HATED
WITHOUT CAUSE
Readings:
Psalm
25:1 – 5 “O LORD, do I lift up My soul. 2. O My God,
I trust in Thee: let Me not be ashamed, let not Mine enemies triumph over Me.
3. Yes, let none that wait on Thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which
transgress without cause. 4. Shew Me Thy ways, O LORD; teach Me Thy paths. 5.
Lead Me in Thy truth, and teach Me: for Thou art the God of My salvation; on
Thee do I wait all the day.”
These
are the cries of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Cross. His enemies were all
around Him – like “strong bulls of
Bashan”, He said in Psalm 22 v.12!
But He clung to the LORD God in Heaven in His total submission as the Perfect
Sacrifice; the Lamb. He was being perfected in the flesh by His total Obedience
[Hebrews 5:7 – 9]. The remaining
verses, 6 – 22, reveal that He was making
intercession for the souls of fallen mankind, completely identifying Himself
with all sinners, as He hung there, “numbered
with the transgressors” [Isaiah
53:12]. Note that in v3, He looks
forward in time to the Judgment. Because of the Salvation He has wrought for
mankind in Himself, those who choose to transgress from God’s Holy Ways rather
than take Christ as their Life, are doing so completely without cause; without
good reason.
John
8:1 – 59 “This they said, tempting Him, that they
might have to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on
the ground, as though He heard them not. 7. So when they continued asking Him,
He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let
him first cast a stone at her. 8. And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out
one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10. When Jesus had lifted up
Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are those
thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11. She said, No man, Lord. And
Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
These
first eleven verses of this long chapter reveal not only that He came to seek
and to save the lost [Luke 19:10],
that is, sinners, but that the whole event was because the scribes and
Pharisees hated Him.
They
tried to trip Him up at every opportunity. They weren’t interested in the
woman’s soul; they just wanted to find a reason to accuse Him of wrong! And
yet, they still had a conscience! From the eldest to the youngest, they gave in
to their inner conscience! The woman called Him, Lord. And she was free to
change her life and follow Him.
In the
remaining verses the Lord speaks of Light, of Truth, of Judgment, of the
eternal difference between God’s Ways and Satan’s ways.
vs 45 – 47 “And
because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not. 46. Which of you convinceth Me
of sin? And it I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me? 47. He that is of God
heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
And
in speaking of Truth, the Lord qualifies a very oft-quoted phrase, “the truth shall make you free”! So
let’s see the whole statement, and what it implies!
vs31 – 32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed;
32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
It is
all to do with the Truth of the Word of God! Through continuing to live in
accordance with the Word of God, you show yourself to be one of His disciples;
joined to Him. Then the Truth in you will make you free – free from
what? From sin, or rather, the disobedient life, of course!
vs 33 – 37 “They
answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how
sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free? 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant
abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36. If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37. I know that ye are
Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you.”
Simple;
one thing or the other! Either you love the Word of God because Christ gives it,
or you do not.
1
Thessalonians 5:1 – 24
“Ye are all the children of light,
and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7. For
they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the
night. 8. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate
of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9. For God hath
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with Him. 11. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another,
even as also ye do.”
Paul
takes up the theme of Christ’s disciples being of the Light. The darkness of
the night has no place in the light of the Word of God. Having that Light
working in the life of the child of God must result in watchfulness, protection
from error and bitterness, and the hope of salvation.
v9 is proof that God wants His children of light out of
the way before the world careers downhill towards the days of trouble and
darkness [Zephaniah 1:15; Amos 5:20]
vs23 – 24 “And the very God of peace sanctify
you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24. Faithful is He that
calleth you, who also will do it.”
Jude
vs 1 – 25 “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and
brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved
in Jesus Christ, and called:”
The
first verse of Jude’s short and powerful message really sums up its point. His
readers were those he expected them to be as being warned and encouraged by his
preaching. They were sanctified, separated unto God out of the world. They were
safe in God their Father. They were preserved from the world, the flesh and the
devil by the poured out Blood of their Saviour Jesus Christ. And they knew they
had been called to that High Calling in Christ!
Psalm
41:1 – 13 (To the chief Musician) Blessed is he that
considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver Him in time of trouble. … “
A
‘Messianic Psalm’. David, moved by the Holy Spirit speaks of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is clearly ‘in trouble’ as He hangs on the Cross surrounded by
hatred, reviling and blasphemy.
v9 “Yea,
Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath
lifted up his heel against Me.”
Clearly
speaking of Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him. After he had taken the sop from
the Lord, he went out to join the scribes and elders of the people to muster up
the people to arrest Him in the Garden.
vs2 – 13 “The
LORD will preserve Him, and keep Him alive; and He shall be blessed upon the
earth: and Thou wilt not deliver Him unto the will of His enemies. 3. The LORD
will strengthen Him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make all His bed in
His sickness. 4. I said, LORD, be merciful unto Me: heal My soul; for I have
sinned against Thee. 5. Mine enemies speak evil Me, When shall He die, and His
name perish? 6. And if he come to see Me, he speaketh vanity: his heart
gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. 7. All that
hate Me whisper together against Me: against Me do they devise My hurt. 8. An
evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto Him: and now that He lieth He shall
rise up no more. 9. Yea, Mine own familiar friend, [Judas Iscariot] in whom I
trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me. 10. But
Thou, O LORD, be merciful unto Me, and raise Me up, that I may requite them.
11. By this I know that Thou favourest Me, because Mine enemy doth not triumph
over Me. 12. And as for Me, thou upholdest Me in Mine integrity, and settest Me
before Thy face for ever. 13. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from
everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.”
1
John 5:1 – 21 “… 3. For this is the love of God, that we
keep His commandments: and His commandaments are not grievous. 4. For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world,
but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6. This is He that came by
water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7. For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one. 8. And there are three that bear witness in
earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”
Just
a few verses from the chapter which is all about overcoming; victory over the
world through maintaining a close relationship with the Father and with the
Risen Crucified Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
John
apparently wrote these letters before he was exiled to Patmos where he received
the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Yet he already had knowledge of the Lamb’s New
Name – the Word of God! [Revelation
19:13] These are the Three in One of v7 that bear record in Heaven. “I and My Father are One”, He said [John 10:30].
The
three that agree on earth are the Holy Spirit, the Written Word of God and the
poured out Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who suffered and died according to
the Scriptures.
Luke 24:25 – 27 “Then
He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter
into His glory? 27. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded
unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
John’s
exhortation is to instil confidence in the believer that there is victory
through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ; complete victory over the world, the
flesh and the devil.
Hebrews 10:1 – 39 “… 9. Then said He, Lo, I come to do
Thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.
10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all.”
Powerful
words in this chapter to send out a simple Message : Christ’s poured out Blood
has already atoned for the sins of mankind, therefore we can approach God on
His Throne and enjoy a real relationship with Him, but turning away from such a
Sacrifice will result in eternal damnation!
Hebrews
12:1 – 29 “… 24. And to Jesus the mediator of the
new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than
that of Abel. 25. See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped
not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we
turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.”
Again,
the overall theme in these verses, is similar. The poured out Blood of Jesus has
cleansed all mankind from our offences before God, but certain judgment and
eternal punishment awaits those who count it worthless.
Psalm
1:1 – 6 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in
the seat of the scornful. 2. But His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in
His law doth He meditate day and night. 3. And He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf
also shall not wither; and whatsoever He doeth shall prosper. 4. The ungodly
are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5. Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous. 6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of
the ungodly shall perish.”
Hated Without Cause
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If
My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
“If My people … seek My face…”. Seeking the face of God is to seek
a very personal relationship with Him. His people of old were assured of
answers to their prayers if only they would humble themselves and seek His
face. It is surely “the mystery of
iniquity” [2 Thessalonians 2:7]
that as a nation they couldn’t comply! Nevertheless, we have now “better” stronger promises and “the blood of sprinkling” to provide us
with the victory we need to obey the voice of our God. [Hebrews 8:6, 12:24]
God,
in turn, as the Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman, seeks true worshippers to
worship Him.
John 4:23 “But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.”
True
worshippers are those who love and know God for themselves. In seeking His
face, we seek His Truth, and we find His Truth in His Word. The special
emphasis within this Book of Revelation is on Truth. There is no hope for any
man unless he treats this Revelation with all seriousness.
Revelation 3:7, 14 “…
He that is … true, … the faithful and true witness”
Revelation 15:3 “…
just and true are Thy ways”
Revelation 16:7 “…
true and righteous are Thy judgments”
Go
for the Book of Revelation! Find out how you are to live in Eternity!! In no
other Book of Scripture is the Truth
emphasised as much as in the Book of Revelation. Is it significant, then, in
this decadent age that very few Christians seem to want to read and understand
it? But we are to live prayer-filled lives, praying in the Holy Ghost.
Every
Judgment of God served upon a Christ-rejecting soul is, according to the
Scriptures, just. It is righteous and true in that all is exposed to be as God
knows it to be.
“Even
so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.” They are
complete.
Revelation 14:10 “The
same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb:”
“without mixture”. Nothing other than Judgment will be
in the Judgments! There will be no Mercy, nor Grace, otherwise it would not be
Judgment! “Grace and truth” says John
1:17, “came by Jesus Christ”. The Grace will be withdrawn in the Judgments,
but Truth will remain.
The
world upon which the Judgments will be poured out will be a world which utterly
hates Jesus Christ. It will be a world inspired by a personal hatred for
Him. It is a world which worships the beast (the man) and the dragon (Satan)
which gives power to the beast. [Revelation
13:4]. We, as true believers, must be inspired by a personal love
for our Lord Jesus.
The
Judgments will not be poured out indiscriminately; they are targeted and very
precise. “All the world wondered after
the beast” [Revelation 13:3]
Jesus Christ is not the world’s possession. The world hates Him and those who
reflect Him. The hatred of the world for the (true) Church reflects their
hatred for Christ. (In the 21st century we don’t see that too much, as the
churches have compromised on the Word of God and of the doctrine of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.)
The
Jewish leaders hated Christ. Even the heathen Pontius Pilate discerned that
they had delivered Him up to him for envy [Mark
15:10]. They hated Him because He couldn’t mingle with them on their terms.
Those with the world in their heart cannot stand someone who is preoccupied
with God. As they treated Him, so they will treat you.
But
we in His Church are to be always controlled by that Love. And our love for Him
must not be with indifference. There is no place for being lukewarm; you either
love Christ or you do not! [Revelation
3:15 – 16]
This
personal hatred for Jesus Christ by those who love this world and its ways will
increase, as we see even today in the 21st century, in the worshipping of
devils. Satanism has been declared a recognised religion. World leaders are
known to be Satanists; paedophilia and child sacrifice is already practised.
God
doesn’t consider us, members of the (true) Church, as being in the world. We
are declared to be His children. We have been chosen out of the world [John 15:19]. If I reflect the Lord
Jesus Christ, the First-born of God’s Family, I must also expect at some time
to receive the hatred of Him directed at me!
John 15:20 “…
If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;”
This
was the confidence of James and John in their desire to be especially close to
Christ in His Kingdom. They said they were able to drink of the same cup
as their Master – the cup of suffering and death. Their story reveals their
love for Christ. They knew Him after His Resurrection as Saviour, the One
declaring a forgiving God, and they experienced the hatred against anyone
associated with Him even before their Ministry as the Two Witnesses!
We,
as members of Christ’s Body, must live by God’s Word. Our love for the Word is
in proportion to our love for Christ personally.
1 John 5:12 “He
that hath the Son hath life…”
That
is, Eternal Life! And Eternal Life is not an experience, it is Life; Christ’s
Life! Eternal Life is a Person! It is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost that is an
experience!
John 3:36 “He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
In
not believing on the Risen Son of God, the soul had rejected Him for eternity.
Different people’s reactions to Christ differ in these days, but by the time
that these Judgments are poured out upon the earth, the world will be in full
swing of enjoying all the pleasures of sin; the lusts of the flesh and of devil
worship.
Romans 8:7 “Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be.”
The
carnal – unspiritual, fleshly, preoccupied with the things of the flesh – mind
is not subject to God’s Word. Therefore, to live for Jesus Christ we must live
a Divine Life!
Carnally
minded people will refuse you if you are speaking with the Authority of God.
Now, in these days, in the main, and in the UK, we are free to live for Christ,
to speak to people of Him, and to gather in His Name. But when harder times
come (*) what will the quality of your love be then? Will it be just religion;
outward, appeasing.
(*)
As I write this, in the spring of 2020, nearly every country in the world is “fighting”
an imaginary “pandemic” and in LockDown, including the mandatory closing of churches.
These days have been planned for decades by the “Global Elite”, but the
churches have been asleep!
John 15:22 – 25 “If
I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no
cloke for their sin. 23. He that hateth Me hateth My Father also. 24. If I had
not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin:
but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25. But this
cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law,
They hated Me without a cause.”
“They hated Me without a cause” He is quoting Psalm 69:4, which He spoke prophetically through David!
“now they have no cloke for their
sin”. Those who
love the world and its values and ambitions have nothing to cover over or to
hide their utter hatred for the Lord Jesus Christ and God on the Throne. Their
love for sin is exposed by the coming into the world of Jesus Christ.
There
is no reason, no excuse for any rejection of Christ, for any dislike of Christ.
If someone tells you that they don’t like your Christian life it means that
they don’t want to live a sinless life.
Jesus
Christ is without sin, and the world hates sinlessness! And to just dislike
such a Person as the Lord Jesus Christ amounts to hatred, because there is no
cause, no justification for anything other than love towards Him. It is just
not reasonable that anyone should hate Him. To the contrary, we should have a
fixation for Him!
Let’s
go back to John 8, the second of our Readings above. After some of the
Jews believed on Him, there was a disputing among them and they began
contradicting His words. Then He said
vs 46 – 47 “Which
of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?
47. He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because
ye are not of God.”
“Which of you convinceth Me of sin?” No one could! There was none in
Him. He had done nothing wrong, therefore He should be adored by everyone! When
we have that fixation, that love, that adoration in us then we will reveal Him.
We will find that it is unreasonable that anyone should hate Jesus
Christ.
In
Luke 19, as He was approaching
Jerusalem and knew that the people travelling with Him thought that the Kingdom
of God was about to come, He told the parable of the nobleman going away and
giving his ten servants each a pound to put to good use. But also He slipped in
this,
v14 “But his citizens hated him, and sent a
message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.”
He
was showing the people that if they wanted the Kingdom of God to come they had
to know that it was for sinless people; people free from the hatred of
sinlessness! To be in His Kingdom they first had to be free from their sin and
be free to love Him! His focus was always on Calvary! We really must have the
Lord Jesus reigning in our hearts!
Four
Reasons Why There Is No Excuse for Hating Jesus Christ
One. He has no sin in Him; no sinful
word or deed against anyone. There is no thought of sin in Him and no sinful
word comes out of Him. When we see His face marred more than any man and His
body disfigured from the scourging and crucifixion, we will know that those
wounds are there because the world hated Him.
Two. He speaks exactly in the same way
as as God on the Throne speaks. If God had come down off His throne and come to
us, we would not have heard anything different!
John 12:50 “And I know that His commandment is
life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father saind unto
Me, so I speak.”
Three. He is just like God upon the
Throne!
John 14:9 “Jesus
saith unto him, HaveI been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known
Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father;”
It
is clear that Jesus Christ must be received or rejected. The Book of Revelation
clearly shows the ultimate Destiny of those who have loved Him on earth, and
those who have rejected Him. And the Wrath of God must come upon all those who
have rejected Him, their Saviour.
Revelation 22:14 – 15
“Blessed
are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city [new Jerusalem]. 15. For
without [in the lake of fire] are dogs [unclean people], and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a
lie.”
Four. He behaved exactly as God on the
Throne behaves. As we read in John 15:24,
v24 If
I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had
sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father.
The
wonders, signs and miracles that He did, and that no one else could have done, were
not separated from His life; they were like His life. They pointed men to God.
That is not so today where mostly men draw men to other men.
John 15:22 “If
I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no
cloke for their sin
“If”
… but He has come! He has spoken! If He had not come, they
would have had some reason, some excuse. But now they have no
excuse!
They
have no cloak to hide their sin of unbelief against Him; to hide their hatred
of Him. We must be different from the world and their reactions and opinions of
Jesus Christ. All our lives must show the Lord Jesus Christ. All the motives of
my heart must be to manifest, to reveal, Him.
So
we see that there is absolutely no excuse for rejection of Jesus Christ. There
was and still is no excuse for their sin.
Returning
to John
8,
v42 Jesus
said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.”
“neither came I from Myself” – He was God’s provision for all
mankind to have a Lamb for a Sacrifice for our sins. There is NO excuse to hate
Christ!
Psalm 82:1 – 8 “God
standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods. 2. How long will ye judge
unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3. Defend the poor and fatherless:
do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4. Deliver
the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5. They know not, neither will
they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are
out of course. 6. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children
of the most High. 7. But ye shall die like men, and
fall like one of the princes.
8. Arise, O God, judge the earth:
for thou shalt inherit all nations.”
These
verses, spoken prophetically by Christ through Asaph, reveal His same attitude
as is seen in the Book of Revelation.
v4 “the hand of the wicked”. A plural word
for “wicked” [Newberry Edition, KJV],
but most certainly headed up by that wicked one, Satan.
Revelation 20:2,10 “And
He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years. 10.And the devil that deceived them was cast
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
v5 “all the foundations of the earth are out of
course.” The earth is not going according to the Word of God. Holy people
(redeemed by the Blood of Christ) need a New Earth under a New Heaven to
live in! This earth will eventually be replaced by a new earth.
Revelation 21:1 “And
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
v6 “I have
said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
Christ
is saying that He has treated us as having taken the Word which He gave us. He
expects us to come to God through Him. We were made in His image in the first
place for that very purpose. Christ longed for men to believe on Him. He said, ‘Believe
Me for the works’.
John 10:38 “But
if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and
believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
John 14:11 “Believe
Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the
very works’ sake.”
“…
true and righteous are Thy judgments” proclaimed another out of the altar. All
those Plagues and Punishments, Torments and Terrors poured out from Heaven upon
the rejecters of the Lamb will be true and righteous, because there is no
excuse for rejection of Jesus Christ who bore their sin away in His own
Body on the Cross.
A
personal distaste for His company must also be counted as hatred in
God’s sight, because there is no reason to dislike Him!
Revelation 6:16 “And
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”
This
is what they will face in those days! They will cry out to rocks in their
insanity and fear. There is nothing else for them to cry to! They are in
Satan’s grip; they are helpless. This is what the Church should be proclaiming
now in this Age of Redemption and the Gift of Repentance! This is the reason
why I should love Jesus Christ! He has suffered so much and given so much to ensure
that no one should be part of these Judgments.
The
terrifying panic and fear of that hour is proof of their utter helplessness;
there is no other help for them. They disregarded and hated His Word, so this
is their end.
Songs 5:16 “His
mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this
is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”
Yes,
He is altogether lovely! Firstly, to God! The Song of Songs is a declaration of the Church, the Body of Christ. We
can ask ourselves, ‘Would I really leave everything and everyone if He, the
Lord Jesus Christ, called me? Would I forsake all and everything for love of
Christ? And, am I really ready to go? – leaving everything behind. (“Behold, I come quickly” !)
Even
Pontius Pilate, a trained judge who could be ruthless [see Luke 13:1] declared three times, ‘I find no fault in Him’. He had
an intelligent brain; he knew that Christ was no ordinary man. But unbelief is
always blind.
The
Lord Jesus Christ is God’s Delight! The scriptures declare it!
Isaiah 42:1 “Behold
My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put
My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.”
Matthew 3:17 “And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.”
Psalm 45:1 “My
heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made
touching the king: My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”
This
lovely Person resembles God on the Throne exactly! When we have seen Christ, we
have seen the God who lives in Heaven. Freedom has been given to all mankind by
God to receive Jesus Christ, but it must be understood that there is no excuse
for rejecting Him, which is counted as hatred.
1 Timothy 3:16 “And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
“God was manifest in the flesh.” Our Lord Jesus Christ is Unique!
There is no one else in Heaven or earth like Him!
Jesus
Christ was deeply moved by the personal hatred that people showed towards Him.
This hurt was somewhat expressed in His words to His disciples.
John 14:15 “If
ye love Me, keep My commandments.” He appealed to those closest to Him to make
sure that they did love Him.
Psalm 25:19 “Consider
Mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate Me with cruel hatred.”
“cruel hatred”. These are the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ spoken prophetically when He would hang on a wooden Cross. Here He
was interceding for our sins, as He was numbered among the transgressors.
David, a skilled musician and anointed with the Holy Spirit as king, was the
human instrument.
Psalm 35:19 “Let
not them that are Mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over Me: neither let them
wink with the eye that hate Me without a cause.”
“wrongfully”; “without a cause”; words expressing His deep hurt at being hated by
the people He had come to save from Hell and eternal Damnation.
What
about us? What about you and me? Are we doing the same things which would have
caused Him to be hurt by our unholy behaviour?
1 Peter 4:1 – 2 “Forasmuch
then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with
the same mind: for He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2.
That He no longer should live the rest of His time in the flesh to the lusts of
men, but to the will of God.”
Yes,
you could say that anyone and everyone who has died has stopped sinning! But I
think v2 makes it clear that Peter is
speaking of Christ. He has done away with sin; He is no longer involved in
making atonement for it. And now that He is seated on the right hand of God on
the Throne, whatever men may say against Him has no effect upon Him. He is
content to be the High Priest and intercede for every man and woman that we
might be saved!
But
we can grieve the Holy Spirit!
Ephesians 4:30 “And
grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.”
Yes,
we can bring deep sorrow to the Holy Spirit who should have sealed us by the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit. He longs to bring us up to Christ when He comes in
the air. If we do not listen to Him and allow Him to reveal Christ to us, how
can we be ready to be taken up? Every born-again believer should and must be
Baptised in the Holy Ghost. It is the Full Salvation for which the Lord Jesus
shed His precious Blood.
Psalm 55:1 – 3 “Give
ear to My prayer, O God: and hide not Thyself from My supplication. 2. Attend
unto Me, and hear Me: I mourn in My complaint, and make a noise; 3. Because of
the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast
iniquity upon Me, and in wrath they hate Me.”
This
Psalm 55 is dedicated to the Chief
Musician – Jesus Christ! David as the human instrument makes sure we know that
he is actually speaking the words of the King of Heaven for the time when He
would hang on a Cross.
Every
cruel word and action which they took against Him was something more that He
could prove that He was doing the Will of God. He was maintaining His
integrity, His obedience, His love, patience and faith in God’s promise to
redeem mankind through His Blood.
Dig
deep into understanding the full extent of Calvary!! Through it we can increase
our love and devotion for Him. For those who despise Him or are cold and
indifferent to Him will suffer His Judgments!
He
said to the weeping women as He went to Golgotha, as recorded in Luke 23:28 – 31, “Weep not for Me … for
the days [of judgment] are coming…”
“But Jesus turning unto them [the
women] said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves,
and for your children. 29. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they
shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps
which never gave suck. 30. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall
on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31. For if they do these things in a green
tree, what shall be done in the dry?”
There
will terrible consequences, terrible judgments, plagues, and pain; terrible
ways of slaughter and restraining of death in order to increase their
experience of the pain, for all those who have rejecting the Salvation of God,
our Lord Jesus Christ. God on the Throne will make sure of it, through the
instructions written in the book sealed with seven seals. It is a book of
Settlement. God will not tolerate any lack of love for His Beloved One!
Psalm 41:7 “All
that hate Me whisper together against Me: against Me do they devise My hurt.”
All
those who devised their schemes to bring hurt to Jesus Christ must suffer the
Wrath of God, which for them now is in Hell, and in the Future will be the Lake
of Fire. But first they must face the God of the earth with His face and body
wounded and disfigured as He sits as Judge of all the earth [Revelation 20:11 – 15]
Rejection
of the Lord Jesus Christ must bring forth the Wrath of God. Rejection of Christ
as a Person to live with must bring forth the Wrath of God. There is no other
Reason for the Wrath of God!
I
am personally responsible for changing my life. Jesus Christ suffered for my
sin. “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” [John 1:29]. If I am a human being living
in the world, then He died for me! He paid the price to bring me back to God.
These
verses in John’s Gospel follow the oft-quoted 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life”, and, I believe, are often forgotten!
John 3:17 “For God sent not His Son into the world
to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. 18. He
that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned
already, because He hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. 19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20. For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest
His deeds should be reproved. 21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light,
that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
“And
this is the condemnation …” The condemnation rests upon everyone until
they replace their own life for the Life of Jesus Christ. The terrifying and
fearsome Judgments which will be poured out upon the earth are the Just and
Righteous Punishments for those who have refused the Son of God.
In
effect, God is saying, “Why did you refuse My Son? He gave His all for you to
be saved from these terrors. Jesus Christ is your Salvation; I gave Him to you,
but you have despised and rejected Him. You deserve every pain and discomfort
these Judgments give you.”
But
God is Spirit and has not experienced being in human flesh, so He has appointed
Jesus Christ as His righteous Judge! Christ knows that all men could receive
Him if they humbled themselves and repented! So He can faithfully carry out
God’s Judgments for Him.
Romans 1:18 – 21 “For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19. Because that
which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto
them. 20. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21. Because that, when they
knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain
in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Ungodly,
unrighteous men hold the Truth – Jesus Christ – and the Word of God which
speaks of Him, in unrighteousness. They will not come to the Light. They will
not acknowledge that all the Perfection of the Godhead is contained in that
holy Body.
Hebrews 1:1 – 2 “God
… Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.”
These
two verses in Colossians help us to understand that v20 of Romans 1 is all
about the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and not about Creation! v19 means that God revealed Himself in
the Person of the Lord Jesus; God showed them His Salvation; it was Jesus
Christ Himself.
Colossians 1:19 “For
it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.”
Colossians 2:9 “For
in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
v20 is saying that from Creation, the
God who was not yet declared, is now declared. It is He that is clearly seen! It
is the Power of the Godhead that is clearly seen in Him! He was made flesh in
order that men could stand face to Face with Him and see all that God could
give him for his Eternal Life. All that mankind could ever long for is to be
found in Jesus Christ.
Therefore
they are most certainly without excuse!
Revelation 16:7 “Even
so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.”
Given
to the members of the Free Pentecostal Church of Acton, London, UK
