God is particularly interested in what is going on within the heart of man. Specifically, He seeks for, and desires to find, TRUTH.
No man is to be respected above another person in a form of unrighteous judgment. However, does not infer nondiscrimination in every matter.
According to the apostle Paul, the last days would be marked by an ever greater love for pleasure than a love for the Lord. This lack of love for the Lord might manifest itself in various ways but ultimately results from a heart problem. For instance, an individual might forsake Bible reading or prayer in order to enjoy some form of amusement. He might choose not to take part in his church’s outreach because he is instead consumed with pleasure-seeking. He might forsake the assembling together with the saints of God in a worship service because he is consumed by seeking out worldly entertainment. Though men justify these things, this is an open manifestation that men choose pleasures over the God who sent His Son to die for their sins.
God desires the sacrifices of men because they demonstrate the love men have for Him. Yet, in reality, man’s sacrifices do not fulfil any need that God inherently has. The Lord made this clear to the Old Testament saints when He said, “I am full of the burnt offerings” (Isaiah 1:11). In another place He told them, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12). The New Testament believer offers sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15), and these sacrifices please God, but these sacrifices do not improve God in any way. With or without the sacrifices of men, God continues to be who He is.
Sin can never be flippantly disregarded. If the Lord is just, and He is, He must mete out consequences for rebellion. The biblical descriptions of the Lord’s reaction to rebellion varies from “he will be wroth” (Joshua 22:18) to “then shall the hand of the LORD be against you” (1 Samuel 12:15) to “ye shall be devoured with the sword” (Isaiah 1:20) to “I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee” (Exodus 33:5) to “I will purge out from among you the rebels” (Ezekiel 20:38) to “I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings” (Malachi 2:2). Though there are variations in the response, the constant truth remains that the Lord hates rebellion and responds to the rebellion with judgment.
If ever there was a man in the early church that qualified as a watchman, it would have been the apostle Paul. Paul includes “in watchings often” in his testimony about the trials he endured. He also mentioned that these watchings approved him as a minister of God (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). We know from the biblical accounts that when many believers were unaware of danger, the apostle Paul stood upon the tower and sounded the trumpet of alarm. While others were spiritually sleeping, the apostle Paul was sober and alert to the needs of the church. No doubt Paul endured sleepless nights, fasted, and went without even the necessities of life because he was watching for the church.
In Bible times, cities would often build towers to watch the gates to avoid dangers looming from without (Isaiah 21:8). Watchmen would take turns watching the gate. These watchmen were responsible for sounding a trumpet should any danger appear (Ezekiel 33:6). The apostle Paul in his writings applied a spiritual application to this literal act of being a watchman. Just as cities needed men willingly staying awake and alert while others slept or were busy in their daily routines, churches need believers sober and watchful while others might be cumbered about with the cares of this world. Today’s watchmen must use their voices like a trumpet to sound the alarm when danger nears.
The Bible teaches us that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Following salvation, a man's life should display visible changes as he seeks to put off his former conversation. According to scripture, that former conversation fulfilled “the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:3). By the grace of God, change is possible because every believer has been redeemed from his “vain conversation” (1 Peter 1:18). The apostle Paul is a great example. Before meeting the Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul's conversation or lifestyle involved mercilessly persecuting the church (Galatians 1:13). In his new life with Christ, he immediately began preaching the very faith he once destroyed (Galatians 1:23). When a person truly places his faith for salvation in the finished work of Christ, his conversation will change accordingly.
The children of Israel had an important decision to make: whether to obey the Lord or unwisely refuse to obey Him. The Lord assured His children that their obedience would pay off with fruitful dividends. He promised to bless their obedience and curse their disobedience. The Bible clearly lists the blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Though the blessings of obedience can vary from one person to the next, obedience always yields God's blessing. For instance, Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed in his seed because he obeyed the voice of the Lord (Genesis 22:18). Isaiah told the Israelites that, if they would obey, they would eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Jeremiah told his audience that their obedience would cause it to be well with their soul and that their souls would live (Jeremiah 38:20). Blessings received from obedience may vary, but the blessings of obedience are well worth any temporary fleshly sacrifice.
