Fear God, 69

~ The Fear of God Leads to Greater Understanding of God ~

God does not want His children living in fear.  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3).  However, God does want His children to have a proper respect and reverence for Him.  We are told in many places in Scripture to “fear God.”  

This Week’s Passage  ~  “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.  My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:14-15).

Fearing God Results in Salvation  ~  “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).  “A wise person fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident” (Proverbs 14:16).  This does not mean the Christian is to live a fearful life—but a life which reverences God and seeks to do His will. 

Fearing God Results in Fearlessness  ~  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).  The answer is: only God.  With the gift of salvation comes responsibility.

Fearing God Results in Witnessing  ~  “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Warning, 3of3

~ Warning to Religious Leaders ~

There are at least three great warning chapters in Scripture.  Interesting enough they all are double digit chapters ending in three (making it easy to memorize them (Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 33, and Matthew 23).  In this post we are summarizing the last of these three chapters.

Matthew 23 Summary  ~  This chapter follows the clash between our Lord and the religious leaders of the day.  (1) Pharisees were the most prevalent of the religious leaders and were legalistic to the extreme and were known for their self-righteousness and hypocrisy.  (2) Scribes were those who meticulously made copies of the Holy Scriptures—so they knew the text well and were therefore considered authorities.  The words of our Lord to these religious leaders are the strongest denunciation that He ever made of anyone or any group!  Keep in mind that Jesus Christ was the perfect embodiment of what a spiritual person should be—and He loathed religious pretense. 

It is important to keep the context of this chapter in mind.  On Monday of this week Jesus had cleansed the Temple.  At that point He left the Temple and would never again enter it!  This ended His public ministry.  He would hang on the Cross of Calvary just three days later. 

Matthew 23 Scripture Portions  ~  “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do’” (verses 1-3). 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Multiple times in the chapter).  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (verses 37-39).    

Matthew 23 and Today  ~  Religious form without substance is alive and thriving today—as it has been throughout Church history.  Is it time for your personal self-examination? 

closing note:  The warnings of Matthew 23 are well worth personal study by each of my readers.  A careful and thoughtful reading will cause conviction to any serious believer. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Warning, 2of3

~ Warning To All Individuals ~

There are at least three great warning chapters in Scripture.  Interesting enough they all are double digit chapters ending in three (making it easy to memorize them (Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 33, and Matthew 23).  We are briefly summarizing these three chapters in this series.

Ezekiel 33 Summary  ~  There are several ways of summarizing this chapter and its warnings.  One way—which is often missed—is the inclusion of individual responsibility before God in addition to national responsibility.

side note:  In the Old Testament we find Israel as God’s witness (singular) on earth.  In the New Testament all Christians are His witnesses (plural). 

God adds a new principle of individuals being responsible before God in contrast to a main focus of national sin and consequences.  “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’  Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn, turn from your evil ways!  For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (verses 10-11).  Now the door is open wide for individual responsibility, individual repentance, and individual judgment.  Another way of saying it is that the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel provides the principles of God’s dealings in the last days—holding individuals accountable before God. 

Ezekiel 33 Scripture Portion  ~  “Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: “When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head.  He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself.  But he who takes warning will save his life.  But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.”  So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.  When I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, you shall surely die!” and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul’” (verses 1-9). 

closing note:  The warnings of Ezekiel 33 are well worth personal study by each of my readers. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .