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The Equal Ways of God
I. This is an oft repeated accusation against God.
A. It began in the Garden of Eden.
1. Satan had suggested to Eve, that God was trying to
hold back something good from man to protect Himself.
2. The reason that God does not want you to eat of the
fruit is He knows that the day that you eat of it,
you will become like gods.
B. When Abraham was told of the impending judgment that was to
come upon Sodom, he questioned, "Shall not the Judge of all
the earth do right?"
C. Today the accusations usually begin with the query, "Why
would a God of love allow" and then they point to any number
of world catastrophe's. The insinuation is that He is not a
God of love, His is not fair to allow innocent children to
be born with a physical handicap.
D. What is not taken into consideration is the fact that we are
born into a world that has been suffering the consequence of
rebellion against the law of God for almost 6,000 years. The
cause behind all the ills is sin. Had it not been for sin I
believe that we would be living in perfect bodies in a
perfect world.
E. Man through sin turned the title deed of the earth over to
Satan and he now is the god of this world. He is the one that
is controlling the flow of the worlds tide.
1. In Eph.2 Paul said in times past you also walked
after the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air.
2. To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "The god of this world
has blinded the minds of them who believe not."
II. The problem that bothered the people was God's grace in the
forgiveness of sins.
A. God had declared that if a wicked man doomed to die, would
turn from his sin and do that which was lawful and right and
begin to walk in the statutes of life, he would live and not
die. None of his past sins would be mentioned to him.
1. The grace of God in the forgiveness of sins has
always been a problem for many people, including
Christians.
a. We are not willing to let the guilty get off
scott free.
b. We look for our pound of flesh.
c. We want them to suffer at least for a time.
d. We are not as ready to forgive their
transgression as is God. We say there cannot
be immediate restoration we must give them
some time.
e. Though we gladly accept the grace for our own
iniquities we are not quite so ready to offer
it to others. That is why God responded to
the accusation by saying, "Your ways are not
equal." You gladly accept for yourselves what
you are not willing to offer to others.
f. We so often stand with the Pharisee's with
stone in hand ready to take vengeance upon
the guilty, but according to Jesus, none of
us are qualified to throw our stones.
B. God also declared that the righteousness of the righteous
shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression. The
righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness in
the day that he sins.
1. Jesus had told the crowd listening to the Sermon on
the Mount, that unless their righteousness exceeded
that of the scribes and Pharisees they could not hope
to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
a. As far as living by the standards of the law,
no one exceeded the Scribes and Pharisees.
They spent their entire existence trying to
keep the law.
b. The problem is that they had developed self
righteousness they were trusting in their own
outward works, while within they were filled
with all sorts of evil attitudes.
c. The sepulcher's were whitewashed on the
outside, but within were dead men's bones.
The outside of the cup was clean, but within
was extortion and excesses.
2. You can be a good moral, honest person filled with
integrity and of excellent reputation, and when you
die end up in hell.
3. You can be guilty of the most heinous evil and come
to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and
end up in heaven.
4. You may say, that is not fair, the ways of the Lord
are not equal.
5. Your good deeds or righteous acts can never secure
you a place in heaven.
a. Our righteousness is as filthy rags in the
sight of God.
b. The righteous standard that God requires to
enter the kingdom of heaven, was manifested
by Jesus Christ, who was able to say, "I do
always those things that please the Father."
and also, "He that has seen Me, has seen the
Father."
c. Jesus said that the Spirit would testify of
righteousness because I ascend unto the
Father. The ascension of Jesus into heaven
was God's declaration to the world that here
is the righteousness necessary to grant you
entrance into the heavenly kingdom.
d. You say, but no human could be that
righteous. Good, you are beginning to get
the picture. If you are trusting in your own
righteousness no matter how good you may
have been, you will never make it.
e. That is why God has offered to impute to us
the righteousness of Jesus Christ by our mere
faith and trust in Him, as we surrender to
His Lordship over our lives.
6. How long does it take for God to forgive us our
iniquities?
7. How many months did the Lord require that Peter sit
on the shelf for his horrible failure when he denied
his Lord with cursing?
a. Jesus had told Peter that Satan had desired
him that he might sift him like wheat, but
when he was converted he was to strengthen
his brethren.
b. When Jesus met Peter face to face after
Peter's denial, He talked to him of going
out and tending the Lord's sheep, and
feeding the sheep.
c. Peter became a more understanding
undershepherd as the result of his failure,
because before his denial of the Lord, he was
boastful and proud thinking himself to be
above the others. "Though they may all deny
you, I would never deny you." After his own
personal failure, he ministered from a place
of brokeness.
III. There will always be those who will be saying, "The ways of the
Lord are not equal." God's response is, "Your ways are not equal."
A. The same people that are out with their signs, and screaming
that we should save the trees, are the very same people that
are out with the signs saying pro choice. Kill the babies,
but save the trees. Yet they say the ways of the Lord are not
equal.
B. The government will fine you and give you a possible jail
term if you destroy the egg of a bald eagle. It recognizes
that the egg holds the life of the new eagle. That same
government will pay for you to destroy the child being
formed in your womb, declaring that it is just tissue. No
wonder God responds, "Your ways are not equal."
C. Jesus said, that your Father in heaven has forgiven you a
huge debt, yet you are unwilling to forgive a minor debt of
your brother, but are demanding your pound of flesh.
D. What audacity for man to challenge the justice of God.
E. We hear the cry, "Their ain't no justice." This may be very
true of our judicial system. Your attorney will be the first
to tell you that you cannot be assured of justice if you go
to court over the issue.
F. Whenever someone challenges the justice of God with the
queries concerning the people who have never heard of Jesus
Christ, how a just God could condemn them to eternal
punishment, I just say where God is silent, I must be silent,
I do not know what God's sentence of judgment will be
concerning them, but I know when it is announced, we will
all say, "Righteous and true are your judgments O Lord." And
when you who have heard of Jesus Christ but steadfastly
refuse His love and grace toward you, as He announces your
doom, again we will be forced to say, "Righteous and true
are your judgments O Lord." You had better start being
concerned for yourself, for you stand in the place of
greater condemnation.
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