Fear of the Lord

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt 10:28) Words from Jesus to the 12 when He sent them out to preach the gospel. He told them they would be hated for His names sake, that they would be interrogated and beaten. But added if God cares for the sparrows to whom He gives life, how much more does He care for those he is sending out into a world to do his will. Yes, Jesus said "take up your cross and follow Me. For he who loses his life for My sake will find it." Lose your life? Find your life? Tough words. Not something you hear much today in the evangelical world. Mostly it's come to Jesus, He'll make life easy for you. You'll get what you want in this life. Fortune. Fame. Yes friends it's all about you. NOT! The real gospel, the good news doesn't work that way. It's about the One who spoke out creation, from nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Into the nothingness, piercing the darkness God said. God simply spoke it out of the divine essense of His eternal mind--The Light--The Heavens--Water--The Trees--The Fruit--and Living Creatures in the sea on the land and in the air. An abundance of creatures fashioned from the mind of a Holy, infinitely creative Divine being not limited by time or space or lack of imagination. Every creature that has or now exists reflects the infinite creativity of the one true God who wants to be known through 66 love letters called The Bible. Letters met for a people called from darkness to light, from death to life. (1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient Eph. 2:1-2) Called out of the darkness of unbelief, the enmity --the hatred you had of this God , separated from Him with the bleak eternity that awaits all the sons of disobedience... "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thess. 1:) "‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.." That is the horror of an eternity spent without God. God gives the individual over to themselves for an eternity. No more grace. No more mercy. No more hope. Yet, Scripture contains the only words of hope. "The WORD who was in the beginning with God and was God. The WORD became flesh and dwelt among us...."(John 1:1;14) It's about the God of Scripture reaching down from heaven in the person of his Son, " "5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! (Phil 2:5-8) God, the Son became man. He who had no sin became sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. For "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 cor 15:50) A new birth is needed." 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever," (1 Peter 1) For "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6) Dirty, stained with the unclean, impure, detestable actions of a foul mind and corrupted spirit. It may sound harsh and unrealistic to the mind darkened with the cravings of this lost and vile world but it is the sorry state of mankind in the sight of a Holy, Pure, and Perfect Divine being. "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) "There is no one righteousness. NO NOT ONE....." "Truly no man can ransom another,or give to God the price of his life,8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit." (Ps. 49) The ransom demanded was God's only begotten Son, " My Father loves me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me..." (John 10:17-18) Always doing what pleases Him God proclaimed, "this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him. "(Matt 17:5) You can hear God through His Word. You can learn about His Son between the pages of His book. "Whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24) That is the good news. That is the Gospel. God demands holiness to share eternity with Him. You're not perfect. No one can please God for without Christ you can do nothing. No one warrants a place in His kingdom. But he did not leave us alone. "10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1John) No matter where you've been, where you are now, what you've done or the lifestyle you're living that's contrary to a holy and righteous God. It doesn't matter. If God can deliever a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, one who persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, a man who later would call himself the chief of sinners, and later pen two thirds of the New Testament. He can remove the blinders from your eyes and open your heart to believe when you simply come to Him in sincere faith asking for Him to have mercy on you, a sinner. "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. "(Romans 10:9) Saved? From what? From the wrath of God. "The Lord will come in His day... the heavens will disappear with a great noise; the elements will melt with fervent heat, and both the earth and everything in it will be burned up." (2 peter 3:10-12) To those who follow their own evil hearts to believe not, "a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries." (Heb. 10:27) The King of Kings, Jesus saying, "depart from me, I never knew you.." But for the redeemed, those bought with a price, know it, and trust in the only name under heaven by which we can be saved.... A new life awaits. A new world is coming, the old order of things will pass away, "there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain....(Rev. 21:4) But " An eternity with the One who put eternity in our hearts."(Ecclesiastes 3:11)