NEVER PROVOKE GOD
MEMORISE: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31
READ: 2 Chronicles 36:15 -16
15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:
16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
MESSAGE
The greatest mistake anyone can ever make in life is to provoke the Almighty God. I John 4:8 tells us that God is love. He is not just a loving God, He is love personified, but Hebrews 12:29 also says He is a consuming fire. Every coin has two sides. On one side of God, you have love - love so great that He gave His only begotten son for our sake. On the other side, however, He is a consuming fire. Thus when you hear of people who talk about God as love only, about grace 100% of the time and nothing more, stay away from them. God is kind, merciful, and loving, but don't mess with Him because He is a consuming fire. If He loves you specially and you fool around with Him, He will deal with you. The word of God made it clear in Hebrews 12:6:
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
You would think the Bible would say that whosoever the Father loves, He kisses, but that is not what it says. If you know that what you are doing is wrong and have been corrected severally yet you refuse to yield, then you are very likely provoking Him to anger already. You had better stop doing that thing you know He does not like. Proverbs 29:1 says:
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Nobody can tell me that because God loves you, you can go ahead and do whatever you like. If you can do whatever you like, it is likely that He has forsaken you, because the Bible made it clear in Hebrews 12:8:
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
For those who say, "Pastor Adeboye is legalistic, he is always talking law", l didn't write the Bible. It is stated there clearly in both Old and New Testaments that if you are doing wrong and God is not punishing you for it, then you are a bastard, and bastards will not be admitted into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).
ACTION POINT
Do everything possible to ensure that you never ever provoke God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 15-18
HYMN 19: O WORSHIP THE KING ALL GLORIOUS ABOVE
1 O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
2 O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.
3 Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!
5 O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!
