The Law of Consequences
The Law of Consequences
Matthew 7:1-3: “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
· The Pharisees were a group of people who focused on the sins of other people, but not their own. This is the “selfish nature” of the “fallen mind.”
· The sinner always looks at others that he believes are worse than him… and compares himself to try to feel better about his own miserable life.
· The Pharisees looked at the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the drunkards, but never considered their own sin at all. This process is “natural” and comes easily to all of us because it’s part of our nature.
· The world “conspires” to influence us to consider everything but our own ways.
· We are taught to consider houses, cars, travel, or careers. The appeal of material possessions is an appeal to the flesh.
· The Lord is telling us to “consider” our own ways instead of considering other people’s ways. Our minds are constantly considering this or that. It is the nature of the mind.
· Jesus warns us about the how we consider things—we are to look carefully at our own choices, our own words, our own actions, and our own lives before we consider the lives of others. He does not give us the opportunity to compare ourselves to others, but only to compare ourselves to the Word.
Galatians 6:7-8: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
· The Holy Spirit compares our lives to “the farmer.” When a farmer plants seeds and cares for those seeds, they will usually sprout and grow. In the same way, whatever a person “plants” in his own thinking… it will later bear fruit—either good or bad.
· This is the eternal law of consequences. It is a law of cause and effect.
· Everything is the “cause” of something else, therefore everything has consequences. Even the simplest thought or the words that you speak are the consequences of your mind and heart from yesterday.
· Your words will have consequences tomorrow. Those consequences may be mild or they may be severe, but there will be consequences.
· Everything has consequences of double importance. It is important for what it is in itself and what it will be in the future. The Holy Spirit is telling us that God will not be mocked… we are accountable for our actions and choices. We will have to give account for every deed and word.
Matthew 12:35-37: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
· The most important thing about consequences of acts, words, effects, and causes… is how they will impact our destiny. What we are will impact our destiny, now, here on earth and then, in our eternal destiny.
· For instance, the impact of receiving Christ will impact our eternal home, our moral choices, and change us from sinners to saints. What consequence could be greater? When God saves a man, He saves him from sin.
· A man that is not saved from sin is not saved at all.
· There is no act of mercy or grace that can allow an evil man into the presence of God. He did not call those who thought they were righteous, but those who knew they were sinners.
· There is a great debate within theologians about whether once you have been saved if you are always saved. But one thing is for sure: God does not put a pure robe of righteousness over our filth and allow that person to stand before Him.
· He makes us a new creation and cleanses our filth by making us new. There’s got to be evidence of a new life or the consequences will be severe. If we teach anything else we are in error.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20: I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.
· Nothing has more far reaching effects in life than our choosing.
· We are the result of the choices we have made.
· Even the choice we make today will determine our tomorrow. A person’s choices will determine whether he is a wise man or a fool.
· The wise man knows that someday he will be held to account for his choices while in the body; the fool does not. In the Bible, a fool isn’t someone who is mentally stupid; a fool is someone who acts without thinking about consequences.
· A man being “wise” has nothing to do with his education; instead it’s a man who wonders, “What will the result of this be?” Then he acts in a way that he will not have to be ashamed of the choices he makes.
· Heaven will be full of wise men and hell will be full of fools.
· There are “wise men” in heaven that can’t read or write while on earth, and there are “fools in hell” who have college degrees.
· They knew about a lot of things, but they didn’t know about the one thing; Jesus!
2 Corinthians 10:4-6: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
· There are a lot of our thoughts that need to be “taken captive.” The world has had an effect on our minds and influenced our ways of thinking and our believing.
· If our thinking is wrong, then our believing will be wrong, and then our lives will follow the wrong course.
· The challenge is to not allow the worldly ways of thinking and the culture to build strongholds…where we become captives of our own thinking. Therefore we are not helpless victims of our thoughts. We can choose to stop our thoughts and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…the mind of Christ.
· We are going to face battles and blessings along the way. Some only want the blessings, but often we will not experience the blessing until we go through the battles.
· We must constantly make choices that will affect our destiny and our eternity. Often those choices are choosing between right and wrong, or choosing to do nothing. But choices are going to be made.
· We will make mistakes, we will make wrong choices, and I am grateful for the grace of God. But the grace of God is not an opportunity to escape the consequences of our choices…the Bible is clear about that.
· Even the Christian will reap what he or she sows.
· The weapon that we have been given is the sword of the Spirit; which is the Word of God.
· We must be able to discern between the truth and the lies. The lies that come from the world, the enemy, and even our flesh must be brought into obedience of the truth we know of Christ.
· We must shine the light of truth, and walk in the truth; there will be consequences even for walking in the truth, but God sees our hearts…and we must walk with a clear conscience. He is more interested in the process than the results!
· We will not escape consequences, even Christians will be judged. Not in terms of the Great White Throne Judgement, but in terms of what we did with what we were given.
Matthew 25:14-30: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
· The long delay would tempt the servants to think that they would never have to give an account for their actions.
· The master judged each of the servants individually.
· Well done, good and faithful servant: This shows that the master looked for goodness and faithfulness in His servants, not brilliance or education.
· The servant that buried his talent made excuses because he thought the master had such great power that the master didn’t need his help, and whatever he did was insignificant…therefore he didn’t value what the Lord gave him.
· He didn’t work at it. He didn’t even try. He made excuses.
· He produced no evidence that he had received anything from the Lord. If you are saved there must be some evidence in your life. He produced no fruit, he was a withered branch…cast into the fire.
2 Corinthians 5:9-11: Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
· Paul, once again, warns us that we Christians will be judged. We will receive from Him either rewards or loss.
· In light of this truth, it is important whether you are eight or eighty to live our lives from today on… knowing that there is a day coming, that these lives we’ve lived will be closely examined.
· Even our thinking and words will be brought into the light. Nothing will be hidden.
· Therefore shouldn’t we choose, today, life? Not just eternal life but a life that will be rewarded in eternity?
· We may have to set aside some things, we may have to let go of some of our stinking thinking.
· We may have to forgive some stuff. We may have to go all in!