Consequences

Two weeks ago the sermons were entitled, “Growing Up in Christ.” The consequences of not doing so are very great.
There is enormous marital, family, church, business, and other dysfunction today, because God’s plain laws are broken.
The pain people experience for sinning against God’s commandments is horrible and easily avoided. Why choose it?
We know a very certain axiom from Scripture, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek 18:4). But how will we die?
I am not dealing directly with your sin finding you out; I am dealing directly with the fact sin has evil consequences.
God told our first parents not to eat of the fruit in Eden, and their sin has brought incredible consequences on humanity.
When I preached “Bearing Your Own Burden” (Gal 6:5), I gave you a sober warning about self-deception (Gal 6:7-9).
Some of you may need a new year to help provoke your soul to greater godliness and mortifying of sin. Lord, help us.
The choice is yours – loving life and seeing good days or having the face of the Lord against you (I Peter 3:10-12).

There are certain consequences – good for obedience and evil for disobedience. Believe it now!
There is no wisdom, counsel, or understanding against the LORD; you cannot win (Pr 21:30).
Good understanding giveth favour; but the way of transgressors is hard; believe it (Prov 13:15).
Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 reveal God’s creative consequences for Israel’s actions.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, even today; He judges (Heb 10:31).
The pleasure of sin is only for a season and it is illusionary compared to the pain (Ps 36:1-2).
If you try to save your life, you will lose it; if you lose it for Him, you will find it (Lu 9:23-24).

Those judged by actions, outside Jesus Christ, suffer forever in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:15).
How can the eternal torment and anguish of this consequence even be partially described?
Jesus Christ shall judge us all, and it should affect our lives (Eccl 12:13-14; II Cor 5:10-11).
Even short of eternal damnation, there will be shame for those squandering grace (I John 2:28).

There are spiritual consequences of God’s Spirit in our lives and there is God’s chastening.
Grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit leave us fruitless and impotent to live Christian lives.
Even though God may give you material blessing, He can dry up your soul (Ps 32:3-4; 106:15).
Chastening is true under either testament – and it is grievous (Heb 12:5-17; I Cor 11:27-34).
Drawing close to the world will steal our souls and seduce us by their insane form of living.
Eli played with the Lord by not dealing harshly with his sons, and his family was wiped out.
Play with the Lord enough and He will not hear or help when you truly need Him (Pr 1:20-31).

There are natural consequences of rejecting God’s infinite wisdom and heading to sea on a raft.
Moses taught Israel from God that His commandments and statutes were their life (Deu 32:47)!
If a man drinks and drives, he is going to suffer legal and, likely, bad practical consequences.
If a man is slothful and/or wasteful and/or foolish in financial matters, he will suffer poverty.
A child left to himself, not trained with the rod and reproof, will shame his mother (Pr 29:15).
Abraham, Jacob, and Elkanah chose polygamy and received domestic dysfunction as a result.
Lot chose to live the life of a hypocrite before his children, and it haunted him greatly later.
David sinned heinously, and the Lord troubled his family in many ways for many years.
Sins listed in Romans 1 and Ephesians 5 are said to be “not convenient” – not good for you!

There are precious few real men – husbands and fathers – left in the earth who do both jobs.
We will end our days in pain and our families will go into oblivion without righteous living.
Skipping child training, in whatever aspect you cheat, will come back to haunt slothful fathers.
Women who cheat their husbands will suffer by God, children, husbands, and conscience.
We have a new year before us – let us seek good consequences for obedience and avoid the dysfunctional pain of so many by disobedience.

The marital, family, church, and other dysfunction in “Christian America” is enormous and painfully wrong.
Our first priority should be to protect our Lord from reproach and adorn His doctrine with our good works.
Only after this goal should we be thinking and concerned for us our peace and tranquility in our homes.
The profane Nike commercial says, “Do it.” But as the children of God we have much greater motivation.
In light of painful consequences, two prayers take on new value – Jabez and Jesus (I Chron 4:10; Matt 6:13).