A Final Invitation & Warning ... What Say You?

Recently I had the pleasure of sitting with a veteran's widow and her family, in her hospital room as she is recovering from a fall that broke her hip. As we were discussing things, our conversation began to take a direction toward the condition of this world. The consensus in the room was we couldn’t believe how unneighbourly people had grown since COVID, but we had all agreed the issue seemed to have begun before COVID even came and went.

I told them that I saw the issue as stemming from when we began to demand that God be removed from the classroom, government and from most other things we could think of. If you think about it God calls us to live life one way, but the devil tries to get us to live life the opposite way. Where God calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves, our sinful human condition would love to see our neighbour fail in some way so we can buy their land off of them cheap, so we can go ahead and relentlessly farm that land as well, diminishing the nutrients that are on that land. We like to remove God from things because Leviticus 18 and Romans 1 make us feel uncomfortable. Maybe we like to say we believe in God, but when it comes to submitting to his word as the final authority in our lives, we like to deviate from the uncomfortable things as to avoid conflict.

The thing is, before we removed God from almost every aspect of our lives, kids (whether or not they believed in God) were being taught to love their neighbour as themselves, kids were being taught to do unto others as you would like them do to you, kids were being taught put others first as Christ Jesus put you first. I believe that those principles are how God intended us to live. And when kids were immersed in those principles, people seemed more willing to be neighbourly. But as we demanded God to leave our classrooms, our government and our homes, things have taken a noticeable turn. Our society no longer has care and concern for their neighbour like they used to. Employers no longer care about their employees like they used to. Employees no longer care about their jobs like they used to. People are all about themselves, and less about what God wants us to do.

We are so for ourselves that the word of God makes our culture uncomfortable, and as a result, the Bible is no longer read in laymen's terms, but rather we look to a priest or seminarian to tell us what does apply to our context and what doesn’t. We look to their authority to remove, adjust or alter the word of God to fit the cultural norms of today. Gone are the efforts of Martin Luther as he sought to translate the Bible so everyone, no matter who they were, could read it in Geneva. Gone are the efforts of William Tyndale, John Wycliffe and others like them who translated the Bible into common languages so everyone could read the Bible no matter who they were. Instead of spending time in the Bible with each other today, we sit here saying, yes, the old testament said that there, and the new testament repeats it here, but that is not applicable to our context because of this loophole. We figuratively set the Bible to flames in an effort to make it more appealing to others and to boost our popularity.

I am not saying that we shouldn’t listen to those we consider experts on the Bible. Instead, I am saying that we, as the local church, need to spend more time in the Bible together, simply spending time in the word of God, going book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse and word by word. Just taking someone's word for what the Bible says does not cut it. We need to be responsible enough to spend time in the word of God, chewing on it and digesting it, with prayer, fasting and conversation with each other. Not locking ourselves away from each other and setting to flames the opportunity to grow with each other spiritually as a church. Ultimately we need to be ready to allow the word of God to change us.

These things make me think about how God handled the Israelites, especially Jehoiakim, one of the last kings before God handed Isreal over to Babylians. Jehoiakim was arguably one of the most popular kings. God warned Jehoiakim and the Israelite people to turn from their ways, but Jehoiakim wouldn’t listen… In fact, he went as far as burning God’s word to avoid it.

Long before Jehoiakim, God instructed the Israelite people on how to live in the promised land, this is what he commanded in Leviticus 25:1-5

Leviticus 25:1–5 NASB95

The Lord then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the Lord. ‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. ‘Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year.

If we fast forward to the next chapter, we see God warning the Israelites if they don’t listen to his word. He says in Leviticus 26:27-35

Leviticus 26:27–35 NASB95

‘Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins. ‘Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat. ‘I then will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and heap your remains on the remains of your idols, for My soul shall abhor you. ‘I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas. ‘I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. ‘You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. ‘Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. ‘All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it.

So what do you think the Isrealite people did?

Well, they listen to God’s commands and his warnings Pastor Jesse! (you might say).

I wish that were so!

In the end, for 490 years, the Israelites ignored God's word, and they lived contrary to his commands. Science today tells us that when you farm a land relentlessly, you actually begin to deplete the nutrients in the soil. This is why mixing in fertilizer and manure spraying has become a practice in some places. Despite God’s words, the Israelites saw the profit and short-term benefits from farming straight through, and they took advantage of the Land God blessed them with, and they pillaged the soil.

So God, having more patience than I do, sent a warning to the Israelites through a Prophet named Jeremiah this is what was recorded (amoung other things) in Jeremiah 25:1-14

Jeremiah 25:1–14 NASB95

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. “And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, saying, ‘Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers forever and ever; and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’ “Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order that you might provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm. “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. ‘Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. ‘This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. ‘I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. ‘(For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’ ”

Remember that last verse the NIV translates it as “ I will repay them according to their dees and the work of their hands”, it is important for later.

This warning was not heeded. In fact, in Chapter 36, Jeremiah sends the same warning to Jehoiakim, the king of Isreal, and Jehoiakim, instead of listening to the word of the Lord, he burned the scroll containing the warning in verse 23. Then Jehoiakim ordered Jeremiah’s arrest, but God protected Jeremiah and had Jeremiah send another warning to Jehoiakim.

Ultimately we read what came of Isreal for their hardness of hearts in 2 Chronicles 36:15-21

2 Chronicles 36:15–21 NASB95

The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy. Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand. All the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.

Remember how long the Israelites didn’t obey God? 490 years! For every Sabbath year, they didn’t listen to God, God promised he would repay them. 490/7=70. And that is exactly how long the Israelites were in captivity. God keeps his word.

So what does God's word say about us today?

Romans 2:5-11 says:

Romans 2:5–11 NASB95

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.

Theres those words again in verse 6 “God will repay each person according to what they have done.”

It always amazes me when the old and new testament begin to line up.

In Revelation 22:12-21 God gives all of us yet another invitation and yet another warning, it says this to all of us.

Revelation 22:12–21 NASB95

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

The invitation is clear, and the warning is clear. If you hear the word to come to Jesus, you can come to Him, but you are also instructed to say “come” to those who are around you as well. You are instructed to give this invitation and warning. The warning is that if anyone persists in living practicing magical arts, living sexually immoral, living as a murderer, or as an idolater or anyone who loves or practices falsehood, they will not be on the inside of the gates—the word idolaters that's a huge word. If you place work above God, if you place money above God, if you place video games above God, if you place anything as more important in your life than God, you are practicing idolatry and are risking everlasting life. But if you hear this invitation, from Jesus, to come and you truly do come to the altar giving him everything in your life, you will be granted the free gift to the water and tree of life! You also need to be able to turn, if you hear the invitation, and say to all who would listen to you, come! Warning them and inviting them. Not speaking down to them because of their sins but walking beside them because you have sinned but have found that Jesus can wash you clean.

I wanted to close with a confession. I joined the Canadian Armed Forces in April 2011, I joined for a few reasons. The primary reason was that I was angry at God after my best friend died. So I ran to the first thing I thought would bring me the furthest from him. Instead of saving people, I was angry enough I wanted to kill people. So I started to live life the way everyone else around me did, drinking too much, fighting without cause, and having little regard for the way I acted and the way it affected other people. A year into my rebellion, I was lounging in my barrack room, and a friend, from my childhood church, walked into my barrack room unexpectedly. It was a surprise; we hadn’t talked for years, and here he was assigned to my room.

Our friendship started right where it left off, except he had Jesus, and I was rebelling. One day he and I were talking while playing pool, and he asked me how I got to where I was and why I was so bitter toward God. He said to me, after I told him why, “First, Jesse, God can take your hurt. Second, you have no hope without Jesus. Without Jesus, you have every chance in hell but no chance in heaven. You have no hope without the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.” In terms of my testimony, this was the second nudge I got toward my recommitment to Jesus Christ (you all heard my first nudge last week).

While those words were still fresh in my mind, I was out with my squad practicing vehicle maneuvers and patrols in Wainwright. I remember we were heading towards a tree line. Something didn’t seem right about that tree line. I turned to my MCpl and said I don’t like this. He told me to keep on going, and in a roundabout way (with more colourful words) to stop being a baby. So I proceeded. Our Vehicles were forced into a single file, leaving our flanks exposed. I don’t know why I felt so uneasy, but this wasn’t right. We moved further and further through the trees. Finally, I could see a break of light… we were almost through.

And that's when the chaos hit. Smoke popped in front, smoke popped behind, and smoke popped all around. There began to be explosions, yelling, and gunfire. I remember sitting in my driver's seat processing the situation, looking for an escape route, with hot 7.62mm machine gun shells falling down my shirt every once in a while, burning my skin. And at that moment, an enemy force soldier broke his cover from the bush and was rushing towards my window, pointing his gun at me. I just remember thinking I am not ready to die. And in that moment, I saw two scenarios.

Scenario 1: I stood before God, looking at Him I pleaded my case, I said, “Father, I am a good person, I lived my life the best I could, I saved some lives, I even saved a kitten the week before, father I am a good person.” And God, not being able to look at me, said, “I don’t know you.” Suddenly I was dragged from His presence and cast into this place of despair, remorse, and suffering.

Scenario 2: I was before God, I looked at God and said, “Father, look! I stand in the blood of your son Jesus Christ. Father, don’t judge me for who I am, but Father, judge me for who your son is.” And God looked upon me and said, “well done, good and faithful servant enter on in”

At this moment, I knew I had to make drastic changes to change my life to follow Jesus because the way I was going, there was no hope… my friend was right! I had every chance for hell, and so I needed the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

See, you can try to live your life following every rule in the book, but if you never submit your life to Jesus and follow him with all of your life, you, too, have every chance in hell. Salvation is not about living according to the rules we set out or society sets out, its about submitting your life to Jesus and following his good and perfect word.

Salvation doesn’t come about by looking at those who are struggling with sin and spitting on them proverbially, its about walking beside them with humility love and grace, being careful not to fall back into sin ourselves, while knowing it is Jesus who does the transformation in others lives and not us.

So with all that being said. You have a choice. You have a choice to take everything God's word says and apply it, living by its life-giving fruit and submitting fully to Jesus Christ. Or you can live according to your will, picking and choosing what to apply based on your comforts, and ultimately taking the risk. What say you?

Let's Pray