How shall WE escape...if we neglect so great salvation
Hebrews
{1:13} But to which of the angels said he at any times, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
None.
{1:14} Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Angels are ministering spirits.
Ministering spirits sent to minister to those who will be heirs of salvation.
Those who will inherit salvation have the help of ministering spirits, the help of angels.
Angels are real so very real. No, we generally can't see them, and movies have depicted them in many ways- human forms, ghostly spiritual forms, completely invisible. No matter how they're viewed they aren't fictional, they are real.
{2:1} Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
We have to give heed...earnest heed...to the things we've heard. Earnest heed. Not just heed, but earnest heed. We can't let things slip. We can't let salvation be lost to us because we don't listen earnestly to all that is said. Salvation isn't something we can take for granted because it means so much, it means life, it makes life worth living, it make everything have reason, it's not all for naught. All the pain and heartache isn't what life should be we all know that if not readily, deep down. Life wasn't supposed to be this way and it won't be this way, we have salvation through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Hebrews
{2:2} For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward
For IF the word spoken by angels was stedfast...and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward...
{2:3} How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him
How shall WE escape...if we neglect so great salvation.
Salvation spoken first by the Lord and confirmed to us by those that heard Him.
{2:4} God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.
God- with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His will.
{2:5} For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
{2:6} But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
{2:7} Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands
{2:8} Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under
him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
{2:9} But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
{2:10} For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Jesus- for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation prefect through sufferings.
Jesus- wants to save us. Jesus wants us to be brought to glory through Him.
It's not something we can neglect, but something we need to heed earnestly.
God knows us, He knows me, He knows I need Him so desperately and I'm so far from what I should be. Only in Him through faith in Him will Salvation come to us. Faith, belief, God we believe help our unbelief. Have mercy on us Lord. The angels weren't spared, we won't be spared. Your righteousness is all in all through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Please, have mercy on us.
I heard a song on the radio this morning when I was taking my son to school and it said something like this...
'Whatever you're doing inside of me it feels like chaos somehow there's peace it's hard to surrender to what I can't see but I'm giving in to something heavenly'
That part about it feeling like chaos is so true, it really does and while somehow there is peace...it's not always peace we feel, sometimes that chaos is horrific and we just have to hold on tight to Jesus, hold on tight. Praise God, hold on tight.
Amen.
12/10/09
Mal 2:17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
Making God weary. Saying that those who do evil are good to the Lord, that the Lord is pleased with them even though they do evil. Questioning God's ability to judge.
We can understand a little, and personally because we become tired of people questioning our reasoning and this is fallible, human reasoning. A judge sitting on the bench in court passing judgement won't tolerate people challenging their judgement. They put people in contempt of court if they're belligerent and openingly questioning of decisions they pass. There are proper channels for people to take when they believe a judgement wrong, but to outright challenge a decision is cause for being fined. This is our court system. God is infallible, God's judgment is perfect even if we don't understand it all. When we question God we reveal our lack of faith in Him. Having your faith questioned is very tiring. A couple with one of the partners constantly questioning the others faith is very, very tiresome. We want our loved ones to believe in us and not question our faithfulness, don't we? Imagine how it must be on the level of God.
When we make claims that evil is good and live our lives in what we call acceptable evil, we also weary God. God is in control though many would think otherwise. It's easy to question God when we look at the horrors of life, when we ourselves find it so incredibly impossible to keep from sinning. We become numb to the true horror of sin and we begin to condone it and call it natural and good but in truth, God sees through the thick clouds of confusion we succumb to. We cause the Lord to be wearied by denying the evil that we do, and that others do in His sight, actually claiming that God is delighted in the evildoers, or questioning God's ability to judge, all of this displeases God as it should.
We might question God's ability to be wearied, but there are many forms of being weary and it's not at all hard to imagine God fed up with evil and evil doers.
We live in a world that promotes instant life after death. That death is just a slip into a new existence and more often than not we stress that people should go towards a light- to the good life that waits. We have shows on television that portray people after death struggling to find the right path after death and the majority seem to find it and go the right way with the minority succumbing to the evil, dark side. The Bible tells us that the broad is the way that leads to death and narrow the way that leads to life, and it also tells us death is a sleep and the dead will wake to their judgement. Matt.7:13,14; 1 Thess. 4:14-18
We also read this-
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
There is no instant life after death and the reality of it all is that FEW will be resurrected to life, the majority of people will be resurrected to damnation. We don't WANT to believe this. We want to sugarcoat salvation and believe that everyone will go to heaven. We'll see our loved ones in heaven even is we know they've led a life contrary to God, it's because God is good and forgiving, right? The Bible doesn't teach us that the majority will find Salvation in Christ, it teaches the opposite. We have to question whether we are among those that call evil good, if we say God is delighting in the evil- because we are calling that evil good. Truthfully it's easier to believe that the evil doesn't matter because few want to truly realize the possibility of their own eternal life in jeopardy.
May God bring to light and reveal to us any evil in our lives and in revealing it help us to overcome through Christ. We find salvation in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through forgiveness of our sins-- may we recognize our sins so that we may ask for forgiveness, may we not sugar-coat our sins trying to fool ourselves that they are good.
By His Grace and Mercy now and forever.
Amen.
12/10/10
12/10/11