The lie that leADS US TO THE SLAUGHTER
God loves you and me. That is such a beautiful wonderful truth that we embrace from the time that we hear it in our pre-k VBS class to the time that we give our lives over to Jesus.
And if we were honest most of us dearly wish to go back to those simple times where our worst offense was not sharing our toys with the other children. Because in our minds we falsely believe that God surely has an easier time accepting the pure heart of our childhood compared to the corrupted spirit of our adult heart.
But here is what I am here to say to you today. The greatest weapon that the enemy uses to kidnap you from a wonderful savior is the lie that God cannot love you. Once the enemy has established this lie in our hearts he can then begin to give us a reason to betray God. The lie looks something like this. Our hearts respond to the good news of Jesus often as young children and then the real world sinks in.
But due to the world we live in and our wandering hearts we wander. We make many a regretful choice that crushes our spirit to the core. It is at this point that we are like a sheep that has wandered away from the fold lost in the wilderness of the world.
This is where the enemy makes his move just as a pack of wolves is drawn to a wandering lamb. He then begins to feed us the lie that we cannot go back to our father due to our unforgivable actions.
Once we falsely believe that God doesn’t love us it is the beginning of the end. We replace the arms of the father with the accepting arms of an addiction, substance, or secular interest.
All of these leading us to living a life running on empty with a pitiful self worth. So how can you and I come to believe God loves us even when we don’t feel lovable? The key is to look at how God extended His love to those in the scripture who committed the unthinkable.
god loved a womanizer
Everyone knows about the wise king Solomon. But the truth is that Solomon had quite a bit of serious issues. God directly ordered His people not to intermarry with those who worshiped idols. But Solomon even in all his wisdom fell into the trap. Once he intermarried with idolatrous women.
He then over time became an accessory to worshiping other Gods. You heard me right not just one but multiple. This occurred because of the vast amount of wives he took from these idolatrous cultures. And you and me both know happy wife , happy life.
So these unions led Solomon to build shrines/altars for these other Gods to please these women. But did Gods love for Solomon disappear? It did not. Nehemiah clearly states that Solomon was loved by His God.
Does that not bring some comfort to our situation. If God could love this man that had hundreds of wives and 300 concubines ( basically side chicks). Plus his heart that dabbled in idol worship. Then take heart God isn’t going to give up on me and you!
A killer in charge
Exodus 2:11-12 csb
Moses a pillar of the Old Testament murdered a man. Let that sink in for a moment. The leader God chose and loved of His beloved people took the life of another person and yet God did not forsake Him. Was there consequences ?
For sure but even when Moses love was lacking , Gods love for Moses was in full bloom. Should this not give us hope that if God loved a murderer like Moses , then God can love a sinner such as you and I?
Its not your fault
Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered.” This came about so that Gods works might be displayed in him.
John 9:3 (CSB)
If the lie that God doesn’t love us is the tool that the enemy uses to take us down. Then the circumstances in our life that are painful become the false evidence. This man Jesus is referring to had been blind since birth.
In that day and time people though that if something was wrong with a person it had to be because of some wickedness that occurred. But Jesus sets the record straight.
Nobody was at fault and this mans blindness was not proof that God did not love him. Instead it gave this man a great opportunity to be transformed by God.
Whether we like to admit it or not oftentimes our painful struggles in life are oftentimes the seeds of our success. So whether money is scarce, your health is failing, or whatever dream that has been broken take heart.
Just know as we see in John 9:3 this is no evidence that God doesn’t love you. Instead it is evidence that we live in a broken world. And that the love of this world cannot compare to the steady faithful love of a good father. A father who has given us His son so at deaths door we can shed the reality of a broken world for the perfect goodness of heaven.
The scandal of all scandals
But God proves His own love for is, in that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
When you and I wander from what is right. Our own regrets often suffocate the surety of our salvation. And the burden of what we have done builds what we feel like is an impenetrable wall between us and our God.
The enemy would have us to believe that God cannot take us back nor break through this wall of our own making. Would that not be scandalous? A God who died for us a sinner and we the sinner turning our back on God. The answer is yes it is. But that is the God who has saved us.
He sent His son to die for us even when we were at our worst. His Son will still forgive us when we are at our worst. When it is completely our fault. So when the enemy whispers the lie that God doesn’t love you remember the truth that is found in the cross.
Thank you for the reminder!
Great message Matt