by David Brenneman
"Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” Matthew 23:1-39.
Paul, Peter, the unknown writer of Hebrews...the message is clearly there on top of what Jesus Himself said here. Beware of all false prophets and false teachers. In our day it's more appropriate to word this as false Pastors and false Teachers. There are a great many all over the world. Teaching things in classrooms and from the pulpit that ought not be taught to anyone. Literally they preach and teach the doctrines of demons that again the Scriptures warn us about.
It's perforated our society from the greatest to the least of people.
Liberalism has a great deal to do with this infection of the Church. Appeasing people rather than teaching the obedience of our Creator and Lord Jesus Christ.
I have this saying on a shirt.
I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world than to stand with the world and be judged by God.
Most in this world are not going to Heaven out of their rejection of salvation alone through grace alone in Jesus Christ alone.
This isn't speculation or conjecture. The Rapture of the Church could happen at any moment, at any time. My thoughts on that are irrelevant since that's what the Bible teaches. We are to be ready for it to happen. The writers of the New Testament were ready for it 2,000 years ago and taught future generations to expect the same. To be ready.
To stand firm in the Lord. Stand firm in His truth no matter what the world thinks about it.
Our world teaches a false hope in mankind's ability to save mankind.
Our world teaches that there's many ways to a better existence after we die, beit Heaven or Paradise or whatever their favorite thought about it is.
Jesus says that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Him.
Jesus is the only way, not one of many ways.
The Word of God isn't to be edited and twisted to appease the conscience of sinful people. There's an explicit list of those who are NOT going to see Heaven. It's non-negotiable. Preaching otherwise proves that the preacher is a false preacher. Not sent by the Spirit of God to lead and teach.
Jesus Christ said that not one part of the Bible will pass away but all will be accomplished. The good intentions and warm feelings being taught will get nobody into Heaven.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21.
"For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Ephesians 5:5.
How relevant is this? Read on...
This is very much today's world and it keeps getting worse from this:
"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Any so-called Church that doesn't preach the truth of God over public opinion you should run from.
Nobody's good life is enough to get into Heaven.
Nobody's last act of heroism having lived a life of rejection of Jesus Christ for salvation is going to get them into Heaven.
Nobody's selfless life lived without salvation in Christ Jesus will get into Heaven.
Doing great deeds for the Church without salvation in Christ Jesus will not get anyone into Heaven.
Salvation in Christ Jesus must include a right relationship with Jesus. A personal relationship with Jesus. He must be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life.
We can't know what truth is until we come to Truth found only in Christ.
Early it was mentioned about most in today's world will not see Heaven. Should the Rapture of the Church take place soon...soon afterwards billions, not millions, of people are going to die through the judgments of God upon this Earth. Those who die in this manner will not be going to Heaven but rather to Hell. Current population guesses put the 1/3rd death rate mentioned in Revelation to about 3-4 billion people at that particular judgment.
The thing is my Dear Reader...know the truth by coming to the Truth. Grow in Christ. Grow with fellow Believers in Christ who have a man of God who is firmly rooted in God's Word teaching you. This world is not going to get better. It's not going to improve. The Lord Jesus is coming soon. Nothing is going to change any of that. Jesus said that those who live Godly in Christ Jesus are going to be persecuted. It's coming. In big ways and small ways persecutions come.
Be about the Father’s business...be a light in this world. It's no wonder that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. We read that he blinds the minds of the unbelieving. They are people who were taken in by false light.
Salvation in Christ isn't a giving up of 'life' its finding the abundant life that we were promised. But unless you're in a right relationship with Jesus you're not going to find it. Unless you are being taught the whole counsel of God by men of God you're not going to find it. Unless obedience is following true understanding of God's word...you aren't going to find it.
A friend pointed out yesterday something about the parable about the sheep and the goats that Jesus Himself will separate. Both thought for sure they were saved. Both did what they thought were good deeds. Only the sheep had a right relationship with Jesus while the goats had none. I learned earlier this week that while very young sheep and goats look the same. Jesus knows who is who.
Be in the Word of God. Have a right relationship with Jesus. Identify false teachers and get away from them. Learn from Godly men. This isn't my opinion. There are no women preachers let alone homosexual preachers in the Bible. Study it yourself. Homosexuals will never inherit the kingdom of God. Pastor, Elder, Teacher in the original language of the Bible is a male.
Pray to know God's will for you, which according to 1 Thessalonians 4:3, is your sanctification. Learn from Godly men. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Pray for His return to be soon. There's yet to pieces of His Church yet to be added to complete His Church. Those people who haven't been saved yet who are going to be saved are those pieces.
This is a long post but it's what's been pressed upon me this morning. People get ready Jesus is coming soon. Be found by Him as doers of the word and not just hearers only who are deluding themselves. Set your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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