Something of late I’ve been most uncomfortable with are the celebrations of the earthly justice finally brought by our government recently. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful that justice has been served on someone who publicly confessed to such a horrific crime. However, all of the celebration was very disconcerting to me, considering the high cost to so many, especially on the heals of my previous blog where I see such hate and division in the news stories of today and the comments that follow. This should not be. My every sense said that this should be a somber thing that where we nod our heads in sorrow of the whole affair and all those affected from beginning to end as a sign of this fallen world and the ghastly evil men are capable of.
In preparing for the sunday school lesson tomorrow, the text asks the question: “In what circumstances are victory celebrations appropriate and inappropriate for Christians? Explain your reasoning.”
No answers, just scripture references but this one jumped out at me:
“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” Proverbs 24:17
I guess that is why it is uncomfortable. It is not what what God intends for us who seek to follow Him in all our human frailty. How natural for us to wish God's fury on those who are enemies against us, on a huge scale, or even a small scale. I think another term that comes to mind here is humility.
And next in today’s news is a story of a Nazi war criminal who was just convicted and reported to be responsible for over 28,000 deaths. His defense was that it was just his job; it was what he had to do when he went to work at the ‘corpse factory’; never mind that these people being killed were the race of very people God chose to bring the savior of the world and the Bible (OT) through. That alone makes you realize that this dark dark time was about evil rising up in rebellion against God as it does over and over again. The article goes on to talk about how men can do terrible atrocities in a detached manner as ‘normal’ people. My goodness, someone who participated in the relentless murders in the Nazi death camps is ‘normal’. Wrap your mind around that, but recognize that these kind of things still go on today for the nature of man has not changed.
Well, maybe we should all take note of these things. Mankind is inherently evil and without the restraining power of God’s Spirit, there is no end to the evil mankind is capable of. Normal people are capable of great evil absent of God’s presence in their lives. The news makes that clear nearly every day.
To bridge the great divide between a holy God and men fascinated with evil, God in His grace and mercy had no choice but to provide a perfect sacrifice (Jesus) as payment for the incredible evil man is capable of and that he perpetrates on other men even though all are made ‘in the image of God’. I think it is only His long-suffering and enduring love for mankind that preserves the beauty and wonder of His creation and keeps His children in the palm of His hand. It makes sense; it provides a hope we cannot have otherwise for no one (ever notice how ‘no one’ can be compressed into ‘none’?) can be ‘good enough’ in his own power this side of heaven. There is just too much evil in us.
There is a saying, if God doesn’t do something about the rising evil in the world, He is going to have to raise Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize. Maybe as His people we have become too complacent and too comfortable.
When Jesus had just finished talking to the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16) who had asked ‘what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ The answer was seen as absolutely impossible to the disciples and challenged them to their very core as they asked, “who then can be saved?” The answer is quoted in my summary verse below. It says, basically, that no one (none) can....because it has to be through God and His mercy, that is the only way. And when we stand before the Throne, as we all will whether we believe in Christ - or not, we will all be very surprised because “...many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” We are not to be judge and jury, we are not capable of it for only God sees the heart. I simply want to be there because I have relinquished my selfishness and my weakness into His hands. It is an ongoing process that is, well, impossible made possible....What about you?
Your homework - Read and study Matthew 19:16 - 30.
Blessings,
Dave
“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25 & 26
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