Matt 16:8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
When Jesus walked the earth, he reserved some of His harshest words for who? The religious people. What did He tell the disciples above? Be on your guard against the teaching of the who? Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious teachers and preachers of the day. What is interesting is how Christians can say "yea, those Pharisees and Sadducees were bad news" but they don't blink an eye at their own priests and pastors.
Who is it that robbed the people (money changers)? The religious people
Who is it that plotted to kill Jesus? The religious people
Who is it that twisted the law (the Word) so Jesus told the disciples to guard against it? The religious people
What's the point? Times change, people don't. The Lord has always had a called out and separate remnant to call His own. Who are they? The few. Those who travel the narrow path to enter the small gate that leads to life. What does that mean? Most people are wrong, and have been wrong historically. It means that most people missed the path and took the broad road that entered a wide gate that leads to destruction. It means there is no safety in numbers, the herd does not protect. It means most people will follow the herd over a cliff and not think twice about it.
John 10:25Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than allc ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.30I and the Father are one.”
As I just put this scripture in here ^^ I noticed this again " I know them." If you remember reading a post here not too long ago about why many will not make it, its because the Lord does not know them:
Matt 721“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Why write this? If we are nearing the end of the end of the age, and the Lord is going to show up with all kinds of destruction on the earth, the tribulation etc, then now is the time to tie up loose ends. Now is the time to make things right before its too late. Getting into heaven is everything, there is no middle ground. Its heaven or hell, life or eternal death, win or lose and its all coming at us like a freight train.
What does anything matter if we don't make it into heaven? Eternity is a long, long, long, long time. It has been weighing on my heart and mind lately that we make the most of the time we have left here. Who knows how many days we have left? Only the Lord. I have been asking Him what I should be doing to ensure I make it in, that I please Him and confirm my calling and election. I have been been burdened with the uselessness of most things we do under the sun for the few days we spend here on earth.
What can we do to please the Lord? What can we do to confirm our calling and election?
2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
The Lord did not mince Words. He did not put a single useless sentence in there. This writer believes it is the Spirit of the Lord that has brought these things to mind. We have no idea how short time is so we should make the most of the time we have. What can we do to please the Lord, what can we do to confirm our calling and election, how can we make sure we enter the small gate the leads to life?
I know this is all nonsense to the "once saved always saved" crowd who tell you a 10 second teary eyed confession can lock you into heaven forever. They willfully forget that the Lord threatened us, thats right, threatened us in the Word:
John 15:1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
He tells us here in no uncertain terms that a person can be "in Christ" "in the vine" then CUTOFF, cast forth and burned. End of story, threat received and taken seriously. Does cutoff, cast forth and burned sound saved to you?
There is a reason you can find the phrase "fear of the Lord" over and over again in the Bible....
This is a call for me, and you to fear and trembling:
| ... dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, |
I didn't write this ^^. Do I fear the Lord? You bet I do. Do I tremble when I read Matt 7 and John 15? You bet I do. We would be fools not to tremble at the Words written to us. He meant every Word He said and unfortunately many are going to find out the hard way.
This post was written so that you and I do not have to learn the hard way. We can take the Lord seriously today, in fear and trembling.
grace and peace
