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“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)
For the past week now, the Lord has been having me talk on the subject of abuse. That is unusual that he would have me cover that topic over the span of a week, so he must have a reason why he is having me emphasize it so much right now. But, granted, abuse of all kinds is really HUGE right now. And that is because so many people are living in sin, and not in holiness and in righteousness, and so they are doing all sorts of evil to other people, even to family, friends, neighbors, Christians, and to the weak and afflicted.
And abuse is not all physical, which leaves scars, either. For there is the abuse of power, the abuse of deception and manipulation of people’s minds and hearts, mental and emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, church abuse, and the like. All deception and the manipulation of people’s minds, hearts, and emotions falls under the category of the abuse of power. And there are many who abuse their positions of power over others – mothers, fathers, husbands, bosses, government heads, pastors, and elders, etc.
And we are moving closer and closer to that time of the rule of “the beast,” which is a tyrannical global government which is presently forming and not that far away from taking hold in the world so that we all fall under one global form of government, which is when Christian persecution is going to really heat up (see Revelation 13:1-18). Our sovereign nations will, thus, be done away with in order to bring us into this “New World Order.” And we will be forced to take the “mark of the beast” or be martyred for our faith.
Therefore, those of us who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, and who are walking in holiness and in righteousness, in walks of obedience to the Lord, and not in sin, are to hold fast to our faith, without wavering, and we are to keep following our Lord, no matter how much worse things get. And we are to be those who are stirring up one another (Christians) to (agape) love and to good works, and who are encouraging and exhorting one another in our walks of faith, especially as we see the Day drawing near (vv. 19-25).
Why? Because not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only the one DOING (obeying) the will of God. Many are going to stand before the Lord on the day of judgment, claiming him as their Lord and Savior, and claiming all the things they believed they did in his name. But he will say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” for their “faith” was in profession (lip service) only, but they did not obey the Lord, but they continued in deliberate sin.
So, what does this have to do with abuse? Everything! For those who continue in deliberate and habitual sin end up sinning against others, even against those they profess to love. And many will do this deliberately and habitually, without conscience, and without remorse, because they are being convinced that if they “prayed the prayer” that now all their sins are forgiven, and heaven is guaranteed them when they die, but regardless of how they live. But that is a big fat lie coming from others who abuse.
So, those who abuse lie and trick and manipulate others into believing their lies, and then many who believe the lies go on telling even more lies and abusing and tricking and manipulating others. And so many people today, thus, because they believed the lies of these abusers and manipulators, have continued in deliberate and habitual sin, without conscience, and they, too, have become liars and abusers. And so this is why we need to be those who are telling people the truth, and not the lies which make them feel good.
We need to be those who speak the truth in love to people, even if we are hated and mistreated and rejected, in return. And we need to be warning them that if they continue walking in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, that they will not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, regardless of what professions of faith they have made in Christ Jesus. For the Lord is going to judge all of us according to our works (Romans 2:6-8; Galatians 6:7-8).
So, don’t be led astray by those who abuse, who manipulate, who trick and who tell lies. If you profess faith in Jesus Christ, know what the Scriptures teach (IN CONTEXT), for many of these liars teach the Scriptures out of context, and they twist them to say what they do not say if taught in the appropriate context. And if you are one who is teaching the truth, and so you are being persecuted, don’t give up, even though things are going to get much worse. Keep telling the people the truth which will save their souls.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
Down From His Glory
By William E. Booth-Clibborn, 1921
Down from His glory,
Ever living story,
My God and Savior came,
And Jesus was His Name;
Born in a manger,
To His own a stranger,
A Man of sorrows, tears and agony.
What condescension,
Bringing us redemption;
That in the dead of night,
Not one faint hope in sight,
God, gracious, tender,
Laid aside His splendor,
Stooping to woo, to win, to save my soul.
Without reluctance,
Flesh and blood His substance,
He took the form of man,
Revealed the hidden plan,
Oh, glorious myst’ry,
Sacrifice of Calv’ry,
And now I know Thou art the great “I Am.”
Oh, how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all;
The great Creator became my Savior,
And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him.
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