11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The key to this set of scriptures is the last few words – “believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”.God gives us all a chance to repent, but if we don’t have a genuine love for the truth, we will choose to push it aside in favor of what our flesh wants – the lie.
Here is the premise.Satan comes to tempt you with sin.We all know that sin always appears appealing, and here is the point.It even looks so good to the point that your life temporarily appears better with it than without it.The pleasure received for the moment seems worth the pain that will be endured later, or maybe, it seems that everything will be alright in the long run.This is the deceivableness of sin, and it is a very costly thing.
Let’s give it a scenario.You are at work, and a person that you are attracted to suddenly begins dropping hints at spending alone time with you.You are married, but what do you do?Is this what you look at as the chance of a lifetime, or as a chance to flee from something very dangerous?Sadly, this very scenario has entrapped countless people these days, and it dates much farther back than “the office”.We can read of sexual sins going way back.
What about theft?You have an opportunity to steal something that doesn’t belong to you, and no one will find out (at least it seems).Or, you might be able to take credit for something that you didn’t do.
Lying?“One little white lie won’t hurt anything”…”It is better if they don’t know”…”This will be the last time”....etc.We begin to create a series of lies to cover up something we don’t want being exposed, believing that our life is better living with the lies than with the truth.
We could continue to craft scenarios, but the idea is that sin always looks like it makes life better.It is like the spice on the bland food, the color in the painting, the gas in the tank – at least it seems.But the reason that we view sin as the most appealing is that we have not yet developed a love for the truth.
We may be saved, but up to what level?Are we barely saved, where we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but are still barely able to live the Christian lifestyle?Or maybe we have conquered many things in our lives through the blood of Christ, but there is still some gray areas in our lives that we don’t want to relinquish.
Let’s talk about the consequences of sin.These are in black and white – there is no gray area with the consequence of sin.James 1:14-15 teaches us about the ministry of sin in our lives.
James 1:14-15 /
14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
It begins with lust – temptation.We can choose to use our spiritual weapons (prayer, Word of God, praise, etc.) to war against the temptation, or we can choose to yield to the temptation.What does James mean when he says that “lust hath conceived”?It means that our will and the serpent will (the carnal desires) have joined in union, as in even a sexual fashion.So as when a husband and wife join together as one, they conceive a child, when you join your will to the lust, you conceive – SIN.Sin then has a ministry of death that it births in your life, with the mission to send your soul to hell.
Now, sin will never tell you of its end.It only gives you the sparkly lights, and the ringing bells and whistles.It takes you on a roller-coaster ride of satisfaction on a track that ends at a brick wall.Imagine the joy of riding a roller-coaster – the ups and downs, the twists and turns, only to see a sudden brick wall of fire that you are going to slam into.The problem is, you are already buckled into the roller coaster, and there is no way out.By the time you see the end, it is too late, and you crash and burn without a way out.
So it is when a person goes to hell.They live the lifestyle of sin, with its fun for the moment.Who cares what tomorrow brings.Sex – drugs – rock and roll – all is okay.And they go and go and go, working constantly to feed the flesh, never realizing that they are in total bondage and darkness to the ministry of sin.They think that they are really free to do what they want, not realizing the chains that grab their soul.See if they can go one day without their daily fix, and see what it does to their bodies.People with drug addictions howl, and shake, and scream, in desperate need for the one thing they have been feeding themselves.But once they get their fix, they are just fine – until the drug wears off, and then it is back for more.
Suddenly, they hit the brick wall – terminal cancer, homelessness, prison time, or even sudden death.What a way to end up their lives.
And then, there comes eternity.They awake in a place of torment, filled with volcanic levels of fiery heat, burning smoke that is thicker than blood, screams, agony, hunger, thirst, and no rest.They watch the countless other souls who are damned to spend eternity in the same place they have now went to – all because they loved not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Be not deceived.If there was no hell, and no judgment, and no sin, Jesus would never have had to come.But he came – why?Because He has no desire for any of us to enter into the place of judgment.
Before we continue – what is your sin?Do you realize the effects that it has on you, both physically and spiritually?When you continue in sin, you give the devil authority in your life to steal, to kill, and to destroy anything he can get his hands on.Your finances – your family – your possessions – etc.Why would you allow him to do this, knowing that you can shut the door in the name of Jesus?Obedience to the Word is what will stop the devil from destroying what you own.
Let’s return to 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.When we choose to refuse the love of the truth, and choose to refuse to repent of our wickedness, God will allow us to believe a lie.What is the lie?We begin to believe that our sin is really okay.And we go through life believing this lie.We drink it up like poison from a rattlesnake, sip by sip, and it slowly kills our conscience, leaving us in a spiritual coma, maybe never waking up.
There will be people who profess to be Christians today who will spend eternity in hell.Why?Because they profess Christ with their mouths, but in deed they continue to be wicked people.They steal, and kill, and lie, and are so full of pride, not confessing their sin, but continuing in their wickedness, all in the name of God.
God has called us to be perfect.This means it is time to begin to believe the LORD.It is time to begin repenting of our wickedness.
What will you choose?Do you need a million scriptures to make up your mind?Normally I give so much scripture, but this time only a couple are necessary to expose sin.It is time to quit blaming everyone else, and time to make amends for our own wicked actions.
Take time to consider if your life lines up with the Word of God.If it doesn’t, it is time to begin repenting.Many today will tell you that you can do whatever you want and repent later, but this is a lie that will send you straight to hell.God has commanded us to be holy.Please do not despise His word.
If you have not been living holy, but you desire a genuine change, now is the time!It is time to pray unto the LORD and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and to come into your heart and cleanse you, and make you a new creation.If you refuse Him, you may not have tomorrow.Don’t be deceived and put Him off. Many who thought they had tomorrow are now spending eternity regretting their decision in extreme pain and sorrow.PLEASE – heed the warning of the LORD, and while there is still time, give your whole heart unto Him.
7-24-11 / To Believe a Lie
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 /
11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The key to this set of scriptures is the last few words – “believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”. God gives us all a chance to repent, but if we don’t have a genuine love for the truth, we will choose to push it aside in favor of what our flesh wants – the lie.
Here is the premise. Satan comes to tempt you with sin. We all know that sin always appears appealing, and here is the point. It even looks so good to the point that your life temporarily appears better with it than without it. The pleasure received for the moment seems worth the pain that will be endured later, or maybe, it seems that everything will be alright in the long run. This is the deceivableness of sin, and it is a very costly thing.
Let’s give it a scenario. You are at work, and a person that you are attracted to suddenly begins dropping hints at spending alone time with you. You are married, but what do you do? Is this what you look at as the chance of a lifetime, or as a chance to flee from something very dangerous? Sadly, this very scenario has entrapped countless people these days, and it dates much farther back than “the office”. We can read of sexual sins going way back.
What about theft? You have an opportunity to steal something that doesn’t belong to you, and no one will find out (at least it seems). Or, you might be able to take credit for something that you didn’t do.
Lying? “One little white lie won’t hurt anything”…”It is better if they don’t know”…”This will be the last time”....etc. We begin to create a series of lies to cover up something we don’t want being exposed, believing that our life is better living with the lies than with the truth.
We could continue to craft scenarios, but the idea is that sin always looks like it makes life better. It is like the spice on the bland food, the color in the painting, the gas in the tank – at least it seems. But the reason that we view sin as the most appealing is that we have not yet developed a love for the truth.
We may be saved, but up to what level? Are we barely saved, where we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but are still barely able to live the Christian lifestyle? Or maybe we have conquered many things in our lives through the blood of Christ, but there is still some gray areas in our lives that we don’t want to relinquish.
Let’s talk about the consequences of sin. These are in black and white – there is no gray area with the consequence of sin. James 1:14-15 teaches us about the ministry of sin in our lives.
James 1:14-15 /
14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
It begins with lust – temptation. We can choose to use our spiritual weapons (prayer, Word of God, praise, etc.) to war against the temptation, or we can choose to yield to the temptation. What does James mean when he says that “lust hath conceived”? It means that our will and the serpent will (the carnal desires) have joined in union, as in even a sexual fashion. So as when a husband and wife join together as one, they conceive a child, when you join your will to the lust, you conceive – SIN. Sin then has a ministry of death that it births in your life, with the mission to send your soul to hell.
Now, sin will never tell you of its end. It only gives you the sparkly lights, and the ringing bells and whistles. It takes you on a roller-coaster ride of satisfaction on a track that ends at a brick wall. Imagine the joy of riding a roller-coaster – the ups and downs, the twists and turns, only to see a sudden brick wall of fire that you are going to slam into. The problem is, you are already buckled into the roller coaster, and there is no way out. By the time you see the end, it is too late, and you crash and burn without a way out.
So it is when a person goes to hell. They live the lifestyle of sin, with its fun for the moment. Who cares what tomorrow brings. Sex – drugs – rock and roll – all is okay. And they go and go and go, working constantly to feed the flesh, never realizing that they are in total bondage and darkness to the ministry of sin. They think that they are really free to do what they want, not realizing the chains that grab their soul. See if they can go one day without their daily fix, and see what it does to their bodies. People with drug addictions howl, and shake, and scream, in desperate need for the one thing they have been feeding themselves. But once they get their fix, they are just fine – until the drug wears off, and then it is back for more.
Suddenly, they hit the brick wall – terminal cancer, homelessness, prison time, or even sudden death. What a way to end up their lives.
And then, there comes eternity. They awake in a place of torment, filled with volcanic levels of fiery heat, burning smoke that is thicker than blood, screams, agony, hunger, thirst, and no rest. They watch the countless other souls who are damned to spend eternity in the same place they have now went to – all because they loved not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Be not deceived. If there was no hell, and no judgment, and no sin, Jesus would never have had to come. But he came – why? Because He has no desire for any of us to enter into the place of judgment.
Before we continue – what is your sin? Do you realize the effects that it has on you, both physically and spiritually? When you continue in sin, you give the devil authority in your life to steal, to kill, and to destroy anything he can get his hands on. Your finances – your family – your possessions – etc. Why would you allow him to do this, knowing that you can shut the door in the name of Jesus? Obedience to the Word is what will stop the devil from destroying what you own.
Let’s return to 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. When we choose to refuse the love of the truth, and choose to refuse to repent of our wickedness, God will allow us to believe a lie. What is the lie? We begin to believe that our sin is really okay. And we go through life believing this lie. We drink it up like poison from a rattlesnake, sip by sip, and it slowly kills our conscience, leaving us in a spiritual coma, maybe never waking up.
There will be people who profess to be Christians today who will spend eternity in hell. Why? Because they profess Christ with their mouths, but in deed they continue to be wicked people. They steal, and kill, and lie, and are so full of pride, not confessing their sin, but continuing in their wickedness, all in the name of God.
God has called us to be perfect. This means it is time to begin to believe the LORD. It is time to begin repenting of our wickedness.
What will you choose? Do you need a million scriptures to make up your mind? Normally I give so much scripture, but this time only a couple are necessary to expose sin. It is time to quit blaming everyone else, and time to make amends for our own wicked actions.
Take time to consider if your life lines up with the Word of God. If it doesn’t, it is time to begin repenting. Many today will tell you that you can do whatever you want and repent later, but this is a lie that will send you straight to hell. God has commanded us to be holy. Please do not despise His word.
If you have not been living holy, but you desire a genuine change, now is the time! It is time to pray unto the LORD and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and to come into your heart and cleanse you, and make you a new creation. If you refuse Him, you may not have tomorrow. Don’t be deceived and put Him off. Many who thought they had tomorrow are now spending eternity regretting their decision in extreme pain and sorrow. PLEASE – heed the warning of the LORD, and while there is still time, give your whole heart unto Him.