Words of Life: 2010

He slipped away into eternity peacefully the other day as we stood by his bed. The family and I held hands and prayed as an old man who loved the Lord and loved his family was in that moment absent from the body and present with the Lord. Peace and tears filled the room and I noticed one young woman held a baby in her hands. The next generation to be blessed in this Godly family.

How empty it seemed as I stand by the bed of other families who do not know the Lord. Emptiness fills the room and there was no eternal legacy or light shining for another generation to walk in. The contrast is stark and I feel the uneasy tension of those who have rejected God and do not want to talk to a Pastor.

So it is even more sobering as I read about these men in Genesis 18 were on their way to Sodom to visit those who had rejected God! Sodom would be destroyed.

So why did they stop off at Abraham’s place first? Just passing by, saw your light on and thought we would drop in? Lord, let me have that kind of light, but what was the point of eating a meal with Abraham and then going on? Why didn’t they just head towards Sodom straight away?

The only thing I can think of is that God passes my way when I respond positively towards Him and His Word. And as He gets closer, He TESTS MY RESPONSE to Him. He is always concerned with RELATIONSHIP.

When three strangers came to visit him, I don’t think Abraham knew that one of them was the Lord Himself. Abraham greets them with true Eastern hospitality. His response to strangers was to address their leader with respect. Abraham calls Him “LORD”, he bows to the ground in the posture the same as WORSHIP, He SERVES Him humbly and personally. And when he prepares a meal for Him there is a SACRIFICE involved.

Reminds me a little of Matthew 25:34-40 which speaks of when we die and stand before Jesus. It says we will say

“…‘Lord, when did we ever see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? Or a stranger and show You hospitality? Or naked and give You clothing? When did we ever see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ ‘And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!’”

Hospitality and respect certainly wasn’t the kind of greeting these strangers received in Sodom! BIG CONTRAST between Abraham’s greeting and how Sodom responded to the presence of the Lord’s messengers. OUR RESPONSE TO THE LORD DETERMINES OUR DESTINY.

But I see another important principle here. When my response to God is one of WORSHIP, SERVICE, AND SACRIFICE, then and only then am I ready to begin to learn what HIS WILL for my life is. I will look for the opportunities He gives me to be a BLESSING TO OTHERS, to THINK GENERATIONALLY. I will accept God’s GRACE AND HIS JUSTICE, HIS PROMISES AND PRONOUNCEMENTS and they will begin to make sense to me in the enormous scheme of things. I will even understand what it means when God says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23 NLT) and I will begin to see the BIG PICTURE OF FORGIVENESS BASED ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE CROSS.

This same principle of understanding God’s will is summed up in Romans 12:1-3. It says…

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. THEN you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

As Abraham worships, serves and is willing to sacrifice the best to God, God says

"SHOULD I HIDE MY PLAN FROM ABRAHAM?” the Lord asked. “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be BLESSED THROUGH HIM. I have singled him out so that he will DIRECT HIS SONS AND THEIR FAMILIES to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.” (Genesis 18:17-19 NLT)

God bless you Church as you respond positively to God’s Word and the message of the Cross. As you worship, serve and sacrifice the best to God, may you know His good and perfect will for your life today.

Pastor Ross

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Monday, July 5, 2010

Part 3 - Genesis 18:1-15 - WHO WERE THOSE MASKED MEN, ANYWAY?

Part 3 - Genesis 18:1-15 – WHO WERE THOSE MASKED MEN, ANYWAY?

Some of you would have no idea of who I am talking about when I speak of the LONE RANGER. He is way before your time and he doesn’t fit into our culture anymore. Pity. He had a strict moral code and even the actor, Clayton Moore, was a great ROLE MODEL for children.

Of course, because of the movie, ZORRO lives again. I wore the cape and mask with pride long before Antonio Banderos ever graced the screen, as a kid. Perhaps that’s why I still love to wear black (and you thought it was because I was a minister). He had a BLACK STALLION – TORNADO, and after each daring exploit was accomplished, in true "heroic pose", Tornado would rear powerfully, and Zorro would raise his sword high and ride away.

Actually, the Lone Ranger was rarely alone. He hung around with his Indian sidekick Tonto). He rode a WHITE STALLION (I never liked the white stallion as much as Zorro’s Tornado. I guess I liked the black look. I still wear black, but without the cape and mask).

Anyway, the Lone Ranger would be introduced each episode with the tune of the WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE (then Robin Hood got in on the act and used the same theme music). Towards the end of each episode, as the Lone Ranger galloped away towards the sunset, he would shout to his stallion “Hi-yo, Silver, away!” This was inevitably followed by someone asking "Who was that masked man, anyway?" No-one ever asked what “HI-YO” meant or why he said it.

And that’s the question I find myself asking when I get to Genesis 18 (not the “Hi-yo” question. The other one.). Abraham meets with 3 men with SECRET IDENTITIES. He doesn’t even ask them who they are? All we know is that they are more powerful than either Zorro or the Lone Ranger and their theme tune would more appropriately be HANDEL’S MESSIAH.

Genesis 18:1-2 (NLT) mysteriously speaks of 3 men who visit Abraham and one of them is the Lord Himself in human form. WHO ARE THESE MASKED MEN? (OK, so they are not wearing literal masks but they’re real identities are masked from us. Who are they?) I know that One of them is the Lord Himself in human form from later on in the passage, but WHY THREE? The Lord and two angels? The Lord and two prophets? The Trinity in human form?

This is weird and Abraham starts to act weird, bowing down, washing their feet, feeding them and waiting on them like a servant before he even asks them who they are and what they are doing here. Even then he doesn’t ask the questions I am dying to ask. He had to be interested, surely?

The visitors seem more interested in asking the questions and after Abraham waits on them like a servant and provides a barbeque lunch, they ignore him and ask about his wife, calling her by name (Genesis 18:9).

How did they know Abraham’s wife was Sarah? And why are they so interested in his wife anyway? Then comes the bombshell!

In Genesis 18:10 one of them says, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Now this is a nice positive word to leave with a couple to encourage them when they have been trying to have a child, but it’s a bit cruel to say to a couple who are beyond child bearing age and have always wanted children of their own. They don’t know Abraham’s wife. She is 90 years old! Abraham himself is certainly no spring chicken!

“Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. ... she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” (Genesis 18:12). I mentioned this story to some women in their 90’s the other day (I work in an aged care facility) and THEY LAUGHED TOO!

In 2006 CBS News reported on a 62-year-old woman, Janise Wulf, who “gave birth to a healthy 6-pound, 9-ounce baby boy, becoming one of the oldest women in the world to successfully bear a child.” CBS didn’t mention Sarah.

In Genesis 18:14 the Lord says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

The answer to that question is “No.” It is the most important question in the Bible in a way. It needed to be answered by Sarah as she took a step of faith in believing God. It’s a more important question than “WHO WERE THOSE MASKED MEN, ANYWAY?” or “How did they hear Sarah laugh? Why did they eat a meal if they are angels?” and all the other questions I have about that passage. When it all comes down to it, the really important thing I need to decide about the Lord is whether He is TOTALLY ABLE to direct my life or not. When I get that right then I have acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life.

God bless you Church as you acknowledge today that “He is able” as the old song says, “more than able to accomplish what concerns me today. He is able more than able to handle anything that comes my way. He is able more than able to do much more than I could ever dream. He is able more than able to make me what He wants me to be” (© 1989 Maranatha Praise Inc.)

Pastor Ross

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Part 2 - Genesis 18:1-15 - ENTERTAINING ANGELS?

Part 2 – Genesis 18:1-15 – ENTERTAINING ANGELS?

Jan and Darryl have always been openly generous people. They make you feel as if they are honoured to have you in their home and nothing is too much trouble for them. Which is just as well because they are our connect group leaders.

Every fortnight people in our Connect Group meet to connect with God and eachother in an authentic way. We talk about life and faith and how to apply the message on Sundays to the everyday situations each of us face during the week. It is the best time.

I noticed Jan and Darryl were hospitable people when we first met them 14 years ago, so I was surprised when we came to their Connect Group that they didn’t RUN OUT TO MEET US in their driveway and BOW TO THE GROUND. They just greeted us warmly and welcomed us in. They didn’t bring water, take off our shoes and WASH OUR FEET or even offer for us to take a shower in their bathroom. They didn’t go down to the local butcher and buy us the BEST CUTS OF MEAT FOR A BARBEQUE. We normally just bring our own supper and share it around. They didn’t BAKE BREAD for us in their breadmaker. WHAT KIND OF HOSPITALITY IS THAT? Abraham would have been shocked!

In Genesis 18:1 (NLT) it says “The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre.”

When God turns up at Abraham’s Connect Group in Genesis 18:1, all Abraham sees are THREE MEN. Who were these guys? Prophets? Angels? The Trinity in human form? He doesn’t ask them. That would be impolite in Eastern thinking. So what does he do? “he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.” (Must have been quite sprightly for his age. Ever seen a 100 year old man run? I’ve seen one with a walking frame but believe me he wasn’t running. And even bowing low has the risks of a fall and a broken hip.)

Abraham goes OVERBOARD with hospitality. Darryl and Jan have nothing on Abraham. He calls the leader of the group “LORD” (a common greeting of respect in those times but in this case it could have been THE LORD!) and offers, you guessed it, to WASH THEIR FEET. He gets Sarah to BAKE SOME HOME MADE BREAD, and then KILLS THE BEST CALF in his herd and PREPARES A BARBEQUE. If that wasn’t enough then he WAITS ON THEM like a SERVANT rather than sitting down with them at the meal table! You have got to be kidding! He hasn’t even asked them who they are and what they are doing LOITERING around his tent!

This is HOSPITALITY GONE WILD! And these three “men” just accept it. They just sit around in the shade of a tree, while this old man and his wife go overboard with kindness. Abraham could have simply called his servants to serve these guys, but he does it himself. Even though he was a rich, influential and powerful old man (and old men were respected in his times), yet it is Abraham who shows them great respect and humility. It is getting difficult to pick out the angels in this picture.

What I notice about Abraham is that he is QUICK TO BE GENEROUS and he is AVAILABLE TO SERVE. Sacrifice and servanthood characterise this powerful man who is called a friend of God (James 2:23). I can learn a lot about how to build my RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD and show LOVE TO OTHERS from a man like this, and from people like Jan and Darryl too. Same HUMBLE AND GENUINE welcome.

God bless you Church as we are QUICK TO BE GENEROUS and AVAILABLE TO SERVE, as SACRIFICE AND SERVANTHOOD characterise our lives as we actively choose to SHOW LOVE TO OTHERS. Hebrews 13:2 (NLT) puts it this way “Don’t forget to show HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS, for some who have done this have ENTERTAINED ANGELS without realizing it!”

Pastor Ross

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Part 1 - Genesis 18:1-33 - THE POWER OF ONE SMALL STEP

Part 1 - Genesis 18:1-33 – THE POWER OF ONE SMALL STEP

As a boy he was active in the Boy Scouts, and had earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He was only the second person in his family to attend college. In 1950, a week after his 20th birthday, he became a Naval Aviator and then later an ASTRONAUT.

Watching television as the dramatic pictures were broadcast to the world, I was aware that something momentous had happened and I have never forgotten the images of that man. I was 14 years old.

NEIL ARMSTRONG and his crew touched down at 20:17:39 UTC on July 20, 1969. On Television that day my family and I saw Armstrong walk down the ladder and STEP OUT onto the surface of the moon. We all remembered those famous words, "THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR (A) MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND."

That Christmas I had taken a momentous step myself as I gave my life to Christ. It was not a lunar landing, and it only seemed like ONE SMALL STEP, but it CHANGED MY LIFE from that moment on.

It is just like God to do this. He knows I am only able to receive His plan for my life in “ONE-SMALL-STEP-FOR-A-MAN” pieces. One small step in the direction He says to go is lifechanging.

Genesis 18:1 (NLT) says, “The Lord appeared again to Abraham …Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day.”

Was Abraham praying as he sat at the entrance to his tent that day? It doesn’t say but I’d like to think that he was. Wouldn’t you be praying if you were 100 years old and Sarah, your wife, is 90 and God had given you AN IMPOSSIBLE PLAN?

In Genesis 12 God gives Him the BIG PICTURE PLAN and points him to the stars. He was to STEP OUT IN FAITH, he was blessed to be a blessing. Later in Genesis 15:4 the Lord gets very specific. The impossibility of what God said that day was MINDBLOWING enough for Abraham to believe. Now the Lord appears to him again and confirms this plan with Sarah, who will also need to be an active participant and CO-PILOT in all this.

It’s not all that unusual that an old man would sit at the entrance to his home, but the point is that it is often in THE STILL MOMENTS that I am more aware that God is there to speak to me about my hopes and dreams. He wants me to serve Him and develop my relationship with Him and there will be times when He will accomplish in my life what I consider to be IMPOSSIBLE.

How did God appear to Abraham? What strikes me is that He didn’t appear a BLAZE OF HIS GLORY that knocked Abraham to the ground, like He did with Paul? (Acts 9:3-5). God can turn up in your life in so many different ways –, A BURNING BUSH to Moses (Exodus 3:2), a PILLAR OF CLOUD by day and PILLAR OF FIRE by night to the Israelites (Exodus 13:21), A GENTLE WHISPER like He did with Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-13). In whatever way He chooses to appear, the most gracious of all seems to be when He turns up as A HUMAN BEING, walking in the garden like He did with Adam (Genesis 3:8) and as a baby in Bethlehem as He did with Joseph and Mary (Matthew 1:21, Galatians 4:4). What I love about God is that HE TURNS UP in ways that will have a profound impact upon my life and yet it is so personal. Abraham had already been CHANGED FOREVER from the moment God spoke with him and he took ONE SMALL STEP for a man, but ONE GIANT LEAP for mankind.

God bless you Church as the Lord continues to make Himself known to you in ways that profoundly change your life, as He points you to the stars and invites you to take one small step.

Pastor Ross

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Part 8 - Matthew 11:25-30 - WITHOUT THE ENCUMBRANCE OF GENIUS

Part 8 – Matthew 11:25-30 – WITHOUT THE ENCUMBRANCE OF GENIUS

Perhaps it is the reason that I embraced Christianity so easily was that the Christian faith doesn’t demand intelligence. I have an above average intelligence level. Well, actually, although it was above average according to the IQ test I completed at School, it was more tilted towards the average side than the above part. I have imagined having an intelligence level that would ASTOUND people, but unless that miracle happens I will remain who I am, without the ENCUMBRANCE OF GENIUS and I will always have to examine things carefully before I can understand them.

Jesus prayed an unusual prayer in Matthew 11:25-27. After the cities of Korazin and Bethsaida had ignored Him and rejected Him, He prayed

“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank You for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way!”

Jesus says that only the childlike can understand spiritual things. He doesn’t say childish, just childlike. I must admit I can have a little trouble with distinguishing between the two at times, but I do recognise God as my Father and I know that I am in His family.

Some time ago I received a number of pocket sized Gideons Bibles with white covers to give out to the staff and residents of Shalom. Shalom is an Aged Care Facility and I work there as a Chaplain. These small New Testament Bibles are given out in Schools in Australia every few years by the Gideons. Someone gave some to us.

As I offered the aged residents of Shalom these Bibles it occurred to me that I needed to ask them whether they could read the SMALL PRINT. Few of them could. People in their 80’s and 90’s don’t often have very good eyesight for reading normal print books, let alone the pocket sized version I was handing out. It was an EXERCISE IN FUTILITY. They were literally BLIND TO GOD’S TRUTH. The only Bible many of them have now is me. Anyone want to donate some large print pocket Bibles that I can give away?

Jesus talks of a different kind of BLINDNESS. Blind due to my INDIFFERENCE to His miracles and message. Blind to His will and purposes in my life. Blind to a relationship with God because of my self sufficient attitudes.

2 Corinthians 3:14 (NLT) says “the people’s minds were HARDENED,” It is like a veil over their thinking “so they CANNOT UNDERSTAND the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.” Ephesians 4:18 describes it as having their “UNDERSTANDING DARKENED, being alienated from the life of God”

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) says that it is Satan who “has BLINDED THE MINDS of those who don’t believe. They are UNABLE TO SEE the glorious light of the Good News. They DON’T UNDERSTAND this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) puts it this way “But people who aren’t spiritual CAN’T RECEIVE THESE TRUTHS from God’s Spirit. It all sounds FOOLISH to them and they CAN’T UNDERSTAND it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

Jesus makes it clear that the only way to understand God is through Him. He says “No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27 NLT)

Now that’s AUTHORITY! Jesus stands as the ONLY MEDIATOR between me and God. (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus does the choosing and He has chosen to reveal the Father only to those who believe and come under His authority.

In John 14:6 (NLT) Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE can come to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME. Acts 4:12 (NLT) says “There is salvation in NO ONE ELSE! God has given NO OTHER NAME under heaven by which we must be saved.”

The only access I have to truth is to COME TO HIM and the key is faith not intelligence. It is CHILDLIKE FAITH, not genius. It is not being self sufficient but humble enough to be DEPENDENT upon Him. Nothing wrong with intelligence. I need a brain to think through these things but knowing God is not dependent upon intelligence. It demands coming under the authority of Jesus Christ.

I love the way 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 (NLT) puts it “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans… Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes … when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. … and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”

God bless you Church as you exercise the foolishness today of believing in Christ and coming under His authority for your life, WITHOUT THE ENCUMBRANCE OF YOUR GENIUS. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Pastor Ross

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Part 7 - Matthew 11:20-24 - SLOW COOKED OR CHAR GRILLED?

Are there degrees of hell? I asked my friends recently this question and one of them said,

"I believe Hell is a place where the presence of God and Jesus does not exist so it must be a horrible place. However, if there is any fairness to life and death (and I really don't believe there is) then there should be degrees of Hell...this scripture certainly makes you wonder if there is. Whatever - I don't intend to find out personally!"

Some things in the Bible are just plain difficult to understand. Matthew 11:20-24 is one of them for me. I know, I don't have to understand everything in God's Word in order to believe it because I trust in God who knows what He is doing. It won't always make sense to me. I'm glad that He is God and I am not. But Matthew 11:15 (NLT) says, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!" Lord let me hear, listen and understand Your words today.

So what is it that I don't understand all that clearly? Let me set the scene. In Matthew 11:20 (NLT), it says, "Then Jesus began to DENOUNCE the towns where He had done so many of His miracles, because they HADN'T REPENTED OF THEIR SINS and turned to God." They are unresponsive to Jesus, despite His many miracles.

I have no difficulty here. It makes sense. In fact what I like about this passage is the RAW TRUTH OF ITS JUSTICE MIXED WITH LOVE. Jesus isn't the SWEET, DREAMY-EYED, EFFEMINATE MAN with a spiritual song in His voice like a "LET'S-PLEASE-EVERYONE" kind of preacher. He lays it on the line and I detect that it's not without emotional heart wrenching sorrow at their stubborn refusal to get right with God.

His LOVE COLLIDES WITH HIS JUSTICE as Jesus says "What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago..."

Now here's what I find really difficult to understand. He says emphatically

"I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be BETTER OFF on judgment day than you. ... I tell you, even Sodom will be BETTER OFF ON JUDGMENT DAY THAN YOU." (Matthew 11:22,23 NLT).

Tyre and Sidon were OPENLY WICKED and so were Sodom and Gomorrah. Ezekiel 26:7 and 28:11-24, shows that the king of Tyre was so openly wicked he was ASSOCIATED WITH SATAN HIMSELF! Korazin and Bethsaida in Jesus day on the other hand were not openly wicked. They were simply INDIFFERENT.

I've got to tell you, this messes with my mind. DEGREES OF JUDGMENT? DEGREES OF HELL? Sodom was a place of open homosexuality and pervertedness and destroyed in a rain of "brimstone and fire" from God (Genesis 19:24 NLT).

How can they be BETTER OFF? And if sin comes in degrees does hell come in degrees - SLOW COOK IN SHEOL, FLAME GRILLED IN GEHENNA, FAIRLY HOT, VERY HOT, MICROWAVE AND SUPERHEAT CRISPY???

When my one year old grandson takes a texta colour and draws in an expensive book, it is destructive but he DOESN'T KNOW that he shouldn't do it. On the other hand my eldest grandson is without excuse. He knows it is wrong. He has FULL REVELATION of this rule and knows the consequences of such an action. Romans 7:7 (NLT) says "... it was the law that showed me my sin. ..."

The key to Sodom, Tyre and Sidon is that despite their wickedness they WOULD HAVE REPENTED. Jesus says in Matthew 11:21 (NLT)

"... For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people WOULD HAVE REPENTED OF THEIR SINS LONG AGO,... For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, IT WOULD STILL BE HERE TODAY."

Are Tyre and Sidon and Sodom going to be JUDGED ON A SLIDING SCALE dependent on the amount of Revelation they had? Julie spoke to some Monks in Cambodia recently and they didn't know who Jesus was and asked all sorts of questions. Will they be judged according to their response to Jesus based on what they know? What about those who never have the opportunity? Will they be judged on a different scale? Whooh! Overload! Too much to sort out here. Leave that til another time!

Here's the facts - Tyre and Sidon didn't have a Bible that ended at Revelation and didn't even know about John 3:16. It wasn't fully revealed to them as yet. No miracles, no message. Yet THEY WOULD HAVE REPENTED. Korazin and Bethsaida had it all and THEY WERE INDIFFERENT. Is the sin of INDIFFERENCE higher than the murderous, homosexual pervertedness and wickedness of Sodom? Jesus says it is! How will you respond to Jesus? Any sin can be forgiven except for one - the sin of indifference to Christ.

Of course Tyre, Sidon and Sodom and its people will have to answer for a lot on the day of judgment, but they will NOT have to answer for being INDIFFERENT TO JESUS and His message and miracles. To reject Jesus and what He has done on the cross for us is the GREATEST SIN OF ALL!

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NLT) speaks about this...

"...when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power."

Are there degrees of hell? Does Sodom end up in the same hell as those who are indifferent to Jesus? Do they still suffer for eternity to the same degree? I don't know how all that works! The Bible doesn't get down to specifics and I'm not God. But it sure makes me say like my friend "I don't intend to find out personally!"

Lord teach me never to be INDIFFERENT to You or Your Word. Thankyou that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

God bless you Church as you refuse to be indifferent to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Be eager to embrace all that He has to say for your life today. Allow His Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to you.

Pastor Ross