Take care the
sanctuary you provide.
Today in the United States of America there has grown an
ever-widening chasm between two political groups. I say political groups
because their different ideologies do have a profound effect in the realm of
politics and the policies battling for superior position in governance of our
society. However, the two distinct groups and their belief systems do exist
outside politics and their ideologies have a profound effect on their own
individual foundational life functions. Their principal beliefs also have a profound
effect on how they interact with others in their respective groups, or each
other’s, if they even do so, at all.
The two groups I am describing are most commonly referred to
as either conservative or liberal. There are a multitude of factors that weigh
in on determining who are who and where they reside. Today, usually, the two
groups are individually identified as being part of a group branded by two
distinct colors, blue for liberal and red for conservative, or left wing and
right wing respectively. Towns, cities, and states that lean more to the
conservative or right spectrum are referred to as red towns, cities and states.
Towns, cities, and states that lean more to the liberal or left leaning
spectrum are referred to as blue towns, cities and states.
As said, there are a myriad of factors that go into
identifying who may be defined as a conservative and who may be defined as a
liberal. These factors can be determined by cultural, ethnic and even regional
local factors. As no respecter of
persons, in the eyes of God, location, ethnicity, and cultural influences
generally matter not. What matters to Him is if our hearts align with His and
our works reflect such an alignment.
Many today believe and promote that Jesus is a tolerant and
liberal friend or teacher. However, scripture reveals that this could not be
further from the truth. Especially when it comes to entering the bride chamber
or crossing through the strait gate to eternal life. Much of the world is
barred entrance because God, Jesus, the Holy Spirt and the Kingdom of Heaven are
immovably intolerant so as not to allow certain beliefs, ideologies and
behaviors practiced by mankind to enter into His kingdom. God prefers us not to
be divided by ethnicity, human culture and locality, but to be united in Him,
sinless and under the banner of one culture, the culture of the kingdom of
heaven.
Some time ago I preached a sermon with the subject matter of
how when sin is involved, there is no safety in numbers. This is true. Everyone
will be held to answer individually for their own sin and works, consider the
following.
16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children,
neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be
put to death for his own sin.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man
that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
Ezekiel 18:20
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not
bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of
the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the
wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death
and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
man according to their works.
In America there is a growing tolerance for sin, evil, and crime. In many places, almost always regions that are considered “blue,” as described above, the citizenry takes steps to protect and defend criminals from apprehension from law enforcement officers. Many of these criminals are either accused of, or even convicted of heinous crimes. Yet, even so, people from all walks of life work to defend and protect them from righteous consequences of their actions. This includes high ranking politicians, law enforcement officers, judges, court officers and laypeople, and so-called clergy, as well. There is nothing new under the sun. We all know the story of the Israelites crying out for the release of the criminal Barabbas while in the same breath demanding the murder of Jesus.
It is written, “Now at that feast he released unto them one
prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay
bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder
in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do
as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I
release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had
delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should
rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto
them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the
Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why,
what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and
delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. (Mark chapter 15)
Recently, Tim Walz, the governor of a blue state, Minnesota,
granted a pardon to a convicted child rapist in an attempt to prevent the sex
offender from being deported. This is but one example of the thousands of
instances where a public official has moved to protect a criminal to win the
hearts of the people in their demographic. Almost always, maneuvers like this
are touted to be a valid scheme perpetrated against the opposition, as if
somehow defending heinous crime and criminals is a noble tactical strike
against their right wing, red, conservative opponents, leading to some sort of
celebratory victory.
I have said this many times before, what many label as
progressive today is actually regression and evidence of a society in decay. An
increasing practice of promoting, and defending what God calls abominations,
lawlessness and sin is not societal progress but severe moral downfall in
action.
We all know the general story of Sodom and Gomorrah. God
could find no righteous people within those cities. They had decayed morally so
drastically that they had to be destroyed for the betterment of mankind. We are
seeing similar declines happen today. Many cities across America are calling
themselves sanctuary cities. Today those states and cities that are providing
sanctuary to criminals want you to believe that they are simply protecting
people who have left their places of origin to escape persecution and poverty.
What they do not want you to know is that in these same cities, towns and
states, they are providing sanctuary to criminals to grow criminality. Working to provide shelter for human beings is
one thing but fighting to promote and increase addictions and making addicts by
supplying free illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia is quite another. So too is
losing criminals into the public by eliminating bail requirements, seeking to close
prisons and jails and ending the practice of law enforcement. The mind set is
diabolical and intentional. It is purely evil and just as evil, is the inaction
of those caused to work to warn of the transgressions, or even tasked to
prevent such from occurring. They are all working to quite literally poison the
body, mind, soul, spirit and environment of their fellow man. They are
fulfilling the functions of the devourer.
Jesus said to His disciples this, “The world cannot hate
you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are
evil. (John 7:7)
The lawless hate order. The unrighteous at heart hate what
God says is good. What we cannot escape is being made in the very image of God.
To reconcile the internal chaos that comes from adopting ungodly ways, the
wicked choose to deny His existence or make up a rendition of Him that suits
and soothes their tormented souls. This is why we see so many different
renditions of Jesus preached today. It is rebellion that keeps a soul in
contempt for God and the Christ child of Nazareth. It is ungodly stubbornness
that keeps the rebellious from seeking deliverance from the bondage that is a
product of rebellion. Instead of seeking deliverance from torment through
righteousness, the rebellious seek to create an environment where wickedness is
so prevalent the sting of their own internal struggles, sorrow, shame and
distance from the love of God is eased by immersion in the atmosphere of the
suffering of others.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Because of his rebellion and despite warnings, king Saul
stubbornly disobeyed Samuel and defied God on more than one occasion. For this
God sent Samuel to let Saul know that God had rejected him. We find this in the
following.
1Samuel 15:22-23
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word
of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Because their brethren protected them and gave them
sanctuary from prosecution, God, demanding justice, nearly destroyed the entire
tribe in this region. This was the tribe of Benjamin who lived in the city of
Gibeah. God sanctioned the other tribes of Israel to come against Benjamin,
their brethren, and nearly destroy them all. The Benjamites nearly went the way
of the Sodomites, Gomorahites, Amalekites, Ammonites, Moabites and others who
defied God and sought to harm the children of Israel.
You will find this story in Judges chapters 19-21. Study
these chapters. As you read ask yourself what iniquity, indecency or
lawlessness you are providing sanctuary for, if any. Later we will discuss further this story and
the revelations that God maybe wanting us to receive from its recordation and
revealing.
Be blessed.
