A person hears the Word of God. God, in His great mercy, opens the person’s mind and heart to understand His Word.
Supposedly they repent, ask Jesus to be their Savior and get baptized by full immersion as the Bible commands.
They begin or continue reading their Bible. Some may even begin serving God in some capacity.
Yet, as time passes, there is little change in their character, in their thinking, and in the way they act.
There is little change in their self-centeredness.
They seem to have little or no understanding of repentance and of what sin is in the eyes of God, and how God hates sin.
They seem to have little or no understanding of being transformed, changed, being born again, becoming like a little child, conforming to the image of Christ, being converted, and of putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
They have little or no understanding of what it means to become like Christ.
Their heart and mind is centered on—me, myself, and I. It is not centered on Jesus and becoming a new person, a person that is transformed from inside out.
As nearly everyone does, they live in a fairy tale world. They live in an illusion that they can live and do whatever they want, and at the end of their life, all will turn out ok.
The Word of God, the Bible, does not cause them to look at themselves and be able to say-OH, WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM!-ref Ro 7:24.
One year goes by, and there is little or no change in their life.
Two years go by, and there is little or no change in their life.
They don’t believe they have to change.
They don’t believe they are a sinful person.
And because they don’t believe they are a very sinful person, they love little; because to whom little is forgiven the same loveth little. They live in a world of delusion, of deceit, as nearly everyone on this earth does.
Many words can describe the way they live.
Here are a few that the Bible uses:
Murmurings
Complainings
Laziness
Excuses
Accusings.
If the previous words fit a person, then next words do not:
Sacrifice
Change
Repentance
Humbleness
Sufferings for the sake of Christ.
With such people, though they may read the Bible a hundred times, they do not change. They are like the scribes in the Bible. They not only read the Bible, they made copies of it—but they did not change. The Word did not work inside them, causing them to look at themselves truthfully. They were unable to say within themselves, “God forbid, I am so wicked. I murmur, I complain, I am lazy, I make excuses, I accuse people. I am very self-centered. All I seem to think about is me, myself and I. All I am able to think about is me, me, me.”
Then the end of their life comes or Jesus returns, and they are not ready to meet Him. They may have done works that caused some to think they were saved, but, in their heart, no major change had ever taken place.
Note God’s Word:
DO EVERYTHING WITHOUT COMPLAININGS-Phil 2:14 (NIV).
Phil 2:14 KJV-DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT MURMURINGS AND DISPUTINGS (OR ARGUING).
Regarding the subject of laziness, it is written: Mt 20:6-AND ABOUT THE ELEVENTH HOUR HE WENT OUT, AND FOUND OTHERS STANDING IDLE, AND SAITH UNTO THEM, WHY STAND YE HERE ALL THE DAY IDLE?
Regarding the subject of a person making excuses, it is written:
Lk 14:18-21-AND THEY ALL WITH ONE CONSENT BEGAN TO MAKE EXCUSE. THE FIRST SAID UNTO HIM, I HAVE BOUGHT A PIECE OF GROUND, AND I MUST NEEDS GO AND SEE IT: I PRAY THEE HAVE ME EXCUSED.
19 AND ANOTHER SAID, I HAVE BOUGHT FIVE YOKE OF OXEN, AND I GO TO PROVE THEM: I PRAY THEE HAVE ME EXCUSED.
20 AND ANOTHER SAID, I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE, AND THEREFORE I CANNOT COME.
21 SO THAT SERVANT CAME, AND SHEWED HIS LORD THESE THINGS. THEN THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE BEING ANGRY SAID TO HIS SERVANT, GO OUT QUICKLY INTO THE STREETS AND LANES OF THE CITY, AND BRING IN HITHER THE POOR, AND THE MAIMED, AND THE HALT, AND THE BLIND.
The excuse-makers were rejected by God. Therefore, God found others that would not make excuses, and these inherited eternal life; but the excuse-makers perished.
In heaven, there will be no excuses. All mouths will be stilled. For it is written: Ro 1:20-FOR THE INVISIBLE THINGS OF HIM FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD ARE CLEARLY SEEN, BEING UNDERSTOOD BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE, EVEN HIS ETERNAL POWER AND GODHEAD; SO THAT THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.
So then, what is a person to do? He is to become a living sacrifice, even as Christ did. It is those that sacrifice themselves as Christ did that shall enter heaven. For it is written: Ps 50:5-GATHER MY SAINTS TOGETHER UNTO ME; THOSE THAT HAVE MADE A COVENANT WITH ME BY SACRIFICE.
So then, what else is a person to do? They need to allow God’s Word to transform them, to change them. But this is a stumbling block for many, as they do not want to become a new person. So they resist change. They read God’s Word, but it does not change them, even as it is written.
Phil 2:13-FOR IT IS GOD WHICH WORKETH IN YOU. They resist God trying to change them, so the Word does not work in them to change them.
The lazy people, the murmurers, the complainers, the accusers, the excuse-makers—all shall have their part in the lake of fire, because their repentance was in word only; it was not real. For it is written:
Luke 13:1-5-THERE WERE PRESENT AT THAT SEASON SOME THAT TOLD HIM OF THE GALILAEANS, WHOSE BLOOD PILATE HAD MINGLED WITH THEIR SACRIFICES.
AND JESUS ANSWERING SAID UNTO THEM, SUPPOSE YE THAT THESE GALILAEANS WERE SINNERS ABOVE ALL THE GALILAEANS, BECAUSE THEY SUFFERED SUCH THINGS?
I TELL YOU, NAY: BUT, EXCEPT YE REPENT, YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH.
OR THOSE EIGHTEEN, UPON WHOM THE TOWER IN SILOAM FELL, AND SLEW THEM, THINK YE THAT THEY WERE SINNERS ABOVE ALL MEN THAT DWELT IN JERUSALEM?
I TELL YOU, NAY: BUT, EXCEPT YE REPENT, YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH.
Acts 3:19-REPENT YE THEREFORE, AND BE CONVERTED, THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT.
As has been said, many words can describe the way most live.
Here are a few that the Bible uses:
Murmurings
Complainings
Laziness
Excuses
Accusings.
God’s will is for these words to describe our life:
Sacrifice
Change
Repentance
Humbleness
Sufferings for the sake of Christ.
Examine yourselves to see if ye be in the faith. And if you will not look at yourself truthfully in light of the Word of God, then you can expect to dwell for eternity with all those others of this world that also did not examine themselves.
If you can’t truthfully say, “God, what a wretched person I am, help me to change to be more like You,” then you are in deep spiritual trouble.
At the Judgment, no one will be there with you. The intents of your heart in all matters and situations will be exposed. Jesus will be there.
Your minister must also give an account of you. For it is written:
Heb 13:17-OBEY THEM THAT HAVE THE RULE OVER YOU, AND SUBMIT YOURSELVES: FOR THEY WATCH FOR YOUR SOULS, AS THEY THAT MUST GIVE ACCOUNT, THAT THEY MAY DO IT WITH JOY, AND NOT WITH GRIEF: FOR THAT IS UNPROFITABLE FOR YOU.
What might this mean? Perhaps your minister asks you to go on a witnessing team, but you make an excuse that you can’t go, because you feel sick or your foot hurts. But at the Judgment, the truth comes out. The true intents of your heart will be exposed—that you didn’t want to go witnessing, because you were afraid, or you didn’t want to miss a football game, or you had a date with a pretty girl. Or you might say you didn’t get enough sleep last night, so you don’t go. But then when you go home, do you go right to bed? No. You stay up and talk to other people and just do other things. Thus, you lied and made excuse to cover up the fact that you just wanted to do something else.
Deceitful people have not repented as God requires them to do. Unless they repent, these people should not expect to be with Jesus for eternity.
Expect your minister and elders to be judged even more critically than you are.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God-ref Heb 10:31.
Are you ready to deny yourself and go to the cross as Jesus did?