Let's take a little history trip, a biblical history trip…come on,
it will be fun! It'll be quick, I promise..after all what is that saying again?
"You can't make an Omelet without breaking a few eggs…"
oh wait…that doesn't apply here.. oh yeah it's
"If you don't know history you are doomed to repeat it"
I want to talk about King Solomon, son of David. Most of us know Solomon is credited as the wisest man that ever lived, all to the glory of God of course. God gave him this wisdom(1 Kings 3:10-12) Solomon asked and he received. We see his wisdom in use throughout the life of Solomon in his judgments and his rule over Israel. More popularly we see it when we read "Proverbs" and even "Ecclesiastes"
both being credited to Solomon. We know that Solomon made Israel a beacon of light showing the glory of GOD, and Solomon in his early years was a fantastic and humble God honoring servant.
Solomon however started to turn away from God to other gods, which his many wives turned him to, not that I am blaming the wives at all. For Solomon is to blame for his wickedness, and for turning away from the one true GOD who gave him his wisdom in the first place! It is amazing to me that a man who was so humble who wrote things like…
The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 8:13
I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Proverbs 8:17
The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
FEAR GOD, and Keep his commandments! Solomon didn't do that when he took wives that he should never have taken in the first place. Solomon wasn't fearing
God and putting God first when he started worshipping false gods and Idols. You know what Solomon's problem was? He took the gift GOD gave him, which again was wisdom and put his trust in that, aka he put his trust in himself and not GOD.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 is a warning from Solomon to fear the LORD GOD, and to keep His commandments. Ecclesiastes is considered by most to be Solomons repentance for his wickedness against God, as some of the Psalms are contributed to Davids repentance of his sins. You may be asking my point, and where exactly am I going with this…
Solomon wisest man that ever lived, and ever will live, wasn't an innocent man, as none of us are. He was a man that you could very much so compare in a sense with
popular christianity today; which very much so is consumed with worldliness
…….
Did I lose you?
let me explain, many "Christians" or those who claim to be so, the people I call FAKE and the people Christ Himself would say are lukewarm, and he will spew them from His mouth, Do what? well, they conform to the pattern of this world all the while still claiming to be a follower…. right? They may have had a genuine experience, a softening of the heart, but somewhere down the line, like Solomon, they strayed away from GOD.
Like Solomon who wanted to appease his wives, these lukewarm unbiblical false christians try to appease the world. Solomon was suppose to be the LIGHT to
the darkness! he was suppose to lead his wives by example and lead them to the only GOD there is, instead he was lead astray by them into darkness.
Following me now?
The church now adays is trying to appease the world,
we are conforming to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2) when we shouldn't be! we should be the light in the darkness, God blessed us and called us to be Holy and be the change in the world NOT BE CHANGED BY IT!
This is where someone i'm sure would quote Ghandi and say something like..
"Be the change you want to see in the world"
yeah that's nice and all, but change doesn't come unless you realize how to change you, and guess what? you can do all the meditating and introspective self therapy you want, even go find some far east mystic eastern philosophy about "finding the inner you" and "enlightenment"
go ahead i'll wait…
..
……..
Back now?
The fact is YOU…can't change…YOU! this is what the word of God is about! it's about utter reliance on HIMSELF! all for His GLORY, not yours!
Only Christ saves and only through Him are you saved and only by HIM can
you be CHANGED! You are either light or darkness, you are either following
Christ or you are following the world. If you take your eyes off of Him, if you start to stray from the path, If you don't ultimately rely on GOD, then you are going to fall! everything has to be laid to rest in Christ all thoughts and all deeds! EVERYTHING! all worry and stress,your body, and everything you are! on your knees at the foot of the throne!
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:5
Only by grace, and only in this way are you saved. Repentance and ultimate faith and reliance on CHRIST. If you seek to appease the world or appease your self for whatever reason, and you're not willing to surrender all to Christ then all the wisdom in the world wont SAVE YOU…and YOU WILL FALL and be LED astray just like Solomon! REPENT and turn to CHRIST!
Do not be LUKEWARM…! sure nobody will claim to be lukewarm but you are either on fire or you are not! FEAR THE LORD CHURCH! what are we doing?
What are we teaching? This world is corrupt and fallen a wicked generation unashamed of being so!
It's like we are Adam & Eve in the garden all over again. We stand naked and bare
with sinfulness we can not hide, only unlike Adam & Eve we are far from ashamed, we don't even try to hide our sins…in fact we don't even acknowledge it,
there's no weeping, no brokeness, no understanding of punishment and Holiness.
We have become what those without Christ have always been…SELFISH,
we stand naked in sin and we love it! token prayers and half hearted relationships with a savior we don't even try to understand.
"Justice and wrath you say? But I'm saved! even though I don't even understand from what exactly….BUT I believe in JESUS! that's it right? I'm finished,
I mean, I read the words in red! I accept Him for his death so I can go to heaven! now don't be so judgmental…Jesus Himself said not to judge, you know!
let me just go on liven for the world because I'm forgiven!"
"Lord I pray for prosperity, I pray for blessings."
Even though you deserve absolutely nothing?
"Your son died for me? cool, think you could hook me up with a little more money? my pocket's kind of seem to be running on empty"
The church has become like a bunch of deadbeat children who treat the father like crap all the while with their hands held out begging to get what they don't deserve.
Want to be of this world?
Want to be wealthy and rich?
claim to know ME, but live for your glory?
AWAY FROM ME I NEVER KNEW YOU! (Matthew 7:23)
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
