WHAT MAKES GOD MAD (PART 1)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.

Isaiah 13:11a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we looked at the opening verses of Isaiah, Chapter 13, yesterday, we found the Lord God Almighty mustering up His army of judgment to bring destruction and desolation on the Babylonian empire. Through that passage, we were reminded that God is the Master and Ruler of all mankind, the Commander in Chief, King of kings, and Lord of lords who could bring the same judgment levied against Babylon on any other nation who chose to violate His commandments, worship other gods, and opt for wickedness and evil over righteousness.

Indeed, no one should want to find themselves out of favor with God.

Given this, we should have a vested interest in what makes God mad and then avoid doing any of those things. Such is the nature of this next series of devotions as we continue to look at this chapter. We open with this verse:

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. Isaiah 13:11a

Now this first revelation should come as no surprise to anyone. God hates sin, plain and simple. He always has and He always will. Sin is equal to disrespect and disregard for God and we know that is never going to be acceptable to Him ever. Sin also leads us to commit wicked and evil acts, acts of commission and omission. While God expects His people to live in obedience and walk toward righteousness, sin gives birth to insubordination and non-compliance which results in immorality, malevolence, and ultimately God’s wrath, judgment, and punishment

We know this. We do. And yet, we still choose to sin.

Why? Why do we continue to do what we know makes God mad?

We could take the easy way out of answering the question and just say that we are human and prone to mistake. We are so afflicted by sin that we can’t help ourselves and our actions. Since we are born sinners, transgression is just a by-product that we have to deal with.

Of course, none of this is false at its root. We are all afflicted with sin and there is nothing we can do about that but I do believe that there is a way to place our sinful nature in remission, to subdue it to the point where although it is present, it remains dormant. And in doing this, we can remain in God’s favor and outside of His anger.

What is the way to this kind of lifestyle?

It’s all about Jesus, the One who willingly bore our sins on the cross, justifying anyone who places their faith, hope, and trust in Him before God, His Father and ours.

You see, the closer we stay to Jesus each and every second of every minute or every hour of every day of every week of every year, the further we are from sin. Jesus provides us immunity from sin through the righteousness that lives and abides within us when we choose to allow Him fully into our hearts and minds and souls. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Make your treasure the world or anything in it and your heart will be in that place. And anytime your heart is in the world, then it is in the domain where sin thrives. Conversely, make Jesus your treasure as He should be if you are truly Christian (or committed to be Christ-like) and your heart will fully embody all that He is to include righteousness and holiness. The way to be sanctified in the way we live is to make Jesus our treasure.

So what are we waiting for?

We know sin and wickedness and evil make God mad. We know that He loves righteousness and He surely loves His one and only Son dearly. Then, doesn’t it only make sense that when we make Jesus our treasure and allow our heart to be fully of Him, that God’s love would be all we will experience in life?

Friends, it’s a simple and fundamental principle, grounded in the word of God. Won’t you make Jesus your treasure today and never treasure anything else more than Him? For if you do, you will remain in the love of God the Father and free from His wrath, now and forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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