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6-13-2021 Weekly Message

Meditation of the Week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Exodus 14:26-31

Sermon Title: The nations that forgot God’s judgment as well as  the Jews who forgot God’s grace, and the churches of God

       When God brought forth  ten plagues unto Egypt to save the people of Israel from Egypt through Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh saw the last plague killing all firstborns, and  allowed the Israelites to leave.

      But when Pharaoh saw that the people of Israel  left Egypt, he hardened  heart again, and  pursued the people of Israel with all his horses and chariots, his cavalry, and his armies. He had recently experienced a series of great calamities, but again, hardened his heart, and forgot God’s judgment.

       God did not lead the Israelites by land, but led them toward the Red Sea, so that they had to cross the Red Sea. When they reached the front of the Red Sea, Pharaoh’s armies pursued them, and sooner or later they were all doomed to enter the Red Sea and  millions of them were unto death. They complained against Moses, not understanding  why God had  led them not by land but toward the Red Sea.

        But God, knowing in advance that Pharaoh’s army would pursue them, led them toward the Red Sea. If God had led them by the land, they would all have to be slaughtered by Pharaoh’s army. God had a plan to lead them to the Red Sea to make all things work together for good to kill all the Pharaoh’s forces that pursued them leaving no one behind. On the other hand, the Israelites were saved from the Red Sea without leaving a single person behind. However, all of them did not know God’s plan of salvation for them, so they had no choice but to blame God and Moses.

         After God chose the people of Israel to be his own people, all nations have been doing against  the people of Israel. Taking another example, when Syria and the Arab Allied Forces waged a war against Israel in 1967, God miraculously gave Israel victory, and Israel restored the land east of Jerusalem that was taken away.

        Arab countries still forget that God had judged them in the Six Day War, and even now, countries like Syria and Iran are still openly stating that they will develop nuclear weapons and wipe Israel off from the face of the earth.

        But God, through the prophet Jeremiah, prophesied that Iran (Elam) would attack Israel with nuclear weapons in the future, but God would break their bow (nuclear weapons) and destroy them:

“When the king of Zedekiah of Judah began to reign, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, This is what the Lord of hosts says. Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the head of their power. And to Elam I will I will bring the four winds from the four winds of heaven, and I will scatter them against all the winds, and there will be no nation that the outcasts of Elam will not go, and I will make Elam a surprise before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring upon them calamity, my fiery wrath, saith the Lord, and I will send the sword after them, until I destroy them. I will set up my throne in Elam, and I will destroy its kings and princes from there. saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 4:34-38).

         The Bible says that when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth as King of kings and Lord of Lords in the future, He will judge and avenge all nations that have ignored God’s judgment and did not believe in Him. Apostle John in the Spirit testified of the judgments he had seen:

” And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19: 17-21)

        However, God has given tremendous grace to the Jews and the Church of God over the past thousands of years. Unfortunately, the people of Israel and most of the churches of God forgot the grace given through the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. They have to go through the Great Tribulation to be disciplined by God.

        To the people of Israel who had forgotten God, God said long time ago:

” Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God..”(Psalm 50:22-23)

          Since God miraculously saved the Israelites from the Red Sea, God has been giving them  favor constantly. As they passed through the wilderness, God tore the rock and made rivers to flow out as river for them to drink not only millions of the Israelites but also all their animals. He opened the gates of heaven and sent manna as rain that is the food of angels (Psalm 78:25).. Not only that, he made the east wind blow, which he had blown to divide the Red Sea, and made the birds fall like dust unto their camp, so that they could eat the meat to their fullness. Moreover, in the wilderness he covered them with the pillar of  cloud to protect them from  the fiery sunlight in the day, and covered them with a pillar of fire to light up the darkness in the  night and warm the cold air.

       However, they forgot God’s grace toward them and complained constantly. After wandering for forty years in God’s wrath, among the millions of people who came out of Egypt, all except Joshua and Caleb fell unto death in the wilderness not be able to enter the Promised Land, Canaan.

        At last, God who had led them out of Egypt appeared to them as a man in the name of Jesus, became their king, and tried to establish the Kingdom of heaven for them. But they rejected him and rather crucified him.  Because they still do not believe in Jesus over the past two thousand years, God has used all nations to persecute and kill them, but they still do not believe in their God and are united with the rulers of the world. Therefore, God will give them trials in the furnace during the seven years of tribulation that is the time of Jacob’s trouble. As Job confessed in the midst of suffering, ” But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10). When they repent in the midst of sufferings, he will lead them into the Millennium Kingdom.

           The grace that God has bestowed on the church of God through Jesus Christ, regardless Jews or Gentiles, is an indescribable grace. It is the grace of God, who appeared in the form of Adam, tearing his own body on the cross, shed all the waters and blood, and offered himself as a living sacrifice for the church of God.

         Therefore, everyone who repents and believes and receives the Lord Jesus Christ, belongs to Christ. Therefore, Christians who belong to Christ, like Jesus, must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him until the day they die. Christians who belong to the Church of God living in these last days must crucify their old man with Christ. Apostle Paul testified that those who belong to Christ shall be raptured in the day of Christ. Therefore, even Christians who do not realize this great grace of Christ will have no choice but to enter into the great tribulation together with unbelieving Jews and Gentiles:

” For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

….. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23; Galatians 5:24).

 Apostle Paul left a very important message for Christians in the Church of God living in the last days:

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

5But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

11Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ” (1 Corinthians 10:1-11)

 Amen! Hallelujah!