repentance – Auriesville Tubthumper

It Grieved Him at His Heart, Part 3

We have now come to the key chapter of Genesis that bears the burden of the subject at hand which is God being grieved at his heart for creating the wicked and degenerate people on the land. We are talking about mostly every human alive in that time with a few exceptions. I believe we are close to that again now. The Lord will never use a flood to destroy the earth again, next time it is fire.

I must note for clarity that the earth populated very fast with descendants of Adam and Eve. As you read the genealogy and see the lines of families produced from Adam and Eve you might have a major question. Why don’t we hear about these family lines and people? When reading Genesis there is evidence that enough offspring were generated from some key people to build entire cities. The human race was exploding! One thing to keep in mind is that the Lord allowed men to live long, long lives and procreate the world. A man can make a lot of babies in 1,000 years. The population at the time of the flood was great as it is now. The population was high.

For some examples, we have just learned of Enoch in the last post. Enoch’s father Jared lived 962 years. He fathered Enoch at the age of 162 and the Bible says he went on and begat sons and daughters for another 800 years. Enoch was taken up by God at age 365 but beforehand he begat sons and daughters one of which was Methuselah. Methuselah lived 969 years and begat sons and daughters. An important fact is that Methuselah was the father of Lamech who was the father of Noah. Lamech lived 777 years and again this man fathered many sons and daughters.

The point I need to make here is the Bible will focus on the line that leads to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. All other lines are unimportant to the story. Pay attention to Noah and his 3 sons he had at around 500 years of age. Shem, Ham and Japheth. If you are reading this you are a descendent of Noah and one of his three sons.

We are now in Chapter 6 of Genesis and up to Chapter 9 we will have a drastic change in the way God treats mankind. He allowed these men to live over 900 years but during that time they became too wicked. Mankind had broken every single command the Lord gave except the command to procreate the world. They kept that command well. God will severely limit how many years a man can live going forward. I won’t address the Sons of God and daughters of men here because there is a special post on that subject you can go to. Please do … you can click the link at bottom of this page. In short there was an outpouring of Satanic activity. One thing I will mention about the Sons of God and Daughters of men is that mixed marriages occurred that went against the will of God. Believers were yoked with unbelievers. All of humanity was depraved and wickedness in both word and deed was universal and unparalleled. We have a full account of the worlds degeneracy, it’s apostacy from God and the rebellion against Him. Back in Chapter one and verse 28 mankind had a blessing. (Be fruitful and multiply.) What has happened is man’s corruption abused and perverted the blessing to the point of a curse and the sin that God forgave became more exceedingly sinful. It says in Proverbs 29:16, “When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth.” The more sinners there are the more sin increases and the multitude of offenders emboldens men.

And that brings us to the key verse which is verse six of chapter six. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:5-8)

And then… woe to mankind… All humans and life except Noah and his family and what they were commanded to save in the Ark.

“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” (Genesis 7:4)

“Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.” (Genesis 7:20-24)

And so, at one time God saw that all was good, but now there was a change, a repentance, because it grieved God at his heart. He no longer saw it as good. Can you feel his grief? How terrible a situation where the evil became so bad that God had to wipe all life from the face of the earth and change the lifespan of man along with other things. It grieved him at His heart. Oh my…

Noah lived to age 950. And then we have a period called “The confusion of all things”, and the “Origin of Nations.”

Men unified to honor themselves and all spoke the same language. They built a huge city to keep together which was a breaking of God’s command to fill the earth. God separated them for their disobedience. He punished this evil attempt and separated mankind into small ethnic groups by confusing their universal language into many different dialects.

So now we have the origin of nations. The nations were all formed from the descendants of Noah’s three sons.

The first nation was the descendants of Japheth and would be Gomer (Germany), Magog, Tubal, and Mechech (Russia), Madai (Persia), Javan (Greece), Tiras (Italy), Togarmah (Armenia), Tarshish (Spain) and Kittim (Cyprus). Can you identify a land you are from?

The second nation was from the descendants of Ham and would be Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt), Phut (Africa), Canaan (the Canaanites of Palestine), Nimrod (Babylon and Assyria), Sidon (Phoenicia), Heth (Hittites), Jebus (the Jebusites, the occupants of Jerusalem before King David’s reign), Philistim (the Philistines) and Sin (Possibly the Asian people of China, Japan, India, etc.).

The last nation was made from the descendants of Shem and were through the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: the nation of Israel. And through the Abraham, Ishmael and Esau: the Arabic countries of the Middle East.

I will end with a writing from the Anthropologist Arthur Custance, “And thus we conclude that from the family of Noah have sprung all the peoples of the world, prehistoric and historic. The events described in Genesis 6 to 10 and particularly the prophetic statements of Noah himself in Genesis 9:25-28 with respect to the future of his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together combine to provide us with the most reasonable account of the early history of mankind, a history which , rightly understood, does not at all require us to believe that modern man began with the stature of an ape and only reached a civilized state after a long, long, evolutionary history, but made a fresh start as a single family who carried with them into an unpeopled earth the accumulated heritage of the pre-flood world.”

And so there you have it. So many times, God said it was good and it was, until the will of man and sin entered the picture. And it got so bad that God repented and it grieved Him at his heart. And then His wrath prevailed with the culmination of the great flood and the making of the nations of the future. All in the master plan. When I read this section it just tugs at my heart as a father. Can you imagine the huge family you have created becoming so evil you had to kill them all? Well, we cannot think like God thinks because we are human and he is the Almighty. I know what the death of a dream is and I know the love a father has for his children. All we can do is think like humans so it tugs at my heart. I hope you received something from these posts.

Click here to visit the Sons of God and Daughters of Men post.

God bless you,

The Tubthumper

Finders Keepers, part 3

The last two posts have been about salvation and whether or not one can lose it once they have it. Maybe I should have done this first but lets look at the process.

The logical order of salvation is outlined in these verses of John 6:35-65. Let us review them:

1. The Father draws the un-saved by ‘revealing Christ’ as an attractive and only answer to sin and its end. (6:37)

2. The sinner, (that is us) ‘beholds’ or contemplates this gracious offer from the father. (6:37)

3. The sinner, (us again) ‘determines or decides to trust’ the atoning work of Christ for His salvation. (6:40) Should Christ be rejected at this point it ends the saving process at least temporarily and hopefully not forever.

4. With repentance we the sinners ‘come to Christ’ to be saved. We come for the purpose of salvation. (6:37)

5. We (the sinner) evidence our heart ‘of repentance’ by coming to Jesus. (6:35, 65)

6. We (the sinner) embrace Jesus Christ ‘by faith’ as our Savior. (6:35)

7. The disciple (us again, now saved) embraced by Jesus Christ, ‘never to be lost or cast out’. (6:37, 39)

8. The disciples (we disciples) enjoy a ‘growing intimacy’ with Jesus Christ during our lives. (6:54, 56)

9. We as believers and disciples shall be ‘raised by Christ in the last day’. (6:39, 40, 44, 54)

Here is Jesus talking about the true remnant being raised out of sin to life. A raising up out of the earth to be where He is. The rapture! When will that happen? It is coming sooner than you think. Like a thief in the night He will come and no man knows the hour. If you haven’t been drawn to Christ and haven’t taken the steps to be in Glory with the savior the time is now.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”, (John 3:16)

I saw a great statement the other day in a commentary on Romans by John Phillips, “The gospel message grips the mind, stabs the conscience, warms to heart, saves the soul and sanctifies the life. It can make drunken men sober, crooked men straight and profligate women pure. It is a message sufficient to transform the life of any who believe. It is the power of God unto salvation “To every one that believeth.” It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

We need to turn back to the subject at hand of forever salvation or not. Once we have salvation and I sincerely pray you have not gone this far without securing that between you and Christ, salvation is forever. That is still my position on the matter. Now, neither I nor anyone else can deny that there are several warning passages in the New Testament which seem to imply that there is a possibility of loss of salvation. My satisfactory explanation of these verses is that they apply to false professors of Christianity and not the true believers. You should also be aware of the difference between your standing as a Christian and your state as a Christian. A saved person’s standing is perfect, immutable and guaranteed by the Word of God, the work of Christ and the witness of the Spirit. Our state, as Christians is imperfect, changeable and in a big way, mostly dependent on us. When you are saved you are justified. You have something the world can’t give to you nor can the world take it away. You have peace with God. You can read much about your standing with God and your state with God in Romans chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8. I encourage you to go there and be blessed.

Let me pose two questions for you to think about:

1) If in the mind of God we are already glorified in Heaven, how then could we ever lose our salvation here on earth?

2) If you believe you could lose your salvation, how would you ever know when you lost it?

You can think those over while I continue.

Jesus Christ died and rose again. Christ’s death was our death; His burial was our burial; He died as me! So far as God is concerned, we are already on the resurrection side of the grave and it remains for us to realize this truth and appropriate it, and as to the point I am trying to drive home, victory is assured.

In conclusion for today we are sinners that need to be saved because of CONDEMNATION. We are saved through Christ with JUSTIFICATION. After we are saved we are set aside in SANCTIFICATION. Now we, the saved sinner remain saved through PRESERVATION. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”, Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation and salvation is immediate. There is no condemnation and there is no separation. The Bible teaches a whole and eternal salvation, once saved always saved.

Once saved there are seven new things that enable us as believing sinners to remain saved. I will review those seven things as we continue on this subject with more future posts.

The believer has a new position in Christ and experiences fellowship with a new guest because of the new relationship with Jesus. There is a theological description of the believer’s adoption by the Father that explains our eternal security. You will have a good look into each of these points as we continue in the next post at getting to the bottom line of what is called “the believers confidence”.

ARISE, MY SOUL, ARISE by Charles Wesley

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;

The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:

Before the throne my surety stands,

My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;

His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:

His blood atoned for all our race,

And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;

They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:

“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,

“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;

He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;

His Spirit answers to the blood,

And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;

He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:

With confidence I now draw nigh,

And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Believe and live!

“The Tubthumper”

Join me on the next post as we continue by looking at more evidence leading to “Once saved, always saved”. Click here to go to next post.

Click here to jump to other posts in this series:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Day 21 praying for election, 19 to go.

In the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (Psalm 63:3-4, 7)

These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Heavenly Father we give You praise, glory and honor today as we acknowledge You, Creator of this universe, the only living God, and Your Son Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world. We praise You for Your grace, mercy, and lovingkindness.

Father we come to You in repentance for the condition of our nation because we have turned away from You. We repent of the six things that You hate according to Proverbs 6:16-19, as we are guilty of all. A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness, and the one that is an abomination to You: he who sows discord among the brethren. Father we ask for Your forgiveness as we forgive each other.

Lord, we thank you for our blessings. May we as a nation look to You with thanksgiving in our hearts for the blessings You have poured upon us. Let us forever rest in the shadow of Your wings and shout for joy with praise, for You are a most gracious God. Father, You bless us even beyond our understanding.

Dear Lord, our eyes are open to the decline of America and we want to put this nation back on track with You but we cannot do it without Your help. We want Your Name to be glorified again across this land. We need Your help to elect a new administration in 19 days that will acknowledge and honor You and Israel. Father, without You we can do nothing. We pray for wisdom, strength and courage.

Father, renew our strength, give us new hope and make us “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Day 18 praying for elections, 22 more to go.

Give Ear to Our Words O’LORD.

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:1-3)

Father we adore you. “You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful. You are strong. You are great. You are the Most High. You are Almighty. You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth. You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good. You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true. You are love. You are wisdom. You are humility. You are endurance. You are rest. You are peace. You are joy and gladness. You are justice and moderation. You are all our riches, and You suffice for us. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are our protector. You are our guardian and defender. You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope. You are our faith, our great consolation. You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty and Merciful Savior.”[1]

We give thanks this day O’God for your love and for the many, many blessings you have given our land and our people. Our greatness has come from Your grace, Lord. We beg You, O’Lord, to hear our supplications. Hear our prayers dear Lord! Let us come to you each day with our hearts full of joy, for You are our Most High God and everything we have comes from you.

Dear God, forgive our nation and our people for the destruction of millions of babies through abortion. Forgive us for the sexual immorality that is common in entertainment and so many relationships. For the tolerance and promotion of sexual perversion. Please forgive us Father for the dependency on material things and failure to trust God for physical, economic, and national security. We pray you forgive us for the disregard of God’s standards for marriage and family living. We come humbly and in repentance to Lord.

Father in heaven we pray for Our President. We pray that the heart of our President will be open and sensitive to the Lord. We ask you, O’God to give him wisdom for the decisions he must make. We ask O’God for you to protect him from physical harm and spiritual attack. We ask you, Lord to protect his family from all harm. For the election in 22 days, Father, we ask for your divine intervention that the winner of the election would be hand-picked by You. We ask for your protection of our nation and we ask for a great leader.

We pray for our Nation, O’God. We pray for the Holy Spirit to convict the people of our nation of sin. We ask Him to soften all our hearts and make them open to You, Lord. We pray that You will release those taken captive by Satan and give sight to those who have been spiritually blinded. We ask for a harvest of souls. We ask for You to bring revival to the hearts and lives of the saved. We ask You, Father, to protect us from physical attack. Please, O’God, give a spirit of patience and calm throughout the land.

We pray for our churches dear Lord. We ask You Lord, to move Your churches to boldly proclaim the gospel to the unsaved. To help us trust Him and His sovereign control over the world. To fill us with compassion for those who are suffering because of recent events. To strengthen the hearts of God’s people, giving courage and persistence. To help Your children experience You peace that passes all understanding, that it would guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We pray that the churches will be characterized by deep repentance and a return to the Lord. We pray that church leaders may be courageous, wise, and faithful in their proclamation and counsel.

Bless us, Father, that we might bless others. Let us always look to You for every provision. Let us each be an open vessel filled with Your wisdom, that others might know Your saving grace. Father we have come to You in obedience and humility to seek your face. We have asked for much this morning believing You will hear, provide and heal our land. We ask all through Jesus Christ, AMEN.

[1] St. Francis of Assisi