Thursday, July 30, 2015

Stand!




Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
    Eph 6:10 - 13

 

 O my soul,
When life beckons you sit and take your ease,
                 stand.
When wearies tire you out so that not one step more is possible,
                 stand.
When dreams lie dashed and smashed,
       aspirations choked and cloaked with doubt,
                 stand.
When heartache, pain, despair,
       disappointment, sorrow or care push you down,
                 stand.
When voices all around you tell you to compromise
       give up beliefs and turn your eyes
       away from the Heavenly Prize,
                 stand.

How can I stand?
   For I am weak, frail and fallible.
   My heart is bleak, pale and malleable.
        I would surely fail.

But my heart says of God, "Seek His face!"
   Oh, Your face will I gladly seek.
You compass me about with songs of deliverance,
   Giving hope, strength, might and clout to me, the weak.

By Your Power I can stand.
By Your Spirit I can resolve.
By Your victory I can advance,
      conquer, occupy, fortify,
          hold my ground, acquire, complete—
                 stand!



So then, O my soul,
Look not within upon your feeble strength,
  But look upon Him who is within
Then shall you go forth in strength
  That is not sapped by day's bustle and din.

Then standing you shall stand,
   Undaunted ev'n by Hell;
For you shall taste His rest  
   And in His strength prevail.

Monday, July 27, 2015

The Necessity of the Wrath of God



The Necessity of the Wrath of God

"This is a supreme necessity in the interest of the universe. Prisons are
in the interest of the free. Hell is the safeguard of heaven. A State that
cannot punish crime is doomed; and a God Who tolerates evil is not good.
Deny me my Biblical revelation of the anger of God, and I am insecure in
the universe. But reveal to me this Throne established, occupied by One
Whose heart is full of tenderness, Whose bowels yearn with love; then I am
assured that He will not tolerate that which blights and blasts and damns;
but will destroy it, and all its instruments, in the interest of that
which is high and noble and pure."
~Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, pg 248, G. Campbell Morgan



"Have we realized that to deny the justice of eternal punishment is also to repudiate
the grace of God? If endless misery be unjust, then exemption from it must be the
sinner's right, and if so, his salvation could never be attributed to grace, which is
unmerited favor!"
~Arthur Pink, Eternal Punishment


If we understand not God's wrath and His infinite displeasure at sin and the sinner, then there is no way that we might understand and appreciate the Infinite Mercy bestowed upon those who believe and trust in Christ's atoning work on Calvary.




Hell is not the absence of God. Rather it is the absence of all of God's benevolent attributes, such as kindness, mercy and love; and the full presence of God's attributes of anger and justice.




There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warn of hell.
Bear in mind that over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ himself!
There must be something to it if the founder of Christianity referenced it so often!  (Other terms used include eternal destruction, a place of fire, or of weeping and gnashing of teeth.)