Rom.13:4)

6)    God’s servants, who give their full time to governing (Rom.13:6)

7)    Does not commit adultery, murder, theft, covetousness (Rom.13:9)

8)    Loves his neighbor as himself (Rom.13:9)

9)    Must be from among his people; not a foreigner (Deut.17:15)

10)  Must not acquire great number of horses/cars for himself (Deut.17:16)

11)   Must not take many wives (Deut.17:17)

12)   Must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold/wealth (Deut.17:17)

13)   He is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this Law of God (Deut.17:18)

14)   The copy of the Law of God is to be with him at all times (Deut.17:18)

15)    He is to read it (the Law of God) all the days of his life (Deut.17:19)

16)    He must learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of  

       this law and these decrees (Deut.17:19)

17)    He must not consider himself better than the common people (Deut.17:20)

18)    He must not turn from the law to the right or to the left (Deut.17:20)

 

Not all leaders are appointed servants of God.

Our standard of who our leaders should be has been determined by God in His Written Word.

What they sell voters as to their abilities and good intentions don’t matter at all.  What matters is what God tells about them in His Word.

++++++++++++

[(Romans ch.13)

¹Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.]

[(Deuteronomy 17:14-20)
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.]