TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Saturday morning breakfasts in our home are a “thing”. In fact, when I mention to my family plans I have for any upcoming Saturday, the first question out of their mouths is, “What about breakfast?” Sure, they could make breakfast for themselves, but even I hate to miss the fellowship we share around the kicked-back Saturday morning breakfast table. We all look forward to it.

When I cook a complex recipe, I am exceptionally focused on the task at hand. “Friday” evening, I was attempting to make orange chicken and chow mein. (I was also up to my armpits in the mess I was making in the kitchen.) My one son walked up behind me and said, “What’s for breakfast tomorrow?” With what could surely be described as a dumbfounded look, I responded, “We’re not going to start doing big breakfasts on the weekdays, too!” It was his turn to look dumbfounded. He said, “Mom, tomorrow is Saturday!” I said, “Yeah, right.” I turned to my other son to question him. Seriously believing I was the butt of a carefully devised joke, I turned back to my cooking to put an end to this nonsensical frivolity. My youngest son said, “Hey, Google, what day is it?” To my horror, even Google was in on the conspiracy! Then, it came back to me. Earlier that day I saw a Facebook post that welcomed everyone with, “Happy Friday.” I had wanted to post the lovely picture, but I thought it odd that it showed up on a Wednesday. My horror intensified as I instantly realized that my immediate “fact check” response was to refer to anything on Facebook as a source of truth! Karla, you are indeed a Boomer!!! My excuse (and I’m sticking to it) is that the days are blending into one another more than I had thought they were in this quarantine. The truth was this: It was Friday after all, even though it took some time for me to believe it.

I may be losing track of days, but like Mary, my mind is being sharpened to focus on the only thing that matters in this life. Yesterday, I was extremely blessed to watch three—not one but three—sermons by livestream media. Along with Christians everywhere in this country, I long for the fellowship of the saints…when we can come together again ministering to one another and working alongside each other for the sake of the Gospel. Yet, I cannot but help rejoice in the fact that all three sermons were edifying and enlightening. I have to say, however, that one sermon will stand out in my mind, possibly for the rest of my life. We are living in tumultuous times. With all the chaos going on all around us, the sermon by John MacArthur from Grace Community Church yesterday was not only timely, it was timeless. In fact, if I were able to point to one sermon in my lifetime and say, “That one sermon was given by a man who I believe was born for such a time as this: This was that!” If you were not able to catch it, Beloved, I urge you with everything within me to watch it as soon as it is uploaded to the church website. It was entitled, “Who’s to Blame for the Riots?” In it, Pastor John captures the bigger picture perfectly. He zooms in on the one thing that matters in life. I would hasten to say that if you did watch it and do not understand what human depravity has to do with all that is happening in our world, then you do not really understand the Gospel. It is that important!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the fact that whenever my family began being accused of scandalous dealings, my thoughts began to turn to this question, “When did it become so acceptable to lie?” I knew that Satan has been a liar from the beginning. At that point in my life I naively believed that everyone who stands for justice, who is supposed to uphold justice, was put in positions of authority for good. Looking back at my ignorance, it is not hard to see why the general population, in this country, naively believes that if the authorities pursue someone for criminal activity, “They must be guilty.” Devastated, I was forced to face the fact that people in positions of authority granted power to enforce the law—everything I believe represents goodness and righteousness—can and do lie on purpose! People who are controlled by Satan lie. This should never have been such a shock to my entire belief system. But it caused me to begin thinking along the lines of human depravity, including my own. Today, more than ever, we are being lied to no matter where we turn, or no matter what new “issue” arises with the rising of the sun. Sinners (those who practice lawlessness) break the law. The author of Ecclesiastes assures us there is nothing new under the sun. The issues that arise today are not new. They have always existed because the heart of man has been the same since the Fall. God has always seen the wickedness of man. We, however, in our lifetime, are seeing it being exposed more blatantly through the media.

A very short time after God created man, Genesis 6:5 says He said this: Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And, then, in verses 11-12: Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

Truth is truth, and it never changes. In John 18:37-40 Pilate asks a question every person today needs to be asking himself. What is truth? Therefore, Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So, they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas,” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Truth, Himself, was standing in their midst, yet they did not know Him. Jesus still stands in our midst through the testimony of His Word. And even though people are frantically running around seeking knowledge and asking, “What is truth?” they refuse to look to Jesus as the Truth. The fail to embrace the truth as the light to live by. He is the sole authority of truth and the source of truth because He is truth. On the other hand, Satan is a liar.

Satan wants to distract people from the truth by causing confusion. He is proud, boldly asserting his lies disguised as truth appealing to the emotions of people who do not know the truth. We also see in Ephesians 6 that Satan is deceitful.

Satan is fierce and cruel. Christians are to be sober and watchful, because our adversary the Devil, walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He will easily swallow up those who swallow his lies. Did you ever hear the phrase, “He bought it hook, line, and sinker?” This phrase is used to emphasize that someone has been completely tricked or deceived. It is a fishing metaphor. The hook, the line, and the sinker are likely to be gulped down by a greedy fish. We see this picture in James 1:14-15—But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Enticed here is a fishing term that means to “capture” or “to catch with bait”. When “issues” arise today, people eagerly flock to social media to gulp down any facts they might acquire to feed their lusts for being in the know and to feed the innate need to fight for a cause. Fighting for a “cause” soothes our flesh by falsely assuring us that we are fighting for righteousness. But we cannot equate fighting for social issues with fighting for righteousness. What is always at the center of every issue is the state of the heart.

The Devil is a powerful being. (See Jude 9) In Ephesians 2, we can see that all those who walk according to the course of the world, walk according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. In Chapter 6 of Ephesians, Christians are told to put on the full armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil reminding us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Satan uses those in the world with the greatest influence and exposure as his tools to further his agenda. His agenda has always been anti-Christ in nature.

Satan is subtle. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.

The truth is that all these “issues” people want to focus on are meant to distract from the real issue, and that is this: What is the state of your heart? What have you done with Jesus Christ? Nothing else matters. And if you try to make other issues more important, it should be obvious that your heart needs examined. I had someone begin a sentence directed to me with, “Well, I know you see everything through a biblical worldview, but…” Discernment red flags went up in my mind immediately.

Sin always has consequences. America is an ungodly nation. It has suppressed the knowledge of God in unrighteousness. Ungodliness is turning away from God. Turning away from God leads to idolatry. Idolatry leads to unleashed sensuality. The lawlessness of our nation is gaining steam in that it is becoming more acceptable to the masses and more exposed by the media. In God’s holy wrath (judgment) He has turned sinful men, whole nations, over to their own devises and foolish imaginations which always results in moral degeneration.

We are being bombarded with vain, corrupt reasonings from foolish or senseless hearts that are filled with darkness and not with the light of the truth. They do not understand because they have been blinded to the truth. Refusing to accept the truth destroys the power to discriminate between truth and error. For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-21) This is very important to understand because while they do everything they can to attempt to sound intellectual and all-knowing, the Bible calls them fools. This, too, is a judgment from God against man’s arrogant independence. John MacArthur’s exposition of this passage in Romans 1 and how it relates to what we see happening in our world, was masterfully preached.

Ephesians 4:17-19—So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

I fear for my kids’ generation. I fear for their parents sitting in pews across America who do not know enough truth to be discerning recognizing Satan’s schemes. I believe that either one of two things are upon the horizon of our day. Either we will see a revival in the truth church, the likes of which we have never witnessed in our lifetimes, or we will increasingly move to the point of no return in God’s judgment on our nation. Those who know the end of the story know that judgment of this world is inevitable. We do not know when that will be, but we do see signs of that time all around us. I may not know what day of the week it is, but I know this: A firm principle of judgment from the beginning of time has been that we either seek and embrace the Truth, or we will face the consequences of not doing so. …who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey righteousness, wrath and indignation. (Romans 2:6-8)

Ignoring the truth always leads to undesired consequences.