Tag: Kindness

Transgressions Blotted Out

” Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”

“So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Psalms 25:7  Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

Psalms 79:8   Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low

Psalms 109:14   May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!

Isaiah 38:17   Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 43:25   “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins

Isaiah 64:9    Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever

Hebrews 8:12  For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”  then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”  Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Proverbs 5:7-14   And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.  Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,  lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless,  lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,  and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,  and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!  I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.  I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.”.

Psalms 51:1  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Ephesians 2:4-8  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It scripture is very clear and people are recorded knowing they were without hope and dead in their sin unless God in His mercy: “blotted it out”, “remembered it no more”, “cast their sin behind His back”.  They understood there was nothing they could do to remove this sin from before God.  They had great understanding of God’s judgement of sin and they were helpless before Him.  Before Christ they had faith in laying their sin at God’s feet and trusting His mercy to not count it against them.  They confessed that they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God.  We also read that all of mankind is without excuse because thought they new God they have chosen not to honor Him or give thanks to Him.  So what is a person to do to be right with God?  Confess you are a sinner, repent and turn away from your previous ways of living, believe, and trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, and then live your life with a heart, mind, and soul desire to humbly serve, honor, and glorify God in all you do, think, and say.  “For by grace your are saved”!!!!!!

Guilty

 “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty,”

“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty”

 

Psalms 20:5  May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

Micah 7:18    Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Matthew 12:31  Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Acts 5:31  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Exodus 34:5-7 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Romans 4:7-8   “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Ephesians 1:7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

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

Romans 2:4-9  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works:  to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;  but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

Isaiah 45:21   Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.

Nahum 1:2-3  The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Read these verses again.  God’s steadfast love, forgiveness, slow to anger, pardoning, grace, mercy, and faithfulness are all proclaimed in light of our sin and His salvation.  Yet we also read  “the Lord will by no means clear the guilty,” and “He will render to each one according to his works.” How are we to look at such opposing outcomes?  Scripture tells us that we all have sinned and fall short.  It also says that God so loved the world that He gave is only son and whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. The outcome of not believing we have any sin or need for God, which leads to no need for God or trusting/believing in the redemption/salvation of Jesus Christ.  We will not be cleared of our guilt based on God’s love, mercy, and grace without repentance, belief, and obedience.  Today is the day of salvation.  A day when God is withholding His wrath.  We know that when we die we enter into eternity and if we enter eternity without repentance, belief, and obedience we will certainly experience God’s wrath – thrown into a lake of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth forever and ever.  Scripture states it is fearful to fall into the hands of God’s anger. Our lives, (words, and actions), can be used to lead people toward God.  Stay in His word, listen for His leading, and obey.

Rejoice and sing for joy

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

 

Psa 5:8  Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.  For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Psalms 35:27
Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

Psalms 40:16
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

Psalms 58:10
The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

Psalms 68:3
But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

What is missing in your walk with God?  Do you see the fruits of the Holy Spirit? “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;”  Where do we find these and how do we experience them active in our lives?  In Isaiah is says: “To whom will he teach knowledge,and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” In Hebrews is says it similarly “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”  If you want to see the fruit of the Spirit in your life you need to build precept upon precept, and line upon line and this can only be done with time in His word.  See what 5 minutes a day of reading does in your life.  I know it will make a difference.

Judgement – Sodom and Gomorrah

“My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.”

Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
The more they were called,
the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of kindness,
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.
They shall not return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.
My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.

Deuteronomy 29:22
And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick— the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath— all the nations will say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land,

Deuteronomy 32:37
Then he will say, Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
let them be your protection!
“‘See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven
and swear, As I live forever,
if I sharpen my flashing sword
and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
and will repay those who hate me.
I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’

How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim?  Most will know the story about Sodom and Gomorrah and how God rained down His wrath on them but he also included the the towns of Admah and Zeboiim for the same reason. God’s wrath is being stored up and will once again will come upon mankind on the day of Judgement when every knee will bow and confess Jesus is Lord.  I wonder what it will be like when we come face to face with Him.  Will we bow before Him in humbleness, awe, and thankfulness or will it be in shame, sorrow, and great remorse?  Will we hear well done my faithful servant or I do not know you and be cast into the lake of fire?  Just because we live in a time of blessing and prosperity does not mean we are in any way shape or form humbly serving Him, living for Him, following His leading, seeking to hear Him, loving Him, or honoring and glorifying Him.  Jesus said “Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” He was speaking of those who hear the word and neglect it.  Peter said it this way “if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.”  In Jude we read “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.”  How will God find you on the day you pass from now into eternity?  Do we think we are immune to judgement for how we live for Him now?  Trusting in God is not an insurance policy for eternity.  It is a new life lived out in humble service to honor and glorify Him.

Excellent Wife

“An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.”

Judges 14:19   And he said to them,“If you had not plowed with my heifer,you would not have found out my riddle.”And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Ruth 3:9  And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

Proverbs 31:10
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.

Samson went to marry his foreign bride.  During the 7 day feast he made a bet with 30 of the men from the city about solving a riddle.  His wife had little choice – find out the answer to the riddle or you and your fathers house will all burn.  In the end her and her family were all killed however not at this time.   I am reminded of what is said in Proverbs – “An excellent wife is hard to find” – “An excellent wife is a precious jewel” – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband”.  I wonder how many times I don’t see my wife as my crown, a precious jewel, and my blessing from God.  When our eyes are off of God and His blessings in our life we so easily lose sight of them.  A crown we would display proudly and wear it with confidence.  A precious jewel we would cherish and protect it with all our might.  A blessing we would live with a never ending thankful heart.

Think about what you put first before your wife.

Brood of Vipers

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell

We chase after many do’s and don’ts hoping to find something we can hang our assurance on.  This is known as a “performance” based salvation and is not what God seeks.  Scripture calls those who teach this practice different names; whitewashed, hypocrisy, blind.  We are not much different though are we.  We keep a ledger in our mind of the good and bad we do trying to be right in God’s eyes.  We will never be right in God’s eyes trying to perform good enough.  Paul said salvation is by the grace of God and not by works lest any man might boast.  We must be careful to keep our feet firmly planted on God’s grace and forevermore be thankful.  We will never find that peace of God’s that passes all understanding performing for it.  We only truly find a place of purpose, peace, rest, joy, stronghold, hope, love, mercy, kindness, faith….. when we listen and obey. Listening and obeying is not performing – it is choosing to humbly following  and be a servant to the Heavenly Father in whom you have placed your heart and soul because of what has been done through Jesus Christ – salvation and eternal life.

 

Matthew 23:24
These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel
For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self
For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness

1 Samuel 15:22
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams

Micah 6:8
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