No man is to be respected above another person in a form of unrighteous judgment. However, does not infer nondiscrimination in every matter.
God desires the sacrifices of men because they demonstrate the love men have for Him. Yet, in reality, man’s sacrifices do not fulfil any need that God inherently has. The Lord made this clear to the Old Testament saints when He said, “I am full of the burnt offerings” (Isaiah 1:11). In another place He told them, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12). The New Testament believer offers sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15), and these sacrifices please God, but these sacrifices do not improve God in any way. With or without the sacrifices of men, God continues to be who He is.
Sin can never be flippantly disregarded. If the Lord is just, and He is, He must mete out consequences for rebellion. The biblical descriptions of the Lord’s reaction to rebellion varies from “he will be wroth” (Joshua 22:18) to “then shall the hand of the LORD be against you” (1 Samuel 12:15) to “ye shall be devoured with the sword” (Isaiah 1:20) to “I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee” (Exodus 33:5) to “I will purge out from among you the rebels” (Ezekiel 20:38) to “I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings” (Malachi 2:2). Though there are variations in the response, the constant truth remains that the Lord hates rebellion and responds to the rebellion with judgment.
The Bible is not meant to be read merely for the sake of reading. God intends for the Bible to be read with a deliberate purpose! Sometimes that purpose may be learning, while at other times it may be for purification. There will be times when one might not know the purpose for reading, but there can be no doubt that the Lord has a purpose. In Deuteronomy 17:18-19, the Lord states that His king should spend time in the law of God so that “he may learn to fear the LORD his God” and “keep all the words of” God’s law “to do them.” In Ephesians 5:26, the Lord describes one of these purposes when He speaks of “the washing of water by the word.” God’s purposes may be missed when one indiscriminately hastens through the scriptures.
The Bible teaches us that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Following salvation, a man's life should display visible changes as he seeks to put off his former conversation. According to scripture, that former conversation fulfilled “the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:3). By the grace of God, change is possible because every believer has been redeemed from his “vain conversation” (1 Peter 1:18). The apostle Paul is a great example. Before meeting the Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul's conversation or lifestyle involved mercilessly persecuting the church (Galatians 1:13). In his new life with Christ, he immediately began preaching the very faith he once destroyed (Galatians 1:23). When a person truly places his faith for salvation in the finished work of Christ, his conversation will change accordingly.
Nothing testifies more to the regrets of missed blessings than Thomas’s absence when the risen Saviour met with the disciples. Of all the times to forsake a meeting of believers, Thomas will be known for missing this meeting until the Lord comes. The Bible does not disclose why he was not with the other believers, but we do know what special event he missed – the presence of the risen Lord. Although the Lord Jesus will not visibly or physically show up in our church services, missing a service could cause us to miss His presence in a very special way. For instance, a lost sinner could get saved, or a brother or sister who had wandered from the Lord could find repentance. Maybe something for which you have faithfully prayed was to be answered during the service. Regardless of what might take place, missing the service will mean missing wonderful blessings, some of which can never be recovered. The one service you take for granted could be the very one that God meant to be most special for you.
The children of Israel had an important decision to make: whether to obey the Lord or unwisely refuse to obey Him. The Lord assured His children that their obedience would pay off with fruitful dividends. He promised to bless their obedience and curse their disobedience. The Bible clearly lists the blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Though the blessings of obedience can vary from one person to the next, obedience always yields God's blessing. For instance, Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed in his seed because he obeyed the voice of the Lord (Genesis 22:18). Isaiah told the Israelites that, if they would obey, they would eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Jeremiah told his audience that their obedience would cause it to be well with their soul and that their souls would live (Jeremiah 38:20). Blessings received from obedience may vary, but the blessings of obedience are well worth any temporary fleshly sacrifice.
