Life Lifters | Lakeshore Community Church

Apr 23 8:43 AM

Not Appointed to Wrath

Apr 23 8:43 AM

Friday, April 23, 2021

Stay close to the Lord. And here's the reward, the prize: that when God judges the world, you will not be judged.

Friday, April 23, 2021

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

Over the past two Life Lifters, we've been talking about 1 Thessalonians 5. Basically, what we've said about that is that it's a very classic chapter on the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is that period of time from the Rapture until the Lord rules and reigns for 1000 years, establishing his kingdom on earth. You have probably prayed the part of the Lord's Prayer that says, "Like kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That prayer will be answered literally when he sets up His 1000-year-reign, per Revelation chapter 20. Since we don't think enough about the future and prophecy, I've given you a couple of reminders so far, as I talked about how the Lord's going to come back like a thief in the night. In other words, nobody knows when he will return. That was from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. Then, in 1 Thessalonians, 5:4-8, we said the purpose of that is to stay morally ready and strong. Stay close with the Lord, don't backslide. Don't fall away from the Lord. Don't pretend you're a Christian on Sunday and act like the devil on Thursday. Stay close to the Lord.

And here's the reward, the prize: that when God judges the world, you will not be judged. That's part of why God is going to rapture the church, because he's going to judge people who are not Christians for their sin. Their sin hasn't been forgiven by Christ because they rejected him. I want you to know this: If you are truly a Christian, God has not appointed you to wrath. Look what Paul says at the end of this Day of the Lord section of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 . Let's start at verse nine and go to the end. He says that the reason why it's all good is "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you in fact are doing."

What's he saying? When God brings judgment in the world, why would God judge a Christian? We're not appointed to wrath, his anger. Somebody asked me after Easter, a little child said, "What does wrath mean?" I said, "Wrath means anger." God is angry at our sin. If we don't turn to Him, there comes a point when God says that enough is enough, and he brings his wrath and judgment. God has not set up an appointment for us. If you're a Christian, you're appointed to salvation. Why would God judge a Christian when Jesus took our judgement of the cross? We put our faith in him and he accomplished that. He has not appointed us unto wrath. And that's the great promise, that you will not go through the tribulation, the seven-year hell on earth. People ask, "Will people become Christians during it?" They absolutely will. Some will die for their faith, some will live and be the citizens of that 1000-year-kingdom of God, but at the end of the day, who wants to go through it? And if you're a Christian now, you're safe. Then he goes on, saying that we're appointed to salvation. Paul says, "He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him." Whether you are awake or asleep? Now here's an interesting question: Does he mean that physically or spiritually? Certainly, physically it's true. You could be asleep when he comes. But is he saying a backslidden Christian is still going to be raptured? Well, they will be as long as they truly are Christian. Maybe that's in mind, but I don't know.

But then he says this, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you in fact are doing." In other words, use these words to encourage each other. Hey, life is hard. You're not appointed to God's wrath. You're appointed to salvation, as long as you're a Christian. It's a great feeling. You say, "But Vince, all these people are going to be judged." God is just, and God can only take so much of sin. History has shown us that when God reaches a threshold and says enough is enough, he brings judgment. But the judgment in the end will be unlike any other judgment. Make sure you're ready. I'm not trying to scare you, but I'm trying to tell you the truth. God will come back, and if you're a Christian he hasn't pointed you to wrath. If you're not, all bets are off. Be ready.

Let's pray. Father, thank you, Lord, that you have not appointed us to suffer your wrath. Instead, you've appointed us to enjoy your salvation. I pray that anyone listening to me now would make sure that they're appointed to salvation. Just say, "Jesus Christ, you are God. You are Holy. I sin stem to stern. I put my faith in you, Jesus, alone. I don not trust in rules, rites, routines, rituals, religions, regulations, but only in faith, so I might have a relationship with you. Come into my life and forgive me." If you say that with authentic, genuine faith, and God knows if it is, you become a Christian. Let us know about it. But most importantly, you are appointed now not for wrath, but for salvation. For the rest of us, help us to be encouraged and encourage each other with these words. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Mar 29 8:08 AM

Mercy Over Judgement

Mar 29 8:08 AM

Monday, March 29, 2021

It just seems so true that we are unwilling to forgive. The reason why we're so unwilling to forgive is because we're quick to judge.

Monday, March 29, 2021

James 2:12-13

I was going through a news feed, and I saw an article that I thought captured a lot about how I'm thinking today. The title was, Has America Forgotten How to Forgive? The whole gist of the article is that anytime somebody does something wrong, we have what has been termed "Cancel Culture," which I am, by and large, opposed to. Cancel Culture says that anytime you do something wrong, that's it. It's over for you. So, the article told a story of somebody from a magazine who said something he shouldn't have when he was a teenager, and was fired from his job. He said it as a 17-year-old, apologized for it, but was still fired from his job. It just seems so true that we are unwilling to forgive. The reason why we're so unwilling to forgive is because we're quick to judge. I'm going to say something, and I hope you'll understand my heart. Do I believe racism is still a problem in our country today? Yes. But can I tell you what's really concerning? Every time something happens from one group to another, it's instantly termed racism. My fear is that the real problem of racism gets blunted by calling everything racism. If everything's racism, then nothing's racism. And then we don't deal with the real issues of racism.

It's all because of this: We have forgotten how to forgive. We have forgotten how to forgive because we're so quick to judge. The Bible says so much about judging and the dangers of judging. I do not mean judging in terms of rendering a verdict. If I see somebody call an African American or an Asian American a derogatory name, and if I say that's wrong, that's not judging. That's just the truth. In the Bible, to judge is to assign motive and to say something about someone's character that isn't necessarily true. For example, judging would be if you say, "You said that because you're a racist," or, "You did that because you're a bad person," or, "What you said when you were 17, that carries over, and you can't change that. So you're done." The Bible says that judging is basically assigning somebody's motives to something that's not true, or that you couldn't even possibly know. And it's got a negative view.

I want to read from James 2:12-13. To illustrate this concept, James says this, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment, without mercy, will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." So, think and act in a way that you don't judge, becuase the way you judge will determine the way you are judged. In other words, the measure you use is the measure that will be used against you. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 7. And then he goes on to say that judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. The reason why we can't forgive is because we're such judgmental people. And the reason why we're such judgmental people is that we lack mercy. So here's my encouragement to you, when somebody does something wrong, don't judge them. Now, it's not judging to say that something is wrong, especially something horrific, like murder. I'm talking about those gray areas where you see something and the math doesn't look good, but you're not sure. Be careful about judging. The secret to being careful about judging is to have mercy. And here's the key. The key to having mercy is to remember, what if it were you?Many people, and I don't want to mention names, but people even in our own state have been quick to judge other people. And yet, they've done the very same thing and worse. I'll tell you, they had no mercy. I'm asking you to have mercy with people. Can you give people mercy? Can you give people the benefit of the doubt? Can you reserve judgment on those motive things and those unsure things? I'm not saying reserve judgment for clear wrongs and clear rights. I'm talking about the in-between. Have mercy. And how do you have mercy? Remember, you're going to be judged by that very same law that you exercise toward others. Remember, it could be you.

So let's pray. Father, forgive us for being judgmental. We all do it. We all fail. We all say things that just are not true about other people. Help us to remember to be more merciful and less judgmental. As James tells us, we'll be better off, our world would be a better place, and we'll be able to get along without having to cancel each other for things that were done many years ago. Thank you for helping us model this, in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Mar 26 8:47 AM

Favoritism

Mar 26 8:47 AM

Friday, March 26, 2021

It's okay to play favorites when it comes to sports and things like that, but when it comes to life, we shouldn't play favorites.

Friday, March 26, 2021

James 2:1-4, 8

We have heard a lot about racism over the last few years, and it is a real problem. We can debate about how much of a problem it is, and everybody's gonna see it differently. But really, racism is ultimately a form of favoritism. Favoritism is okay if you're watching a football game. My favorite team is the Saints. Your favorite team may be the Bills. It's okay to play favorites when it comes to sports and things like that, but when it comes to life, we shouldn't play favorites. It shouldn't matter what your skin color is, or whether or not you've got life all figured out, or if you're a man or a woman. It shouldn't matter if you're rich or poor, or if you live in the city or the suburbs, or if you live in New York State or in Texas. None of those things should matter. Because people are made in God's image, we should value all people.

James confronted the problem of favoritism in the church in James 2:1-4, 8. He says, 'Now my brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated amongst yourselves and become judges with evil intent?... If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbors yourself," you are doing right.'

James started with the principle in verse one, and then he unpacked it. The principle is don't show favoritism. What did he call favoritism in this text? He called favoritism showing special favor, discrimination, judges, evil thinking, and special attention. Those are all forms of favoritism. Favoritism should not be part of our lives because it is ultimately judging someone on the outside, whereas God says we judge people on the inside. Again, how we judge people is not by judging their motives, but judging their character. I believe one of the greatest statements Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, which I love, is that he longs for a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. And that's important, the content of our character. What James is saying is, don't let the externals lead you to favoritism and discrimination.

Now here's the thing. We live by a model in America and in the world which says, "I scratch your back, you scratch mine. You help me, I help you." So, sometimes that's a good thing, but sometimes it can lead to favoritism. We have to be really, really careful. But all I want to say is that there are times in your life where you probably are playing favorites in a way that you shouldn't be. You're judging based on appearance, assuming some person is poor and is probably on welfare. You don't know that. Or you say, "That person has that skin color, so they always ... fill in the blank." First of all, there's no "always" with any particular skin color or ethnicity. And I like to tease about Italian people, so I suppose you can pick on your own, but I say it teasingly. But you have to be careful about playing favorites in your life. The great thing about Christianity is we welcome all people. We welcome the down and outers, the up and outers, the inside outers, or whatever way you are. The cross is available to everybody. We say that because of verse eight, where James says, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbors yourself," you're doing right." Hey, we have a common humanity. We all came from Adam and Eve. We are all made in the image of God. We're not all Christians, true, but let's love people in the family of God. Let's stop playing favorites. Do you play favorites based on skin color, appearance, clothing, money, or how nice people treat you? Start seeing people the way God does, and stop playing favorites.

Father, forgive me for playing favorites. It's so subtle and pervasive. I pray that you help all of us to not play favorites, but to see people as bearing your image, seeing people as either in your family and needing to be encouraged or outside of your family and needing to be loved into it. And I pray that whatever area of our life we play favorites in, whatever prejudices, discriminations, and favoritism we show, help us to judge people by the content of their character. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

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