This is the second lesson in my series on Truth. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statues and His judgements, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them. The 2020 Presidential election had 1 main point, the one thing that was on the heart and mind of Almighty God. Life!!!! God makes it clear that He values life and destroys those who don’t. That may not make sense to us in our politically correct society, but when people are determined to bring destruction, God knows, and throughout history, He has allowed that destruction to overtake them. His ways are clear throughout history, and the entire Bible. As with any passage of scripture, we need to look at it fully, not just take the passage out of context. Here is how it breaks down: Author - The speaker or writer here was Moses who had lead the people out of bondage in Egypt and was preparing them for their final journey. He was writing what God was telling him to write, to make a record of what God wanted and how He wanted life in the promised land to be. Setting – The children of Israel were in the wilderness, living as nomads, moving around from place to place, eating manna and quail. They were miserable. Audience – God was having this written down, directly to be used by the children of Israel as they settled in the land, and then ultimately, then gentiles (or non-Jews), after Jesus came. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Pretty clear. Time in History - Having wandered around for 40 years, these people were watching the exodus generation die off, and hoping for the promise land, often wondering if it would ever happen. But let’s take a look at the context – The following was taken from the introduction to Deuteronomy in my personal KJV, Holman Study Bible. ‘The purpose of Deuteronomy is to provide guidelines for the new covenant community to enable them to live obediently before God and to carry out His intentions for them.” This sounds very similar to what the founding fathers did for the new land, for America. They got together and created many documents that established the foundations we needed to begin a new government. Their basis for these documents was the Bible and their faith in God. Most were godly, praying men and wanted to go to a place where they could worship freely without government interference. At the core of everything was the value for human life and the rights of man. Both for America and for ancient Israel. God said it, not man. Deuteronomy 32:29 says “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.” God is the giver of life and only God can truly take life. I know this sounds antithetical to the death penalty, however, I’m not going to discuss that at this point, that is for another blog. There is nothing more clear than the fact that God values life. And so should we. I was very saddened by the number of professed Christians who voted for a platform that openly professes their view against life. The problem is that these Christians did not make life the priority when they chose who to support. However, if life is not important to you, then you will not honor the life of others. Life begins at conception and ends when God decides it ends. If you do not value life at its most vulnerable, then you will not honor that life throughout its life. You won’t truly honor their beliefs, their viewpoint, the voice, their purpose, their very being. We see this happening with the ‘cancel culture’ that has so pervaded this year. Cancel culture says that what you say or have done, is not important. It takes one thing out of context and devalues everything else you have done or said. I saw an interview with one of the worlds most well known comedians who has been around for well over 40 years or more. He made a sitcom in the 70’s that was very satirical and in one episode used a word that is now considered ‘hate speech’. The sitcom has been airing in Europe via reruns for many, many years and, all of a sudden, someone sees that episode and complains, so the entire series is taken off the air and considered ‘hate.’ The word was used in a manner to actually bring to light something that was happening at the time and expose something evil. It was not used in what we would call today ‘hate speech,’ it was used to shock the hearer into seeing what was really happening. By canceling the entire series, the lessons and revelations that were brought about were also cancelled and combined into one thought, the creators were bigots. This is not truth, but it was deemed as truth so all of the good was canceled by one misunderstanding of the truth. Cancel culture is a result of generations disintegrating the importance of life. “Euthanization” says someone has outlived their usefulness. It is presented in such a way as being merciful, however it is actually making a decision that only God can make, and it becomes an idol. The enemy’s tactics are not to get us to ignore the truth, but to misapply it. For many years, churches have moved into a watered down teaching that has lessened the sovereignty of God. We have shifted Him into such a loving Father figure that we feel like mercy is His idea. Of course it is, but not when it means WE choose when to take a life because WE think it is merciful. God has used many lives after their ‘usefulness’ to change others…my salvation story is one. I gave my life fully to Christ at the bedside of my father while he was in a coma and we were waiting for him to pass. His passing was glorious because God chose when he needed to leave this earth, man didn’t. When a woman finds herself in a situation that would change her life, abortion may seem merciful. The argument of rape or incest is always thrown out under the guise of mercy. Saving the life of the mother is another tactic used. These all may have a modem of truth, using mercy as the reason. But at the end of the day, abortion is choosing death. That seed of death remains forever in the life of that young woman, until she settles the issue with a Holy God. This is not meant to bring condemnation to anyone who has had an abortion. They condemn themselves enough. But when post-abortive women are counselled properly, they can be set free from this life of condemnation. There is really no such thing as Pro-Choice in this situation. Those who truly believe in, and have a relationship with Jesus Christ, know that the only choice is life. That is what this whole election was about. The fact that life was not predominant in the minds and hearts of many during this election is very telling of why our nation is in such turmoil. Protestors screaming at bystanders, elected officials stating that the American people are not intelligent, fraud and lying are commonplace in our supposed ‘Halls of Justice,’ all speak to the fact that life has not been valued. As with every instruction God gives, there is a promise attached. If we choose life, we live and so do our descendants. He gives us a choice…this is the choice we must make – Life, from the most vulnerable and innocent until God chooses to remove them from this earth. Remember Deuteronomy 30:15-20 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statues and His judgements, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them. Always, CHOOSE LIFE!!!! (If you or someone close to you, have suffered with the pain of an abortion and want to talk with someone, please reach out to me. I have a resource that can counsel you and help bring healing to your hurt.)
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Deception - Today, many are in deception. Everyone believes they have the answer to the problems, and the other side is deceived. However, there is only one TRUTH and those who walk in that truth are not likely to be deceived.
The only remedy for deception is the Love of Truth. 2 Cor. 11:3-4 tells us “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches ‘another Jesus’ whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit, which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” One of the biggest deceptions today is that there are many paths to God. Oprah and many other thought leaders, commonly profess this lie. However, just because you say it many times, It is not necessarily truth. The continued repeating of specific phrases or statements does not make something true. That is a tactic the devil has used for a very long time and it is still in play today. It is also a tactic the media uses to mislead and cause confusion. The partial truth of this premise is that there ARE many ways to God, but only one leads to life, the others lead to God’s judgement. Jesus told us that He was the way to Life in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me." Then we see the judgement in Romans 14:11 that Paul reminds us "For it is written, As I live saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." At some point, every single person alive or dead will come before God at the judgement. One of the biggest reasons we have so much deception today is that hard, biblical truths are no longer taught or preached regularly. If we truly understood and really believed, that one day, we will all have to stand before God, then we would probably live our lives very differently. But let’s get back to Jesus words and breakdown John 14:6. I AM – means to exist, to be present, to stay or remain This is a declarative statement of his existence and the authority He carried. It is also interesting because God told Moses in Exodus 3:14, ‘And God said to Moses I AM THAT I AM, tell the children of Israel “I AM hath sent me.”’ In this statement Jesus made at the last supper to his disciples, they knew this story of Moses and were fully aware that Jesus was declaring his deity, being the Son of God. He was declaring that He was the ‘I AM!' The Way – course, journey, way of thinking, direction In this instance, Jesus wasn’t saying he was one of many ways. Keep in mind, there were other religions and belief systems of the day that declared many gods which also meant there were many paths to whatever end a particular belief system espoused. The Greek and Roman culture was very prominent in the area and had the beliefs of many different gods who performed many different acts. Jesus was openly professing that all of those were invalid and that He, Jesus Christ, was the ONLY way. Only through Christ, can we have the direction we need, and the way of thinking we need to journey and move toward the blessings He has for us. The Truth – only truth, reality of truth, basis for everything Here Jesus was declaring that He was the source of truth. Today, many have no strong foundational beliefs, and their belief systems change with the seasons. This leads to weak belief systems and few, if any, core values. If you don’t know what you truly believe, you will believe whatever sounds good at the time. But many of the things being promoted today make no sense in light of real truth. However, when you have a strong faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, these beliefs bump up against those standards and at some point, either stand or fall. But if you don’t have a sure standard, the lies stay with you and before you know it, you are off into a false belief system that will ruin your life. Remember, at the beginning I stated that the only remedy for deception is the love of Truth. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 regarding the 2nd coming of Jesus, ‘Let no one in any way deceive you, for ‘it will not come’ unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.’ The great apostasy today is not people falling away from the church, it is the church, culture, and the world falling away from the truth. This is clearly seen in the Methodist denomination. Charles and John Wesley started the movement. They were the catalysts of a great revival where many were brought to salvation in Christ and they never steered away from hard truths. They stood against the false teachings of the day and changed the world at that time. However, over time, many of the Methodist churches have moved into such apostasy that they go against some of the most basic of biblical values. I know there are some good Methodists who love Jesus, so I don’t put everyone under the same blanket. But a denomination that denies the value of life at its most vulnerable, has walked away from the truth of the word. But that is for a different blog. The Life – literally and figuratively, the completeness of life Jesus is stating here, that He, is the one that gives life. Remember God breathed into Adam, His breath of life. Every soul born has that same breath. Jesus is the giver of breath. The figurative side means that in Christ, we can have real and genuine life, active and vigorous, blessed and absolute fullness of life. That only comes through a relationship with Him. Without this life, we are left struggling, lacking, fearful, and burdened. Our only hope for a truly blessed life on this earth is with Jesus. No One – means no living person, nobody This needs no further explanation. Every single person alive on this earth, or who has passed, will have, or has had this opportunity. There have been many arguments throughout history regarding this belief, but it is true. Comes to the Father – has access to God Almighty This goes back to the ‘paths to God’ statement. God loves us and has given us a path to Him through Christ, and Jesus is explaining this to his disciples. But by Me! – end of argument. There is only one way to eternity with God the Father, and that is through Christ Jesus. You can make all the excuses, arguments, etc., you want, but if you do not make Jesus Lord of your life, you will never be able to have access to Father God. That is the only way. I’m not saying that, Jesus said it. John 14:6 "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by me." At the end of the day, you must decide if you believe what Jesus said. Not what I’m saying or any one else out there, but what Jesus said. This is the basis for everything else in your life. You cannot know the best way to navigate your life, you cannot know the real truth completely, and you cannot have fullness of life without Him. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, then all you have to do is pray. Ask Him to forgive you of your sin of denying Him. He is waiting on you to reach out to Him and His arms of forgiveness and love will wrap around you. Then make him Lord of your life, which means He is the director and navigator of your life. It is that simple. Then pursue Him, pursue Truth, by studying the Bible and spending time in prayer every single day. If you need help with that, please reach out to me. If you have slipped away from your devotion to Christ, turn now and repent and give your life more fully to Him. Don’t wait another minute. Deception is rampant and a relationship with Christ will keep you in truth and away from the deception of the enemy. It is your choice, today, choose absolute truth, choose life in Christ. |
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