Social Gospel

Matthew 25 

It’s a full chapter and for me to understand the bit of it that I do, I ask questions.
For this session I am bringing to you, I think we shall look at verses 41 – 46.

But as we begin, let’s go to the last verse, verse 46. We will go back to the others.

46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.” source

but those who have done what God wants

The question to ask is What does GOD want done?
We will have to bring in some other Text to answer that.

John 6:40; Luke 9:35; Mark 9:2-13; 2 Peter 3:9

GOD wants ALL people to believe His Son. 
GOD wants ALL people to turn from their sins to HIM.

These verses tell us the Will of GOD is that people be delivered from unbelief to believing JESUS.

Now if you have read verses 41 – 46 you have seen The LORD saying to a certain group, depart from Me into eternal punishment. Why? Verse 46 is the answer but all the way to verse 46 He gives them examples of their unbelieving hearts.
They did not 

Feed the hungry
Care for the sick and the imprisoned.

Today there is a social gospel being preached.
I think those who embrace this social gospel have missed the point of the passage — have missed the Truth. 

The deeds described in this passage are NOT a means to EARN salvation.
People will not enter HEAVEN even if they cured all the social ills of the planet.
They can feed, clothe, and serve people until they are penniless but that will NOT earn them a place in Heaven. 

GOOD DEEDS will not get anyone to heaven.

By the same reasoning, not doing these things will not send a person to hell either. 

People miss heaven and land in hell because they have refused to turn from their sins and believe GOD.

However, when we have been born again, when we have believed JESUS, we WILL do these acts of service.
These acts of service give evidence that perhaps we have been delivered from unbelief and darkness.

It is filled with treasures for the Believer who will dig in, asking for Holy Spirit to help them understand. 
I hope we have encouraged you to read, pray, and believe GOD.

Love, Kathie 

It’s Late and

I am wondering.
How can we preach to this generation?
How do we tell this generation to turn from sin to GOD?
Do you know that was John’s message? It was JESUS’ message. It was the Disciples’ message. It was Paul’s message. 

Scripture passages

Is it our message? 
Does this generation even know what is sin?
Can the average person define sin?  Does sin in their minds have any relevance to them? 

Then there is conviction.  Is there?
Do people experience conviction these days? 

And if people do not know what is sin and they do not experience conviction, how will they turn from sin to GOD?

Does this ever keep you awake at night? 

Love, Kathie

Count the Times

Psalm 22

Penned by David. Read by YESHUA and it speaks of YESHUA.

I have to think as David penned the Psalm he was experiencing deep angst. 
And I have to think as JESUS read this Psalm as the GODMAN, He knew He would experience the separation, the agony as written. 

1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my help are the words of my groaning.
source 

Matthew 27:46 King James Version
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Mark 15:34 King James Version
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Do you recognize the Voice?
Me too! 

Verse 3 (or 4 depending on your translation) speaks volumes to me.

4 (3) Nevertheless, you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Isra’el. Source

The verse before describes crying out to GOD and getting no answer – oh what trust it takes to cry and for a moment or two or longer, get no answer and STILL be willing to say Nevertheless, You are holy!

The world needs to see Christians like this!

I hope you will read this Psalm and when you do, take note; look carefully, how many times do you see JESUS in Psalm 22?

In Between

I am still thinking about an earlier post: A Weekend Suggestion.

And reading Matthew 27 again brings it all the more to mind. 

In A Weekend Suggestion, I reminded us that JESUS is the LIGHT of the World.
Matthew 27 tells us on the day YESHUA died BEFORE He died, from noon to about 3:00 the sun did not shine — it was dark. There was darkness everywhere. 
That means something to me. 

Allow me to share some of my thinking with you about Christiandom. It seems to me for the last many centuries people have been distracted by the beatings, spitting, heinous actions of the people against Yeshua. Yes, distracted.
Distracted from what we desperately need to see. 
We concentrate on the trial, the lies, the cat of nine tails, the crown of thorns — and we should be moved even more by it than we are but it is NOT the wrath of man against JESUS that saves us.
No.
It isn’t.
It is that
HE submitted Himself to the WRATH of THE FATHER poured out on HIM.

You read that right it is not the suffering He suffered at the hands of man BUT the WRATH OF GOD poured out on HIM by His Very Own FATHER GOD!

From Noon until about 3 o’clock we have no idea, no imagination, no comprehension, no means of knowing the HELL that was poured out on JESUS while He was alive on that cross.  

Why?
Because it was the ONLY WAY TO SAVE YOU AND ME!

JESUS suffered heinous, horrible, unholy, cruel, demonic physical assaults to His perfect Human Flesh but that was NOT GOD’s WRATH.
That was man’s wrath against GOD.

What saved you and me was what happened to JESUS, the GODMAN on that cross in the DARK.
When the LIGHT of the WORLD became DARKNESS.
The darkness we are without Him.

When HE said It is finished. That’s what He meant it.
It was Finished; the WRATH had been poured out and HE took it  — every last drop of it.
Isaiah 53:6
Mark 14:32-42
Romans 5:12-19

And then to fully identify with us and to fulfill every jot and tittle of prophecy HE DIED.

And in three days — HE arose from being graveyard dead!

Got doubts? 
Consider this.
During that darkness, JESUS cried out: 

45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  source 

And this:

A Weekend Suggestion

JESUS is the LIGHT of the world. 

John 8:12 New American Standard Bible
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 
source

 

Luke 23:44-45 Complete Jewish Bible
 44 It was now about noon, and darkness covered the whole Land until three o’clock in the afternoon; 
45 the sun did not shine. Also the parokhet in the Temple was split down the middle.
source 
parokhet – veil (curtain)

 

And the LIGHT of the world became DARKNESS so humanity could come out of their darkness and walk in the LIGHT.

May I suggest a weekend project? 
Would you be willing to pray and read some passages of Scripture? 
Would you be willing to read and see how it is that the LIGHT of the World secured our Deliverance? 
Would you be willing to read the passages with fresh and yielded eyes — would you be willing to SEE, really see what it COST GOD to save you and me? 

Suggested Passages:
Matthew 27: 45-54
Mark 15: 33-39
Luke 23:39-49
John 19:25-30

I am as close as a comment or an email if you want to talk about this. 
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