Consequences

Consequences

((( Words to a Shaggy song---Why me Lord)))

“Just the other day when I was rolling with my crew I made a little flex around Flatbush avenue, I was calling to some girls and sipping on a brew that’s when I saw the boys in blue. They pulled me to the side why I don’t even have a clue and looking for a reason and they finally found a few, a case of ammunition and a loaded 32 I can’t believe what I am going through.

Why me Lord

Why me Lord

Why me Lord, why me, why me, why me”

All of us at one time or another have found ourselves in some kind of trouble, haven’t we? Weather it was with our mom and dad, when we were young, who for some of us is today and for others it was a long time ago. Weather it was with a teacher at school, a boss at work or maybe even the police, maybe you got a ticket or something, but regardless of what it was or who it was with, the fact is we have all found ourselves facing some kind of consequences for what we either did or didn’t do. And when that happened, did you find yourself feeling like you were being unjustly punished because what you did really wasn’t all that bad? Have you ever felt the punishment was a bit excessive, like the punishment just didn’t really fit the crime, If you have, you probably didn’t forget about it very quickly and you probably voiced your opinion about the situation to more than a few people and made sure everyone new how unfair it all was. But, sometimes we get exactly what we deserve, and when that happens no one hears nearly as much about it, do they?  How about the times we did something wrong and actually got less than what we deserved? We don’t hear much about those times, even though that probably happens so much more often than the others. If we are completely honest about it very few people really believe they got into trouble and got less than they deserved. That’s because we seem to think that when we suffer the consequences of our actions; it is never less than what we deserved and when we get away with something all together, we tend to believe that it is okay as well, again because we never actually think anything we get is truly less than what we should get. It is the way we as people tend to think. We are a selfish people, we think of ourselves first and we believe that we are inherently good at heart and because of that we feel we deserve another chance. After all, there is always a reason behind why I made the mistake I made. I know myself well enough to know that I am not really a bad person. I mean well, I just can’t seem to do well. However, on the other hand, we are perfectly willing and ready to point out what someone else has done wrong and weather or not they received their just reward. So when I make a mistake, it’s just that, a mistake, nothing more but when you make a mistake, well it’s sin.       That’s how we see it isn’t it, Consequences, being good or bad, according to how we want to interpret it. And we interpret right and wrong according to so many things, like the way we were raised or what we believe but mostly our own selfishness, how it affects us.

       But the truth is, in this world we live in, we are going to find ourselves facing unfair situations that we don’t like. We will also find ourselves in situations where we literally get away with things we shouldn’t, but in reality it doesn’t work that way. In reality, everything we do, say or think is witnessed by God and so we are never really getting away with anything and what’s more, nothing is ever being overlooked either.

       Now after having said all that, you would think this sermon would be all about what? Consequences of our every day actions right ? Well, it is and then again it’s not. Because in a way, consequences of our actions makes us think that consequences only exist when we do something. Until something is done, thought or said, the slate is clean. It is only after we enter the equation that consequences appear on the scene and that’s not quite true is it.

Now having said all that lets take a look at the truth, at what the Bible has to say about one of the consequences of our actions or lack there of. As we do this I hope we will see that the truth reaches further than how we tend to look at things.

       (Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

       (Romans 3:23) “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

       (Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”

       (John 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.”

(Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Some time ago, not long after the world was created, some say about 6000 years ago. Adam and eve made a decision that would change the course of the world in a way they never imagined. God created the two of them and placed them in a garden and gave them complete control over everything. They had a beautiful home, food, water and everything they needed was provided for, God walked among them and told them that they could have anything from the garden they wanted, everything they wanted was there for them to eat, drink and enjoy. Adam and Eve had the perfect life; all they had to do was one simple thing. God told them they could have anything they wanted except one very important thing. They were not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One simple command, one simple rule, one thing that God did not want them to do was all he asked of them. But did they listen? No, they ended up disobeying God and eating the fruit of the tree anyway. It wasn’t just about eating the fruit itself as it was about turning their backs on God himself. Later Christ told the disciples “if you love me you will keep my commandments” so therefore by willfully and purposely not keeping the commandments of God is not love but SIN. And that’s what it means in Romans 5:12 when it says by one man (Adam) sin entered the world. Now lets stop a second and realize that this wasn’t just about a couple of people simply making a mistake nor was it just about falling to the temptation of a piece of fruit that just looked soooo good but it was about sinning against God. It was about turning their back on the very God who not only created them but loved, protected, provided and walked with them. And instead of loving Him back and trusting and being loyal to Him they willingly turned their back on Him and chose to follow satin himself. They choose to go after the very same temptation satin did and tried to become as God himself.  Now we could talk about some of the consequences of that sin such as loosing the garden, having to work the land and pain in giving birth. But the most serious consequence was bringing sin into the world. “By one man (Adam) sin entered the world so death passed to all men” When Adam and Eve sinned there was a death that entered the world that we now live in. This death is not only a physical death but a spiritual one. Death in this sense is a separation, it is a falling away from the perfect fellowship with God, it is a broken relationship. It is, on a small scale, like the difference between when we first fell in love with a boyfriend or girlfriend when everything is perfect and wonderful, like it should be and after we have experienced a huge fight with them some years down the road. One moment all is right and the other we are only existing in the presence of each other. We may still love them but the relationship is broken. That was the difference then and it is the same difference sin creates in our lives today.

       (Romans 3:23) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  Not only does Romans 3:23 say all have sinned but so does the end of Romans 5:12, it says  “so death passed to all men, for that all have sinned”

I heard a preacher proclaim from the pulpit that young children were innocent. That you couldn’t look at a child and believe God would condemn them as sinners ect. ect. However, I don’t know of any place in the Bible where it gives a magic age in which we suddenly become a sinner. Is it 5, 10 or 12 I don’t know, but what I do know is that the Bible says we all have sinned all, doesn’t that mean everyone? Now I understand the passages in Matthew 18:3 and Matthew 19:14 where it says Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” and ”Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven” but the word of God still says all have sinned. I am a sinner just like everyone else, I am a sinner because the Bible says all have sinned and that includes me. However though I am a sinner, since I have given my life to Christ, I am just a sinner saved by the grace of God. It is the same with a child, though God may not hold them to a degree of accountability until they develop enough to understand his will or the meaning of right and wrong doesn’t mean they are not included in the statement “all have sinned”.

       While we are running around trying to justify the things we do and why we deserve so much and why we don’t deserve anything bad: the truth is we deserve nothing. If we actually got what we deserved we would all find ourselves looking at an eternity in hell. Why would God send me to hell? I am a good person, I try to live right I don’t steal I don’t curse I try and help people. What have I done to deserve something as harsh as hell? It isn’t about what you have done, it isn’t even about what you haven’t done, it’s about the choice you make. It’s not like the teacher that comes to their class and tells them, everyone here has an A it’s yours to loose. God doesn’t say everyone has salvation, its yours to loose. God has allowed us to be in a situation where we have to choose, we can’t just try to keep what we already have but we have to make a real choice as to weather we are going to follow Him. God has given us the opportunity to make the choice and He wants us to choose Him. The Bible says “The lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” We may not fully understand the whole idea of sin entering the world through one man but that doesn’t change the fact that it did and that God wants us to choose Him of our own free will so that our broken relationship can be restored.

(Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”

From the beginning of our life you and I have been facing the consequences of sins and that consequence is death and Hell. That means eternal separation from God himself. That is the real consequence we deserve. But for those who answer the call of Christ and allow Him to come into their heart, for those who put God first and let him be Lord of their life, they receive the gift of God which is eternal life. We like to think we deserve it or that we have somehow earned it but the truth is it is a Gift from God. What does that mean? A gift is something given to us for free, something given without earning it. If it were earned it would be considered a payment of sorts and not a gift at all. What is it that made this gift possible for you and I?

(John3:16) says “ 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.”

We like to think of what is fair and what we deserve but nothing works like that. God not only created you and I but he created the sun, moon and stars. God created this entire world and he did it for his pleasure. When God created mankind he did it so that he could fellowship with us and we could worship him. He created us to be pleasing to Him, to choose Him over everything including our own desires and He created us so that He could love and adore us. God not only loves you and I but God is love. How else can anyone explain why He would put up with us every day and still give his only Son to die for us? Why would He come here and give himself over to a sinful people like us. The pain of loosing a child is so great that I don’t think I could ever choose their death in order to save someone else no matter how much I loved them. But to give them over to save a group of people who have turned their back on me and treated my child badly is humanly impossible for me. But that’s what God did; He gave His Son to die for us even though we didn’t deserve it so we could restore our relationship with Him for eternity. The most important consequence in our life may not be because of what we have done but what we haven’t done. Have you chose Christ?

I QUIT, I QUIT, I QUIT, I QUIT, I QUIT

                             I QUIT,  I QUIT,  I QUIT

      In the book of Matthew chapter 16 verses 14-17 Jesus asked his disciples who do people say that I am? And they replied some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias or one of the prophets.

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered and said unto him, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my father which is in Heaven.

This was a question that this world had many answers for. Different people had different views as to who this Jesus of Nazareth was, and quite frankly all their answers were wrong. But when Jesus asked those in which he had a relationship, those who were closest to him, those who he had revealed himself to and they gave him the only true answer. Peter answered and said you are the Christ the son of the living God.

      Now this is not part of the message as much as a call to attention. You see, if you were to ask someone quietly how many churches are represented at the Thanksgiving combined service, you might get an answer like 4 or 5. If you asked someone else they might say 3 because this person and that one belong to different congregations but the same denomination. I think you get the picture. However, in light of the scripture I just read I would hope that if you asked someone who has a personal relationship with Christ; their answer would be just one. Folks let me tell you something, and I’m not trying to be arrogant, but I don’t care who you are, where you live or what the sign on the outside of the church you attend says. If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if you have truly given your life over to Him, if you love God with all your Heart, soul and mind then you are his child and therefore a member of His Church. It has never been about where you worship or what name the world has given the group you meet with it is about your own personal relationship with God.

          Now that really wasn’t intended to be part of the sermon but it does kind of set a foundation for this message to build on. Because, if we are Christians and we as Christians represent Christ here in Sterling Oklahoma What would happen if we simply stopped doing what Christ wants us to do? What if we just said I QUIT I mean what if we still went to church, but we just didn’t step out in the world and did what we knew the spirit of God was leading us to do? What would happen? Or maybe I should ask, have we stopped doing what God would have us do and if so what has happened?

Think about some of the saints of old, what would have happened if they had refused to follow Gods direction, or Gods commands? If Moses, upon seeing the burning bush and actually speaking to God through it had walked away and refused to go to Egypt and confront the pharaoh how much longer would the people of Israel have remained in captivity? And because of that how many would have died there without ever seeing Gods hand at work? There’s no doubt that God would have brought up someone else eventually to accomplish his will but in the meantime how many people would have lost out on experiencing Gods hand at work?

Or what about Noah? It would have been easy for him to say no to God, especially since he knew the people would think he was crazy. I mean here is a man building a boat out in an area where there’s no water saying that God told him to do it. How many of us would follow through with a command like that? Honestly, how many of us would be willing to deal with the attitudes of the people in our neighborhood, the looks, the whispering and just the knowledge that everyone thinking your crazy? We are afraid to talk to someone about Christ when God leads us to can you imagine being asked to build an Ark? If Noah had simply said no then there is the possibility that God would have just said okay then and none of us would exist today.

Or what about David? A man after Gods own heart. What if he had cowered with the soldiers of Israel as Goliath taunted them day after day? Goliath was a giant of a man and an infamous warrior and here was David a young Sheppard boy who wasn’t even old enough to join the army. I mean Goliath was so well known that even the trained soldiers refused to fight him. However if David hadn’t gone up against Goliath then he would have never become king. This one act of disobedience would have affected the fate of the entire nation. It would have affected the very direction of (king) David’s life; it would have even affected the very lineage of Christ himself.

And what about Paul? After Christ got his attention what would have happened if he continued in his wicked ways?  Paul went on to write most of the New Testament and evangelized more than anyone of his time. Where would you and I be without the writings God inspired him to write?

Now having said all that

Let’s take a look at the book of Numbers chapters 13 & 14 where we can see a clear example of what happens when we decide to go out on our own and ignore what God would have us do. Now this is set at a time when the children of Israel who had just been freed from 430 years of being enslaved by the Egyptians. Now I am sure those of you here know about Mosses and how God sent him to Egypt and how through Mosses, God freed Israel and began leading them on their journey to the land He had promised to give them (the promise land, the land flowing with milk and honey) Exodus 3:8

Now after some years later after seeing Gods hand at work over and over again providing for them, protecting them and guiding them they finally reached their destination. They were there. The Promised Land, They could literally see it, right before their eyes, the very land they had traveled so far to possess. All they had to do is obey God and take the land.

It was then that Mosses sent out men into the land to search it out and see what the land was like and who the people were that occupied the land that was to be theirs. When they returned this is what happened.

Numbers 13, 1-3….13:17-20…..13:26-33…..14, 1-10…..14, 26-34

                                                Numbers 13:1-3

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.

                                                13:17-20

And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain And see the land what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, Whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.

                                                13:26-33

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, we came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, the land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

                                                14:1-10

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: And the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sward, that our wives and our children should be prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spoke unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, the land which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

                                                14:26-34

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, as truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

What were they thinking? Here is a people who were held in slavery for over 400 years, who cried out to God for their salvation, who witnessed daily the power of God and they were willing to return into slavery than follow him. How can this be possible?

They were enslaved: God protected them and brought them out of Egypt

They were trapped: God parted the sea and let them through on dry land

They were thirsty:  God provided water from a rock

They were hungry: God sent Quail and Manna from out of nowhere

Now they finally arrived at the place they were trying to get to the whole time and God is telling them go take a look at it and see what it is that I am giving you. Go and see the land that by my power you are going to posses. All you have to do is listen to me and do what I tell you to do and I will perform yet another miracle just like the ones you have seen me perform on the way here. And everyone said we can’t do it. In other words God we don’t believe you have the power to do what you’re telling us you are going to do.  God you might be able to part the red sea but you can’t give us the victory we need in order to possess this land. God you may have the power to provide water and food out of nowhere but you can’t defeat these people we saw in this land they are just too big and strong.

Isn’t that crazy? How could they be like this? Yet you and I do it everyday. How many times have you felt God leading you to say or do something and your heart started beating faster and your palms got sweaty or you got nervous and you walked away thinking I should have said this or I should have done that? How many things can you remember if you just stopped and thought about it a minute that God has done in your life? I mean miracles things that can only be explained by the power of God himself, I can think of many in my own life and yet even knowing what he has done we still walk away time and time again. But when we read something like this we think I can’t believe they did that when we are just as guilty.

When I was at Dallas Baptist University, it was mandatory for us to go to Chappell on Wednesdays. At one of the meetings we had a speaker who was talking about the power of prayer and how important it is. As the service went on I began to feel a real need to pray for someone I hadn’t seen in a very long time. This young man was a couple years younger than me and he wasn’t anyone I had anything in common with. I didn’t have any reason whatsoever to have his face before me, but it was. I knew I needed to pray for this person. His name was ______________I went about my day and forgot about him all together after all I had other things on my mind. A couple of days later I got a phone call from home and I was told that he had been in an automobile accident and had passed away. I couldn’t even be trusted with something as simple as a prayer. The consequences of our actions or lack there of are serious. What might have happened if I had just prayed even one time? What differences, not only in his life but in the lives of countless others could we be seeing today? Ill never know, because I didn’t follow Gods direction. You would think the lesion would have been learned through that tragic event but just like the children of Israel it wasn’t. I have failed over and over to follow Gods direction in praying for people, I have failed to remember what happened back then so that I wouldn’t let it happen again.

How many times have you failed to remember the past when faced with a decision for the future?

40 years later after almost everyone who was there that day had died the children of Israel were back at the Promised Land once again. Only this time they obeyed God and God blessed them beyond their expectations.

We have an entire town here that God wants us to reach out to. And even though we have seen all he has done in our lives we seem to be afraid to honestly reach out to them. All we have to do is what He asks us to do and He will do the rest. All we have to do is follow and he will lead us into the Promised Land All we have to do is follow and God will bless us his children beyond anything we can ever expect. But 1^st we have to follow.