Download The goodness and severity of God

The Goodness & Severity of God
“Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God” (Romans 11:22)
Myths
• God cannot do evil
• Satan is a supernatural being opposed to
God, doing evil
• Believing in Jesus gives automatic entrance
into paradise
• God will allow men to do as they please
forever
Programme
• God creates evil as well as good
• Examples of God using Evil
– war
– famine
– men
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Satan
God’s Justice
Judgement to come
What this means to you and I
God Creates Evil as well as good
• Many Churches around teach that God is
Good, but choose to forget that God does
evil also
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make
peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all
these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)
• What does God mean by evil?
God using war
Jeremiah 21
• 5 And I (God) myself will fight against you
with an outstretched hand and with a strong
arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great
wrath.
• 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this
city, both man and beast: they shall die of a
great pestilence.
God using famine
2 Samuel 21
1 Then there was a famine in the days of
David three years, year after year; and
David enquired of the LORD. And the
LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his
house of blood, because he slew the
Gibeonites.
God using evil men
Daniel 5
21 And he was driven from the sons of men;
and his heart was made like the beasts, and
his dwelling was with the wild asses: they
fed him with grass like oxen, and his body
was wet with the dew of heaven; till he
knew that the most high God ruled in the
kingdom of men, and that he appointeth
over it whomsoever he will.
God using men - Example Hitler
• God’s people (the Jews) disobeyed Him
• Their punishment was removal from their
homeland (Palestine)
• In AD 70 the Roman Armies took Jerusalem
• God decreed that He would bring His
people back to their land
• The terror of men like Hitler is bringing
them back
SATAN
• SATAN is a Greek Word : ‘Diabolos’
• Simply meaning ‘An Adversary’
“Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood he (Jesus) also
himself likewise took part of the same; that
through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil”
Hebrews 2:14
Four Absurdities of the Orthodox View
• Why partake of “flesh and blood” to destroy
the orthodox Devil?
• Could the orthodox Devil conceivably be
destroyed by Jesus’ submission to death?
• The Devil should then be dead, but is
reported more active!
• God visits man with death because of sin,
and not because of the Devil.
God using famine
2 Samuel 21
1 Then there was a famine in the days of
David three years, year after year; and
David enquired of the LORD. And the
LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his
house of blood, because he slew the
Gibeonites.
• (God visited Israel because of Saul’s Sin)
Satan
• An obedient angel - “the angel of the LORD
stood in the way as Satan against him.”
(Numbers .22:22)
• Hadad the Edomite - “The LORD stirred up
Satan unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite”
(1 Kings 11:14)
• Peter - “Jesus turned, and said unto Peter,
Get thee behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23)
God & Satan
“The anger of the LORD was kindled against
Israel and he moved David against them to
say, Go number Israel and Judah”
(2 Samuel 24:1)
“Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked
David to number Israel”
(1 Chronicles 21:1)
God’s Justice
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity
of God: on them which fell, severity; but
toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in
his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be
cut off.” (Romans 11:22)
• God judges between good and evil
• God is good to those who are good
• God punishes those who are evil
The Judgement to Come
Luke 12:
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and
prepared not himself, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall
be much required: and to whom men have
committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Knowledge - Basis of Responsibility
Knowledge of the Truth, whether believed or
rejected, makes us responsible to God for
actions done.
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good,
and doeth it not, to him it is sin”
(James 4:17)
The Judgement Seat
“For we must all appear
before the judgement
seat of Christ; that
every one may receive
the things done in his
body, according to that
he hath done, whether
it be good or bad”
(2 Corinthians 5:10)
Not all who have ever
lived (for some will
not rise, Isa.26:14;
Psa.49:14-20) but ‘all’
of those to whom he
wrote this epistle, I.e.,
those sanctified in
Christ, called to be
saints (cp. 1 Cor 1:2; 2
Cor.1:1)
The Judgement Seat
“For we must all appear
before the judgement
seat of Christ; that
every one may receive
the things done in his
body, according to that
he hath done, whether
it be good or bad”
(2 Corinthians 5:10)
“Phaneroo” - ‘to make
manifest, publically
reveal, I.e., “to be
revealed in our true
character”
“Bema” - this word is
applied to the tribunal
of a Roman Magistrate
(Jn. 19:13; Acts 25:6,
10, 17)
What’s this mean to me?
• If we know what is right, and don’t do it we
will be punished
• If we know that something is wrong and
still do it then we will be punished
• If we know that we should be baptised, and
don’t get baptised then we will suffer the
consequences
• God will not allow the evil in this world
unpunished
Some of the blessings God has
promised to them that obey Him
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Eternal Life
Health
Happiness
Contentment
Purpose
A home
Clothing
Food
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Love
Joy
Peace
Warmth
Tranquility
Friends
Direction
Care
How we can obtain Gods
Blessings
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It is by Grace that you are saved
By reading His Word
By continuing in Prayer
By Obeying His Commands
By being baptized - the first act of obedience
By seeking forgiveness where we fail
By looking for ways to improve ourselves
By helping others find their way