A Consuming Fire

Deuteronomy 4: 24, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.”

Wildfires sweep across plains and through great forests devouring everything in sight. Man-made or God-made, all that is in the path of the fire catches fire and burns up: trees, animals, plants, humans, houses…the fire consumes it all leaving nothing but ashes in its path.

Hebrews 12: 29, “For our God is a consuming fire.”

God is love and He wants me to be happy.

Jesus is cool, you know? He’s my home-boy.

The big man in the sky is watching out for me.

JC is cool man!

Revelation 4: 8, “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

But, God isn’t demanding. He understands me and knows I’m trying. I just can’t get over this one little thing….

Be like Jesus? He is God. I can’t be like Him.

God overlooks my failings.

I Peter 1: 16, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

God cares about me and what I want. God wants me to be rich. God is forgiving. God overlooks my sins. God understands how hard it is to be a Christian today….

God understands. When I fail, I pray and God forgives me. He always forgives….

Jeremiah 15: 6, “Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.”

“I can wear what I want to. If guys look and lust, that’s their problem and not mine.”

“Yeah, the show was a little…ah, dirty…but, I’m not a prude.”

“If I don’t do what my friends are doing, I will be laughed at and no one will want to be my friend.”

“Well, of course, I don’t always tell the absolute truth. A little white lie can be helpful sometimes. I mean, you don’t want to get into trouble, do you? Or, make someone unhappy. Sometimes folks don’t really want to know the truth.”

Isaiah 53: 4-6, “Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

But, don’t you understand? I don’t want to be different than my friends, they will laugh at me!

Yes, I believe that the church has strayed from the truth but if I speak out about it, I will be out of place.

If I preach against their sin, they will leave the church. If I speak out against their unrighteousness, they will quit giving and then what will the church do?

Matthew 10: 28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

But nobody really does those things. Nobody, not today. If I speak up, I will lose my congregation…my money…my home…my friends…my family will abandon me…my life….

70,000,000 people have died for their faith over the last 20 centuries. Of these, 45,000,000 lost their lives in the last century.

Hebrews 11: 36-38, “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins: being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

Our church is a relaxed and fun place to be. Nobody is going to judge you.

We’re open-minded in our church, come visit us.

Our church has a cool praise band. Our teens have lots of fun. You can enjoy yourself here.

I Peter 2: 9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”

We’re not really into teaching Scripture too much. We want everyone to understand that God just loves them and wants them to have a great life.

The virgin birth? Who believes that anymore? Creation? In six days? Come on. Science has proved that that isn’t true. Anyway, that stuff is so old-fashioned….what? Do I love Jesus? Of course, I love Jesus. What’s that? Oh, the Bible. Yes, it’s a great love letter from God…open to interpretation. It means one thing to me and another to someone else….That’s okay because God, He just loves us so much, you know? He wants us to come to Him so He can bless us.

It doesn’t matter what you do. It matters how much you love.

God won’t be happy until you are prospered financially!

Revelation 3: 15, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

I pray a couple of times a day and when I eat…I really don’t have time for much prayer. Yeah, I need to do better but prayer is so hard.

I tithe my money. I come to church. I teach Sunday school. What more do you want?

I do a morning devotion. I try to help others. I’m not much of a church person but I live a good life. I’m sure He understands.

I’m involved in two ministries. I study hard. I do for God, you know? I just don’t have too much time to invest in seeking Him.

God loves me too much to send me to hell.

Matthew 7: 21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”Matthew 25: 41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”