The Second Coming of Christ To Earth

  

Revelation 19:1-21

By Timothy C. McKeown 

God is a God of Justice and of Vengeance. He says in Scripture that “Vengeance is Mine,” (Deut. 32:35, Rom. 12:19, Heb. 10:30). A good and just judge does not allow crimes to occur without punishment, and God is the ultimate good and just Judge. When God brings judgments on the earth for its sins, especially those against “the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth” (Rev. 18:24), the response from heaven is a four-fold “Alleluia.”

¹ After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! ² For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” ³ Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” ⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”

The rejoicing is on behalf of His salvation (and the glory, honor and power that God has in relation to that), the destruction of Babylon, the worship for God and the omnipotence of God. Alleluia literally means “praise to Yahweh (Jehovah)” and is transliterated here into the Greek and English from the Hebrew. Alleluia is pronounced virtually the same way in every language as it is in Hebrew.

If we as Christians are to be like God, we are not to be tolerant of sin. We can judge things to be absolutely right and absolutely wrong, not based on our feelings or prejudice, but based on what God has revealed as right and wrong. The first and greatest sin that the “mega phone” (loud voice) in heaven rejoices in judgment over is the judgment of the great harlot who corrupted the earth with fornication. As we have seen, this is not sexual immorality, but false worship.

What does that tell us should be our attitude of false religions which are clearly against the Word of God?

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” ⁶ And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” ¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The voice from the throne is different than the voice heard in Rev. 18:4 from heaven, as this one is not God’s voice, but rather from one of the angels, elders or creatures around the throne, for he says “Praise our God.” We see that throughout the entire time of the Tribulation, despite the rapture of the church and the arrival of more in heaven during the Tribulation, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb has still not taken place. 

But according to Jewish custom, two-thirds of the marriage had taken place! According to John F. Walvoord, Jewish marriages had three aspects: 

1) A payment of a dowry is made, and the only way to end this future marriage would be through a divorce; 

2) At a later point, the bridegroom and his friends would go to the house of the bride and escort her back to his home (see Matt. 25:1-13); 

3) The bride and groom would go to his home and have guests to the marriage supper, one which would sometimes last for days (see John 2). 

This points directly to the three aspects of Christ and the church: 

1) salvation 

2) the Rapture and 

3) the final consummation of church to Christ at the marriage supper when Christ will partake of the fruit of the vine (Matt 26:29).

The outpouring of worship is in such sharp contrast to chapters 16-18 that John gets confused on who it is that is speaking with him. He falls at the feet of one of the elders, who also has “the testimony of Jesus,” who is a “fellow servant and of your brethren.” The elder immediately refuses worship since he is a human like John. 

However, Jesus frequently received the worship of people (Matt. 8:2, 15:25, 28:9). Later John again falls down to worship, this time an angel, and again he is rebuked (Rev. 22:8-9).

If the bride is the church, and the Lamb is the Son of God, who then are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This blessed beatitude must be those who are saved, but are not the “church,” in the strictest sense of the word. They are those who perhaps never reached the age of accountability, those saved by faith before Calvary, and those who are saved during the Tribulation, when the church has been taken from the earth, yet people are still saved. John the Baptist is often called the last Old Testament prophet, and yet Jesus calls him lesser than least of those in the kingdom of heaven (the church, Matt. 11:11) and John himself calls himself the friend of the bridegroom and not part of the bride (John 3:29).

Allusions of this can be found in Song of Solomon, the parable of the virgins in Matt. 25 and Psalm 25 below.

¹¹ So the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him… ¹⁵ With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King's palace. ¹⁶ Instead of Your fathers shall be your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth. ¹⁷ I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

Joseph A. Seiss wrote in the late 1800s, “If all the saved were actually the Bride, it would have been enough and more to the point to say, ‘Blessed they that are called to be the wife of the Lamb.’ ” Of course, all the allusions are simply that, allusions and not to be taken grotesquely literally. It simply is to say that when the church is united in heaven with Christ, those who in the Old Testament days looking forward, or others who never got the opportunity to accept Christ, will look with great blessedness to observe this “marriage” in heaven. Angels and other beings will also be blessed at their attendance to this marriage. Peter wrote of this distinction between the Old Testament saints and angels as they looked at the church, “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into” (1 Pet. 1:10-12).

For those who say that prophecy is too difficult to understand or that it should not be studied, we see that Jesus’ testimony, his own story, is both the fulfillment of prophecy and will fulfill prophecy. Isa. 46:10 states that God declares the end from the beginning, and the fulfilled prophecies show us that God is who He says he is. The spirit of prophecy gives us the blessed hope and knowledge that God has been and always will be victorious!

¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Previously a white horse was named in the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse” (Rev. 6:2). Here the true King of Kings will ride down from heaven. He is the Logos of God, a phrase that John made famous in his gospel. The armies in heaven are clothed in fine linen, white and clean, indicating that we have nothing to fear from Satan any longer. We will ride with Him in the battle, but He will win the victory. His robe is dipped in blood, proclaiming His victory over death. Nations will still stand during the Millennial reign of Christ, but at that time, He shall rule with strength. His many diadem crowns will prove his kingship over all the earth, much greater than the seven crowns of the dragon or the ten crowns of the antiChrist. This King will be named Faithful and True and will have a name no one but He Himself has ever known. A name signifies identity and descriptions of who He is. Even the most learned theologian has never grasped the fullness of who this Son of God and Son of Man is. Nothing will escape the notice of His fiery eyes, nor will anything stand up to the sword of His mouth.

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, ¹⁸ that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” ¹⁹ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. ²⁰ Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. ²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

For those who are saved, they are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. For those who are not saved, their dead bodies become the supper of vultures and birds of the air. Whether a person is great or small on earth, free or slave, king or peasant, all will face the same fate without Christ. The battle will be swift but not instantaneous. There is a progression in this battle. While the rest are killed with the sword, the beast and the false prophet are sent directly into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second, spiritual death for those without Christ. Jack Van Impe explains that it is

“The final place of punishment and torment for all those who reject Christ (Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10,14,15). Those consigned there are all whose names are not in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15), along with worshippers of Antichrist (Revelation 14:9,10), as well as the Antichrist and the False Prophet (Revelation 19:20), the devil (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 24:42), and the devil’s angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10). They are all forever separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The Lake of Fire is described in Scripture as a place where their worm dieth not (Mark 9:44), as a place of outer darkness (Matthew 8:12), as a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8), where the smoke of their torment ascendeth (Revelation 14:11), and where the second death occurs (eternal separation from God) (Revelation 20:14) in fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8).

It is our Christian duty and commission to warn every person to not reject Christ and thus be assigned to the Lake of Fire, reserved for the devil and his demons. Colossians 1:27b-28 says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

Don't take offense at this...

What do you do with offenses?

Read John 8:1-11; Luke 9:43-62; Matthew 17:24-27; Matthew 18:1-13

     Who among us can say we have never ever been offended? Yet 1 Corinthians 13:5 says love is not easily offended or "provoked" (KJV, NKJV). Other versions say "irritated" or "angered". 

     I hope this doesn’t hurt your feelings, but if you are thin-skinned, it may be a sign that you are not very loving.

     Take a look at today’s readings and see how many times someone was offended by someone else. The scribes and Pharisees were offended by the adulterous woman (John 8:1), likely motivated because they were offended by Jesus. 

     The religious were offended that Jesus did not give money for the temple (Luke 17:27). John was offended by people who were doing things in Jesus’ name but not a part of their "denomination" (Luke 9:49). The Samaritans were offended by Jesus going to Jerusalem (Luke 9:53) and James and John were offended by the Samaritans because were offended (the sons of thunder wanted to call down fire to consume the Samaritans see Luke 9:54…now that’s some pretty thin skin).

     Jesus cast some woes on people who cause offenses (Matthew 18:7) and then starts talking about a foot that offends or a hand that offends or even an eye that offends. And don’t you dare offend or cause a little one to stumble! See Mark 9:42! 

     And you know that “seventy times seven” phrase? Yep, that too came because Peter wanted to know how many times he had to pretend he wasn’t offended (Matthew 18:22).

     Would it surprise you to know that the word “offense” comes from a word that means to set a trap? To cause someone to stumble. 

     The word “scandal” and “scandalize” come from this word because offenses that cause someone to stumble can often result in a scandal. Who likes scandals?

     We do! We do!

     Reporters love scandals because they know they sell newspapers (oops, sorry, I mean they cause a bump on the internet tics). Scandals get viewers to watch the broadcast and click on the video. Regardless of the media, scandals sell because, face it, we love scandals. 

     But you want to know something else about offenses? Come here, close, now I want to whisper to you a secret.

     Shhh. Now come close and listen to me whisper this dirty little secret (are you listening?): 

we like to be offended!

     It’s true. We actually like having our feelings hurt. Now, don’t you drop your jaw like that! 

     Think about it: when someone hurts your feelings, when you get offended, guess what you do. You make a beeline to tell someone else how they hurt you. Why? Because that makes you better than they are or at least think you are better. “How dare they?” you ask yourself, but not just yourself, you ask as many other people as you can to get more sympathy.

     How do I know? Because I too have been offended.  Does it seem that people are always offending you? Do people say you are too sensitive? Are people rude to you and you would never be so rude to someone else the way they were rude to you? How dare they indeed!

      Let me finish by saying absolutely there are true scandals, true offenses, and true stumble-makers. I’ve not only been offended, I’ve done my fair-share of offending, unfairly and unfortunately. But isn’t it true that we excuse our offending but we refuse to excuse those who offend us? 

    Ponder this today, and, no offense, please, but maybe you need to re-read this and pray the prayer below. 

Pray: God, I am so sorry for all the offenses I have done. Please help those whom I have offended forgive me. And seriously, God, please very seriously, help me to forgive those who have offended me. Thank you for loving me, in Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

The Proverbs Thirty-two Man

 Have you heard of the Proverbs 31 woman. It’s a passage in Proverbs 31:10-31 that tells of a super woman who is able to do so many things and begins with "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies."

How many of you have heard of the Proverbs thirty-two man?

One person commendably shouted out on Sunday during my sermon, "There IS no Proverbs 32!" Which is true.

But there is a Proverbs 30:2. "Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man."

There were a few amens when I read that verse on Sunday, and there may even be a few wives who would claim this as a life-verse for their husbands!

If you, as a man or a woman, resemble this verse regarding discerning God's will, perhaps you should pray as I have often prayed to the Lord many times: "Father, I cannot discern Your will, so will You close doors and don’t let me open them. Or, if it be Your will, would You open doors and do not let me close them."

God has answered that in my life so many times. I base that on a couple of verses, primarily Revelation 3:7-8. 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says, He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."

We also see it in Isaiah 22:22. "The key of the house of David, I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open."

When God shuts a door that you wanted open or opens a door that you really wanted Him to shut, we must seek not only His will, but also our having a right heart attitude. The Bible says that His ways are not always our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts.

It also reminds us of two absolute rules:
1) There is a God.
2) You are not Him!

Proverbs twice says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death," (see 14:12, 16:25).

In all humility, we must confess Proverbs 30:2 at least in comparison to God's knowledge. Rest in His sovereignty and have the wisdom at least to know the difference between the things we can and cannot change.

If you are in this stage of life when you cannot see God's hand, trust God's heart and pray this prayer to God,

"Father, I will trust you in revealing Your will in my life. I relinquish my desires for Yours, my foolishness for Your wisdom. Comfort me when I do not know what is right, I can always trust that what You do cannot be wrong. In Jesus's Name, Amen."

Be our guest

        The proverb of “You can’t see the forest because of the trees” means that we often miss the overall picture because of the details. The corporate unity of the church under the Lordship of Jesus Christ is paramount for His success. The needs of the individual members, though important, must come under the direction of the overall leadership of Christ in accomplishing His purpose.

        1 Corinthians 12 repeatedly shows that the church is one body with many members, each one uniquely gifted and talented for the service to the church as a whole. This week’s lesson on the incorporation of the members into one body is balanced with the individuality of each member. Both are to bring glory to Jesus Christ through His church.

        Seven times in First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul began a section with the words “Now concerning...”, apparently in response to controversial questions which they had written for him to answer. This section is the lengthiest response concerning spiritual things, and he did not want the Corinthians to be uninformed (ignorant). The tendency for the Corinthian church was to be divided, either by who to follow (1:10-17; 3:1-8), immorality (5:1-13), lawsuits (6:1-8), even the observation of the Lord’s Supper (11:17-22). Some were divided on the resurrection (15:12). Some were hung up over legalism, while others were indulgent on their liberty (8:9).

        The recurring theme of chapter 12 is not to describe fully the effects of the various gifts within the body, but rather affirm the necessity of each aspect of the church body and the overall unity. Chapter 12 leads directly into the “more excellent way” of love. 

        In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul wrote, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." As the local church, we must never forget the ultimate purpose of the body is to be Christ’s physical representation on the earth. We are His hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc. on earth.  While we can recognize our differences, we are to never forget our ultimate unifying purpose is in Christ and to show Christ to each other and to the world.

        Step #1 is being incorporation, the very first step in getting people into the Body of Christ, is getting them as guests to our church. In Mark 5:1-20, a demon-possessed man was healed and sought to become a disciple, a follower of Christ. However, Jesus said, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. (See also Luke 8:26-39)

        The best way to invite people is to get those we know, family, neighbors, and friends, and tell them what the Lord has done for us. Luke 14:23 states we should "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." The psalmist proclaimed that he was glad when they said to him, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

        As we are “incorporated” (literally meaning put into the body of Christ) into the church, one of our GracePointe Steps is to Get Guests through our friends, co-workers, family, neighbors, and acquaintances. 

        Numerous times Jesus told us to go to the “highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). See also Matthew 22:9-10, Acts 1:8, 4:20, and 26:20.

    In John 17:14-18, Jesus called us to be in the world but not of it. This is a delicate balance of not having friendship with the world’s system and worldly ways and yet being relevant to it. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:10 that the only way we could refrain from associating with those who are worldly would be “if you were to leave this world”.

        We are to be light to the world and salt of the earth, Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (See Matthew 5:14-16.)

        It has been said “Never send a light to China that won’t shine at home.” We are to take the gospel message around the world, but also around the corner (we will see this later in the week). We are to be witnesses across the globe, but also across the street. As members of GracePointe, our first step in corporate membership is to grow in our relationships with friends and bring them to a saving relationship with Christ (this is given more in detail tomorrow).

        As members, we should look for ways to connect with guests who are coming to the church. We should reach out to those in the worship service whom we do not know. We should prioritize others over ourselves. For instance, if we come into the worship service and someone is sitting where we normally sit, we should never say, “That’s my seat!” Instead, we should look for ways to make a guest to become a regular attender and ultimately a member.

        Our focal passage this week is 1 Corinthians 12, which says in verses 12-13, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

        Prayerfully consider how you can take the first step in connecting to others in friendship, both in bringing your friends to church, and being a friend to others at church.

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine

 Regarding the word "dross", it is not a word we readily use. I may not have adequately made an application for what "dross" may be in my sermon yesterday. In the symbolic, spiritual sense, "dross" is anything we have that falls short of God's purity that He desires for us or that blocks us from truly worshiping Him.

It does not have to be a major sin that God seeks to burn off, but anything that convicts; that which blurs our focus for Him. It may be a major conviction, a minor one, or even a distraction from intimacy with the One who loves us the most.

For me, politics and the news distract me from God. A few weeks ago, I was tested to spend money on grass to plant on a piece of dirt that really didn't matter to anyone but me; money which could be used better spent elsewhere. For someone else, it may be a second chocolate chip cookie that no one "needs" to eat; a failure to control their speeding or continuing to text while driving; it may be the pride which prompts you to post a picture from your luxurious vacation to Cancun (or the envy which prompts me to be offended that you posted it). Those socially "acceptable" sins are to God the "dross" that needs to be purged and skimmed because though small, they mar the silver from reflecting the image of God, the Refiner.

But "dross" can be something so major that no one would publicly, willingly admit. Scandals in the church that are only repented from when openly exposed; marriages in distress because wayward husbands and wives are not submitting to God; people teetering on going back to addictions that will ruin their lives and so many others whom they love; backsliders who do not realize that their spiritual indifference does not only hurt them, it hurts the church to which they should be faithful as well as their own families; unforgiveness that has lingered far too long; abuse that if exposed would send the perpetrators to jail; family finances in peril because they are not honoring God, not only in the ten percent tithe, but because they are not providing for their own families with the essentials and spending on selfish desires with no eternal significances. These are the dross that needs to come to the surface by the fiery trials and tests from the Lord.

Dross can be "small" sins, "large" sins, but they also may be "secret" sins. Someone said that secret sins on earth are open scandals in heaven. No one but God sees the secret dross, but He is the one to whom it matters the most. Critical spirits; rolling of the eyes; harboring of hatred thinly masked by broad smiles; knives pointed to backs, longing to be thrust; jealousies and envies; mean spirits; gossips veiled as prayer requests.

Are these tests from God or temptations from the tempter? Either way, the fires of God which purge the dross should not be feared but welcomed. Burn off in us that which obscures You, O God!

https://www.youtube.com/live/yBGyUrx5kIc?si=BGQQDTTl3jJC4daM&t=1437

God will test us, but He will never tempt us with evil

    

 One final lesson in this series on “Have we trials and temptations? Absolutely!” While the devil indeed does tempt us with evil, God never will.

James 1:13 clearly teaches that no one should say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

At first glance, that may seem contradictory that God cannot be tempted by evil, since Jesus was tempted by the devil. Does that mean Jesus is not God? No, but His deity in human flesh was not tempted but His humanity was indeed tempted. It’s like saying that God can never die, yet Jesus died on the cross. But the God of the universe cannot die, but the second Person in the Trinity, Jesus the Son, in His human manifestation, indeed truly and physically died, and Jesus the Son, in His human manifestation, indeed truly and spiritual was tempted.

However, the greater point is that we should not blame God if we are tempted with evil.  ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

The fault is not solely limited to the devil when evil comes our way. It can be the simple fact that we are in the world of sin that we are drawn away from God, but it also can be our own sinfulness itself. Even we believers can have our own desires and be enticed. Our sin can be birthed, grow, and even cause spiritual and physical death. We, as believers and possessors of the Holy Spirit, can give into our sinful passions or we can choose to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14).

God will allow us to be tempted by the devil, as He did with Job, but He Himself does not do the “dirty work”. Even knowing that God allows temptation, He also sets the parameters and amount of temptation, as shown in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Some may not think that is a strong distinction that God cannot tempt us with evil, but he allows both Satan and human and worldly desires to tempt us. But it is tremendously significant and here’s why: God is on our side. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not responsible for our sins, nor our temptations.

Car manufacturers allow cars to go above and beyond the speed limit, but they are not responsible for it. God allows temptations but the blame for yielding to it lies completely on us. As a result, we should fight sin, knowing that God is on our side and in control.

Which leads me to one final thought on this issue which leads into tomorrow’s sermon: While God does not tempt us with evil, He absolutely does test us. God’s tests are not for Him to find out whether we will pass or fail, but rather, (and this too is majorly significant) He tests us to prove to us what lies with us, to refine us from our impurities, and to prepare us for His future purposes.

The sermon for September 29, 2024, is entitled, “God’s Refining Fire”.   I hope you come or tune in at https://www.youtube.com/@gracepointesbc.

How many times?

 Does the Bible tell us what happens when we fall in temptation? Not fall into temptation but fall, fail, and succumb to temptation?

Fortunately, yes. The New Testament records many failures by the disciples: Peter denied Christ; Paul and Barnabas got into a dispute; John Mark got homesick; the unnamed woman got caught in the very act of adultery.

And then there is one person who did the unspeakable: Judas betrayed Christ.

Let’s look at what Jesus did for people who failed him. Peter, James, and John were supposed to watch and pray that they not enter into temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane. And yet, three times, they fell asleep when they should have been praying.

It wasn’t that they were supposed to be watching out for Jesus so that He could escape if evildoers came to arrest Him, which of course they did. No, they were to watch and pray that they themselves would not fall in temptation. Their spirit was ready, but their flesh was weak (Mark 14:38).

The disciples didn’t know how to answer Jesus when they fell asleep not once, not twice, but three times (Mark 14:40). Peter tries to overcompensate by cutting off someone’s ear (he probably was going for the throat and missed).

Does Jesus hold unforgiveness in His heart? We all know the answer. Peter would later deny Christ, again three times, which was a sign of complete failure.

Even after the resurrection and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Peter messed up, hypocritically refusing to eat with Gentiles after the religious leaders from Jerusalem showed up (see Galatians 2:11). At another time, Peter said, “Not so, Lord,” when God told him in a vision to kill and eat unclean food.

Many identify with Simon Peter because he proves again and again to be a “work in progress” and so aren’t we all?

But Jesus gave him the answer to what we should do when people continually fail us, then repent, and seek forgiveness, then do it all over again. That answer is the famous “seventy times seven” number of times of forgiveness found in Matthew 18:22.

And therein we see what God’s response is to us when we fail, not once or twice, but again and again. We cannot imagine that God would do anything different than forgive us, despite our many failings. Certainly God is even more merciful than Christ Himself commanded us to be.

Which leads us to the ultimate forgiveness, which is not from God, but from ourselves. There is an instance in which a sinner named Judas Iscariot committed a sin which Jesus knew from the beginning he would commit; just like Jesus knows and knew from the beginning what sins we have, would, and will continue to commit from the day of our salvation.

Except Judas could not forgive himself. Neither could he seek forgiveness. Overwhelmed with conviction, he took his own life (Acts 1:25, Matthew 27:5).

But even Judas’s taking his own life was not the “unforgivable sin”. There is only one sin that cannot be forgiven and that is the continual rejection of the Holy Spirit which convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (see Matthew 12:31, John 16:8, 1 John 5:16-17).

If we have committed horrible sins but seek God’s everlasting and eternal forgiveness, we shall be washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

But if we, like the Pharisee in the parable, live lives of worldly religiosity and morality, but fail to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, we should read the words Jesus spoke, found in Luke 16:14.

“I tell you, this (repentant though sinful) man went down to his house justified rather than the other (who was unrepentant, judgmental and unforgiven); for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Does God want us to sin, again and again? No, of course not! But He does want us to come to Him, again and again, asking for forgiveness.  Find comfort in this verse, 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

By any other name... he still is a tempter

 In all that I am writing about temptation and the devil, I feel led to state that while God is certainly more powerful than he is and while angels surely outnumber the demons in this world, we should never underestimate the devil.

He is called “the evil one” (Matthew 13:38), “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10), “the serpent … more cunning and crafty” (Genesis 3:1), “the enemy” (Matthew 13:39), and others.

But even more than what he is called, it is what the tempter does that makes temptation so bad. We can be defiled through unforgiveness (2 Corinthians 2:11), bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), evil promptings (John 13:2), false signs (2 Thessalonians 2:9), false thoughts (Matthew 15:19), and false beliefs (John 8:44).

With all of those things in mind, we need to fight against the tempter and the temptation. I came across this poem (although I cannot find it on the internet but is similar to Good Timber by Douglas Malloch¹):

The tree dug in, facing fiercest wind,
   will stand well past tomorrow;
It's the deepest roots
   which yield sweetest fruits,
       though grown by greatest sorrow.

 The book of James in the Bible said that we should "count it all joy when we face temptations." Why? My theory is that there is a connection of joy with temptation as well as tribulation and testing from God because they all have a potential of bringing us closer to Him. We may fail to enter into the joy because we falter at one or all of the “Triple T” connections.

All three words, temptation, tribulation and testing are found in James chapter 1.

² Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face temptations of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. … ¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under temptations, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death... ²⁷ This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Peirazo = Temptation with evil (James 1:2, 12-14). When we are tempted, we are not in sin, but we are in serious danger. Jesus was tempted every day of His existence, in every way (Heb. 2:18) that we are, yet He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He is able to help us, but temptation is nevertheless still a battle. There is an escape, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, but every temptation has the potential of either being an opportunity to get us closer to God, resulting in joy and perseverance OR of being an obstacle to get us closer to Satan and further from God, resulting in sorrow.

Stephen Charnock, a preacher from the 17th century, said, “A deep sense of the Divine Goodness of God would strike Satan’s temptation dead at a blow.”

A way to victory is to remember God is good, divinely good and will deliver from evil (Matthew 6:13).

Can You Spot the Difference between what is False and True?

This is a third part on dealing with temptation.

“…I have forgiven that one…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Can you tell the difference between false and true?

Paul said that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices. In other translations, it says we know his “schemes”, and literally it means we know Satan’s mind and intentions. Regarding temptation, I ask ourselves this: Do we really understand Satan’s way of thinking, scheming and manipulating?

We need to really know our enemy. More than 500 years before Christ, Sun Tzu wrote the following in The Art of War:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

How much do we know about Satan’s schemes?

First, we know that he wants to replace God. He will appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14[i]), not only literally but figuratively, he will appear to us and try to replace the thoughts of God with his own deceitful plans. Satan will influence false apostles and teachers, who will appear as “ministers of righteousness”.

In other words, all that glitters is not gold. There is a way that seems right to human reasoning, but it will result in death (This is so important of a truth that Proverbs records it twice in 14:12 and 16:25[ii]).

If Satan’s schemes seem right and righteous, how can we know what is Truth? We must line up things with God’s Word and God’s Truth, especially as revealed in the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus. Paul wrote in Romans 1:20-23[iii] that if something takes glory away from God or glorifies human reasoning, then we should reject it.

Despite the movie The Parent Trap, a mother of identical twins can always tell the difference because she knows them intimately and thoroughly. We too must know God intimately and thoroughly. Judas Iscariot probably thought he was doing the right thing and in fact he often came across as very righteous, to the point the other disciples trusted him with the money bag and assumed even on the night of Christ’s betrayal that he was going off to do something good.[iv] But Jesus knew the Truth. If we know Jesus intimately, we can know the Truth.

In addition to knowing our enemy and his schemes and knowing Jesus intimately, we also need to be alert. As I mentioned on Sunday, 1 Peter 5:8[v] says, “be sober, be vigilant” or alert and on guard.

Be on the lookout and ready. The secret service spotted the assassin’s gun in the bushes because they were on the lookout. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!” That phrase comes from scam artists who are liars and are appealing to our sinful nature of greed, pride, and laziness which makes us want to “get rich quick”. Being sober and vigilant means that we are not just praying (as mentioned yesterday), but also watching.

Unfortunately, Christians can be the most gullible of all people. We are people of faith and trust and sometimes that leads us to be too trusting of wicked and evil people. We must be alert. We must not be ignorant of evil schemes.

Thirdly (there are so many more, but I will stop here), we need to not only be knowledgeable and vigilant, but we must be spiritually in tune with God. We first must be sure we are “born again” (John 3:3[vi], 1 Peter 3:23[vii]) and have received the Holy Spirit of God within us (Romans 8:15[viii], John 14:17[ix]). “Christ in us” is the hope of all glory (Colossians 1:27[x]) and we spiritually have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

That verse (1 Corinthians 2:16) concludes one of my favorite passages from the Bible, which tells us we can know God’s thoughts because we have His Spirit within us. His Spirit will help us discern what is God’s Truth and what is Satan’s lying schemes:

¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. ¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶ For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 

---

[i] And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

[ii] There is a way that seems right to a man,But its end is the way of death.

[iii] ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

[iv] But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.  For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. (John 13:28-29)

[v] ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 

[vi] Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

[vii] having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

[viii] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

[ix] the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

[x] To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 

Bringing prayer to a spiritual fight

 On Sunday, I preached on “Have we trials and temptations? Absolutely!” and there are so many things to write about testings, trials, and temptations. I couldn’t put it into one sermon, so I am writing the rest of what the Bible speaks. (I won’t restate my sermon, but if you want to watch the sermon, go ahead!)

One of the points I made was “don't bring knives or guns to a spiritual fight.” So, what should we bring? Prayer. 

Peter definitely knew about temptations, and not just when he was tempted and succumbed to denying Christ. Even in the last stages of his life, Peter wrote about temptations. “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment and especially those who walk according to the flesh,” (2 Peter 2:9-10a).

Earlier in the chapter, we see that God rescued Noah and Lot out of the “enticements, adversities,” which is what the word “temptations” means. We are to pray that the heavenly Father will not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.

So, in addition to what I preached, how can we be delivered? Today, we will look at one more way and it is not profound in its statement, but very profound in its practice. We should PRAY. Jesus told the disciples, “Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation,” (Matthew 26:41, Luke 22:40). Temptations are a spiritual battle and need to be fought spiritually in prayer.

God allows us to be tempted, otherwise, Jesus would not command us to pray that the Father would not lead us into temptation. It is something from which we can pray to be protected. Today’s verse says that “God knows how to deliver us.”

Isn’t that a funny way to put it? But don’t we all sometimes act like God doesn’t know how to deliver or that we can, by our own power and fortitude, stop the temptations? Peter could have been writing to the churches today that there were “false prophets, false teachers” among the people. Underline how many times “destruction” is mentioned in the first six verses! The first thing we should note is that temptations can destroy us, and we must pray against them.

Also, temptations can deceive us (2 Peter 2:3, 13). That’s why their false! Eve was deceived when she was tempted to not believe God’s Word. Don’t listen to the lies of the tempter! If it’s false, if it contradicts the Bible, don’t listen, don’t try to make sense of it, and don’t try to add to or take away from God’s Word. Eve said, “don’t even touch it,” which God didn’t say and maybe Adam added that but she first touched the fruit and then when she didn’t die, she felt emboldened to eat it. Same thing is true with the slippery slope of temptation. If God said it is right or wrong, take Him, literally at His Word!”

Thirdly, look for deliverance (verse 9). Simply reject the evil and look for Jesus to provide a way out (recall also 1 Corinthians 10:13). Remember that Jesus also “has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted,” (Hebrews 2:18). Why do we have to pray that we would not be led into temptations? Because the heavenly Father wants us to draw near to Him. He wants us to seek Him first. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Temptations can destroy our witness and more, temptations can deceive us, and we must look for God’s deliverance in these inevitable attempts to draw us away from God’s best for our lives.

Pray this prayer to God: Our Father in heaven, I praise you for deliverance from the evil in this world and the temptations in my heart. I glorify you for the opportunity to pray to You for help in the future and forgiveness from the past. Through the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, I shall achieve the victory over the enemy. In the mighty power of name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen. 

Read also Revelation 12:11

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxyLmy29J8GS0pGkNvvgmOCzifj6nmeHJk?si=EsrwNjCoEn_nd4ui