Isaiah Chapter 9
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
*and the government shall be upon his shoulder,*
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
*Of the increase of his government
and of peace
there will be no end,*
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Over the last few days I have been receiving many emails from people who have been scared out of their faith by preachers who preach fear and doom and gloom. Many are worried about blood moons and asteroids and famine and governmental collapse.
Why do so many preachers preach this fear message. Isn't the gospel the good news of peace? It all comes down to money and a lack of the understanding of the love of God and of his great mercy.
Fear sells. Every time someone comes out with a book of fear people buy it by the millions. I'm also convinced that the people who preach such things believe that our God is an angry God who can't wait to pour out judgment on the earth. They always want God to judge and destroy everyone's wayward children but their own.
Maybe they forgot that the one who is judging is the one who suffered the most horrible death ever imagined while bearing our sin, sickness and disease all because of his great love for us. Does it make any sense to love someone so much and then destroy them?
Did you read the verses above from Isaiah? Does that match up with anything that the fear-mongers are preaching? It says of the increase of his government and of Peace there shall be no end!
OK, you can shout now. Isn't that a wonderful statement. That means from the time Jesus was resurrected, through the present and into the future his government and his peace will keep growing until the whole world is consumed by his kingdom and the whole world is at peace.
Yes I know that their are bad things and bad times in the earth. There always have been and will be until his kingdom completely takes over the world in love and peace. These are not God's judgments, these are the results of fallen state of man. Yes there are more catastrophes and earthquakes and disasters reported now than ever but maybe that's because we have better news reporting and tracking instruments than we ever had. It's also because we only get the bad news on our TV and internet. Good news is seldom reported and bad news is rebroadcast over and over and over.
Yes God is going to shatter kingdoms and pull down strongholds of corruption and restore the earth to the same measure of completeness that is in heaven. This is why Jesus told us to pray "thy will be done on earth as in heaven." So let me ask you, are there famines in heaven? Are there earthquakes that destroy or diseases running rampant killing the inhabitants of heaven? So why do we think God rules heaven one way and earth another?
It says of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end. His government will bring peace to the world. Yes I hear many of you quoting that Jesus said he didn't come to bring peace but a sword. But who did he say would be your enemy? He didn't say our Father is our enemy. He said it would be those of our own house. Father is not angry with the world. He is slow to anger and slow to wrath.
Jesus said he was the exact likeness of our Father in heaven. So I have a few questions for you.
Did Jesus destroy anyone?
Did he send famine or did he feed the multitudes?
Did he cause a storm or stop a storm?
Did he make people sick or did he heal all who came to him?
When the disciples wanted to call down the fire of judgment on a city did he say "go ahead" or did he tell them they were of the wrong spirit?
Did he judge the people or did he take our judgment upon himself?
Now lets look at the character of Jesus. Surely he lives by the laws he gave us to live by doesn't he?
Matthew Chapter Five
38. “You have heard that it was said,
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
39. But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.
But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
40. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,
let him have your cloak as well.
41. And if anyone forces you to go one mile,
go with him two miles.
42. Give to the one who begs from you,
and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
43.“You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44.But I say to you, Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
45. so that you may be sons of your Father
who is in heaven.
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46. For if you love those who love you,
what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47. and if you greet only your brothers,
what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
You therefore must be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus instructed us in the ways of our Father in heaven. All these things he told us to do are the ways of our Father and of Jesus. Do you see any wrathful judgment in these scriptures?
This is the way our God treats his enemies. He wins them over by his great love and not by his wrath. It's his goodness that wins our hearts and turns us from evil.
Think about a man named Saul. He was out destroying the church and people were praying. So did God destroy him? No he saved him, changed his name to Paul and sent him out to preach the good news that he tried to destroy. This is the vengeance of a loving God who wants his enemies to be his disciples.
Now lets look at Hebrews Chapter Nine
27. And just as it is appointed for man to die once,
and **after that comes judgment, **
28. so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, *not to deal with sin
but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.*
There is a day when all men's works will be judged but it's not while they are walking in flesh. It's after we die. Until that day our Father's mercy and grace are calling to everyone that is lost and doing evil to repent and be saved. Jesus came to save the world, not destroy it. He even told us that the meek would inherit the earth. So do you think for an inheritance our God would give us a burned up, torn up world filled with nuclear radiation and debris cause by his judgment?
So put all this fear out of your hearts and minds. This is his kingdom that he is building and it is an everlasting kingdom that will rule the heaven and the earth. This kingdom will increase and increase and there will be no end until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. He promised we would rule and reign with him on the earth and that rule is in love and peace it is not with destruction and hate.
Let's begin loving each other and loving our enemies and praying for our enemies. Let's love them and pray for them until they are saved and joined to us.
Let's not spread fear but love and joy. It's the gospel of peace not the gospel of war. He is the prince of peace. Let's preach the gospel of peace and not the message of fear.
Once and for all let's not be afraid of the fire-breathing, doomsday predictors and lets walk in faith. Think about it. Do you remember Y2K? Do you remember 12-12-12? Did any of those people who predicted all those terrible things say they were sorry or return any of the money they made on the books and movies?
Every year it's more fear to sell more books. If they really think it's falling apart then why aren't they giving the books away? What good is money if the world economy collapses? Didn't Jesus say to take no thought of tomorrow. Doesn't he know all we need and doesn't he provide for us? Didn't he say that if we would just seek his kingdom then all these things would be provided?
Now lets be full of joy and let the peace of God rule our hearts as it says in Colossians Chapter 3.
12. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13. bearing with one another and,
if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
*15. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,* to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17. And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Until next time,
Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
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