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A Glimpse at Life Under God’s Daily Anger

A Glimpse at Life Under God’s Daily Anger

Wrath That Lingers

As the old Puritan prayer reads, “From Your wrath, good Lord, deliver us.” Today, such a sentiment seems foreign, even offensive, in our modern church culture. After all, haven’t we matured from the medieval superstition of the wrath of a vengeful God? Isn’t our God of today a God of love, acceptance, and inclusivity? Yet how quickly we forget that the Lord our God remains “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), before whom we all must one day stand, regardless of how uncomfortable that truth might make us feel.

The Scripture pulls no punches in revealing the reality of God’s righteous anger unleashed against all ungodliness. Romans 1:8 states, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of men.” That’s present tense, today. And the word all, means just that, all. Perhaps no verse captures the persistence of God’s anger toward those who continue in disobedience more than Psalm 7:11, which reads, “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” The word angry means “enraged, indignant, foaming at the mouth in rage.”¹  This describes an attribute of God that is missing in most preaching and Systematic Theology textbooks today. But it is, nevertheless, true. God is angry, even enraged, with the wicked every single day.

So what does it truly mean to have the Almighty actively express His displeasure and anger against you on a daily basis? How does the anger of the Lord manifest itself in the life of someone recklessly pursuing sin’s empty promises and shaking his defiant fist in the face of God? For a sign-seeking generation like ours, could this be the ultimate warning sign from heaven— to have the force of divine wrath rest upon you 24 hours a day? Let’s peer behind the veil into a life living under the cloud of God’s abiding anger.

Life Under the Anger of God


Life Under the Anger of God

Face it, yours is a bleak existence. You awaken each morning under the weight of God’s disfavor pressing down on your soul. His anger seems to fill the very air around you. It’s the first reality that greets you in the morning, and the last thing you think about at night. And all during the mundane activities of your day, His anger is always there, reminding you of your sin and guilt and future judgment and condemnation, leaving you no place to hide.

Hardships and frustrations mount in frequency and intensity, like the birth pains of a woman in labor. Deadlines are missed, relationships strained, and accidents occur almost as if by design. Minor headaches morph into searing migraines. The hand of God’s opposition seems evident as if cursing the very works of your hands. And what faint flickers of hope or joy you find in life are quickly extinguished before they can take root.

In public, you force smiles through gritted teeth. But inside, you’re naked and exposed and petrified beneath the glare of His wrath. Guilt and regret consume your private moments. Your mind endlessly replays past sins, reopening old wounds long since concealed and buried. Your anguished cries of “Why, God?” are met by His silence. Deep in your heart, you know the answer— God is disciplining you for your arrogant obstinance. Yet still, you refuse to bend.

Sleep brings you no escape, only haunted visions of past sins and impending doom. You toss upon a bed of inner anguish. Spiritual oppression grows. Confusion now clouds once simple choices. You descend each day further into bondage, making compromises you once thought unthinkable. An unseen Sovereign now holds your mind and will in shackles. Again, you refuse to repent.

As years pass, the curse inevitably takes its toll— addictions form, your health deteriorates, and your dreams begin to die. Even minor mishaps now leave you increasingly bruised and battered. Relationships crumble, and vocations stall. Your conscience grows calloused and cold, now easy to ignore. And as you feel the walls of God’s chastisement closing in, your life shrinks down to this small, miserable existence. In essence, you hate your life. Yet still, you cling to your sins.

In rare moments, something within you stirs. A faint beam of light peeks through the darkness, revealing fleeting sensations of peace, and flashes of joy and hope you once held dear. Your heart softens for an instant as you consider turning back to God in repentance. But as quickly as it came, the darkness returns, with a vengeance, heavier than before. The wrath remains unchanged. And you continue down the path of judgment.

But somewhere deep down, the fear and dread of facing the Judge arises. You see yourself standing exposed, guilty, in utter shame, ready to receive the eternal payment for a lifetime of rebellion against Him. But, as before, your heart stubbornly resists being broken. Today will not be your day of salvation. The appointed time of reprieve passes again as the freedom offered you is spoken of, yet never chosen nor embraced.

But There is Hope


But There is Hope!

This is but a glimpse of what it is like to live under the righteous anger of the Almighty and to daily grieve the Holy Spirit. This is the existence of one who spites the rich love of Christ who bled for your redemption, to harden yourself like Pharaoh against the word of the Lord, and to refuse to bow the knee when the opportunity still remains. Surely, you must know, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

And yet, take heart and be encouraged. For even under the relentless barrage of God’s wrath, the soft voice of hope and redemption can still be heard. It whispers this condition is not final, and your sentence is not fixed. For there is One who willingly absorbed the wrath of God in your place— Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And through Him, though your sins be as scarlet, Jesus can make you white as snow (Isa. 1:18).

But all this you know. Now it’s time to humble yourself and receive His gift.

Remember, no further wrath awaits those who place their full faith and trust in Him. As the Scriptures proclaim, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). His love triumphs over wrath, and you can be free of your condemnation by faith in Him. And once you trust and receive Him, your dark night of the soul will give way to the dawning light of God’s forgiveness and joy.

It’s not too late. This sad story doesn’t have to be your story. As long as you have breath in your lungs, the door of His mercy stands open. So turn from going your own way, and enter into the shelter of God’s grace. Allow your heart of stone to be made flesh and stop resisting the gentle promptings of the Spirit. His convictions are not meant to condemn you, but to heal and deliver you. Come to Jesus just as you are. Remember, His yoke is easy, His burden light.

And do it today!


Notes

1. Baker, W., & Carpenter, E. E. (2003). In The complete word study dictionary: Old Testament (p. 298). AMG Publishers.


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Hearing His Voice Above All the Distracting Noise

Hearing His Voice Above All the Distracting Noise

Practical Tips to Recognize God’s Voice in Scripture

In these uncertain times, many feel uneasy about the state of the world.  With Trump’s continual indictments, the escalating war in Ukraine, inflation, deception from our sacred institutions, the growing apostasy of the church, and the clear warnings from Scripture about the coming troubles ahead, if you’re not careful, all of this can instill fear and depression in you and make you not want to get out of bed.  But that should never be the case.  Our Lord has not left us alone or without guidance.  He promises we will recognize His voice among the others and be able to follow Him, no matter what circumstances we may find ourselves in (John 10:4).

Remember, God wants to speak to us through His Word.  And when we believe that to be true, then His Word becomes more to us than a bunch of stories that happen to people we can’t relate to a long time ago.  Instead, His Word becomes something alive, active, and powerful in our lives (Heb. 4:12).  His Word becomes the channel through which we come to know Him better.  And when it does, when we see the Scriptures this way, they become the greatest blessing of all.

So, let’s look at a few ways we can learn to hear His voice through His Word so that when we come together on Sunday, we can share with others how God has spoken to us and changed our lives.


Keys to Hearing His Voice

The first key to hearing God’s voice is to have a heart of expectancy and grand anticipation.  We must believe the Bible is much more than an ancient, archaic book— it is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training us in the life of righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).  In essence, God’s Word is right and correct about everything it addresses.  And it addresses everything in life.  Plus, God promises His Word will not return void but will accomplish His purposes (Isa. 55:11), which, among other things, is to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).  So come to the Scriptures eagerly expecting God has something personal to say to you each day— you will not be disappointed.

Second, pray for insight and understanding before reading God’s Word.  Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive His truth.  They are right before you, just under the surface, waiting to be discovered.  But you have to have the desire to seek after them to find them.  Before you read, pray something like this, “Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things in Your law” (Psalm 119:18).  Then watch the Spirit lead you into all truth as you seek God’s wisdom in His Word (John 16:13, James 1:5).

Next, when you read the Scriptures, slow down and take your time.  This is not a race against the clock.  Read them thoughtfully, carefully, and slowly, savoring each word as coming from the lips of God directly to you.  Read the passage once, twice, or multiple times, emphasizing each word as you do, letting the words sink deep into your heart and soul instead of rushing through just to get finished.  And as you meditate on God’s Word, His voice will rise above the noise and distractions of life that seem to demand so much of our attention.  Remember the promise: “Blessed is the man…(whose) delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

Also, write down the verses, passages, or principles that speak to you so you can later reflect on them and share them with others.  The physical act of writing helps cement God’s words in your mind, making them easier to remember.  And reviewing these key Scriptures regularly, maybe during your prayer times with the Lord, will help train you to discern God’s voice over your own and help you practice what He has revealed to you.

And most importantly, you must put into practice what you are reading and learning from Scripture.  Obedience is the key that unlocks the door of intimacy with God and allows you to hear more of His voice.  Remember the promise of Jesus, “He who has My commandments and keeps them (obedience), it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and (1) I will love him and (2) manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).  Manifest in this passage means “to make known, to be seen openly, to experience with the senses.”¹  Just think, God will reveal Himself to you to be experienced by your senses, if you obey what He has told you in your times alone with Him and His Word.  Isn’t that the point of surrendering to Him?


How Does God Speak to Us Through His Word?

As we spend time daily soaking in God’s Word, His voice will become unmistakable to us.  Here are some specific ways He speaks through His Word:²

Through Direct Commands: God gives clear instructions in Scripture for thinking, living, and acting righteously.  For instance, the Ten Commandments provide directives on how to follow God wholeheartedly and love others unselfishly, just like He does.  And if God commands us to do something (or to not do something), we can rest assured we are able to follow His command because God would never require us to do what we cannot do (1 Cor. 10:13).  Remember, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, (promise) and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).  And God often “directs our paths” by revealing His commands to us in Scripture.  From that point forward, all we have to do is obey.

Through Timeless Principles: God’s Word provides timeless truths and principles we can apply to life’s circumstances.  For example, we have principles like: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39), “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31), and “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).  By meditating on these precepts, we can be better prepared to make wise and prudent decisions based on the will of God and not fall prey to lies and deceit of the evil one (John 8:44).

Through Correction and Warning:‌ At times, God speaks through Scripture to correct wrong or selfish thinking or warn against the sinful choices we are about to make.  His rebukes and warnings are often painful but reveal His loving care and desire for our best.  We must welcome and embrace God’s correction and chastisement to walk in freedom from sin and lusts of the flesh, knowing He loves and delights in us.  “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12).

Through Promises and Reassurance: From Genesis to Revelation, God encourages His people with promises of His presence, power, blessings, faithfulness, peace, protection, and love.  For example, after Joshua’s death, God tells the Israelites, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).  In a world filled with trouble and strife, God promises to comfort and sustain us in every situation.  “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; (why) for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

In all these ways, and countless others, God faithfully speaks through His Word to instruct, guide, convict, encourage, empower, heal, correct, affirm, challenge, and comfort us.  And as we dedicate time to Scripture reading and memorization, we will soon recognize His voice more and more.  As Jesus promised, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).


Staying Anchored to Him and His Word

Staying anchored in God’s Word is the best way to hear His voice above the noise of life.  Though distractions and busyness threaten to drown out His voice, as we carve out quiet time to meet with God in the Bible each day, He promises to speak to us.  And when He does, everything changes in our spiritual life.  Not sure that’s true?  Then try it for yourself, and you’ll see. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

God has so much He wants to say to you through His Word.  Simply draw near to Him today with a sense of expectancy.  Open your heart to receive whatever He wants to reveal from His Word.  Allow His living voice to bring you hope, healing, conviction, direction, and purpose.  Choose today to listen and obey His voice above all the noise competing for your attention.  And if you do, you will be refreshed and transformed into the image of Christ.


Notes

1. Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

2. Actually, God can speak to us any way He chooses, from a “still small voice” in the mouth of a cave (1 Kings 19:12) or through the lips of a donkey (Numbers 22:28-30).  He is God, and He does what He pleases (Psalm 115:3).


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The If / Then in Repentance

The If / Then in Repentance

We have previously talked about the importance of understanding our responsibility regarding the if / then passages in Scripture.  In these, the promise of God (then) is contingent upon some completed action on our part (if).  One always precedes the other.  One is always contingent upon the other.  When the if is satisfied, the promised then is realized.  But the opposite is also true.  If there is no if, there will be no then.  If no condition is met, there will be no fulfillment of the promise.  It’s Contract Law, 101.

For example, when Peter preached his powerful sermon on the day of Pentecost that ushered in the birth of the church, he closed his message with an if / then promise.  Let’s look at this in context.  First, Peter concludes his message with a statement about Jesus and their guilt in rejecting and crucifying Him.

Acts 2:36 – “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified (now it’s personal), both Lord and Christ.”

Then, under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, the people cry out for an answer.  They long and seek for salvation, some deliverance from the guilt of their sin.

Acts 2:37 – Now when they heard this (the words Peter just spoke), they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter answers their question with an if / then promise regarding repentance and salvation.  They must do something (if) to receive salvation and the forgiveness of their sins (then).  If they fail to do what is required of them (if – repentance), then salvation does not follow (then). Watch how this plays out.

Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said to them, “Repent (if – the condition they must meet), and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (as an outward sign of their repentance and submission to Christ); and (then – the promise of salvation, the result of meeting the condition of repentance) you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Remember, the Holy Spirit is our proof of salvation.  Ephesians 1 says we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance” in Him (Eph. 1:13-14).  Again, no Holy Spirit, no regeneration, no changed nature— no salvation.  But you already know this.


Turn at My Rebuke

Yet even after salvation, we find the same if / then conditions and promises still apply in our lives today.  This is especially true regarding the sins we commit as a believer and our refusal to repent of them and give them up in exchange for a deeper relationship with the Lord.  Look at your own life.  You and I have areas right now that we struggle with and refuse to submit to Him.  But you also already know this.  The end result of this inaction on our part is a grieving of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and a noticeable break in our fellowship with the Lord.  Can you relate?  Ever been there?

We even see this scenario played out for us in the first chapter of Proverbs.  In this chapter, the young man (representing you and me) is warned by his father and mother not to forsake what he has been taught and to not consent when sinners entice him to sin (Prov. 1:10).  The Lord then spends the next nine verses detailing the types of pressure each of us will face when we are tempted to sin.  There’s peer pressure, greed, anger, violence, acceptance, excitement— it’s all there.  Read it for yourself.

By the time we get to Proverbs 1:20, things change a bit in the text.  Now we have wisdom, the personified wisdom of God, calling out to this young man with the message of repentance.  In fact, we see wisdom calling out to anyone who will listen.  Wisdom calls out in the “open squares,” in the “chief concourses” and “at the opening of the gates in the city” (Prov. 1:20-21).  Wisdom is calling to everyone.  To those who are lost, it’s a message of repentance unto salvation.  To those, like the young man and you and me, it’s a message of repentance unto fellowship and a restoration of our intimate relationship with our Lord.

Wisdom’s message begins with a rebuke.  It’s like incredulously asking, “Just how stupid are you?”

Proverbs 1:22 – “How long, you simple ones (foolish ones, naive ones, stupid ones, moronic ones), will you love simplicity (what is foolish, stupid, moronic)?  For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge.”

Wisdom asks each of us the same question: “How long, you foolish, moronic, stupid ones, will you love your stupidity?  How long, you fools, will you be enamored in your folly?”

Just like those who heard Peter’s charge in Acts 2:36, we also ask the same question:  “What must we do?”   The answer is simple.  But it’s an if / then answer.  It requires something of us in order to receive something from the Lord.

Proverbs 1:23 – “Turn (if – the condition that must be met) at my rebuke; Surely (then – the results of meeting the condition) I will pour out my spirit (Holy Spirit) on you; (then) I will make my words known (yada) to you.”

The promise is that God would pour (to gush forth, to flow) out the Holy Spirit on those who turned (turn back, returned) and repented at the rebuke (correction, reproof, chastisement) of wisdom.  And, as if it couldn’t get any better, He also promised to make His words known (yada) to those who repented and turned back to Him.  The word “known” is yada in the Hebrew and means to know, or be known, in a loving, intimate, experiential way.  The promise offered by the Lord is for Him to pour Himself out on us in the Person of the Holy Spirit and make His words become something we love because we have experienced them ourselves, first-hand, and have an intimate, loving relationship with Him.   Does it get any better than this?  Not for me.

But don’t get too excited.  This wonderful promise is conditional.  It’s the then side of the if / then equation.  There is something that is required in order to receive the promise from God.  Something each of us must do.

We must repent.  We must turn at the rebuke or correction and chastisement of the Lord.

It means to go back to where we were with Him before we jumped ship to blindly go after the trinkets and toys this world offers.  It means to embrace the eternal and reject the temporal, no matter how good the temporal may make us feel in the short run.  It means placing ourselves back under the Lordship of Christ as the Sovereign One.  We must repent of the selfishness of demanding our Christian life being about us, and not about Him.  And we must vow to never view Christ as a genie in a bottle, always at our beck and call, whose sole purpose, according to us, is to make all our dreams come true.

Turn.  Return.  Go back.  Repent.


But What If I Don’t?

I mean, what if I refuse to return to Him?  What if I’m ok where I’m at and don’t want to go through the pain and hard times that come with repentance?  What if I say, no?

I’ll close by letting you read what the Lord says about people who stubbornly refuse His rebuke.  These are sobering words.  Take them to heart.  Because they are a warning from Him.  Another if / then promise.

Proverbs 1:24-27 – “Because (if – the condition we have met) I have called and you refused, (if – the condition) I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because (if) you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, (then – the result of our actions) I also will laugh at your calamity; (then) I will mock when your terror comes, (to what extent) when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.”

But it gets worse.  What happens when we reject the wisdom of the Lord and inevitably begin to experience all the “terror” and “destruction” that “comes like a whirlwind” (Prov. 1:26-27)?  What happens when the Lord gives us what we want and allows us to experience the consequences of our own sin (Rom.1:24-28)?  What happens when we’ve had enough of God’s chastisement, throw up our hands in defeat, and begrudgingly come to Him on His terms?  What happens then?  How will He receive us?

Read this carefully.  These are sobering words.

Proverbs 1:28-30 – “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.  (why) Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke.”

These are some of the most frightening words in all of Scripture.  They indicate there may come a time when our constant rejection of the Lord will dry up His grace.  A time when heaven is quiet and, no matter how hard we try, we can’t find the grace from Him we took for granted for so long.  The time may come, according to this if / then promise, when God allows us to experience the consequence of our sins and may give us exactly what we have asked for, what we have demanded— deliverance from Him.

Pray that day never comes.

And while you still can, turn at His rebuke and allow Him to “pour out my spirit on you” and “make my words known to you” (Prov. 1:23).  Because when He does what He has promised in the verse, you will begin to experience heaven on earth.

Return to Him today.

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The If / Then Promises of God

The If / Then Promises of God

If your resolution this year is to “understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:5), then you must begin this vision quest by understanding how the if / then passages in Scripture work.  Simply put, you do the ifs, and God provides the thens.  One is contingent upon another.  One comes first, and the other follows after.  One is a condition that must be met, the other is the result of meeting that condition.  One is your responsibility, and the other is His.

Consider this passage from Proverbs 2:

Proverbs 2:1-5 – My son, if (condition) you receive my words, and (if you) treasure my commands within you, (to what extent) so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if (condition) you cry out for discernment, and (if you) lift up your voice for understanding, if (condition) you seek her as silver, and (if you) search for her as for hidden treasures; then (result of meeting the condition) you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

As you can see, the promise of understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God only comes after the if conditions are met.  One is contingent upon another.  Meeting the if condition is the key that unlocks the then promise,  If I want to understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God, then I must meet the condition set forth to receive that promise.  It is foolishness, according to this passage, to assume we will receive the promise without meeting the condition.

Some promises in Scripture are granted without a condition being met.1  Others, most in fact, have a condition attached to them.  For example, our salvation is based on meeting a condition:

Romans 10:9 – That if (condition) you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and (if you) believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, (then – result or promise) you will be saved.

Note that salvation comes after the condition is met.  Repentance and the acknowledgement of Christ as Lord is mandatory, not optional.  You cannot come to faith in Him any other way.  This is an if / then passage about salvation.


If / Then Passages

But there’s so much more.  Take a look at a few of these if / then passages.  See if you can begin to understand how important your part is in receiving the promises of the Father.

Matthew 6:14-15 –  “For if (condition – your action and responsibility) you forgive men their trespasses, (then – the result or promise from God) your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if (condition – your action and responsibility) you do not forgive men their trespasses, (then – the result or promise from God) neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

If we desire forgiveness from God, we must first forgive others.  First the condition, then the promise.  How important is it for me to forgive others who have wronged me?  It’s vital.  For without meeting the horizontal condition of forgiveness between me and another, God is not obligated to fulfill the vertical condition of forgiving me for my sins and transgressions.  This is not something to play around with.  This if / then condition has lasting, eternal consequences.

John 15:10 – “If (condition) you keep My commandments, (then – result) you will abide (rest, dwell, make your home) in My love, (example) just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

How do I rest and abide in the love (agape) of Christ?  And how can I experience the abiding presence of that love like Jesus had with His Father?  By meeting the if condition of the if / then promise.  By keeping His commandments.  By doing what He tells me to do.  By loving Him through my obedience and not living a life of rebellion, apathy or arrogance.  After all, Jesus also said in another if / then passage, “If you love Me, (then) keep My commandments” (John 14:15).  Which means, if I love Him, then I will show my love for Him by keeping His commandments.  And if I don’t love Him, then I won’t keep His commandments.  Or, more frightening still, if I’m not keeping His commandments, then I must not love Him at all.  Which means our love for Christ can be clearly seen by our obedience to Him.  Not in our words, but in our actions (Luke 6:46).

We’ll close today with just one more.  This if / then promise was spoken to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus right before Jesus raised him from the dead in the sight of all.

John 11:40 – Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if (condition) you would believe (then – result) you would see the glory of God?”

Jesus was about to raise a man back to life who had been dead and buried four full days.  It was to be a powerful testimony that Christ is God and can do all things.  For me, it’s one of the greatest miracles in the New Testament.  But Martha would fail to see God in any of this unless she believed.  She was in danger of becoming hard hearted and spiritually blind, much like the Pharisees and others who made up the religious establishment of that day, to what was about to take place.  Instead of experiencing the glory of God, she would go back to her home unchanged, unmoved, and further away from the One who raised her brother from the dead.  Why?  Because of her lack of belief.  Jesus’ words to her were simple, “If you believe (the condition that unlocks the revelation of the glory of God), then (the result of her faith and belief) you will see the glory of God.”  And the opposite is also true.  “If you do not believe (condition), then (result of lack of faith) you will not see the glory of God.”

The spiritual magnitude of this momentous event for Martha was contingent on her belief— on the if part of the if / then promise from Jesus.

Are you beginning to see the importance of these overlooked if / then promises in Scripture?  Good.  Because there are hundreds of them.

For the next few weeks we’ll be looking at the if / then passages found in Scripture to discover what part we must play in receiving the promises from God.  Why?  Because fulfilling the if part is something we can do.  It’s something we can get better at.  Something the Lord has left in our hands.  Obedience to His Word is our responsibility.  And the promises for obedience, the results of the if / then promises in Scripture are, honestly, overwhelmingly wonderful.

Tomorrow we’ll begin looking at the if / then promises found in the Proverbs.

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1 – For example, God’s promise to Abraham is not conditional on anything Abraham would, or would not do (Gen.12:7).  See also Gen. 12:1-3; 13:15-16; 15:18-21; 17:6-8; and 35:11-12.

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374:  In Everything Give Thanks… Why?

374: In Everything Give Thanks… Why?

In the final few words in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul leaves them with some heartfelt, bullet-point warnings and admonitions that speak to living in the Kingdom.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 he said,

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

If you look closer, you will see this is another classic, life-changing if / then passage.  If we do the first three, then we won’t experience the last.  Or, if we don’t do the first three, then the last, quenching the Spirit, is ours as a consequence of the first three.  And who in their right mind wants to willingly quench the Spirit of God in our life.  But there is so much more to be found here.  Interested?  Then keep listening.

The following is a study on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19.

To download the slides to this message, click – HERE

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