Do Not Rejoice When Your Enemy Falls

"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." Proverbs 24:17-18 Human nature desires justice and vengeance, but the unwise do not stop to think that they too are deserving of punishment. We are all alike, born sinners, born with a fallen human nature, born to fallen parents, born into a fallen world, hurt by various fallen people, victims of victims, suffering injustice, and all of these things fostering bitterness in us and drawing us into further sin, the sins of hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness. The Word of God says we are all in the same boat, that there is not one of us who is righteous. "There is none righteous, no, not one;" Romans 3:19 Believers are called to a higher place, one that recognizes the pathetic path of the wicked, knowing that only by the grace of God are we not on that same path. Like them, we were born sinners, and only by the grace of God are we spared. "If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" Psalm 130:3 Rather than nurture a desire for vengeance, consider the end of the wicked. If one truly understood their end, they would drop all desire for vengeance. The Word of God tells us about hell, that it is forever, that it is a place of great suffering, torment, and eternal regret. One who truly understands this wouldn't want it for his worst enemy. It's awful. It's terrible. It's an eternity of suffering without hope of escape. When someone hurts you, take that as a signal that God wants you to pray for that person. You might be the only one on earth praying for him/her. Your prayers could change his or her eternal destiny. The more hateful they are, the more they NEED your prayers. Indeed, that was where we were headed too, before the Lord showed us his salvation and revealed to us his Son who came to this earth to take upon himself the judgment due us because of our sins. We are no better than the wicked, except that we have a Redeemer. That's the only difference. Without the atonement Christ accomplished for us, we too would be headed for hell. Therefore, let us have sympathy for those whose hearts have not been changed, let us pray for them instead of hating them. Let us be kind to them, considering that we could easily have been in their shoes. Let us do all we can, fasting and praying that they might have their eyes opened to see their hopeless state and to turn their hearts to the Redeemer that they too might have the hope of eternal life. If they claim to be believers, intercede for them that they might be set free from whatever evil thing that dwells within them. They truly need your prayers, if only you are willing. "As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.'" Ezekiel:11 Amen! Let this be not only our attitude, but our heart too. Father God, please put your mercy into my heart, mercy for the hateful, mercy for the cruel, mercy for the hopeless. It could so easily have been me.

What Is The Difference Between Peter And Judas?

Luke 22: The setting: Jesus has been taken to the courthouse of the high priest and is undergoing the trial which will end in his being condemned to death. Peter, one of his disciples, followed along and sat among the onlookers. Three times someone identified him as being one of Jesus's disciples, and each time Peter denied it. At the third time, Jesus turned around and looked at Peter, and he suddenly remembered that Jesus had told him he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. "Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, 'Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.' But Peter said, 'Man, I do not know what you are saying!' Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.' So Peter went out and wept bitterly." Luke 22:55 What is the difference between Peter and Judas? Judas, also one of the twelve disciples, had gone to the authorities and betrayed Jesus to them. So both were guilty of denying the Lord. They both sinned the same sin. So what's the difference? Here's the difference. When Peter realized he had denied the Lord, he went out "and wept bitterly." He realized his sin and was sorry to the very heart, engulfed with shame and regret. Judas, on the other hand, went out and committed suicide. The Scriptures show that Peter was forgiven, but that Judas died and went to hell. Maybe you've done something that you think is unforgivable. Maybe your whole life up to this point has been a life of evil. Maybe you've hurt others deeply. You have to know that there IS forgiveness in Christ. You CAN be forgiven. In fact, that's exactly why Jesus was crucified - he was crucified IN YOUR PLACE. He has taken your judgment upon himself. So you have a choice: either give up entirely and lose your life and go to hell as Judas did, or repent as Peter did and come humbly to the Lord with bitter tears asking for his forgiveness. If you do, you will be received. The blood of Jesus will cleanse you from ALL unrighteousness. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9 Pray like this: Father God, I am so covered with sin that I've thought you could never forgive me. There has been a lot of evil in my life, but now I'm hearing that it's possible to obtain forgiveness from you. I'm hearing that the judgment upon my sins has already been taken - by Jesus himself who bore my guilt and carried my sins to the Cross. I pray and ask you to forgive me. I receive your Word which says you will cleanse me from ALL unrighteousness. I bow before you this day and ask you to become my Savior and my Lord. From this day on, my life is yours. I give over to you all that I am, and all that I will be, you are the Lord of my life. Even if I don't understand it completely, I thank you for the Crucifixion of your Son and the atonement he provided for me. Receive me Lord Jesus, I believe. More About Salvation: Born Again - What Does That Mean, Really?

The Necessity Of The Covenant For Salvation

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate;" Matthew 23:37-38 The Jews had no excuse to reject the Messiah. Never before or after had anyone else healed the sick, cast out demons, even raised the dead. His fame went throughout the whole land and was known everywhere. People were so astonished that they came from everywhere just to see Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. "Now a great many of the Jews knew that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead." John 12:9 Yet ...in the end they rejected Jesus. For that, they lost their Temple, they lost their land, and were dispersed throughout the world for more than 2,000 years. Let's apply this to this generation. This generation is also without excuse. The Gospel has been preached in every city, in churches, on tv, over the internet, and there are hundreds of thousands of testimonies of the power of God changing lives. And ...the signs of "the last days" are all before us. It's as clear as can be. The restoration of Israel is the greatest of the signs. Israel was re-established as a nation on May 14, 1948, and since then her Jewish population has burgeoned to over seven million living in the land, and that number is growing daily as the Lord continues his program of the restoration of Israel. After 2,000 years! In addition to that, all the signs Jesus spoke of that would indicate the time of the end are here. Wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, famine, pestilence (diseases), they're all here. Some say, "oh there have always been those things." Yes, each generation has had its great war or great earthquake, etc, but never have these things all taken place TOGETHER. All of them, in this one generation. That they point to the time of the end is unmistakable. If the penalty for rejecting the Messiah meant loss of everything for more than 2,000 years for the Jews, what will the penalty be for rejection of Jesus Christ now, after all he has done to make himself known? Their loss was temporary because God had made an everlasting covenant with their fathers. But the only covenant made with the gentiles (us) is the covenant Jesus establishes with all who receive him and are born again. The loss to those who do not receive him ...will be eternal. "Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:27-28 The blood of Jesus was shed for "many" ...not for all. Those who do not come into the covenant established in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be eternally lost. That's why those who are under that covenant spend themselves so earnestly for others, that all whom they can reach might know and understand the Gospel. And what IS the Gospel? It's the story of the redeeming of fallen mankind. All have been born in a fallen human nature, and all are sinners. All. “There is none righteous, no, not one," (Romans 3:10). The penalty of sin is death and hell. But Jesus Christ came to this earth and took upon himself the guilt and penalty due each sinner. He died for us, and he descended to hell for us. Anyone who will receive him is cleansed from sin, and sin's penalty will never touch the believer, he is given eternal life. If you understand this, then you will understand why there is no other way of salvation. The sin issue was dealt with by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and not by any other. Those following other "gods" or religions remain in their sin. The leaders of those religions did not, could not, bear the guilt of their followers. Come to Jesus now, don't waste any more time. You do not know that you'll even live out this day. The door is about to close as the great Tribulation is so obviously about to begin. Come now. Surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and be cleansed from sin and kept by him for all eternity. MORE: Who Is Jesus Christ? What Does "Born Again" Mean?