The Downfall of the Soul (Part B)

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked.

That is out theology meekness as Christian does not mean weakness. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness means you are strong enough to withhold your strength when it needs to be withheld. That's the definition of meekness. Of course we would get it from Christ we exercise his mercy, his strength held in reserve. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Jonah.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick concludes a study called the downfall of the soul. He'll begin in Luke chapter 13 today when I took a book like male or any of the other books of the Bible that are relatively obscure arcane. I hold their attention because I would teach them what these things were meaning with what God has to say about sin and wrath in our Bibles. None should ignore God doesn't. We should not still here is some Christian that will come along because they think this way.

Unfortunately, it's never mind what you have to make me holy pastor, what do you have to make me happy. What you have for my teams what you hear. Here's my you know your child fix them. John Wesley said it this way about churchgoers in his day and he was in late say is sending hundreds they came to church to enjoy religion instead of to learn how they could become holy. Well, I don't feel like is that pastor this church, I have this issue but I know it exists. I know firsthand that it exists. I know that there are other churches that are this way and I don't say this to condemn them is not necessary is pointing it out has value that kind of thinking is not taking Christianity seriously when you come to God's house only for yourself and not for him.

Something's not right by me again. We have our season sanctification that is the development of the Christian army. There are two elements to sanctification is when you are justifying your sin is taken away, you are set aside by God you sanctify become a saint.

When Paul wrote to the Saints. They were all living for the Saints at Ephesus to the sainted Collison to the Saints at Rome, they were not voted on. They were those who had come to Jesus Christ, they were separated they were sanctified. The second phase of sanctification is the development of the Christian wall. Ephesians 17 gets right out of step 4/70 get right into this. It takes work to develop as a Christian. It takes work to face the flesh, the sinful nature that you're born with, and it takes constant work. It is by the sweat of your brow you will enter into heaven to hear the Lord say well done John Baptist Jesus said in the righteous are pressing in, we are pressing in. It is work.

If you think Christianity is not worth you haven't tried the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, of the power of God. We all know that as believers unbelievers don't know this, but if they do while they still unbelievers really don't believe, why do they not really that million dollar question God's message to forgive or two dams wrapped up in his mercy, no question about it. Mercy does not mean that the recipient has gotten away with their sin. It's the opposite. Mercy means you been busted. You have been caught, and strength is being withheld judgment is being held back God's mercy is lightning fast when he shows it in this instant, his condemnation, though it plods along very slowly and this is why Nineveh was getting away with murder for the seasons that belong to them before their judgment. I want to say that again because it is critical to understanding the heart of God in a cursed world critical element God's mercy is lightning fast when you repent your salvation is instant but for those who have not repented. The condemnation comes slowly, Luke's gospel. This is illustrated in 13 chapter and verse six. He also spoke this parable Jesus is now giving this parable in a parable is a parallel is a great truth in the story that runs right next to life, and he says a certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard.

Look for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down.

Why does it use up the ground. That's me, that's what I would say cut that thing down is wasting to help with something better. There it comes the reply but he answered and said to him, sir, let alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it and if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down to see the slow response to judgment the keeper of the vineyard.

Let's not rush to cut it down. Let's give it a chance for the hardhearted whatever mercy they may receive his temporary why why is it temporary was only temporary. If they don't come to God but why still space to repent.

God is giving them time. He does this even with those who are in the church that are important and there they are. Churches were people are all part by reason of the occult practices by reason of the disregard for Scripture in Christ.

Revelation 221 the church by attire. This is precisely what was is we are taught.

Any and I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent, there again is the sluggish movement of God towards judgment.

The delay see that's what we our text is newly admitted. Nahum chapter 1 verse three the Lord is slow to anger, and great in power and will not at all equipped the wicked. That is our theology meekness as Christians does not mean weakness. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness means you are strong enough to withhold your strength when it needs to be withheld.

That's the definition of meekness.

Of course we we get it from Christ we exercise his mercy, his strength held in reserve to say to somebody play a game of basketball with you but I'm going to be merciful and want to tie one hand behind my back.

I do that to NBA players and get them stronger at their game God can forgive but he never ignores never misses anything for one lifetime.

God is ready to forgive.

Again, this some people think they're so rotten God can forgive them. What happens then. Well, that's up to us to cut through that stuff to try to find a way to cut through it. If God can use a sometimes God can use us on a particular person is for somebody else relationships as how they are. Sometimes you can do that. Maybe you can't preach to a family member just too much history, too much baggage there. Don't think that that is you know your objective in life, to overcome that situation with that person are praying that God would send somebody else will slap him upside the head a few times on your behalf to mercy is love. That is because the souls in harmony with God. When we love mercy, not only receiving it is so easy to love the receive mercy. Thank you, thank you very much, what about being the one that is thanked what about the one that says I'm not ignoring the wrong unforgiving to forgive is to pay get the pay to forgive cost something something special to me when you forgive a dad who lost the money. If it's with that of money if it is a debt of feelings which is harder to forgive when your feelings have been hurt all brother once they've been tears you heard me say this so many times from the pulpit.

I've never come across to so much of my life. So I became a pastor amongst Christians once they get their feelings hurt your done. Not all of them.

There are some champions that have had their feelings hurt and have overcome it and they are strong, and it is a blessing and it is humbling and it's challenging because it makes you safe. I want to be like that to my feelings or but I don't give anybody a reason hurt my feelings. You don't have to give somebody a reason to hurt your feelings. The curse of sin is on the earth and it hunts all of us, but we are not defenseless. As I said mercy when mercy is loved by an individual is because the soul is in harmony with the compassions of God because the soul knows God, and this is the parable in Matthew 18 Jesus forgave the debt and then found out that that person who was forgiven this huge debt grab somebody who owed him of tiny debt by the throat and we are to pay attention to these lessons.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. If you do not forgive your heavenly father will not forgive you. That is a souls death sentence.

That is the downfall of the soul to refuse mercy and refused to show mercy.

Now there are times where there's no more mercy. Thus, the vision of Nahum the Elka Shipe the burden against Nineveh. There was no more mercy coming their way. Now it was judgment, mercy comes or concerns itself I should say mercy concerns itself with past events and grace concerns itself with future events and forgive what was done going forward. Let's do this and there's some gift or some kindness.

The Hebrew word used most frequently in the Old Testament for mercy is really is a great word it has in it the idea of stooping down of bending of lowering yourself to serve. There is an activity of love created in that word you know when I talked to the little children to come out to try to stoop down a little bit so they're not looking up in awe at me as you all should be. I like to get down will be closer to them, make them feel a little bit more compass seems to have worked over the years I would receive any monetary gifts from them yet, but this time anyway.

This is God, the Hosea talks about this, but then comes Christianity.

That is the Christ that I spoke about still pointing to the truths in the book of Nahum but then comes Christianity. Acts chapter 1 verse one, of all that Jesus both began to do and to teach. That's us.

That's the book of acts, of all that Jesus began both to do and teaches that this is a dual meaning to it.

There are those things that he did that he continued to do with the church.

Then there are the things that he has done to continue the church to fill it with his spirit. Christianity is Christ and he he was ever ready at all times to tell the truth about God, so men could be free we are to do the same thing. We are to be ever ready to do this if you think being ever ready is just willing to do it, wanting to do it then you like the idea of discipleship without entering into the idea that the ideal of some of discipleship and that's hard work to be read.

I mean imagine. Imagine going to war and below unload my gun once the shooting starts, last you got to go in ready. You have to go in train yet to know the word of God well enough to default to your training and not your feelings. If you can do that you're going to be more effective if you just know the Lord God is not calling us to be theologians.

He's calling us to be witnesses, but we have to know what we've seen and we have to know what we're looking at.

We have to be able to some degree to at least share that much. That's will save souls and does it off so often without people even knowing there are some of you have led some people to Christ and you don't even know that's exactly what's happening. Maybe.

Maybe you do know full well the Church of God is the instrument in the world that reveals God because the world will never stumble into truth concerning God without the church whenever this attitude of God towards cities or men is applied. There are results. Jesus said, you know, sometimes the need to knock the dust off your shoes and move on.

Stop wasting your time. Soft casting pearls before swine, and you need to be led to fields that you can sow seeds and have fruit. This is the attitude of the church. The church is never aloof when it comes to the souls of individuals never do. We distance ourselves. This was the problem of ancient Israel. The problem with June of the problem was John. They distanced themselves from those who are in need of what they had to say. That's why God went and fetched Jonah from the fish but the church will not be dictated nor should the Christian be dictated to. When it comes to what we believe out of the Scripture.

Every day is resurrection Sunday for the Christian we don't have to wait until after the first full moon of all the Sunday after the first full moon that from your country Passover falls on the wonderful move of Christ crucified at the pastoral and that Sunday that he rose again was the first Sunday after the full moon so today is an accurate news. The full moon this morning, last night and today. Here we are still recognizing the resurrection of Christ, which should get more of an emphasis far more of an emphasis than Christmas.

I don't know why I don't know why the church is often times missing this, but again, every day is resurrection Sunday for the Christian Christian and true Christianity does not disguise itself. Christianity has nothing to conceal everything to reveal as God leads as God guides, Christianity never made room for other religions to operate within Christianity, we have a chamber for things that are wrong about God will bring a little bit of it will sell your book or you will let you teach that when we don't do that. Christianity does not leave room for Christians who disagree with Christ distributed Christ as big problem here. Now you claiming to be a Christian.

How can you do that you said he is Lord or are you one of those it says, Lord, Lord, have we not and then he says get away from me. I never knew you. What is terrifying. That will be terrifying till I get into heaven reading that brutalism stooping that I cut it out of my Bible and the like.

Christianity declares that other gods are not gods they are not divine. This is how we make enemies.

This is how we become persecuted all it's worth it because of the value of the soul because the downfall of the soul is too tragic to be ignored. Christianity is not friendly to impersonations from hell. That's what's meant when I said that the declares of the gods are false. Paul said this to the Corinthians is is rather the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

He's getting the support from the Old Testament because it will just as relevant as the new and as Christians we are not to endorse ideas that disagree with the Scripture is one of the problems with so many books that come out that use Scripture what really are not in harmony with the Scriptures that they are using the just cherry picking the verses and if you're not if you don't know what the real thing is you not going to be identify the captain to be able to identify the counterfeit downfall of the soul is the worst thing that can befall a human being.

There's nothing worse than to be rejected by God. In the end, this is not picking on those who contradict the Bible. They are picking on the Bible lets us keep this balance dear, if I want to uphold the Scripture. I'm not picking on other people. If I want to point out that praying to Mary is a sin. I'm not picking on anybody lineup with the Scripture that but don't cut don't inject something into the Scripture that's not there and calling God given and expect me to be amused on the subject. Titus chapter 1 verse nine Paul said to pastor Titus holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those who contradict old sorry that verse expired did not.

None of them do.

Christians don't want their sin to be dominant in their lives. Unfortunately, sin wants to dominate sin wants to take over. We understand that the fallen nature is rambunctious. We get it we understand and we need to be able to understand that we were dealing with other Christians to. Otherwise, we become legalists. It's okay to learn the balance of grace. It's okay to exhibit grace. It's okay to not be insecure in your Christian walk with the greater the greater part of it all is the spirit of God in us. Jesus wants me nonetheless as he wanted Nineveh as he wanted Jerusalem as he reached out to Nineveh as he reached out to Jerusalem. He reaches out to us all, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, would you were not willing where's the world going to hear that verse where they going to get that Holly weird. Where is that going to come from.

This is justification we come to Christ on his turn. Justification is not mean that God makes us righteous justification means that God has declared us righteous because of what Jesus has done and if the Christian could live as they liked we would live just like Jesus to be no different if we had a choice I would live. As I ought I would always be holy. That's what I would do if I could get rid of this oldest old man.

The sinful nature. The greatest happiness of a Christian is to be holy is to be right with God is to not have darkness within us with the fight goes on in.

In the midst of that fight. We are to prevail. Jesus makes possible what God requires and God requires holiness in the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unholiness, all sin. Sin is unholiness. Removal of the curse of the cross is finished. It is done.

That's what he said now you gotta come and get it. The downfall of the soul is avoidable and that's the message of Nahum is so when you think about sharing the faith with people you think about hey let me tell you about this book of Nahum is the wrath of God on sinners. Why, why is it a whole book, the burden against Nineveh.

Why is that is it because you think God is just as God of wrath.

These petty you think is just picked out who he likes and is damning everybody else's. Is that what we need to get the stuff from you didn't get it from the Bible which you get from the Bible. As I have loved you with an everlasting God's will, not willing that any should perish. That's what you get from the Scripture. And so you get an opportunity to open that up and say here's why there is such a book of judgment on the Ninevites and why it would be such a book of judgment on you and you will have no one to blame no one to blame but yourself. When faced with the truth.

I mean the anti-Christian sentiment in this country is probably the highest it's ever been in this country. Why where is it coming from. What's the church's response the church's response is not all come to my church. The church's response is to preach the truth about Jesus Christ, let him take it from there. So may we neither understate or overstate the wrath of God. Grace is balance. Balance according to God and is not that difficult to do. We are to tell it as we have it, but how do we have it text, the Lord is slow to anger and greed and power and will not at all with the wicked for the wicked. We are to define these things for them.

We are to show them where the light is and is going take work. Laziness is not a virtue is a liability and I know you got life.

You have many of you have children at home. Still little children at home got so much to do. So how can I do more in the word other bookworms and their tapeworms so you can get yourself a table, CDs now listen online which you can get the word of God would make sure as you get the word of God that you digested to don't just put layer on top of layer listen to sermon a type of sermon you won't listen, you know, if you read a lot you forget when you read when I get that from. If you read too much to lose it all is all over the place, unless you take notes and you can track it down.

And incidentally those of you take notes.

The youth here, especially STL, the older Christian was their problem on the tables the home. Do you ever the battle of the notes was the purpose of taking them.

If you don't go back and look at them to the takes time image at the sacrifice time doing something else that you want to do something you need to do because that's what you want more.

Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study. In God's word. If you've missed any part of this message or would like to explore more teachings you can hear them by going to cross reference radio.com Pastor Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville, Virginia.

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