Hated Without Cause - A Revelation of Jesus Christ Through the Psalms

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

Edited and expounded by Basar Blessings, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK