Holy One – Praying Pint

32.o. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all 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.”

Isaiah 45:22-25  “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’  “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him.

Isaiah 55:1-3  “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Micah 6:6-8   “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Isaiah 66:2     All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 1:4  Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.

Isaiah 28:12     to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear.

What would you pay to have everlasting rest for your soul? What would you do to have it? Where would you go to find it?

We get many invitations in life to “come” go to something, a new job, sporting event, family gathering, preacher, politician, professor, teacher, etc….. many of these invitations are for a few who have been selected or by some other means been identified as worthy of the invitation. We get invited to some events but there is a cost associated with the invite. There are barriers at the event that prohibit people who try to coming in but do not have proof that they paid the cost of admission. Sometimes we get invitations to “free events” but there is pleading, intimidation, pressure, arm-twisting, and coercion that certainly indicate this is not a free event. Sometimes we get invited to an event that promises something big and spectacular but falls way short of delivering it and we feel cheated because what we expected was not obtained.

Here is an invitation to all, which if it did not come from God would seem foolish. Who could ever invite “all”? “Come to me”, does not indicate any barrier on who can come. It is an open invitation to come.

Some look at this invitation and say it is foolish, there is no God and this is just some attempt to get followers to follow a meaningless promise. Others reject it because there is no way they want someone else paying their way into heaven or they want to pay part of it themselves. They want to earn it on their own. Others reject it because they see no need for it. Others reject it because they have taken the invitation by someone else and followed after its promises. Whatever the reason people reject or do not yoke up with Christ there is no rest for their souls now or for eternity.

In the invitation from Jesus, there is a yoke (bond, attachment) that unites the invitee with the inviter. “Take this yoke upon you and learn from me” the yoke and its burden (faith, believing, trusting, relying, following, obeying) is not burdensome but is light and gives rest to your soul. This yoking and learning from and about Jesus gives us discernment between worldly and heavenly. Through this yoking and learning and discernment, we find rest for our soul. The invitation and the promise of rest for your soul are without any cost. Jesus paid all the costs and has invited all people to join Him in eternal life – heaven.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have everlasting life. Find rest for your soul in and through Jesus Christ. He invites you without cost.

30. r. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Psalms 25:9   He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Isaiah 29:19    The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

Psalms 149:4    For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

1 Peter 3:4    but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Psalms 69:32   When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

Psalms 37:11    But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Colossians 3:12   Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

In the vocabulary of the ancient Greek language, the meek person was not passive or easily pushed around. The main idea behind the word “meek” was strength under control, like a strong stallion that was trained to do the job instead of running wild. To be meek means to be willing to submit and control self-worth, pride, anger in a quiet, patient, long-suffering, gentle, peaceful, and humble way. It would be nearly impossible for a person to purposefully be meek for the purpose of being meek. Being meek does not mean being passive or easily pushed around. It is more like a totally strong and capable, but who submits to be meek. He is trained to be meek instead of allowing hate, anger, and pride to rule his actions. It is more than personal restraint of the use of physical power, might, and strength or mental reasoning, knowledge, and wisdom. There is a deeper purpose, driver, and reason behind this meekness. It is more like the reason for being meek is so over-powering that these other displays of emotion and action are not even a thought. This is the life of those who have a soul deep desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. This ever growing desire permeates deeper and deeper into the heart, soul, and mind. It is displayed in those who want to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. There is godly strength in meekness. The normal worldly and fleshly reactions and thoughts, over time, do not even surface anymore. The over powering love to honor and glorify Jesus Christ smothers these desires. Oh, that we were so desiring and wanted to grow in meekness, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love.

30.g. ” But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

John 14:30   I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,

Hebrews 2:18   For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 4:15-16   For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Psalms 143:10   Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Isaiah 48:16-17    Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.

Galatians 5:16    But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

There is no way anyone can fulfill the lust of the flesh as they walk in the Spirit. The two simply don’t go together. The Holy Spirit doesn’t move in us to gratify our fallen desires and passions, but to teach us about Jesus and to guide us in the path of Jesus. This is the key to righteous living – walking in the Spirit, not trying to live with desires for the fleshly and Spirit. We try to do this, don’t we? We have certain areas of fleshly and worldly desires that we secretly tuck away into corners of our minds. We seek to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in what we deem appropriate and do not expose these secret passions, vises, addictions, pleasures, or wants and we can also hide, greed, hate, envy, fear, anger, or pride. We don’t allow the Holy Spirit’s quiet whispers to penetrate our minds in these areas. For some reason, we hang on to them but deny that we are. And then, there is Satan ready to tempt us with the very things we think we have control over. We may say that is just who I am or how I was raised or some other way to justify allowing them space in our lives. There is no middle ground where we can stand firm. There is no possible way to be open to being led by the Holy Spirit and try to keep areas of our lives unyielded to the very leading that will draw us closer to a life that honors and glorifies Jesus Christ in all we say think and do.

30.e. “My anger and my wrath will be poured out”

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 13:49-50    So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous  and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Malachi 4:1   “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Isaiah 5:24   Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 7:20  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.”

The Jewish leaders thought that the Messiah would come with judgment, but only against Israel’s enemies. They were blind in their self-righteous confidence that only others needed to get right with God. Many today have the same idea. “John the Baptist is sadly needed today. Much of what we call Christianity is but Christianized heathenism…we need that John the Baptist should come with his stern words about the ax, the winnowing-fan, and the fire. Nothing less will avail to prepare the way for a new coming of Christ.” (Meyer)

They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal angrier with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell.
So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such a one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God bums against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them. It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment. All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God’s hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to his power and determination, that it does not depend less at all the on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell, but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.

But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, “No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself — I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief — Death outwitted me: God’s wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me.” (Jonathan Edwards)

25.d. “In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling”

2 Corinthians 5:6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

1 Chronicles 29:15    For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow

Isaiah 36:4    And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?

Hebrews 10:35   Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Isaiah 30:15    For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,

Hebrews 10:38     but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

Paul is bold enough to say, “We know.” “Not we think, or hope only, but We Know. Paul thinks of our bodies as tents – temporary structures that cannot be thought of as the whole person. If the tent is destroyed, we still have an eternal hope: a building from God, a house not made with hands. “Many people are in a great fright about the future, yet here is Paul viewing the worst thing that could happen to him with such complacency that he likens it to nothing worse than the pulling down of tent in which he was residing in for a little season.” (Spurgeon)

Salvation isn’t just for the soul or spirit, but for the body also. Resurrection is how God saves our bodies. We have a glorious new body to come. “The righteous are put into their graves all weary and worn; but as such they will not rise. They go there with the furrowed brow, the hollowed cheek, the wrinkled skin; they shall wake up in beauty and glory.” (Spurgeon)

It is hard to realize a body that does not fade away, or hurt, get sick, or die. Yet, this is exactly what happens to these mortal bodies (tents). If this was all there was to life, what a miserable life it would be. If this was all the hope we had was to live and then die what is the purpose, where is the meaning for our existence? There are certainties to remember about our bodies and how we live our lives: 1. The physical body will die; 2. The physical body will be raised again. 3. Everyone will face the judgment seat of Christ. 4. Those who by faith trust in Jesus Christ will live in eternity forever and ever with Jesus. 5. Those who have rejected Christ will be cast into eternity in hell.

Delaying to trust, follow, and obey Jesus Christ is to risk eternity in hell. Flat out rejection of Christ is certain eternity in Hell. This tent of a body will fade away and when Christ is rejected while this body is alive there is no hope of salvation.

17.t. “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

John 12:27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Isaiah 49:3-7 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.” And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength— he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

I was a little perplexed by “ Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Specifically “I have and I will”. Jesus was troubled by what He knew was coming and the suffering He would endure. He does not ask that this pending suffering be removed but rather God be glorified. And then we hear “I have and I will”. Does this mean I have glorified it by the virgin birth, sending My Son, miracles, signs, wonders, and proclaiming the coming Good News of grace, mercy, and love? Does it mean I will continue to glorify it by what is coming, death, resurrection, ascension, redemption, salvation, and infilling of the Holy Spirit? How is God glorified in this? Imagine a perfect creation given free will to choose to follow and obey the Creator. They are deceived by the Father of all lies, Satan. Creation chooses to disobey (sin) and is separated from their Holy God and receives a death sentence from God as it were. The All-Knowing God has established His perfect purpose and will in redeeming lost mankind. God is glorified when His creation believes in, clings to, and relies on Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” God is glorified when we freely choose to believe in Jesus Christ’s redemption. He is glorified when we seek and desire to do His will in our lives. He is glorified when we surrender fleshly self-centered wants to doing that which honors and glorifies Him. Nothing honors and glorifies Him more than complete surrender to Jesus Christ and fully trusting in His perfect will, plans, and purposes no matter the circumstances. Jesus Christ surrendered fully to the will of God for our redemption and salvation. He alone is worthy of all honor and glory. How will you live today so that He is honored and glorified?

15.z. “For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness”

John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Matthew 12:41   The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.  “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.  Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.  Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

2 Timothy 4:10    For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me

Hebrews 10:38   but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

2 Peter 2:20-22    For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.  What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

The Son of God was in their presence. He spoke wisdom greater than the wisdom of Solomon and preached greater than the preaching of Jonah. There were in His presence and many rejected Him. In 2 Peter he says; “it would be better for those who did not know the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back.” Jesus said, “the last state of that person is worse than the first.” When a person who knows the message of the Gospel and is aware of eternal life through it, and then chooses to reject it, then falls away or is drawn away by worldly passions and pleasures, what is it that so easily pulls them away from Jesus Christ? How does a person who has tasted what the blessings of forgiveness are and then comes to reject the forgiver? There are many things that come to mind. Pleasures and things of this world devour the light of Jesus Christ. They choose to become blind and deaf to things of God but open their ears and eyes to things of this world. They choose to believe a lie rather than the truth of the Gospel.

The day of salvation is now. If you hear His voice speaking to your heart and soul, do not reject Him. Let Him in. Hunger and thirst for Him. A time is coming when the offer of salvation in the presence of the Holy Spirit will cease. Rejecting it now means you reject eternal life and choose to go to eternal damnation and torment, hell. You may not ever get another chance. There are many who say they will choose to believe but sometime later in their lives. We are not guaranteed a single day in the future. Think about all of the people who die each day from a host of various accidents. I am sure they would have said, “if I had only known today was my last day I would have come to Jesus Christ.” The “day of salvation is now”, do not reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ a single moment longer.

14.i. “sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near”

Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

Ezekiel 7:10    “Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded.

Joel 2:1    Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

Zephaniah 1:14    The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.

2 Peter 3:7    But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Psalms 21:9-10    You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.

Matthew 3:12    His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Nahum 1:5-6    The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.  Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Isaiah 5:24    Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

To deny Jesus Christ will end with eternal consequences as declared in the culmination of these scriptures. To deny there is one true living God might make the believer of such thoughts feel secure in their decision but it does not eliminate the consequences. To deny God certainly means there is no need for Jesus Christ and will end in judgment and fire. To deny Jesus Christ means there is no need for forgiveness, redemption, or salvation and will end in judgment and fire. To defy God is to willfully disregard the price that was paid for your sin by Jesus Christ and to live a life that is self-centered, self-reliant, and very full of pride. To deny God is to deny He is the creator of all there is and all there is to be. To deny God is to call Him a liar and His Holy Word a book of lies. In these scriptures are clear declared warnings for denying and defying God.

However, will there is still breath in your lungs there is time to repent, seek forgiveness, and trust in Jesus Christ. We like to quote John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” To continue on with verses 17-19 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

How we live, how we think, how we act, and how we speak is a direct reflection of our commitment, or the lack of, to Jesus Christ. How can we read these scriptures today and not stand in awe, worship, thankfulness, and humbleness for the light of the Gospel opening up our heart, mind, and soul to saving grace knowledge and wisdom found in and through Jesus Christ?

12.l. “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord”

Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever.

Deuteronomy 5:24     And you said, ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live.

Psalms 114:3-7    The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.  What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?  O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

Revelation 5:13   And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Isaiah 6:3  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

As Habakkuk prayed for a revival he began to praise the God who brings revival. Habakkuk glorified the power and majesty of God. It is good to praise God like this, and God’s people need to do more of it. It is good to praise God because it gives appropriate honor and glory to God, it declares God’s specific works, it teaches and reminds us of who God is and what He has done, it places man in proper perspective under God, and it builds confidence in the power and works of God.

Do you ever wonder what is proper praise and worship of God? How do you get to the place in your hearts and minds where praise and worship flow out. God revealed and Habakkuk saw the judgment, anger, and wrath of God coming because of the defiance and rebellion of His people. Habakkuk prayed for revival and in this prayer he called out to God with praise and worship, remembering who God is. Nothing else is worthy of the praise and worship of God. He alone is worthy. When our hearts, minds, and souls are intentionally committed to honor, serve, follow, obey, rely, and trust God our hearts will overflow with praise and worship of Him. When our eyes to our hearts and ears to our minds are clouded with things of this world, and the Word of God is neglected and void in our desires, what should be praise and worship are turned into worry and fear and defeat. Habakkuk remembered the power of God and how He has control over all things. It confirmed in his heart and mind that nothing is impossible for God. We certainly have a lot that could cloud our eyes and deafen our ears to things of God. A global pandemic, riots, confusion, fear, foolish thoughts on what is right and wrong, division, hatred, defiance of God, wars, plagues …… You have to wonder how much more chaos needs to happen before mankind and nations will recognize the hand of God in all of this and only in and through His power and glory will it stop. In all of this God is in control and His plans and purposes are perfect. Mankind attempts to deny God’s hand in these happenings and you don’t have to see and hear much news to know their hearts are full of pride and defiance and void of fear/reverence of God. Do you want to see and end to all that is happening? Turn to God. Do you want peace in chaos? Turn to God. Do you want wisdom to see God’s hand in what is happening? Dive deep into His Word. Do you want to hope for the future? Believe in Him alone who can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Keeping our hearts, minds, and souls pure through His Word and a deep desire to praise and worship Him will flow through us.

10.v. “Leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

Micah 2:10 Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction. If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!

1 Kings 22:21-23     Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’  And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’  Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.”

Jeremiah 14:14    And the LORD said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.

2 Peter 2:1-3     But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Thessalonians 2:11   Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

Isaiah 30:10-11   who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,  leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

Jeremiah 5:31    the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

The Old and New Testament is ripe with examples of Kings, Preachers, and Prophets speaking falsely. The worst part of them speaking lies to the people is that most of the people want it this way. They don’t want to hear that they need to stop being neglectful and complacent and repent. They have become confident in their soft undisciplined lives. Their itching ears for lukewarm preaching about what they can get from Jesus Christ if they would just ask, without having their hearts, minds, and souls fully committed to honoring, glorifying, following, obeying, listening, trusting, and relying on Him. They itch for an easy gospel of peace, rest, prosperity, and ease of life preached to them. They do not want to hear about sin, repentance, and the need for forgiveness. They wallow in self-centered wants and self-reliance for their shallow Christian lives. This ought not to be so. Our lives ought to be hungering and thirsting for truth and desiring to have Jesus Christ show us our wickedness and wayward thoughts with a heart deep seeking to honor and glorify Him in all we think, do, and say. This ought to be our want for every day not just for times of crisis, trials, and troubles. When our first thought is to dig into His Word for truth, guidance, and knowledge we are at the beginning of maturing in Jesus Christ. We can not continue to listen to watered-down preaching. It will zap our souls of sound doctrine, God-honoring, and glorifying lives. If sin is not preached how is it we will examine our lives for it? If sin is not preached how are we going to see a need to confess it? If Sin is not preached how are we going to search The Word of God to lead us toward godly lives? Ask God to show you your heart and if there is anything in it that is contrary to that which will honor and glorify Him.