John the Baptist said to the evil religious people who came to be baptized of him: Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Luke 3:7-9)
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Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
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I Timothy 5:24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
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John 8:11 Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery: "Go, and sin no more."
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Paul tells us what to do to those in the church who commit such sins as fornication, covetousness, drunkard, idolater, railer, extortioner ...
I Corinthians 5:4-6 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
11; 13
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is
called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a
railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat
... Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
But
what I've seen churches do when such sins happen is to try to keep that
person in the church and counsel him and pray for him.
They will not do what Paul said to do.
It
is like the examples of the Old Testament where they would not obey God
and they tried to live among the people of the land. God told them not
to do this but they would not hear God and they followed that which
seemed reasonable to themselves.
The same thing is happening today in church groups.
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Judges 8:34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:
Gideon was one of those judges set up by God in Old Testament to be a deliverer to Israel.
After the death of Gideon, one of his sons, Abimelech, rose up to name himself as a leader and deliverer.
Abimelech was one of 70-sons of Gideon. In those days men had many wives and children by these different wives.
Judges 9:2-4 Abimelech said to the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver (70 pieces of silver) out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
Abimelech
then went into his father's house at Ophrah and killed all his brothers
(Gideon's sons) ... except for one son, Jotham, the youngest son who
escaped.
Judges 9:6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
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God sets up the stage for judgment against the evil.
When Jotham, the one son remaining who had not been killed by his brother, heard they had made Abimelech their king, Jotham said:
Judges 9:7-21 Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal (Gideon) and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal (Gideon) and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
(The above verse is a prophecy as to what is going to happen to both sides of evil doers.)
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
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Judges 9:22-24 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon) might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon) might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
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Make no mistake: God has HIS instruments of destruction to use against the evil doers.
Isaiah 54:16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
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No one, whether they are born again or not, can expect to "deal carelessly" upon this earth and to do that which is not right in the sight of God and escape the wrath of God.
Today it is like the doctrine of Gentiles rules over the church groups and they are taught a strange doctrine whereby they think: God loves you and wants you to be happy. Do that which pleases you regardless of that which the Bible says.
This is an extremely foolish "and careless" way to live and judgment will come upon those persons who continue to live according to their own fleshly desires.
Often the careless persons who say they are Christians even strike out against others who try to do the Word of God. They foolishly think nothing will happen to them.
Instead the following should be the case:
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do HIS commandments: HIS praise endureth for ever.
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Judges 9:25-27 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
Today it is like the doctrine of Gentiles rules over the church groups and they are taught a strange doctrine whereby they think: God loves you and wants you to be happy. Do that which pleases you regardless of that which the Bible says.
This is an extremely foolish "and careless" way to live and judgment will come upon those persons who continue to live according to their own fleshly desires.
Often the careless persons who say they are Christians even strike out against others who try to do the Word of God. They foolishly think nothing will happen to them.
Instead the following should be the case:
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do HIS commandments: HIS praise endureth for ever.
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Judges 9:25-27 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
So there is going to be war just as Jotham said there would be. Many on both sides died.
Judges 9:59-54 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
Judges 9:59-54 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
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55-57
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon).
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon).
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