God Help The U.S.A

By John Stallings


Here’s what an Obama presidency would look like.

First there would be the “Terrible Trio” of Obama, Pelosi & Reid.

Then immediate amnesty would be given to-- from 12 to 20 million illegal aliens.

Next, Universal health care would be provided quickly to all of these, giving an even greater reason for the world to break down our doors to get in.

These grateful people will be registered as Democrats, probably destroying any Republican victories at ballot boxes for decades.

Border security would drop through the cracks & a virtual open border would exist with Mexico of 110 million.

America will become an abortion-mill compliments of the “Freedom of Choice Act.”

Hiring based on race, sex & sexual orientation [Affirmative action] until specified quotas are reached will be strictly enforced in all segments of society.


Wealth will be “spread around” or “Redistributed” like Obama said.

Homosexual marriages will be recognized in all states, forced by Congress or the Courts.

Special consideration will be given to homosexuals. It will be written into all civil rights laws. Gays & lesbians will be invited to come out of the closet so they can be respected & accepted as normal by our society.

More liberal judges will be named to the Supreme Court stacking the deck with people who’ll staunchly protect things most Christians oppose.

Rep. Barney Frank has already called for a 25 percent slash in national defense spending. John Kerry is touting a massive federal spending bill.

Recently Europe raised taxes & cut defense spending, knowing the U.S would stand behind them if there were any problems. We should ask ourselves, -- who’s going to stand with the U.S when we follow suit, raising taxes & slashing defense spending?

Taxes will be raised on the most successful wage-earners who already carry 60% of the tax burden & to implement “spreading the wealth” tens of millions of checks will be sent to the 40% of wage-earners that pay no federal income tax.

Social security taxes will go up on the most successful folk & capital gains taxes will be raised, The Bush tax cuts will disappear & death taxes will be re-imposed.

America’s first trillion-dollar deficit will be seen in the first year of an Obama presidency. It will likely be the first of many.

This is merely a short list of what an Obama-Nation would look like.

When it comes to “Spreading the wealth” Americans have always done that themselves, being the most generous givers the world has ever seen.

American farmers have fed the world for decades. Certainly there is no need for government to take over & mandate something we’ve proven we can & will do out of the goodness of our hearts.

I’m probably preaching to the choir on this but at any rate, let’s all make sure we vote & be sure to pray that the changes listed here will never see the light of day in our nation.


God Help The U.S. A!!!


John

The Devastation Of Rejected Knowledge

By John Stallings


For the last few days I have been meditating on Hosea 4: 1-6 where God has a controversy with His people Israel. Listen;

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.—Hosea 4:6

Israel had played the harlot with the sinful nations around her throwing aside the love of a beneficent God to “play footsie” with her impotent “lovers.” [Hosea 2:4-13]

Having thrown aside God’s laws Israel now lived according to the flesh & bore the fruit of violent selfishness.

If you read the passage you’ll see the problem wasn’t that Israel didn’t know the truth or hadn’t been warned about the error of their ways; No! They had heard the truth, & knew the truth but had blatantly rejected it.

Again; Israel had heard it, knew it- & had rejected God’s truth, wisdom & knowledge.

Ladies & gentlemen I am afraid for us as I write these words. I fear America is doing the same thing Israel did.

What can we say except God have mercy, of a nation that has been so weakened morally that its children are exposed to guns, drugs, even heroin, & rape in public school but aren’t allowed to pray? Unbelievable! A school without prayer is a school without God. A nation without prayer is a nation that denies God.

Just as Israel, when a nation rejects God they reap what they’ve sown. America has rejected God & now what we observe taking place are the results.

How can America justify, 35 years after the Roe V. Wade decision-- that allowed over 40,000,000 Americans to be murdered,-- handing over power to Obama who promises before he takes off his overcoat after his inauguration, [God forbid] he’ll be ushered into a room & sign the Freedom of Choice Act, [let’s don’t give those tiny Americans a chance for the breath of life to enter their lungs] which would eliminate every other law against all aspects of abortion, including partial birth abortion, parental notification etc.

IMHO, if women are so anxious to take control over their bodies let them exercise some restraint before they go to bed.

God’s Word plainly states among the things He hates are….hands that shed innocent blood. Proverbs 6:17.

As you know, all it takes to control America is 5 people--5 out of the 9 who sit on the Supreme Court. And these people are appointed for life. During Bush's tenure he's started to turn this court around by appointing Roberts & Alito. I probably don't need to inform you that both Obama & Biden voted against the confirmation of these men.

We need one more judge to start to turn the court around & to consistently see decisions made that God can honor in America. Obama himself has said that the next president will appoint at least one maybe two more Supreme Court Justices. Two or more older liberal judges are in all probability waiting until after the election to retire & if Obama is elected they will be replaced & with liberal Justices.

THIS ISN’T A “CONCESSION” BLOG

Far from that; I feel that through prayer, after we’ve cast our votes, we can see the right feet in the stirrups & the right people swinging into the saddles a few weeks from now.

But how did we get where we are? How can it be that the greatest spiritual leaders in America are saying the only thing left to do is fall on our faces & beg God to have mercy?

How can it be that we are slip- sliding on a perilous cliff that could within weeks have our beloved nation lurching so far to the liberal left that much that has been accomplished for good in the last several decades could be set to the torch within hours?

We thought the young generation had been given a semblance of spiritual grounding; I think somehow we thought they would just “pick it up” in a few bible classes & a few sermons, but evidently, for the most part they haven’t.

Somehow after being taught God’s word people either haven’t heard it or they’ve outright rejected it. How else can you account for the fact that so many good people aren’t alarmed when they hear about a regime’ poised to take over the halls of power making Washington D.C “filibuster proof,” [meaning you can’t argue with them,] & take it as casually as if a gnat had landed on their sleeve?

HE DARKENED THEIR FOOLISH HEARTS—Romans 1:21-31

We deserve the judgment of God for the wickedness we’ve allowed to grow & be disseminated from these once hallowed shores & for allowing laws to be passed that trumped God’s laws.

But God’s mercy can & will once again take precedent over His hand of Judgment just as He’s done in many elections in the recent past.

But we must pray for this grace & mercy to capture the hearts of our people & a tidal-wave of petitions will rise to touch the throne of God.

Listen to Joel 2:17-18;

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the alter, and let them say, Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them; wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God. Then the Lord will be jealous for His land and pity His people.

Friend, join me & many others in losing a little sleep if necessary so that we can pray this thing through, but let's not lose this election.

If we will call on the name of the Lord non-stop & engage the powers of darkness in this matter-- we will be victorious.

If we don’t, we will see one of the greatest things God ever accomplished on this dusty planet set back so far it would take a generation to recover, if it ever did.

Don't lose hope but rather be a prayer worrior & we'll see God turn this thing around.

God bless you & God bless America,


John

I Weep For My Country

By John Stallings

Although I greatly respect John McCain, he was not my pick from the field of Republicans. However, I’ve evaluated the two men left standing after the primaries & I have no choice but to vote for John McCain.

No man is perfect & there don't seem to be any more Ronald Reagan’s around so our mail-in votes have already been cast for McCain.

Let’s be honest. Barack Obama is youthful, seems bright, articulate, smart, amiable, hip & overall likable. I’d even go so far as to say in those departments he has a leg up on McCain.

I’ve been following politics since the fifties & it looks to me like Obama is one of the most popular candidates since JFK. However when I examine his record his charisma fades away to reveal a man who stands for nearly everything I oppose.

The political figure who perhaps has received the most ridicule in the past twenty years is Dan Quayle, largely due to a misspelled word on a flashcard he read during an appearance at a school.

I wonder how much more grief would have been heaped on Vice President Quayle if he’d made any of the following mistakes committed by Barack Obama;

Last May he claimed that Kansas tornadoes killed a whopping 10,000 people: “In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died---an entire town destroyed.” The actual death toll was 12.

Once he redrew the map of the United States: “Over the last 15 months we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States, I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go.”

# I oppose an Obama presidency because it would mean Michelle Obama would be First lady.

During the primaries she said: “For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country.”
Come again? Presumably she’s proud of America for the first time because of the popularity of her husband & the very real possibility of his becoming president.

Let’s see. Michelle Obama was never proud when she read of the Founding Fathers who heroically founded this nation & the wonderful rights & liberties they enshrined in our Declaration of Independence & Bill of Rights.

Obviously she never felt a moment of pride when she became aware for the first time in history it was this country that put the first human footsteps on the surface of the moon. Wasn’t she proud when she read that they took a car with them & drove it around on the lunar surface?

Obviously Michelle never felt a sense of pride in America for the thousands of scientific, technological & medical advances that our people created that she & her children benefit from everyday.

“Say it ain’t so.” The list of things Michelle Obama could have felt pride in as an American is endless as far as I’m concerned but evidently she never once felt that pride until Barack found fame & fortune in America.

Michelle, Michelle, I will pray everyday for you that your eyes will be opened but lady you aren’t leadership material at least not right now.

# I oppose an Obama presidency because of abortion/life issues.

All humans are made in God’s image starting from conception. God forbids murder & therefore the killing of the unborn is immoral & sinful especially so because they are utterly helpless. They are among “the least of these” that Jesus told us to care for.

On abortion Obama is stridently pro-choice. He earned a zero rating by the National Right to Life Committee. [NRLC] Forgive me for pointing out the obvious but that’s as low as you can score.

In 2007 Obama voted against the banning of partial birth abortion. Partial-birth abortion isn’t just any abortion. It involves partially removing the baby from the womb & killing it.

By Obama’s own admission, he’s such an ignoramus he doesn’t know when life begins. He says that’s above his pay grade.
Let’s look at Obama’s actual answer when Rick Warren asked— “At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?”

“Well, uh, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or, uh, a scientific perspective, uh, answering that question with specificity, uh, you know, is, is, uh, above my pay grade.”

This obvious attempt to be as ambiguous as possible so that he doesn’t offend those who disagree with him is ridiculous for someone running for President.

Biology tells us that that life begins at conception once a complete genetic code comes into being. What else could it be? This isn’t difficult.

Even if we’re not sure when life begins that doesn’t justify abortion on demand & we should err on the side of caution, especially since we’ve already murdered 40,000,000 Americans in the womb.

At Saddleback Community Church John McCain said that the fetus has human rights from the beginning. He’s polar opposite of Obama & so is Sarah Palin.

Obama would appoint several Supreme Court justices & you can bet they’d be pro-choice with a vengeance, wiping out the chance that Roe v. Wade would be reversed.

Another thing, Obama would fund abortions through tax payer’s money, chapter & verse from the Democratic Platform.

Moreover, Obama opposed a “born-alive” statute in Illinois that would allow hospitals to save aborted babies that survived their own execution.

# Obama also believes in embryonic stem cell research, which often results in the destruction of human embryos, & is a form of abortion on a premature scale.

Not that this research is intrinsically bad in & of itself but there are sources of stem cells besides human embryos. I believe we should avoid using human embryos for stem-cell research. IMHO America would do well not to “tug-on-Superman’s Cape” anymore than she already has when it comes to tinkering around with God’s precious gift of life.

# I oppose an Obama presidency because of his stand on Gay Rights & marriage.

Again here’s an area where Obama is quite liberal & I believe wrong. He has stated that homosexuality is not a choice & is no more immoral than heterosexuality. While he opposes gay marriage he believes it’s a matter that should be left up to the states. As a Christian I personally cannot in good conscience vote for someone who supports these things.

# I oppose an Obama presidency because of his positions on gun control.

As a supporter of the Second Amendment, I find cold comfort in Obama’s attitude toward guns. Maybe I’m just an old-fashioned southerner with a dash of red-neck thrown in but I happen to believe guns don’t kill, - people kill & if we disarm the citizenry only the crooks will have guns.—I’m with Heston; “From my cold dead hands.”

# Privatization of Social Security

As regards Social Security, I think people should have the option to do their own thing with at least a segment of their S.S money at their own discretion. Obama opposes that.

The 19 terrorists who knocked the Trade Center down had 38 drivers’ licenses between them. That’s thirty-eight! They were bogus but they could never have done what they did without them. But why pave the way for other terrorists by just giving drivers licenses to all illegal immigrants? Obama supported giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

Obama believes in a bill that would give a form of amnesty to illegal immigrants. That would include platinum health-care for about 14 million illegal immigrants. How much more money is China going to let us borrow?

Terrorism

Obama has no military experience. Like most political liberals he views terrorism as a criminal justice question, not one of military concern. He was opposed to funding for the Iraq war & would likely lose that war if elected, turning Iraq into a bloodbath & a likely terrorist stronghold with Iranians swooping in like vultures. They’re already supporting terrorism around the world.

I also feel strongly that the question of Iran developing an atomic weapon will likely be decided in the upcoming election.

John McCain is a military man & has served in the Senate for over twenty years with all the experience that comes with it. He supported the troop surge [consequently we’ve practically decimated Al Quida] when it was unpopular & realizes we can’t pull out of Iraq until the job is done.

I also like McCain’s stand on not wanting to socialize health-care & create a huge bureaucracy.

I’m a pro-life, pro-family, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-growth, small government, law abiding conservative American Christian & I find Barack Obama to be the political epitome & antithesis of everything I oppose.

According to the following statement from an Obama speech last summer, it appears pretty much everyone who isn’t Obama is a lesser being.

“…..I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back & tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick & good jobs for the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow & our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war & secured our nation & restored our image at last, best hope on earth.

This was the moment….this was the time…when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves & our highest ideals.”

If Obama is able to slow the rise of the oceans then ending poverty & securing peace should be a cakewalk.

I’m just guessing now but I suppose Obama would only be able to accomplish such feats if he’s elected President.

It’s not about the tint of his skin. It’s not about his race. It’s not about his ethnicity it’s not about his charisma, gravitas, his personality or whatever you call it. I don’t work that way. It’s about his policies & I disagree with Obama on policy.

Because of the policies I’ve mentioned here, & others of his values that would take too long to enumerate, I oppose Barack Obama as President of the United States.



GOD BLESS THE U.S.A

Blessings,

John

Does God Forgive All Sin? Not Quite.

By John Stallings

…All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto man-- but…….Matt.12:31

Recently a mother placed her small baby in a microwave oven & killed It. “That’s unforgivable,” we might say, but God would say, “No. If she’ll humble herself & ask for pardon, I’ll forgive freely.”

A mother in South Carolina placed her three children in a car & rolled the car into a lake drowning them all. Some might say, “That’s unthinkable. Anyone who’d do that deserves no mercy.” But God would say, “My grace is sufficient for that woman. If she’ll repent, I’ll forgive her.”

A doctor in England a few years ago threw acid in the eyes of his wife because she cheated on him. He slashed her face with a knife telling her, “No man will ever look at you again.” We might think that sin beyond mercy but God would find it totally forgivable.

Though O.J Simpson was found innocent, many people still believe he practically decapitated his wife & another man. We might look at that sin & have no feelings of sympathy for O.J, but God would forgive him if he’d killed a dozen people; if he confessed & asked forgiveness.

There are people who’ll kidnap a pregnant woman, slash open her belly & steal her baby leaving her to die. There are also people who will drug their victim, place them in a bathtub filled with ice & when the person wakes up they find the tub filled with bloody water & realize one of their kidneys was stolen.

God sees all these sins as horrible & certainly expects individuals to pay for their crimes according to the laws of man. However, in the spiritual sense –All manner of sin & blasphemy shall be forgiven unto man…..But we should never presume on God’s grace because as we’ll see His grace isn’t inexhaustible.

SINS THAT HAVE NO FORGIVENESS

There are sins with no pardon. There is much confusion about this subject so with the help of the Holy Spirit I’m going to try to “punch in some daylight.” I approach the subject in all seriousness & humility. You may not agree with me, that’s certainly your privilege but you’ll have a hard time proving me wrong.

God’s grace has limits. We don’t often hear about that nor do we really like to think about it.

TAKING THE MARK OF THE BEAST DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION IS UNFORGIVABLE.
Revelation 13:16-18 notes, He also forced everyone small & great rich & poor free & slave to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead so that no-one could buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
Revelation 14:9-11 says,--If anyone worships the beast & his image & receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand he too will drink of the wine of God’s fury which will be poured full strength into the cup of His wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels & of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever & ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast & his image or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.
Revival will flourish during The Great Tribulation & many will be saved, but they will have to seal their testimony with their blood. People will be told to worship the beast & if they don’t comply they’ll be beheaded. As the verses above tell us, there’s no forgiveness for anyone who takes the mark of the beast.

Exodus 20:3-5 tells us,--You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to worship them…..
People won’t be able to buy or sell during the tribulation without the mark of the beast - 666. There’s no good news to talk about during this time because without the mark there will be no food, no shelter, no medical care etc. Worse, if the mark is taken, the individual will face the eternal judgment of an angry God.

Salvation will still be available but only through martyrdom.

NO FORGIVENESS FOR UNBELIEF

In a Christian’s life there are times when our faith grows weak. James tells us that if we have wavering faith—“Let not that man think he shall receive anything from God.-James 1:7

A Christian who has saving faith, from time to time can experience wavering faith. This isn’t good but it does happen.

But when it comes to salvation, -- to believe on The Lord Jesus Christ is the only basis for salvation. Christ didn’t die for the sin of unbelief nor is it covered in the atonement.

Listen to 1 John 5:10—He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God- hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not in the record that God gave of His Son.
John 3:36 says……he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Roman 10:9 says……if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Listen to Jesus in John 16:8-9….And when He has come He will reprove the world of sin & righteousness & of judgment.

Of sin, because they believe not on me……
Here we have the words of Jesus saying unbelief is sin.

Hebrews 2: 12 says---Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.
God won’t override unbelief & save an individual on “credit.” Unbelief must be flipped & turned to belief in order for a person to be saved. “Little faith” would still be enough to allow the person to call on the name of the Lord, but unbelief would never do it, so there is no path to salvation for the person who through unbelief refuses to make that call.—Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
There is no provision made for one who doesn’t call on the Lord during their lifetime, & death, without receiving Christ is irrevocable doom.

NO FORGIVENESS FOR BLASPHEMING THE HOLY SPIRIT

Matthew 12:31 says--…every sin & blasphemy will be forgiven man but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

In Matthew 12:22-24 the Scribes & Pharisees were attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

Then they brought Him a demon possessed man who was blind & mute & Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk & see. All the people were astonished & said, could this be the Son of David? But when the Pharisees heard this they said, it is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons that this fellow drives out demons.

The Pharisees attributed the works of Jesus to the devil himself. The sin was committed in full view of a demonstration of God’s power. Luke 4:18 says that Jesus went forth in the power of the Holy Spirit. Consequently the rejection of Jesus by the scribes & Pharisees constituted a rejection of the Holy Spirit’s witness of Jesus as the Messiah.

It was for this reason that Jesus said,--all sin & blasphemy shall be forgiven but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven men…whosoever speaks against the Holy Spirit it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
If the question of blaspheming the Holy Spirit has ever troubled you, here’s a little test;

# Do you know when you do wrong?
# Do you feel conviction after committing a sin?
# Do you feel sorry over such an offense?
# Do you feel the Spirit drawing you to repentance?
# Do you have a desire to worship & serve the lord?
# Do you ever consider God?
Christians can sin, but they have a hard time doing it. If God has closed the books on a person & written them off, they would be hardhearted; they’d have turned against Jesus, reviled Him & become so depraved that they could gladly consign the works of Christ to Satan.

This sin cannot be committed accidentally & it’s unlikely a person who does it would feel bad about doing it. It really boils down to this; it’s not what God does or is going to do to a person, it’s what the person does to their self. They would much rather continue to slander God & His name than to repent. In so doing they have shut off the only way to grace—Jesus Christ & His Holy Spirit. In shutting Him off, they shut off His conviction, drawing power, and His work of nudging them to repentance.

THE SIN OF APOSTASY IS NOT FORGIVEN
Following is what I believe to be one of the clearest descriptions found in the New Testament of what it means to be a Christian, --but ironically it’s wrapped in a serious warning. Hebrews 6:4-6 says;

It is impossible for-- those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, Who have tasted the goodness of the word of God & the powers of the coming age,-- if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again & subjecting Him to public disgrace.
In that passage there are five distinct expressions which elsewhere in the Bible are used to describe TRUE BELIEVERS…..The person has;

# “Been enlightened”—[This indicates they have received the truth of God’s Word in their lives.]
# “Tasted the heavenly gift” [often a reference to receiving the free gift of eternal life.]
# have shared in the Holy Spirit—[who except Christians shares in the Holy Spirit?]
# have tasted the goodness of the word of God
# & the powers of the coming age-- [Sinners aren’t spoken of here. These are blessings associated with salvation, & the resurrection.]The writer bends over backward to show that the folk he’s referring to are born-again Christians. And yet these people fall away & lose out with God to such an extent that --it is impossible for them to be brought back to repentance. That puts some “pepper in the gumbo” does it not? This is a very troubling passage.

Most of us know of individuals who for one reason or another have left the faith. They may not have actually denied the faith, but are certainly not practicing the faith.

Is this another incidence of a situation where people cannot be returned to repentance? Can a person have shared the Holy Spirit & then be lost? Are these good folk really lost? Is this really a description of a former saved person? Why can’t they find Christ once again? Why are they hopelessly lost eternally?

ANSWER; -- THESE PEOPLE COMMIT A SIN KNOWN AS APOSTASY—THEY ARE THEREFORE APOSTATES!

We know this is true because-They are crucifying the Son of God all over again & subjecting him to public disgrace.

They once confessed that Jesus was Lord & Messiah & that the crucifixion was unjust. Now in rejecting the faith their actions testify that the crucifixion was correct after all-Jesus was a blasphemer & not Messiah. If they had been there two thousand years ago they too would have cried, -Crucify Him, crucify Him. Such a witness exposes Jesus to public disgrace.

One of the sins of the end time is the sin of apostasy; people rejecting the true faith of Jesus Christ & embracing error.

1 Timothy 4:1 says, But the spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will fall away from the faith… A person can’t fall away from the faith or depart from it if they were never in it.

70% to 80% of those who are in cults today were at one time a part of classical Christianity. Nonetheless they fell into grave error & ultimately rejected the faith that they once held dear.

DELIBERATE SIN IS UNFORGIVABLE

Hebrews 10:26-30 [Living Bible]—If anyone sins deliberately by rejecting the Savior after knowing the truth of forgiveness, this is not covered by Christ’s death; there is no way to get rid of it. There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible punishment of God’s awful anger, which will consume all His enemies. A man who refuses to obey the laws given by Moses was killed without mercy if there were two or three witnesses to his sin. Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God & treated His cleansing blood as though it were common & unhallowed & insulted & outraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to His people. For we know Him who said,--Justice belongs to me; I will repay them; who also said,--the lord Himself will handle these cases.
Verse 26 now from the NIV, --If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left…If we’re completely honest we will all have to admit that none of us is perfect & have committed sin. It may not be a frequent or flagrant sin, but none of us has lived a perfect life, or Jesus wouldn’t have had to die on the cross.

We all do things, maybe we didn’t set out to do them, but we end up in some deed or activity we know is wrong yet we go against our conscience & do it anyway. We get angry, blow our cool, lie to get out of a jam, we speed, this kind of stuff. Now which kind of sin is the verse above talking about? Is it the accidental & unknowing sins or the other kind, the deliberate sins?

I believe the passage speaks of deliberate sin; sin people choose-- sin that is willful & premeditated, --sin that the individual knows is sin in the eyes of God when they commit it. It is a state of willful, known sin that a person embraces with no thought of giving it up. This is the sin spoken of in Hebrews 6:4-6 where apostates –trample underfoot the Son of God. They have also treated the blood covenant as something common &--insulted the spirit of grace.

These folk had known Christ as their personal savior & had-received the knowledge of the truth. For such people there is no forgiveness, no remaining sacrifice for sin. What remains is the judgment of God.

DOES THE NAME SAM KINISON RING A BELL?
Sam serves as a vivid illustration of an apostate. Sam was born in 1953 in Yakima Washington & became one of the loudest & rudest comedians of the 20th century. Sam grew up in Peoria, Illinois & he & his brothers followed in their father’s footsteps by touring the Bible Belt as evangelists.

Sam became one of the great stand-up comedians of the 1980’s & later his life became the classic image of drugs, sex & rock-n-roll. Hard-partying & hard-drinking became a major part of his act.

Here are a few “Kinisonisms” as they are called.

# I used to be a preacher & people think I changed overnight. I didn’t. It wasn’t like I woke up one morning & said, “Hey, forget the Bible, where’s the party?” It was a little more gradual than that. It took a lot of women to disillusion me.”

# People are going, -- hey aren’t you afraid to tell jokes like that? Don’t you get a small chill that runs through your blood when you tell a joke like that? Aren’t you afraid of going to hell? No, I’m not worried about hell. Because I WAS MARRIED FOR TWO YEARS! HELL WOULD BE LIKE CLUB MED!”

# I’ve lived a carnal life. My view of life is “If you’re going to miss heaven, why miss it by two inches? Miss it! I don’t have to go through the thing of paying for it in the next world. I know I’m—in the next life.”

On April 10th, 1992, on the way to a sold-out gig in Laughlin, Nevada, Sam’s Pontiac Trans-Am was struck head-on by a pick-up truck driven by a 17-year old driver. Sam who wasn’t wearing a seat belt died on the scene. A 27 year old female riding with him was knocked unconscious but suffered only minor injuries.

I’ve heard through several sources that Sam, while he was lying on the side of the road dying, was having a conversation with someone not visible to anyone but him. He was resisting death & making it clear to whoever he spoke to that he just couldn’t go. But finally he gave up & said, “Oh, well, yes I guess I’ll just have to go.”

There’s a photo going around of Sam & a group of women making mockery of the Lord’s Last Supper. I’ve heard it also hangs on the wall of a bar/restaurant owned by Sam’s brother Bill. Bill used to preach with Sam & is committed to keeping his memory alive.

I’ve read that Sam’s gravestone reads; - “In another time & place he would have been called a prophet.”
Could a person like Sam find Christ? Theoretically yes, if he would truly turn to the Lord. But Sam was an apostate & he wouldn’t turn to the Lord. He had;

# “been enlightened”
# tasted the heavenly gift”
# “had shared in the Holy Spirit”
# “Tasted the goodness of the word of God”
# “& the powers of the coming age.”
Sadly, none of that was good enough for Sam. He wanted more. He wanted booze, women, & song. He wanted fame & fortune. He wanted to worship another God besides the One True God—he wanted to worship the god of self.

Years ago a pastor friend told me the story of a small church that was praying for a young unsaved man in his mid-twenties. He had a wife & three children. The man worked with a group of other men on a construction job.

Revival came to the church & one night the young construction worker committed his life to the Lord.

Word of the man’s conversion reached the other men where he worked & the next day they mocked & made fun of him. At mid-morning they came around & said, “Hey, “preacher,” we heard you got religion last night.” At two o’clock they came around again to chide him saying, “Preacher,” we heard you got religion last night- Are you a holy-roller now?” At four o’clock there was more mockery of the young man, with his fellow workers putting all the pressure on him they could.

As the work day was ending the newly saved young man asked a friend for a piece of chewing tobacco. Then, in plain hearing of his buddies, this young man spit out tobacco & loudly said,--“There’s no more to God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit than there is to that tobacco I spit on the ground.”

The workers saw they’d really gotten to the young guy & they all laughed & left the construction site to go home. The young man got in his truck & drove around for a while, finally pulling up in front of his house.

He got his double-barrel shotgun off the rack of his truck, got some shells, walked into his home & shot dead his wife & three children & then killed himself.

Few people really knew the back story of this terrible tragedy. My minister friend said, “John, when he spat on the ground & uttered those words of blasphemy, he opened the door to a demonic invasion into his life & it was tragically fatal for him & his precious family.”

Listen to 2 Peter 2:20-21 regarding the terrible fate that awaits unfaithful, backsliding Christians;

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ & are AGAIN ENTANGLED IN IT & overcome, they are WORSE OFF AT THE END than they were at the beginning.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR THEM NOT TO HAVE KNOWN THE WAY of righteousness, than to have known it & then turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Pretty well spells it out, doesn’t it?


Blessings,

John