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No one can be compared to Almighty God, the creator of the universe. Unless you want to be compared in the same way a little ant is compared to a human being. Ants are so small and inferior that they will never comprehend what a person is thinking, seeing, or doing. Period! So is man compared to God. We will never understand what the supernatural, all knowing God thinks, does, or will ever do unless He simply reveals some things to us.
And He does! For example we read in the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 55:7-9 (NKJV)
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
We are told He determines what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong, and what is true and what is false. “Let the wicked forsake his way” and that means God is the authority over all people! That means He judges people and determines by their actions and their traditions that are their “ways” is evil and wrong. And, God says to stop doing what they want and turn around and forsake what they think is good, right, and true.
God contradicts humanity! God corrects humanity! God will punish humans forever unless they stop and forsake their ways.
Not only does God contradict broken humanity, He also demands all of us to forsake our way of thinking. Wrong thinking leads to wrong attitudes. Wrong attitudes lead to wrong actions. This is impossible to understand! We think we are doing pretty good, but others are the bad guys. We have all kinds of excuses for ourselves that make us okay. But God says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts.”
We are given one option, like it or not. “Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” This is not overwhelming. A fish has one option, live in water, or die by jumping out. All people have one option, stay in the atmosphere of air, or jump in the water and suffocate. And all people have one option, forsake the things God tells us is sin or die from the consequences of them.
Even though you may think “I was born this way” or “I was meant to do this”, or “I feel comfortable doing these things”, or “whatever feels good to me I will do and enjoy it.” You can express your opinions of all the things you demand are good and determine that no God will make you feel guilty. And you can find hundreds, thousands, or millions of people, experts, or friends to agree with you and strengthen your decision that you can sin against God. But… the Almighty God has the power and will to bring you to everlasting justice.
Remember all of us who come to this crossroad with God, and forsakes our evil ways and evil thoughts, must trust God’s way of thinking. As Paul explains, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
But how does this affect our lives, relationships, and churches? Since the whole world thinks in the opposite way of God, in arrogance they see God’s ways as stupid and not relevant. Nobody wants to be poor, humble, and insignificant. God’s solutions are rejected. God’s way of government, economics, marriage, sexuality, etc are all rejected!
A mass rebellion against God grows in the world today and will explode to an overwhelming extent just before Jesus returns to the earth.You see it in social unrest, rebellion against moral standards, violent acts against richer people or other races, and all constituted authority.
Again the apostle Paul explains, “For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7 (AMP)
Will God once again “have mercy” on our nation in spite of it’s great sins? God says, “Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
The answer is only if the people of this nation on a large scale returns to obedience to the LORD! Only then will He “have mercy” and “abundantly pardon”! Without understanding our history, you will never see the abundant blessings that God poured out upon America.
In the 1720’s the American colonies and Great Britain lived their way not God’s, and were overcome in all kinds of wickedness.
Here are a few examples. One in six homes were breweries or bars. Drunkenness controlled the masses. Gambling was out of control as cockfights were the sport of the day. Outdoor boxing matches were a bloody mess and those who popped out an opponent’s eyeballs with their thumbs were especially loved. Without our modern movie technology, they had live theater that was so wretched that most had brothels connected to the theaters. Murder, robbery, and slavery were also the norm of the day.
In spite of a few churches, most were spiritually dead and the church was just not relevant.
But God stepped into the mass of wickedness in America and showed great mercy. Through the most insignificant Christian preachers God, He altered the entire thirteen colonies and by the mid 1740’s one third of the population were thrust into the kingdom of God. This event so changed the people everything was flipped upside down.
Town after town was transformed, the culture of wickedness was eradicated from hundreds of towns across the colonies. The foundations of God’s ways replaced the wicked ways of man bringing law and order. Even though only ⅓ of the population were converted the impact of the miraculous presence of God’s Spirit also overshadowed the majority of lost men. But, the wicked continued to sin in secret instead of the public wickedness that previously prevailed.
The awareness of the horribleness of sin came clear to the whole area. God’s ways blanketed the culture in a basic sense and unexplained shame took hold of the people. Some still gambled, kept slaves, brutally controlled the poor, and other sin, but law and order was the prevailing way of the communities replacing the chaos and wickedness that ruled the nation in the past. The unexplained presence of God from this revival forced people to begin to think differently. They were stirred up over their ways and spoke together of making changes.
People questioned gambling, drinking, violence, morality, theaters, and slavery. They were stirred and found themselves seeing things from God’s perspective and that He gave them rights, but the tyrant king of England took them away from them and forced all kinds of evil upon them. This move of God changed a generation and birthed a new nation.
How could such a miracle happen? Why has this history been covered up? Can God do it again?
Yes, God’s way is not man’s. He alters a nation using insignificant people.
1 Corinthians 1:21-29 (NLT2)
21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.
23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.
27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
One man God used was a small time pastor serving in a small church in a small town. His name is Jonathan Edwards. In fact, God was stirring up many towns in Massachusetts in 1741, but in the towns where he preached they were resistant. One of the most famous sermons of our history is his sermon, titled, ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ July 8, 1741. This message exploded the hearts of the people like an atomic bomb. God used “foolish preaching” and “powerless (words) to shame those who are powerful” and resistant to godliness.
“‘As spring passed into summer 1741 no one could well keep track of the number of places which were also witnessing the revival. Churches, which in some cases had been cold and dry at the beginning of the year, were transformed before the end. ‘It is astonishing,’ wrote Edwards, ‘to see the alteration that there is in some towns, where before was but little appearance of religion.’” (This Day in History: Jonathan Edwards Preaches “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”)
Remember God says, “…the world would never know him through human wisdom,” and it was not the human wisdom or effort of Jonathan Edwards. Extraordinary prayer caused “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” to explosively change the church and town.
“But there is a bit of history behind it. For three days Edwards had not eaten a mouthful of food; for three nights he had not closed his eyes in sleep. Over and over again, he had been saying to God: Give me New England! Give me New England!’”
“And when he rose from his knees, and made his way into the pulpit they said he looked as if he had been gazing straight into the face of God. They say that before he opened his lips to speak, conviction fell upon his audience.” (J. Wilbur Chapman)
And that is not the whole story either.
“Several members of Jonathan Edwards’ church had spent the whole night in prayer before he preached his memorable sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The Holy Ghost was so mightily poured out, and God so manifest in holiness and majesty during the preaching of that sermon, that the elders threw their arms around the pillars of the church and cried, ‘Lord, save us, we are slipping down into hell.’” Kneeling We Triumph, “God’s Night Shift”, page 111, Edwin and Lillian Harvey
Jonathan Edwards wrote to Thomas Prince, a pastor in Boston, “It was a very frequent thing to see a house full of outcries, faintings, convulsions and such like, both with distress and also with admiration and joy.” The supernatural conviction of sin was so deeply striking the hearts of the hardened sinners that they were shaken to the core. Once converted, many were so filled with joy they burst out in praise. Others, so moved by God’s mercy, fell on their faces in awe.
We must not forget, “no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” No preacher can boast his wisdom and speaking ability can manipulate people to experience God’s presence. It is written in James 4:6-7 (AMP), “God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.” The Holy Spirit of God made His majestic presence known to thousands during those days because of their humble pleadings, knowing their human efforts were unable to change the people.
This is biblical.
Mark 6:1-6 (NLT2)
1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.
2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”
3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
Acts 4:13 (NLT2)
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
These scriptures are plain, there is no hidden meaning. God called unlearned, ordinary men to be the apostles. God raised up His Son as nothing but an ordinary carpenter. Paul continues by saying that God chooses the “foolish things”, not the rich and powerful.
Now the apostle Paul was a learned man, you may remember. So, what good did it do for him?
Philippians 3:3-8 (NLT2) “We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”
The Lord God’s word still looms high and lifted up – “But God chose the foolish things of the world so that He might put the wise to shame.”
Today it is interesting to realize the stark contrast between the Word and the evangelical church’s unwritten law. You must go to school and seminary, then you might be qualified to be a pastor of a local church. I know there are exceptions, but they are getting further and further apart. Generally, the churches invite only theologians, Doctors of Divinity, and very learned men to speak and share their opinions and ideas of everything.
But, can I pose one question, where is the voice and power of God? You see, the one thing that astounded the rulers, scribes, and elders in the Book of Acts was this, “they took note of them, that they had been with Jesus.”
The power that overwhelmed the first century saints, and the power that overwhelmed the saints like Jonathan Edwards in 1740’s is what is needed today. So how can this be a reality today? We sure need God to turn around our country today! The Holy Spirit has come to accomplish the results of the apostles in our communities. But, He releases His power to those who will count their own wisdom and knowledge as worthless, and instead listen to the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. People will notice these as ones who are with Jesus.
In the apostles’ day, the Holy Spirit’s power created a response in people, either deep conviction to repentance or an explosion of anger and deeper rebellion. The Word of God would so strike the hearts of people that they were deeply divided, not indifferent. The word of God caused things to happen because the power of the Holy Spirit was active.The unrepentant sinners were stirred up in anger to halt God’s word from being preached.They hated them and would persecute them!
Because of doctrine and theology many assume the Holy Spirit is working with them, but without powerful evidence. But, compared to the Biblical evidence given in the Gospels and Acts, can you really say you see this supernatural blessing? Do you see deep conviction, powerful repentance, and life changing conversions like Jonathan Edwards witnessed? Do you need to reevaluate whether you have the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and church?
Today with all the exchange of Bible preaching and teaching, the United States is unmoved and resistant to God. Worst of all, when they awake in hell whose fault will it be?
