Love the Truth or delight in Wickedness. 2 Thess 2:12
Intro: Last week I spoke on the question “Who Will Be In Hell?”
It will be those who do not love the truth / obey the Gospel / know God.
Remember
1. Any amount of sin will send us to Hell, but…
2. Any amount of God’s forgiveness sends us to Heaven
That’s what James means when he says “mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13
People complain that God is watching them to see if they put a foot wrong…what a joke! We already did that! He is waiting to see if we will let Him walk with us!!! Sin is a done deal for everyone but the jury is still out on forgiveness, and we are the jury!! Acts 13:46 Men spend their time trying to wriggle out of conviction instead of resting on God’s mercy.
We live in a world where most people are busy trying to make evil look like it is OK.
According to 2 Thess 2:12 these people delight in wickedness
This is hard to grasp in our permissive society where “I’m all right / you’re all right” is the rule
girl on internet discussion group…“I think 99% of people will go to Heaven
You would have to murder like 39 people and drink their blood or something like that”…
100 years ago the prevailing view would be very different
What about God’s Word
Cf. MK 16:16; Jn 3:36; Hos 7:3;
Ps 52:3; Judas; John 3:19,20; Rom 1:32; 2 Pet 2:15
Judgment must be based on God’s righteousness not ours. Those of us who are righteous are not so because of our faultless performance. How could we be described as “righteous”? How can others be described as “wicked” because of their level of wicked activity?
If we could see ourselves as God sees us we would be amazed
Spotless, radiant, etc.
Because we are in Christ
It is quite simply the opposite for those who do not obey the Word of God. If we could see them they way God sees them we would be horrified.
Or because they reject the truth of God righteousness working in Christ.
Luke 7:29, 30 baptism justifies God as much as it does me.
James 2:10 Break break one, break ‘em all.