Posts by Steve Hall (Page 4)
SENSITIVITY TO SIN
Before God destroyed Sodom, he sent His angels to warn Lot to get out of the city along with his family. We see here in our text that the angels tried to get Lot out in a hurry yet he seemed to linger, certainly in no hurry to leave the place that God was ready to destroy due to it’s overwhelming wickedness. In fact, he seemed to make light of the fact that the city would be destroyed! The Hebrew word for “mocked” means “to jest, play, to laugh repeatedly”. When we surround ourselves with wickedness on every side, we have a tendency to become acclimated to it. We are no longer “shocked” as we once were. We become less sensitive to sin, even making light of it as Lot seems to have done. How about you? Does sin still shock you or have you become friends with it?
BE GENUINE
At the height of the Vietnam War a song came out in 1968 called “The Games People Play”. It’s a protest song, one of many during that era whose lyrics speak against, among other things, hypocrisy and irresponsibility: “Oh the games people play now Every night and every day now Never meaning what they say now Never saying what they mean.” The Lord spoke through Isaiah to address the same problem back then that this song addresses…..Hypocrisy and irresponsibility. Talking the talk but not having the heart. Indeed, Jesus quoted this passage when he rebuked the religious leaders of His day for their hypocrisy. Today, people are still playing games! Pretending to be something or someone they’re not. Praising God at church and cursing their fellow man at work, bringing their Bibles to church but leaving them untouched from Monday till the next Lord’s Day! STOP playing games! Peter warns us to be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as roaring lion,walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; (1 Peter 5:8)
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
Hang on brothers and sisters in Christ! We may be in for a rough ride the next few years if the Lord tarries. Are you ready? We have always been considered as soldiers but thus far we’ve had it pretty easy. Jude tells his audience that they should earnestly contend for the faith and that applies to us today as well. Contend…..to contend about a thing, as a combatant. ‘Earnestly” is added to convey the intensive force of the preposition. I want to encourage each believer reading this…..don’t cede one inch of ground to the devil, not one single inch! Fight for the faith as a good soldier.
ONE NAME, ONE WAY
You can search the whole world over for one name that may gain you entrance into heaven. No need to waste your time! Jesus is the ONLY name that can save us from our sins. Have you called upon the name of Jesus to save you? what’s holding you back? Call on Him while there’s still time.
WHAT IS SIN?
I recently had a friend ask me what “sin” was. Good question! What is sin? This particular word pictures an archer aiming for the bulls eye of a target As he draws the string back and lets go, the arrow flies but falls desperately short of the target. God has a “target” so to speak, a standard if you will, that we are to hit. That standard is absolute perfection. I’m sure we all will agree that no one is perfect and we do fall short of that standard, however, without attaining to that standard we will never be able to enter heaven apart from God lowering the standard or providing a mean’s by which we attain it vicariously through someone who can hit the mark. That someone is Jesus Christ.
CORRUPT COMMUNICATION
We all know what it’s like to be around someone who’s vocabulary is equivalent to the proverbial sailor’s. We’ve come to half-way expect it, especially in our current environment of caustic division and strife. However, to hear “corrupt” communication from one who claims to be a Christian not only is extremely offensive but also brings reproach to the name of Christ. The Greek word employed for corrupt means “rotten, putrid, obscene vulgarity”. Certainly nothing rotten or putrid should come out of the mouth of those who are to reflect Christ in our speech but should be seasoned with grace, edifying or building up those who are listening.
DOERS OF THE WORD
There is coming a day when this sin cursed world will be restored. We long for that day when there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears!
INSINCERELY DESIRING GOD’S WORD
Ezekiel lays open before our eyes the blatant hypocrisy of God’s people as they whisper to one another in their houses expressing a desire to hear the Word of God.
CHRIST CAN SAVE ANYONE
Although there are those who think that they have sunk so low that there is no hope of forgiveness and salvation, we can trust in Christ’s ability to save even those who may think otherwise. As our High Priest,Jesus is always interceding, His grace is inexhaustible, His arm is not shortened that it cannot reach the lowest sinner!
HE KEEPS US FROM FALLING
There is no doubt that we are living in some very trying times. Satan seems to be working over-time in his effort to destroy our country, our churches, our very lives. One may ask, “How can I ever make it through this?” Praise God! He’s the One Who will keep us from falling! He’s the One that will present us faultless before the presence of His glory!