Flee from the Wrath to Come

Early one morning fire broke out in a house on a narrow street. The alarm was sounded by a policeman on duty. Before the fire engines could get to the scene, flames were leaping high into the air. Suddenly a young man appeared at an upper window in his pajamas. Firemen quickly placed a ladder against the burning building. But to the dismay of all, he refused to come down, shouting back that he had to get dressed first. The firemen pleaded, “Come as you are! Come as you are!” but to no avail. From below they tried to ascend the stairs, but were turned back as the wind fanned the flames into fury. When a rescuer tried to enter through a window, the heat and smoke forced him away. Suddenly the stairs gave way and the roof fell in. The man had waited too long and was buried beneath the ruins. (Author Unknown).

This short story should remind us of how much greater tragedy awaits all who fail to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7). There is a great day of wrath coming. “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7). A hard and impenitent heart will destroy us. The apostle Paul wrote these words in Romans 2:4-5: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

If you are not a Christian, I want to encourage you to “flee from the wrath to come” by obeying the Lord and be saved before it is everlastingly too late. Jesus does not make you obey Him, but he does invite you. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). He also says “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Do not delay. Your delay could cost you your soul. Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins. “Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). It is unfortunate that some Christians are negligent in their service to the Lord. Once one becomes a Christian one must remain faithful to the Lord. “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away...” (Hebrews 2:1-2).

Jesus requires of everyone to bring forth fruits to show true repentance. “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance...” (Luke 3:8). Jesus is pleading for you to obey Him and come to Him now, before the fire of the evil one engulfs you forever!

Getting Rid of Sin

We know from the Bible that God truly hates sin. In fact, God hates sin so much that He was willing to let His Son die on the cross in order to get rid of sin. This is the love, or the mercy of God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Without man’s faith and obedience one could never be saved. The Bible says, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews5:8-9). We need to listen and understand that Jesus is the author of salvation TO THOSE WHO OBEY HIM. Without obedience, one cannot be saved.

If a worker comes home with dirty hands, there are several things that are needed in order to get them clean. First, he must recognize they are dirty. Without this realization he would not wash his hands. Secondly, he must have a cleansing agent. This probably is soap and water. Without this, he may never get the grease and dirt off. But then he must apply the cleansing agent. Having a whole bottle of soap, without application, he would never get his hands clean.

Christ shed His blood for sinful man. But first man must realize he is a sinner. This is the hard thing in preaching the gospel. Most people are defensive about it, saying they are pretty good folks. But in reality they know they are sinners. Next, they must have a cleansing agent, the blood of Christ. This has been provided for the taking. But without application of the blood, there is no cleansing that can take place. Wishing will not make it so. Listen to the word of God: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3). Baptism is the means of application.

How does one take advantage of the sacrifice of Christ? Most Bible believers admit that it takes the blood of Christ to wash away sins, but how is this blood applied to the human heart? “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). What does it mean to be baptized into Christ? One is baptized into the benefits of the death of Christ. What are the benefits? SALVATION. Christ died for our sins. To benefit from the blood, we must get into Christ, which means getting into a right relationship with Christ. Peter said, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). These individuals obtained forgiveness of their sins by repenting and being baptized into Christ. The same act that saves you also puts you into Christ. Baptism brings salvation, remission of sins, and puts one into Christ! Have you been baptized into Christ for the remission of sins?

Thou Art the Man!

David was referred to as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) yet he committed sin. Many today don’t even give God the chance to work in their life because they claim to “not be good enough.” In reality, nobody is “good enough” for God but God loves man, His created work, and wants all to do His will. David was not perfect and we are not perfect. Yet, why was David referred to as “a man after God’s own heart?” I believe that if we can understand why David could sin, yet still be pleasing to God, then it will help each one of us to better be able to overcome our trespasses knowing that we have hope as David did.

David, Bathsheba, and Uriah

In 2 Samuel, chapter 11 we can read about the story of how David sinned in the eyes of the Lord. While the army of Israel was away fighting, David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of his house. It was here that he saw a beautiful woman bathing. He then inquired about this woman and was informed that she was the WIFE of Uriah. Knowing that she was married to another man, he still sent for her and committed adultery. She then became pregnant and in order to hide his sin he had Uriah, a very loyal servant, set up to be killed in battle. Now he was also an accessory to murder! After Uriah was killed, David took Bathsheba to be his wife. David had committed the sin of adultery with his loyal servant’s wife, Bathsheba. It says in verse 27 “...But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” David may have thought that he hid his sin from man, but he certainly did not hide it from the Lord! We are sometimes just as foolish as David was, thinking that we can hide our sins. God knows all and SEES all!

Nathan’’s Parable

Nathan was sent to David (2 Samuel 12) and told David a parable. Nathan said: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him” (2 Samuel 12:1-4). When David heard this it says his “anger was greatly aroused against the man.” Then David said to Nathan “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity” (2 Samuel 12:5-6). David had just committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, had him killed, and then Nathan comes and tells this parable to David and he is ready and willing to put to death the man that took the poor man’s lamb! Nathan’s parable was directed DIRECTLY at David, yet he thought he was talking about someone else. 

Thou Art The Man!

Nathan stuns David into reality by saying “Thou art the man!” “Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon” (2 Samuel 12:9). David was shocked into reality but what did he do? Did he quit? Did he say “I just knew I could not be perfect,” and just give up? NO! David showed why he was a man after God’s own heart as we too can be. He said: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). From that moment on he dedicated his life fully to the Lord. His sins were “put away” but he paid the consequences for his sins (2 Samuel 12:16ff). Let us all resolve that when God speaks to us from His Word - don’t assume that He’s talking to someone else. Be honest and ask yourself “AM I THE MAN?” and if the answer is “YES,” then admit that you have sinned, repent, and serve God diligently hereafter.

Repentance is Necessary

One of the hardest things for men and women to do is to repent of their sins. Repentance is a direct challenge to man’s will power. It demands that he humble himself before God, and give up everything that is contrary to His will. God’s demands of repentance have kept many of the high minded out of the kingdom of God.

Repentance is a duty imposed upon all mankind. It is a plain command of God, and no man can refuse to repent without bearing the responsibility that must come upon him. When Jesus gave the world-wide commission, He said, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations . . .” (Luke 24:47). Paul said “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts  17:30). Can anyone read these scriptures and conclude that he can be saved without repentance? I would hope not!

Let us clear away some of the misunderstanding about repentance by learning what it is NOT. In the first place, repentance is not simply being afraid. Paul convicted Felix of his sins, Felix trembled with fear but he did not repent and turn (Acts 24:25). There are many people today who are afraid when they think of their sinfulness, but they, like Felix, refuse to repent, and die without hope.

In the second place, repentance is not simply being sorry that one has sinned. The murderers of Jesus sorrowed on Pentecost at Peter’s preaching. They were pierced in their hearts by godly sorrow. Yet they were told to repent (Acts 2:38). In the third place, repentance is not simply and solely a reformation of life, A man may quit sin and yet not repent toward God. He may quit because that particular sin renders him unpopular in his business or among his associates. Thus, he may reform his life for selfish reasons, but such reformation is not repentance. Simply stated, repentance is a change of mind, or will, based upon godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10), and resulting in a manner of life directed by Christ (Acts 26:20).

Our Lord gave us an example of repentance which we can all understand. He said, “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went” (Matthew 21-28-29). This boy began to reflect on what he had done, and he realized that he had disobeyed his father, He became conscious of the fact that he sinned against his father, who was responsible for his very existence, and when he came to himself, he acknowledge that wrong, and then corrected it. He changed HIS MIND (repented) and did that which he said he would not do. Jesus said that was repentance.

Christ said to the Pharisees that, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41). Jesus here says that the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonas. The Bible says: “God saw their works and that they turned from their evil way” (Jonah 3:10). The preaching of the prophet of God changed the mind of the Ninevites, and this change led them to turn from their evil way. This change of mind was repentance.

The Lord has given men two motives as the means of bringing them to repentance. The first motive is fear. The Bible writers say, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences” (2 Corinthians 5:10-11). This statement, and all the warnings in the Bible are intended to move us to repent of our sins.

The second motive God uses to bring about repentance is love. The Bible says, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4)? The goodness of God is revealed in the life and death of His only Son, Jesus Christ. As we study the life of our Lord, and see the beauty of holiness manifested through His earthly pilgrimage, then follow Him to Calvary and watch Him suffer there, dying for our sins, making it possible for sinners to be saved, and to become children of God, we ask why all this flow of love, why all this display of goodness? The answer comes back to us in the Bible, “the goodness of God leads you to repentance.”

Thou Art the Man

David was referred to as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) yet he committed sin. Many today don’t even give God the chance to work in their life because they claim to “not be good enough.” In reality, nobody is “good enough” for God but God loves man, His created work, and wants all to do His will. David was not perfect and we are not perfect. Yet, why was David referred to as “a man after God’s own heart?” I believe that if we can understand why David could sin, yet still be pleasing to God, then it will help each one of us to better be able to overcome our trespasses knowing that we have hope as David did.

David, Bathsheba, and Uriah

In 2 Samuel, chapter 11 we can read about the story of how David sinned in the eyes of the Lord. While the army of Israel was away fighting, David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of his house. It was here that he saw a beautiful woman bathing. He then inquired about this woman and was informed that she was the WIFE of Uriah. Knowing that she was married to another man, he still sent for her and committed adultery. She then became pregnant and in order to hide his sin he had Uriah, a very loyal servant, set up to be killed in battle. Now he was also an accessory to murder! After Uriah was killed, David took Bathsheba to be his wife. David had committed the sin of adultery with his loyal servant’s wife, Bathsheba. It says in verse 27 “...But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” David may have thought that he hid his sin from man, but he certainly did not hide it from the Lord! We are sometimes just as foolish as David was, thinking that we can hide our sins. God knows all and SEES all!

Nathan’’s Parable

Nathan was sent to David (2 Samuel 12) and told David a parable. Nathan said: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him” (2 Samuel 12:1-4). When David heard this it says his “anger was greatly aroused against the man.” Then David said to Nathan “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity” (2 Samuel 12:5-6). David had just committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, had him killed, and then Nathan comes and tells this parable to David and he is ready and willing to put to death the man that took the poor man’s lamb! Nathan’s parable was directed DIRECTLY at David, yet he thought he was talking about someone else. 

Thou Art The Man!

Nathan stuns David into reality by saying “Thou art the man!” “Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon” (2 Samuel 12:9). David was shocked into reality but what did he do? Did he quit? Did he say “I just knew I could not be perfect,” and just give up? NO! David showed why he was a man after God’s own heart as we too can be. He said: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). From that moment on he dedicated his life fully to the Lord. His sins were “put away” but he paid the consequences for his sins (2 Samuel 12:16ff). Let us all resolve that when God speaks to us from His Word - don’’t assume that He’s talking to someone else. Be honest and ask yourself “AM I THE MAN?” and if the answer is “YES,” then admit that you have sinned, repent, and serve God diligently hereafter.

The Reality of Apostasy

 

Apostasy? What is apostasy? To some this word may sound strange and may not have meaning. But let us first assign a meaning to this word and then we will understand how serious apostasy is. Webster's New World Dictionary defines apostasy as: "an abandoning of what one believed in, as a faith, etc." Now do you see how serious this word is? The Lord's church is suffering today because of individuals that have abandoned their faith in God and slipped back into worldliness. Peter says "For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them" (2 Peter 20-21). These are some strong words delivered by the apostle Peter! God is very displeased with anyone that accepts his commandments one day and then throws them into the wind the next. Individuals that do this will be lost eternally. James says "My beloved brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20). God takes apostasy very seriously and so should we because our soul is at stake!

If apostasy wasn't a real problem then it would not be addressed so often in the word of God. There are different types of apostasy. The Hebrew writer says "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins," (Hebrews 10:26). Apostasy usually comes about as a result of an individual who willfully strays from God's word but we can also see that apostasy can come in other ways such as deceptiveness. "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13).

Apostasy is known by other terms such as "shipwreck" as Paul points out to young Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:19. It is also described as a "falling away" in Hebrews 6:6. James refers to individuals that slip into apostasy as "erring" (James 5:19). As we see various terms associated with this word apostasy - one thing is for certain and that is "one has abandoned their faith in God!"

Now that we know what apostasy is, we need to find out what causes this awful thing to happen to God's children. In today's society there is an endless list of things that can cause someone to turn away from God because their faith is not as strong as it should be. False teachers that are on the television networks and around every corner are being fueled by Satan himself to cause you to fall away from God. Jesus talks about the false prophet in Matthew 24:11 when he says; "...many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many". This is just one cause that will confront the Christian on a day to day basis. There are many, many others such as; the love of this world (2 Timothy 4:10), ignorance (Romans 10:3), carelessness (1 Corinthians 10:12), discouragements (Matthew 24:12), temptations of all kinds (Luke 8:13), developing an attitude of "unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:19), impure hearts (1 Timothy 1:5-6), and the lack of a good conscience before God (1 Timothy 1:19), just to name a few.

But there is a remedy for apostasy and that is to repent and turn back to God's way before it is everlastingly too late (Revelation 2:5)! As Christians, if we would concentrate on adding the Christian characteristics to our lives, then we would not be so easily swayed into apostasy from one form or another. Read 2 Peter 1:5-10 and add these characteristics to your life. Apostasy is real and can happen to anyone that has a weak faith and isn't growing in the ways of Christ!

Return to the Lord

"O Israel, return to the Lord your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, "Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips" (Hosea 14:1-2).

Robert Robinson had been converted out of a very worldly life of sin, and at the age of twenty-three wrote the hymn, “O Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Sadly, Robinson wandered far from the faith and, like the Prodigal Son, journeyed into the distant country of carnality. Until one day – when he was traveling by stagecoach and sitting beside a young woman engrossed in her book. She ran across a verse she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it. Bursting into tears, Robinson said, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” (Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories, p. 52)

The story is told of a lamb that passed a pig pen each day on the way with its mother to the pasture. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun, and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, “No.” The lamb then asked the usual question, “Why?” The mother just said, “Sheep don’t wallow.” This didn’t satisfy the lamb. He felt that she had “put him down.” So, as soon as his mother was out of sight, he ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, legs, and stomach, as he wallowed deeper and deeper in the mud. After awhile, he decided he had better go back to his mother, but found that he couldn’t move. He was stuck from the weight of the mud which had gotten into his wool. His pleasure had now become his prison, He cried out and was rescued by the kind shepherd. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother told him, “Remember, sheep don’t wallow.”

Sin is like that. It looks so nice, and we think we can escape whenever we wish, but it just isn’t so. Our pleasures soon become our prisons. We must remember, “Christians don’t wallow.” The apostle Peter wrote, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:20-22).