God’s Consistency to Punishment and Reward

Heb 8:8-10 "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.”

Did you ever have the problem of getting things from your mind into your heart?

I did/I do – Mom gave me cottage cheese! She said it was good for me. I thought it tasted like chalk. Did you ever hear your mother say, “Eat your spinach, it’s good for you?” I always believed it was good for me in my head but my heard did not agree. How do you get God's laws from your head to your heart?

A man once drove his car past a school and as he approached the school zone he remembered the reduced speed limit, when he saw the officer directing traffic. He slowed down because he didn’t want to pay a fine! Later, this same man nearly hit a child. By a hair’s breath he was able to stop and save the child’s life. Now, when he passes a school an officer is no longer needed. He feels inside the reason for driving slowly. The law is now written on his heart.

I have problems with many things reaching my heart.

Rom 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  I know this in my head. I believe it with all of my being yet sometimes my heart says, "No they don't. This problem will be really bad for you."

John 16:24 “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” My head knows this is true but I confess, my heart often doubts.

God’s consistency to punish and reward; I also have a difficulty getting this down into my heart.

2 Peter 3:3-4, 9 “You must understand that…scoffers will come…They will say, ‘Where is this 'coming' he promised?’” [The scoffer is my own heart] “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

GOD IS CONSISTENT IN HIS PUNISHMENT:

Joe let me borrow his airplane. That’s good. Not too good because it caught on fire. That's bad. Not too bad because I had a parachute. That's good. Not too good because the parachute didn't open. That's bad. Not too bad because there was a hay stack. That's good. Not too good because there was a pitch fork in the middle of the hay stack. That's bad. Not too bad because I missed the hay stack. That's good. Not too good because I missed the hay stack too.

Book of Judges/Sin’s cycle: Up and down

God was consistent with the people in the days of the Judges

Note: The symbol ¯ represents the people are moving away from God. The symbol È represents the people are at the bottom, they are suffering and filled with sadness. The symbol ­ represents the people turning back to God. The symbol Ç  represents peace, prosperity, being well blessed by God at the top.

n    Judg 2:11 “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” ¯

n    Judg 2:14 “In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders.” È

n    Judg 2:16 “Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.” Ç

n    Judg 2:19 “But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers.” ¯

n    Judg 2:20 “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel.” È

n    Judg 3:9 “But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer.” ­

n    Judg 3:11-12 “So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. Ç Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, ¯ and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.” È

n    Judg 3:15 “Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer-Ehud,” ­

n    Judg 3:30 “That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.” Ç

n    Judg 4:1 - “After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” ¯

n    Judg 4:2, 3  “So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.” È

n    Judg 4:3b “...they cried to the LORD for help.” ­

n    Judg 4:24 “...and the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him.” Ç

n    Judg 6:1 “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, ¯ and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.” È

n    Judg 6:6 “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.” È

n    Judg 6:7-8 “When the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian, ­ he sent them a prophet.” Ç

n    Judg 10:7 “He became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines.” È

n    Judg 10:15, 16 “But the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD.” ­

n    Judg 10:16b  “And he could bear Israel's misery no longer.” Ç

n    Judg 13:1 – “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, ¯ so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.” È

Fifteen times or more in the book of Judges we see that God is consistent in punishing wickedness and rewarding righteousness. The same thing can be illustrated all the way from Adam to Maps and from the close of our Bible to the present day. God is consistent.

GOD IS CONSISTENT IN HIS PUNISHMENT! We’ve got to get this message into the hearts of our neighbors and friends. There will be a pay day some day. It is coming as assuredly as the sun will raise tomorrow. This is this basis on which we must evaluate all our future actions.

A world-class woman runner was invited to compete in a road race in Connecticut. On the morning of the race, she drove from New York City, following the directions -- or so she thought -- given to her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The station attendant also knew of such a race was scheduled just up the road and directed her to it.

When she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot a modest number of runners preparing to compete. Not as many as she'd anticipated; an easier race than she'd been led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk, announced herself, and was surprised by the race officials' excitement at having so renowned an athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record of her entry, but if she'd hurry and put on this number, she could just make it before the gun goes off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four minutes ahead of the first male runner in second place.

Only after the race--when there was no envelope containing her sizable prize and performance money-- did she confirm that the event she'd run was not the race to which she'd been invited. That race was being held several miles farther up the road in another town.

She had practiced for years. She disciplined herself to a life of gruesome activity. She ate the right foods, exercised in the proper manor. She had gone to the wrong starting line, run the wrong course, and missed her chance to win a valuable prize. (D. Bruce Lockerbie, Thinking and Acting Like A Christian, p. 52.)

Many of our dear friends are working so hard for the prize. They think they are doing all the things necessary to win but they are going to miss out on everything if you and I don't show them they are on the wrong track.

GOD IS CONSISTENT IN HIS REWARDS:

A dear friend of ours, Preston Kephart, by name, was a real Barnabas to the churches in central Pennsylvania. He was as faithful as anyone could be. He taught the children Bible stories, He transported them to Gospel meetings all across Pennsylvania and preached God's message for years. Of all the Saints that I know, he deserves one of the greatest rewards yet his last days on earth were filled with mental confusion, he was placed in a nursing home, and when he died almost no one came to his funeral.

Henry Morrison, after serving for 40 years on the African mission field, headed home by ship. On the same ship also rode Theodore Roosevelt. Morrison was quite dejected when, on entering New York harbor, President Roosevelt received a great fanfare as he arrived home. Morrison thought he should get some recognition for forty years in the Lord’s service. Then a small voice came to Morrison and said, “Henry—you’re not home yet!” (1500 Illustrations pg 306.)

You don't get the big reward till you get home but your efforts will be rewarded.

Luke 6:23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

When Niles gets to heaven there’s going to be a great tickertape parade in his honor.

When Herb walks through the pearly gates the fireworks are going to light up the sky.

When Dwain gets home there’s going to be dancing on those golden streets.

When Gerald arrives the angles will shout for joy.

When Mike gets there, a pillar in the temple of God will be unveiled to show that Mike’s name is ingraven there.

When Ed walks in he will hear Jesus say, “Father, this is my beloved brother in whom I’m well pleased.”

And all our sweet sisters will hear God’s own voice saying, “Well done. Well done. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

How do I know there will be a celebration in heaven when you arrive? The angles rejoice when one sinner repents. Now, if heaven rejoices when we start the race, just imagine how they will celebrate when we cross the finish line. The prodigal’s father through a party, didn't he? Yes there will be a great reward for you.

God is consistent in His punishment and His reward.

If America does not repent, a terrible calamity will come upon our nation. The dark clouds are forming fast. We must get to work! We must stand up for the things God has taught.

If we stand firm we will have a reward that it literally out of this world, -- greater than we could ever imagine.

God's consistency to punish and reward is like a cycle. There are only three ways to break the cycle. 1. Repent as we're going down. This is the story of Nineveh. They were heading for disaster but because of their repentance they went directly from falling away from God to God's blessing. 2. Live at the bottom of the barrel, in suffering and punishment through out eternity. This is not much of an option. 3. Live faithful unto death and you will receive a crown of life. When you cross the finish line you break the cycle and from then on you will live in blessings, rewards, and celebrations.

God is consistent. Where will you be in eternity?

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