15/07/13

The wicked

Psalms 37:14 - The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.


Some days back we had received this same message at that time we had reflected more in the weapons of the wicked. Today as I was looking at this message I felt the Lord wanted us to give attention to the word wicked.

When we say wicked mostly what comes to our mind is an evil person doing evil or wrong things. But when we get into understanding this word through the Bible it brings out things which one would not have thought about.

The Hebrew word 'rasha' translated here as wicked is mostly translated in the Bible as condemned. When we use the word condemned it means one who is set for destruction. God also uses the words hardened hearts to describe these people.

People think they can easily identify the wicked, they are wrong. Today's scripture open a dimension of the wicked that we need to be aware of. The lord is telling us we cannot identify a wicked person by what he or she is doing or saying but can only identify the person as wicked by knowing the intention or purpose, the place they are trying to lead us.

We may see a person talking good things and doing social work but yet that person could be a wicked person. What needs to be identified is the purpose. If that person is doing it not to help the needy but for one's own benefit like making a name in society, or winning elections, or some selfish reasons, if one knew that purpose then one would not be impressed with the works or talks of that person, in fact would get angry when one would see or hear that person.

Do not be surprised if you find such people in the Church there are very high changes that the ones who God hates most would be inside congregations and less outside. The ones who are most hardened in the heart would be those who hear the Word of God yet follow their intentions and ignore the Word.

God warns in today's message not to harden our hearts from His Law and His Instructions. Yesterday we learned about the 2 Laws of God that we need to have in our hearts, and if we reject these Laws then we stand in this group which are condemned or wicked.

On Judgement Day God is not going to see if we know in depth of the Bible, what Jeremiah said and what Daniel said and what Joseph did? God is going to only see if we have His Laws in our hearts and just these 2 Laws. Did we love God with all our hearts and love His people these are the 2 Laws He is going to check if we have written on our hearts. That is why Jesus says even if we claim to love God but if we did not reach out to His people then we do qualify to be Christians and enter Heaven. His people are part of Him and that is why He says when I was naked, when I was hungry...

We need to understand Bible study which does not get these 2 Laws written into our hearts is just knowledge which puffs and leads to our hearts being hardened and put us in the category of the condemned or the wicked.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we pray that we do not harden our hearts. We pray that we do not stand among the condemned. Lord help us surrender our hearts to your purpose and have your Laws written on them like You wrote on the tablets. We pray we understand being Christian stands for being a witness of who You are and about the Heavenly Family which are your people...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Matthew 25:31-46
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

John 5:25-32
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.

John 14:16-21, 24-26
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)