Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Wednesday March 16, 2018
Pastor Rick Kabrick
But somehow, we don’t know how, but somehow Christ on the Cross took that guilt upon HIMself.
Malachi was the last prophet to the Jews, and after him there was the 400 years of no prophet until the arrival of John the Baptist.
MAL 4:4-6, Remember the law of Moses MY servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb (Mt Sinai) Horeb means desert, (this is the Torah) for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, So that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
To announce the punishment and warn the nation to change its ways, God sent a messenger, Elijah the prophet.
1 KI 18, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals”.
We blame the circumstance or we blame others or even blame GOD HIMself when it is or it was our decisions that led to the problem.
“How much longer will it take you to make up your minds? If the LORD is GOD, worship HIM; but if Baal is god, worship him!”
It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”
So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them…
In a moment thousands witnessed the fire from heaven consume the sacrifice!
Today’s idols can be riches, fame, pleasure and the pleasant-sounding fables that occupy the hearts and minds of many who are unwilling and disinterested in learning the truth about GOD the creator.
LUK 1:16-17, “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their GOD. It is he who will go as a forerunner before HIM in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.”
The Old Testament ends with the threat of a curse, but also with the expectation of a new dawning of the Sun of Righteousness.
REV 22:20-21, He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
The last word of the OT ends with a warning of a curse, the NT ends with the promise of Grace.
GEN 2:22 The LORD GOD fashioned into a woman the rib which HE had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. (first mentioned principle of marriage) The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
The book of PRO says “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.”
PRO 12:4, A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
Destroy Freedom, Nationalism, Marriage, Family.
Karl Marx lived in the mid 1800s, he is the founder of what we call Marxism which has tentacles everywhere. He was an atheist, he believed that government was the god of the people. This is deeply engrained in the government, and will take awhile to clean the swamp.
Whenever anyone calls for change you must ask a change to what? What should be demanded is a return to the roots of truth, which means a call for restoration.
Rom 15:4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.
Hezekiah restores the Israelites and Jews spiritual life and brings many who went astray back to the LORD.
GOD allows Hezekiah to be the one to defeat the Assyrians. Hezekiah sins and repents and is given 15 years more to live.
Hezekiah had a basis of thankfulness in his life\, and we too need to realize how important thankfulness is. Hezekiah recognized the need to do the right thing quickly.
Hezekiah did not wait for a crowd of people to agree with him and encourage him, he made personal decisions that he knew were in line with GOD’s will and he did it.