Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

What are the adequate qualifications of a God-seeker? or a bible-sharer?  What do I have that you don't have?  Short answer:  Nothing.  Not a professional.  Don't get paid. Not a pastor. Not seminary trained, unless you count a 45 minute visit. 

Well, that is not very reassuring.  Here's the really good news though, we have a GOD who WANTS to be known.  When we play hide and seek with Him, He does not say, "You'll never find me", but He says, "I can't WAIT until you find me".  Isaiah even says He helps the search:  HERE I AM!

So, absent this wonderful, worthy of worship, quality of GOD, the qualifications of your podcaster are worthless.  Listen and appreciate Him for this.

You may be wondering what my qualifications are to be sharing this little podcast.  There aren't many.

Jeremiah encourages us to "follow the ancient paths".  There is no big secret.  Open heart.  Bible.  Pen.  Occasionally a book.  That is about it.

Listen and see if it is good enough for you.

We only have today.  I only have today to give this message of reconciliation with God.  You only have today to receive this message of reconciliation.  On this day, we are emphasizing the WHEN of the response to God.  There is never a multiple choice in His Word, it is always, it is ONLY: today.

The needle of time only pricks today.  

Listen, understand, and respond to what we really mean when we say, "I had a GREAT (favorable) DAY".

Today you have awakened in a kingdom.

If you find yourself in the Kingdom of God, you have only one response:  worship, thanks, gratitude, the sobriety of the rescued.  You didn't do it yourself and you needed help to do it.

If you find yourself in the kingdom of the world you are in a world of hurt.  Here's the thing.  To get out of here you are going to need some help.  To get out of judgment and justice and sin you will need help beyond your ability.  Nobody gets to the Kingdom of God without massive help.

Who you gonna call?  Listen and decide.

Paul begs the readers of 2 Cor 6:1 to RECEIVE the GRACE.  You certainly don't want to receive Judgment or true Justice.  You can even do better than mercy, though that is pretty kind of God to offer that too.

You can receive GRACE.  Getting MORE THAN YOU DESERVE.  How do I sign up for that?  Receive it.  Believe it.  Agree with God about the nasty business of sin and necessary reconciliation.  As we mentioned yesterday, when?  Well, how bout today?

There is no plan b.  Without this grace, it is only judgment.  Here is how if the jews of Matt 10 did not receive their message were going to be worse off than Sodom on the day of judgment.  Yikes.  I like Grace better.  You should too.  Listen and today RECEIVE.

I am 100% seen
100% judged
100% guilty
100% broken relationship with God

How am I going to get out of this mess?  Like Abraham.  By faith.  
How am I going to get out of this mess? Thru Jesus.

The disciples in Matt 10 had the exact experience of our passage today from 2 Cor 5:18-6:2.  They are the messengers of reconciliation for those WHO WILL RECEIVE the GRACE of God.  Today's emphasis is that TODAY is the favorable time.  TODAY is the day of salvation.  Listen and believe!

The biblical tennis match volleys back to the New Testament.

What is the one thing the Lord credits?  The Bible uses some different language to describe it.  Faith, Belief, and receiving His Kingdom, His Savior, His Righteousness, in short:  HIM.

Abraham did it and we are to walk in his footsteps.

That is the call to the people who hear the Apostles' message.  There is no plan B.  It is about faith, or Sodom comes back into the picture.  Listen as we go back to the New Testament for a call to faith and receiving.

We are in the Tennis Match of the Bible.  The New Testament in Luke 10 has volleyed the ball back to the Old Testament by referring to Sodom.  The ball will be sent back to the New Testament soon, but in the meantime, the Old Testament has an answer.  

We are dismayed that 100% of Sodom is under judgment.  The "I have throw-up in my mouth" part of this all is that I am 100% under judgment too.  Who Can stand? Who will save me?

Spoiler alert:  Great line from the Old Testament ahead:  GOD REMEMBERED ABRAHAM.   GOD REMEMBERED ABRAHAM.   GOD REMEMBERED ABRAHAM.  It is a good thing He did, or Abraham would also have been in big trouble.  And we would be in big trouble.  Well, we ARE in big trouble absent this intervention of God.  Listen and appreciate.

Abraham stands and watches the judgment of God to Sodom in Genesis 19:4.  100% of them are judged.  If the Lord should mark iniquities, who could stand?  Psalm 130:3  Nobody.

Guess what. We do not fare so hot under the hard eye of judgment either.  Maybe that is why he allowed abraham, and us , to watch this moment of history.  For, all of us are in the same boat.  Do we REALLY want justice and judgment for ourselves?  I didn't think so.

Sodom is in big trouble.  We are in big trouble.  What is the Lord going to do?  Listen:

Abraham "still stood" before the Lord but he doesn't exactly "stand still-ly".  He demonstrates today a real quest for understanding the judgment of God, in real time, in a real place, to real people, to a real outcry of sin.

He serves as a great example for every believer and soon-to-be-believer.  The Lord loves genuine inquiry.  He can take a faithful, humble, I-am-dirt-who-are-You kind of question.  Abraham rattles the limits a little here.  He pushes the envelope.  He goes right to the line AND THE LORD LISTENS AND RESPONDS and in my view, appreciates his persistence.  

Sodom asks the big big big questions and answers them:
Lord, do you SEE?
Lord, are you JUST?
Lord, does Your Justice mean JUDGMENT?
Lord, how should I live?
Lord, are ALL of us guilty?

But for today, we just have one guy and one God.  One guy wrestling.  One God being patient and I think delighted.  Listen.  I promise you'll be entertained.