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Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
In a town not too far from here, the crime rate once dropped so low that the police had almost nothing to do. There was talk of layoffs. Some people even half-kiddingly suggested the town bus in a few gang Negroes from New York to avoid the layoffs. Fortunately, some local white criminals started setting up meth labs in the hills outside of the town, and the police again had work to do.
When an unsaved person sins, it gives God the opportunity to shew his wrath. If an unsaved person lives his life without sin, the joke is on him because he will burn in Hell anyway, and again, it gives God the opportunity to shew his wrath.
When a saved person sins and asks forgiveness, it gives God the opportunity to shew his mercy. However, when a saved person lives his life without sin, then there is no work for the Lord to do in that man's life, and that is a dire situation indeed.
God expects us to sin. He created us with a sinful nature. He understands it when we sin because "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21).
If you are living righteously and you have everything you need, God will put trials into your life so that you never forget how much you need Him. Job 35:9 says "By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty."
Job was a perfect and upright man, absolutely without sin, and therefore in need of a lesson in humility. God allowed Satan to take away everything Job owned, kill all of his children, and afflict him with disease. Job then had the gall to ask God what he has done to deserve his fate.
God showed up in the form of a whirlwind and answered in a thunderous voice, answering Job with questions such as "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth?", "Can you make lightning strike where ever you want", and "Who shut up the sea with doors?" God's point was that Job isn't God and only God is righteous. Chapters 38-41 in the book of Job are filled with God asking Job one question after another, proving that Job is not God.
Job admitted that he is vile. He said, "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." God was satisfied. Job was restored two-fold, and was given an even better set of children to replace the ones who were killed. Praise God!
Friends, while too much sin is sure to bring down God's wrath upon you, not sinning enough will also raise the Lord's ire. If you live without sinning, God will begin to wonder why you aren't asking for His forgiveness every week. Job 9:22 tells us, "This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked." There's a thin line you have to walk here. You don't want to be wicked, but you don't want to be perfect either. It's best to try to keep your head down and not attract the Lord's attention at all if you can help it.
Let us pray.
Dear Lord,
I thank you for helping me to keep on the path of righteous-but-not-too-righteous-ness, so that I remain aware of my need for You in my life without You having to point it out to me. Please help me to resist temptation most of the time, but feel free to send pretty a young congregant in need of a late evening prayer session my way, whenever You feel I might be getting a little too righteous for my own good. In Jesus name, Amen.
Pastor Billy-Reuben
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
In a town not too far from here, the crime rate once dropped so low that the police had almost nothing to do. There was talk of layoffs. Some people even half-kiddingly suggested the town bus in a few gang Negroes from New York to avoid the layoffs. Fortunately, some local white criminals started setting up meth labs in the hills outside of the town, and the police again had work to do.
When an unsaved person sins, it gives God the opportunity to shew his wrath. If an unsaved person lives his life without sin, the joke is on him because he will burn in Hell anyway, and again, it gives God the opportunity to shew his wrath.
When a saved person sins and asks forgiveness, it gives God the opportunity to shew his mercy. However, when a saved person lives his life without sin, then there is no work for the Lord to do in that man's life, and that is a dire situation indeed.
God expects us to sin. He created us with a sinful nature. He understands it when we sin because "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21).
If you are living righteously and you have everything you need, God will put trials into your life so that you never forget how much you need Him. Job 35:9 says "By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty."
Job was a perfect and upright man, absolutely without sin, and therefore in need of a lesson in humility. God allowed Satan to take away everything Job owned, kill all of his children, and afflict him with disease. Job then had the gall to ask God what he has done to deserve his fate.
God showed up in the form of a whirlwind and answered in a thunderous voice, answering Job with questions such as "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth?", "Can you make lightning strike where ever you want", and "Who shut up the sea with doors?" God's point was that Job isn't God and only God is righteous. Chapters 38-41 in the book of Job are filled with God asking Job one question after another, proving that Job is not God.
Job admitted that he is vile. He said, "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." God was satisfied. Job was restored two-fold, and was given an even better set of children to replace the ones who were killed. Praise God!
Friends, while too much sin is sure to bring down God's wrath upon you, not sinning enough will also raise the Lord's ire. If you live without sinning, God will begin to wonder why you aren't asking for His forgiveness every week. Job 9:22 tells us, "This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked." There's a thin line you have to walk here. You don't want to be wicked, but you don't want to be perfect either. It's best to try to keep your head down and not attract the Lord's attention at all if you can help it.
Let us pray.
Dear Lord,
I thank you for helping me to keep on the path of righteous-but-not-too-righteous-ness, so that I remain aware of my need for You in my life without You having to point it out to me. Please help me to resist temptation most of the time, but feel free to send pretty a young congregant in need of a late evening prayer session my way, whenever You feel I might be getting a little too righteous for my own good. In Jesus name, Amen.
Pastor Billy-Reuben
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