“Goodness and Severity of God”

 

Rom. 11:22   “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”

Flood  - Sodom and Gomorrah  - Tower of Babel

IIPet. 2:6   “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly”

Numbers 15:32-36     Sticks

Lev. 10:1-2      Fire

Deut. 11:26-28 (Read)

ISam. 15    King Saul

IChron. 13      Uzza

ICor. 10:6-12

Heb. 10:31    “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

 

As terrible as God’s severity is so is God’s goodness.

Isaiah 55:8-9   “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

But when they obey God he richly blessed them.

Joshua 21:44-45   God have them rest round about.  All the good things which God spoke to the house of Israel came to pass.

Gideon  - God fought for them   - Hezekiah   -   Josiah   - David

IIChron. 20    Jehoshaphat    (Ammon)

 

Rom. 11:20-22

Today our blessing is different from theirs as is our punishment.  Jesus said, “Send rain on the just and unjust” Both receive physical blessings of God. We don’t fight a physical nation.

Rom. 8:1   “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Heb. 5:9       IJohn 1:9-10    IJohn 2:1-4     

 

Rom. 8:28    Just as with Gideon and Jehoshaphat God fights our battles for us   - giving us victory over our enemy (Satan and sin)

Heb. 4:9 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”  If we are obedient by keeping the faith he will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able.  ICor. 10-13

 

Their worship was important  - sticks  - fire   -   Uzza   -   Josiah

Jesus said, “Worship him in spirit and in truth.”  John 4:23   

Woe unto us spiritually speaking if we leave the worship of God through Christ   Heb. 10:16-31

 

Acts 8:18-24    If we sin  - let us repent and confess  - least we be rejected as they were rejected.  Repent that we might continue in the goodness of God.