Boldly Go Where All Have Gone Before The Sting of Death
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
I retired from my profession of 54 years almost five years ago. That is a reality that seems impossible to me. Yet true. Ah yes, I was in the radio profession. Ever since I heard my favorite DJ ,now so many years ago, I knew what I wanted to do. Be part of that which I so much enjoyed listening to. A trip south from Michigan and I ended up in Florida. Which by the way I didn't like at first. Thought it was too hot. It was 1980 I found myself on the east coast Titusville Florida. And it was here in Florida on august 24th 1990 that God, to my surprise called me from darkness to light and from death to life.
Some years before God opened my heart to believe, I had a colleague express to me his philosophy of life. It was simply "He who dies with the most toys wins." Gee I thought to myself back then, really? But you're still dead! I thought. I just left him to his own delusional thinking. I thought that to be a rather crazy way to sum up a life time goal even back then. Before I was a Christian.
God, life, death what comes next. Yes I did ponder these things sometimes but I was about as far from truth as one could get. I even got into new age for a while. I remember one book I bought where the author talked about a device he had developed for talking with the dead. Yikes. Necromancy. I trashed that along with the books I had on new age topics I had aquired. Searching for the meaning of life and God in all the wrong places. I wondered if I would end up reciting the lyrics from that 1969 song from Peggy Lee which says, "when that final moment comes, And I'm breathing my last breath, will I say to myself, Is that all there is." Now I know there's so much more.
I realized those words in my own life and started to question these deeper thoughts of a persons existence. Why is there anything when there should be nothing? What about God, heaven, hell and life after death. Christianity answers those questions and proves it by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have what He said, what He did and those who were eyewitnesses to His works and claims. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) How does one receive God's gift of salvation and everlasting life? By the grace of God through faith and not of yourself. Scripture says it is God the Father who draws one to His Son. It was that gift of God, not of works, that brought me from the ignorance of this dark and fallen world to rescue this man from the dominion of darkness to the light of the gospel message.
That there is One Way, One Truth and One Life; His is the only name under heaven by which anyone is brought from darkness of this present evil age to light of the savior and from death to life. Jesus Christ the Lord has paid the penalty for our sin. For without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. As Jesus Himself said, "Repent and believe the gospel." For Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried and He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Jesus conquered sin and death. And for all those who believe, repent, trust and obey everlasting life with a citizenship in heaven awaits the redeemed.
In the years up to that faithful day I had started to question things and begin to understand the world isn't on the right path. And the people, including myself, who inhabit planet earth have some serious issues. Something is wrong with us and terribly amiss, defective, sick. The bible refers to it as people are lost and at enmity with God. (Romans 8:1-7) The entire human race are enemies of God. The Apostle Paul describes the human condition with these words: People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. (1 Tim. 3:2-5) Some recent news headlines bear this and even more out:
A CACKLING Kim Jong-un was snapped grinning like a Cheshire Cat as he unveiled North Korea’s fleet of nuclear-capable rocket launchers (See above picture)......Orlando Police announced (2-24-26) the arrest of a 16-year-old today on a charge of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm in connection with a shooting at a popular Orlando restaurant...... Transgender ex-student Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, ID’d as transgender ex-student identified as alleged suspect in Canada school mass shooting that left at least 9 dead..... (Pic below left at 18)
You and I are inhabiting a severly sick, twisted and what the bible calls "a lost and sinful world." It's a world that has morphed into calling wrong right and right wrong..... and it has resulted in damning results... The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 22:5 "A woman must not wear men's clothing, and a man must not wear women's clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD your God." (And today it's more than just wearing the clothes. There's transgender reassignment surgery, the procedure to modify a person's body to be like what they feel they are. That's right it's all about feelings. Not about the physicality determined by one's DNA.) The verse in Deut22:5 reflects the cultural and religious norms of ancient Israel, emphasizing the importance of maintaining distinct gender roles and identities. The prohibition is often interpreted as a safeguard against blurring the lines of gender distinction, which was crucial for societal order and religious purity.
This same tradition applied in the New Testament and was expected of the followers of the Son of God. God's called out chosen people are to be Holy as God is Holy. Separate from the sinful antics and actions of a world blinded by the god of this age, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience who are by their practices. And blatant disregard of God's created order they are called the children of God's wrath.
We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine (1 Tim. 1:9-11)
Throughout God's Word, the Bible, we see the sad state of affairs that cripple mankinds relationship to the creator. Works of the flesh that lead us into nefarious acts of wanton iniquity which stain and pollute the relationship that God desires and demands of His people. It is the Father who draws us to His Son by grace through faith and not of ourselves, it is a gift that God bestows on those He calls His people.
God the Father draws his people to Christ snatching them from the pit of spiritual darkness of this present evil age. And restores them as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. For every one who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Given a new life in Christ with strenght and guidence by the Holy Spirit to ward off those fiery darts of temptation from the prince of the power of the air. The spirit that works in the sons of disobedience; the adversary of God who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devor.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators,( sexual immorality--any sex outside the marriage bond of a male and female) nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10)
Human beings matter to God. So much that God fore-ordained before the foundation of the world a way for humankind to be delivered from their fallen state of sin. (Mark 1:15;Romans 10:9-10) And be declared righteous by the only name under heaven by which anyone is saved from the wrath of God to come. God's very nature forbids the presence of sin in His everlasting kingdom. Sin is an affront to our Perfect, Holy, Righteous Creator God. God hates the wicked (Ps. 11:5; Proverbs 15:9) .....So in His love He sent His Son, the Word became flesh, shared in our humanity so that by Jesus Christ's death, He might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is...the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb. 2:14-15) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:17) That is the love of God. For He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Jesus Himself tells us to repent and believe the gospel. But we are in a war...A war of Good verses Evil...but people love darkness rather than light. (John 3:19)
Sexual immorality assaults our eyes, ears and minds from a variety of sources. Television, (example: there was actually a documentary on cable about 2 straight young men, 20 and 26, becoming Gay Porn stars. It was how they were making a living. It was according to them just a job. Their live in girlfriends approving of this occuptation and supporting them in it. Knowing full well what their partners were involved in. One couple even had young children. This so called practice was the main reason why God rained down His wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19) The program seemed to attempt to legitimize, what the Bible calls a debased pursuit, as a vocation any young man should consider. God thinks othewise. "As as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7) The young men featured in this program rationalized their profession (so called) as just a job, a great the way to make a living to provide for their families.
Movies as well can be an influence of how we preceive certain acts or practices. We can become desenitized by it and rationlize a so called live and let live attitude. Conviction in ones heart to sin can become blurred or removed completely. (referred to in scripture as the hardening of ones heart) wrong becomes right. What is righrt becomes wrong. As for the internet. You don't need me to tell you how you can find everything and anything your heart desires online. It's a very deep cesspool of vile wickedness. Offering all sorts of ungodly images, practices and lifestyles prominently displayed to capture and titillate in order to draw its viewers further away from the life that God desires and demands from His people.
Yet I must add that the internet when used properly can be a great help in one's study on on a variety of topics that are viable in one's life. It it the library at one's fingertips. Including topics related to God, Jesus Christ and other Biblical topics of study. I am not saying we will be perfect, but we must be cautious when surfing the world wide web. Jesus gives us sound advice in Matthew 26:41 when he says," Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Do not entertain sin. But be We must be discerning and cautious when surfing the world wide web.
Jesus Christ Himself teaches us that our goal, our desire in life as His people should be to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strenght. To walk worthy of the call you have recieved. (Eph. 4:1;Col. 1:10) The apostle James tells us we should keep outselves from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27) For we are in a war. Your adversary the devil (satan) is relentless in His desire to foil the actions of God's children. How do followers of Jesus Christ resist the fiery arrows of the wicked one? We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. See *See Ephesian 6:14-18)*
With all the blatent sinful practices that attack and insult our minds everyday through various media you might ask "where is God in all this?" Why does God allow evil things to exisit in the world? Why? Because mankind wanted it so. The draw to our first parents "will will be liken God" caused them to questyion God's command. Any of us would have done the same thing. There also comes a time when God will give an individual, a people, or a nation over to their own evil desires. They become desenitized to evil. Those who deny God's truth and want nothing to do with the God of the Bible. God will then withdraw from your life and give you over to your own wicked, evil, perverse, fallen nature. Examples of this in the Garden of Eden and during the flood. What about us today?
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We're a nation that seems to be evenly divided about what is right and what is wrong. For a vast majority God is far from the minds of those in this nation. They don't want to believe in a righteous, Holy God who will judge their actions. In fact many have become so desensitized and jaded to what God calls sin that literally anything is seen as perfectly legitimized and excepted as normal practice. The words Judging and Judgement are taboo in many circles today. Including the health club I work out at. They have what they label no judgement zones. I have found that people will find or design a god more to their liking. A god that allows them to practice or continue in what the God of the Bible calls Sin. Sin? Yes sin. What exactly is sin?
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In the Bible, sin is defined as any action, thought, or attitude that violates God's law and character. It encompasses both specific acts of disobedience, such as lying or stealing, and the condition of the heart, including attitudes like pride and selfishness. Sin is fundamentally a rebellion against God's holiness and righteousness, and it separates humanity from God. The concept of sin is central to the Christian understanding of human nature and the need for redemption, with its origins traced back to Adam and Eve's disobedience in the Garden of Eden. (Bibical Thoughts for Biblical Living)
Sin is shameless disregard for God's truth and utter distain for His commands. There are those who deny God's existence completely or water down His word to create a soft cuddly god that helps sooth their minds to not only approve of what they or others are doing but to allow them to practice the same things.(Romans 1:18-32) Birds of a feather stick together theology. Evil it isn't and if anyone tells them otherwise. They make a scene, scream, holler, chastise and belittle those who disapprove of their lifestyle accusing them of being narrow minded, old fashioned. Yet Christians who know and believe the Bible can not approve what God calls "evil" in this world.
And Jesus said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:21)
In the New Testament of our Bibles, the Apostle's were Holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2Peter 1:21) They expounded on what is wrong with people who don't believe the One True and Only God. That they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. For they are dead in their trespasses and sins. They want to commit ungodly acts because they revel in the pleasures of this world, the cravings of sinful mankind, the lust of the eyes and the boasting in the pride of life. Craving, lust and boasting orginate not in the Father but in the world. That is, from the devil.
Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter 4:1-5)
God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.(Jesus) He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)
The apostle Paul tells us that the devil, the god of this age, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they can not see the light of the gospel of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. They do not believe because they can not believe. They do not believe because they don't want to believe. For they are slaves to their sinful passions and desires. (Romans 6) So they doubt God exists or has commanded anything. For our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) For as a person thinks so they are. We all have a battle in this life against the world, the flesh and the devil. It is a three pronged attack. Pursue evil and evil will oblige you. And eventually enslave you to its deceiving grip. In many cases to a deadly conclusion.
The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. (1John 5:19) What does this mean? One commentator on this verse John Gil (1697-1771) says it so succinctly; "that is, the men of the world, the greater part of the inhabitants of it, who are as they were when they came into it, not being born of God; these are addicted to sin and, wickedness; the bias of their minds is to it, they are set upon it, and give themselves up to it, are immersed in it, and are under the power of it: or "in the wicked one"; Satan, the god of this world; they are under his influence, and led according to his will, and they are governed by him, and are at his beck and command; and this is known, by sad experience, it is easy of observation.
Everyone, you, me, our neighbors, everyone is not inclined to what is good or right in the sight of a Holy and Righteous God..... We are not sinners (in rebellion to God) because we sin....we sin (are in rebellion to God) because we are sinners; We are born that way. (Psa. 51:5;Rom. 5:12) We are all born with our hearts (inward being, our souls) in opposition to the God who gave us life. We are at enmity with God (Romans 8:7) Dead in our trespasses and sins, following the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience and are, BY NATURE, children of God's wrath. (Eph. 2:1-5)
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased (reprobate) mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers (gossips), backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (Romans 1:28-31)
It all all goes back to the first created human beings who were told something by God. But they choose to believe the lie of the evil one himself who told them they would not die but would be like God, if they disobeyed God and rather listen to the words of God's adversary, the devil. They choose that they wanted to be like God, that they would disobey God's word and thus the result was death. For their disobedience to God, God subjected all things to futility. Spirtual blindness and physical decay.
For the Christian it is a battle for what is right and what is wrong. Scripture tells us in Gal. 5:19-21" "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, (any sexual activity outside the marriage bond of a man and women) uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, (anything that takes the place of the one true God, often leading to spiritual and moral corruption ) sorcery, (from where we get out english word Pharmacy-drugs used in incantations) hatred, contentions, (conflicts, disputes, or quarrels among people, often arising from pride, selfishness, or unresolved grievances) jealousies, outbursts of wrath, (which many times lead to murder) selfish ambitions, (pride and haughtiness, which can lead to destruction and downfall). dissensions, (disagreements or conflicts that cause division among individuals or groups). heresies, (a teaching or belief that deviates from established, essential doctrine and creates division among believers.) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
As you can see, read or watch in our oversaturated world of television, radio, films and internet news sources today these sins are revealed and practiced being rampant, prominent and for its victims deathly. People want to be what they want to be and do what they want to do no no matter what the consequence of their actions end result will be. They don't think about that. As we have seen in the last few weeks there were those who denied the body God gave them and decided in their own evil. wicked. corrupt and fallen hearts and minds they were or wanted to be something they were never physically capable of being. This resulted in a terrible display of anger resulting in many deaths even among those who were family members. Plus also resulted in the the suicide of the perpetrators of these brutal and murderous acts. (Most of all, this was an evil rebellion against their creator. Who designed them from conception to be the gender they were born with.) Scripture promises that the wages of sin is death. And that was the wage that befell the unsuspecting victims and culprit of these crimes.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, that they will also reap. (Gal. 6:7)
The wages of sin is death.
so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Heb. 9:27-28)
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