June 9
1 Kings 13:1-14:18, 14:21-14:24; 2 Chronicles 12:13-14; 2 Chronicles 11:18-23, 12:1-12; 1 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Chronicles 12:15-16; 1 Kings 14:29-15:5; 2 Chronicles 13:1-22; 1 Kings 15:6-8; 2 Chronicles 14:1-8; 1 Kings 15:9-15; 14:19-20; 1 Kings 15:25-34; 2 Chronicles 14:9-15, 15:1-19
During the course of my day in many encounters with others, knowing my political beliefs and many of my thoughts on certain issues, such as the recent pandemic or many of the perversions sweeping across our nation, often our conversations will turn to such things. It is always encouraging to share thoughts and perspectives with like-minded individuals. But this doesn't mean we are like-minded in every area. My hope is in Jesus Christ, not a new president, not some new laws, etc. I often try to turn the conversation onto these things mid-conversation. The other day I did this with three patients, and though all three shared many of my views, not one of them knew the slightest thing of what the gospel message was. This gave me the opportunity to discuss the sovereignty of God, what true repentance is, and what Jesus actually did by dying on the cross for us. Our world is lost. Most people are lost. The only direction out of this mess is through the cross, and we, as His ambassadors on earth, are His chosen vessels to lead others to Him. But we only see these opportunities if we are abiding in Him more than the arena of current events.
We read in 1 Kings 14:22-24, about Rehoboam, Solomon's son, the king of Judah, "Now Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel." Is this not our nation? Are we not a nation of lies and perversions? Have we not recently raised the pride flag at the same level of the American flag at the White House and allowed every form of perversion on its grounds? Two kings later, Rehoboam's grandson, Asa, did what was right, as we read in 15:11-13, "Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David. And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron."
Our nation will not rise from its present situation with some minor window dressing. A change in personnel, a law here or there simply will not do. Our nation is consumed and overridden with evil. It's not evil because I believe it to be so. It is evil because as spelled out in God's Holy Word, our actions are a stench in His nostrils from the lying, the hypocrisy, the perversion, etc. Though there are pockets of those who lift up the name of God, we are the remnants in an otherwise completely godless nation. As Asa did, evil must be called what it is, and be removed, before it is replaced. This is not calling for removing sinners from the land, for if that were the case, there would be no one left in the land, since we are all sinners. We must call good, good, and evil, evil, from God's perspectives. We need to love those who struggle in certain areas, just as Jesus loved all sinners. But we can no longer celebrate sin, for whether one likes to realize this or not, we are now no different than Sodom and Gomorrah, and we know how their story turned out.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: