|
 The
Culture of No Consequences by David
Hartsell
In the beginning, the Lord blessed man with a
paradise garden to keep, trim, and enjoy. Only one prohibition was
mentioned. Adam and Eve were not to eat of the “tree of the
knowledge of good and evil” (Gen.2:17). If they ate they
would lose their place in the garden and forfeit their right to the
“tree of life.” They would lose their lives and their special
relationship with The Lord. This was the consequence. Sadly, they
ate of the prohibited tree and paid the consequences.
Have
you noticed the singular lack of consequences in almost every system
of American culture? God’s plan of behavior management for children
(the rod of discipline Pro. 22:15) has been set aside by parents and
schools. Athletes, stars and politicians are seen to break laws with
impunity. Bad manners and rudeness are tolerated if one is popular
or famous. Coaches throw chairs, athletes sling helmets, and parents
attack other parents, all clear violations of team rules and rules
of appropriate behavior. Yet, rarely are those actions held to
account. Proverbs 19:19 tells us the truth: “A hot-tempered man must
pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.”
Priests and teachers have abused children without penalty.
Presidents lie, congressmen take money, etc.
Human beings
require structure and discipline. Fortunately for us, our Creator
planned for our growth and happiness by holding us accountable. God
is honest with us: sin brings death. The Word clarifies His
expectations and holds us accountable. God is predictable,
consistent, and fair. And aren’t we thankful for that! The beauty
queen and best player have the same consequence and reward as the
rest of us. Moses, God’s chosen leader, was held accountable for
disobedience (Numbers 20). Samson, a judge chosen by God, maintained
supernatural strength as long as he followed God’s directions.
However, God allowed Samson to suffer the consequences of foolish
behavior: the Philistines cut his hair, blinded and imprisoned him.
Ultimately Samson gained victory over himself and over his enemies;
God did not abandon Samson but answered his prayer.
Obedience begins with the fear of consequences. God’s people cannot
thrive if they accept the culture of no consequences. Churches grow
numerically but not spiritually. Many are suffering from the lack of
discipline among their members. Fornication, bar-hopping, gossip,
and bitterness find their way into churches. Behavior that is
plainly un-Christian is ignored while the “positive” is accentuated.
By overlooking sin the consequences of sin are not seen or felt.
Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for this (1 Cor.5:1-5). They
accepted an adulterer as a faithful brother. Paul told them to
deliver him to Satan – to let him know where he was spiritually.
They were not even to eat with him. How cruel! No! This is God’s way
of shocking the sinner into seeing the consequence of his sin.
Not all consequences are bad. In fact, the disciplining of the
Corinthian adulterer caused him to repent and return to Christ. Paul
urged the brethren to reaffirm their love to him (2 Cor.2:3-9). The
renewal of Christian fellowship was crucial in helping this brother
remain faithful. It remains the same today. We can not live without
consequences. Some believe because God does not punish sin
immediately He will not punish it at all. “Because the sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart
of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecc.8:11). This
is a serious mistake. In this life we might evade many bad
consequences. However, in judgment all will be made right. Everyone
will stand before God to be judged based on the things we have done
on earth (2 Cor.5:10). Don’t buy into the idea of a culture with no
consequences for there is no such place in existence. ~
|
Our Lord's Warning
By Ron Boatwright Christ, who is all knowing, tells us
that many people are going to be lost in eternity. In Matthew
7:13-14 He says, "Enter by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and there are many
who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way
which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” According to
the Bible the majority of people will be lost. We must take this
warning seriously. The Lord says that only a few people will be
saved. How few can few be? In 1 Peter 3:20 (KJV) we read,
"When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls were
saved by water." The conservative estimate of the number of people
on the face of the earth in the days of Noah is two hundred million
(200,000,000) people. But only eight (8) out of the estimated two
hundred million (200,000,000) were saved. This is not very good
odds. Even though the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:9 that the Lord is
"not willing that any should perish,” Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14
concerning eternal life in Heaven that "there are few who find it.”
The vast majority of people will spend forever and ever in the
eternal fires of Hell that will never be extinguished. Mankind
cannot comprehend how horrible that Hell is going to be.
There are only two roads to eternity and everyone is on one or the
other. If we miss Heaven, we will be thrown into the eternal fires
of Hell forever. One of the saddest things about being thrown into
Hell is the fact that it could have been avoided. The majority of
people will be lost in spite of what the Lord has done. Hell is not
what God does to us, but Hell is what one does to himself. A person
who ends up in Hell is his own worst enemy and only has himself to
blame. Let us make going to Heaven our number one priority in this
life. ~
Town Fool Worship
We have heard of a man who says he would attend church services
Sunday morning, even if the "town fool" should preach. He thinks it
disgraceful that some are "preacher-crazy" and attend or stay home,
depending upon who occupies the pulpit. Before you commend the man,
read the next line.
He is equally provoked when some one urges him to be present on
Wednesday night for Bible Study, for he says the Scriptures do not
command the Wednesday night assembly.
Seems to me the poor Fellow is wrong on both counts; i.e., he misses
the point concerning assembling with the saints, Sunday or
Wednesday. It is true, we should not be "wed" to the preacher; but
it is equally true that we should not be "wed" to a certain
"assembly." We must be wed to Christ (II Corinthians 11:1-fl). The
"assembly" is not an end within itself —just "being there" or "doing
five items" will accomplish little. One should not "go to church"
because he wants to "go to church" but because he wants to study
God's word, praise God in song, in prayer, and in every way in
keeping with His will. He loves his brethren and is anxious to join
with them in the worship and work of the Lord. He eagerly, joyfully,
freely gives of his means joining hands with his brethren to further
the Lord's work. The Lord's Supper, on the Lord's Day, is a memorial
gratefully shared with all the saints. A person with such an
attitude seeks more opportunities to continue what he truly wants to
do. He does not measure out worship grudgingly, watching the clock.
Hebrews 10:25 says, "not forsaking the assembling" — read it
carefully. Not "the assembly" but the act of coming together. This
passage does not urge all to be present at a certain convocation,
but exhorts us to recognize the importance of assembling with the
saints. This applies to Wednesday as well as to Sunday; whether "the
day approaching" be the destruction of Jerusalem or Judgment Day.
Acts 20:7 authorized the Lord's Supper upon the Lord's Day; no other
day is designated. But the "oncer" heeds something worse than the
"town-fool preacher." He has fooled himself. ~
By Robert Turner, taken from Plain Talk, February 1969
You Snooze...You Lose
Every culture has its idiomatic expressions and one of our modern
idioms suggests, “If you snooze... you lose!” Snoozing has to do
with not paying attention or being neglectful in some enterprise.
Neglect will cost you something, therefore “you lose.” It may be
surprising to some that this idiom has its spiritual applications
and is suggested by a couple of statements from the pen of the
apostle Paul.
“And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you
to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we
believed.” Romans 13:11
Paul is saying that if we are neglectful about the way we conduct
ourselves, we could lose out on salvation. He is exhorting his
brothers to wake up to the hour in which they live. It is the last
hour and they are near salvation. But... if you snooze, you lose.
“For this reason many among you are weak and sick and a number
sleep.” 1 Corinthians 11:30
Here, Paul is trying to get the attention of Christians who were
spiritually asleep, neglecting to do things the way God had
commanded. They were not observing the Lord’s Supper as it was
intended, so they were bringing judgment upon themselves (v. 29).
Thus, if you just go through the motions of God’s worship,
spiritually asleep, then... you snooze, but lose.
It’s easy to fall asleep and neglect the things that God expects of
us. Perhaps, knowing the consequence of our neglect will awaken us
to the work at hand. As Paul said, .”..it is already the hour for
you to awaken from sleep.”
Guy Orbison, Jr.
Durango, Colorado
|