The Bible says in Deuteronomy 1:34-38, And the LORD
heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,[35] Surely there shall not one of these
men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware
to give unto your fathers,[36] Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall
see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his
children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.[37] Also the LORD
was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.[38]
But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before
thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to
inherit it. What happens when a Christian
sins? Does he or she still go to heaven? Yes, we still go to heaven because
salvation is by grace through faith: not of works. Once a person puts their
trust in Jesus, they have eternal life. Once they have the new birth through believing
in Jesus, from that moment they have life that never ends. Does that mean that
they can sin and get away with it? Certainly not: for one thing there are
consequences to sin that can be a very bitter pill to swallow. The children of
Israel lost something that is very valuable. They lost opportunity. Jesus is
the One who opens a door that no man can shut, and closes a door that no man
can open. Only Caleb and Joshua were allowed the privilege of entering into that opportunity of service to God in the new
land. Everyone else was blocked. God would not give them that privilege. What a
price to pay for not believing what the Lord said.
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 1:39-40, Moreover your
little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that
day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto
them will I give it, and they shall possess it.[40] But as for you, turn
you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. The children were
not forbidden to enter the promised land. Forty years later when they were
grown, they went in with Caleb and Joshua. God makes it very clear why the
children were not punished. God said about them in verse 39, your children, which in that day had no knowledge
between good and evil, they shall go in thither. God does not hold children accountable for their actions
or their decisions because children do not yet know the difference between good
and evil. That is why we believe that when a child dies, he or she goes to
heaven. That is one thing at least that should comfort parents who lose a
child. Jesus also indicated that children are with Him in heaven. Jesus spoke
about children in Matthew 19:14, But Jesus
said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such
is the kingdom of heaven.
The children were not punished because
they did not yet know the difference between good and evil. This means that
there comes a time when people do know the difference between good and evil,
and once they reach that age, they will be held accountable. You know the
difference between good and evil. Which do you want? Which do you choose? Do
you want good or evil? Do you love good or evil? The answer to this question
will determine your eternal destiny because everyone who loves what is good
will come to Christ and believe on Him. That is exactly what it says in John
chapter 3. It says in John 3:19-21, And this is the condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved.[21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the
light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 1:41-46, Then ye
answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the
LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded
us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go
up into the hill.[42] And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not
up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your
enemies.[43] So I spake unto you; and ye would
not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went
presumptuously up into the hill.[44] And the Amorites, which dwelt in
that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed
you in Seir, even unto Hormah.[45] And ye returned and wept before the
LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.[46]
So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there. It is very important that you go where God leads you and
at the time that He leads. He is God, and we are only His humble servants. God
said, Go not up. Just because God wanted you to do something a year ago does
not mean that He wants you to do it today. Whatever you do, go the way that the
Lord directs. If He says, Go, then go. If He says, Stop, then stop. His
leading, His will, His direction is what is important: Nothing else.
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 2:1-5, Then we
turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as
the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir
many days.[2] And the LORD spake unto me,
saying,[3] Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you
northward.[4] And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass
through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir;
and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:[5]
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as
a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. In
some ways the Christian life is similar to the life that the Israelites had as
they traveled through the wilderness to the Promised Land. We are travelling to
heaven. Our wilderness is our life on this earth. There are dangers in the
wilderness and we might think that one of the dangers has to do with the people
who oppose us or even hate us. But never forget that God said to the children
of Israel, they shall be afraid of you. When you have Jesus as your Savior, you have the power of
God and the promises of God. That is one of the many advantages of being a
Christian. As you grow in faith in Christ, your confidence and strength of
character will grow. The unbelievers do not have this confidence. They are the
ones who will fear. That is one of the reasons that they get angry: to try and
hide their fear. All you have to do is walk in fellowship with Jesus, do what
is right, and tell the truth. They will run away in fear.
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 2:6-7, Ye shall buy
meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them
for money, that ye may drink.[7] For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee
in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking
through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been
with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. Notice the last
phrase of verse 7, thou hast lacked
nothing. The Lord promises to supply the
needs of believers. He has always promised to do that. It says in Psalms 23:1,
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Jesus taught that the same thing would happen for
Christians. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-33, Therefore
take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What
shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?[32] (For after all
these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.[33]
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you. This is not a
minor point since as Jesus said people worry a lot about their future and all
the what-if scenarios they can think of. It is a great benefit for Christians
to know that they have the Lords promises backing them up. Of course, such
promises from God do not nullify a believers responsibility to be practical
and do their part. It says in Proverbs 6:6-11, Go
to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:[7] Which
having no guide, overseer, or ruler,[8] Provideth
her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the
harvest.[9] How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise
out of thy sleep?[10] Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding of the hands to sleep:[11] So shall thy poverty come as one that
travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 2:8-12,
And
when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir,
through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber,
we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.[9] And the
LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in
battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have
given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.[10]
The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people
great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;[11]
Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but
the Moabites call them Emims.[12] The Horims
also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of
Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt
in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD
gave unto them. One message stands out very clear from this passage: the
Lord decides who is in control of each country. The Israelites were going to
conquer and destroy a lot of city-states as they took over the land of Canaan.
Once they had Gods power and blessing, no one would be able to stop them. But
in spite of this, there were still places that God told them they could not
conquer. Among those places was Edom and Moab. God has His purposes for all the
things that He does and that He allows. The purpose for what God allows today
may not be known for hundreds of years, but it will be known one day. Perhaps
God was thinking of Ruth the Moabitess hundreds of years in the future who
would become a believer, who would be the subject of one of the books of the
Bible, and who would also be in the Lineage of Christ because she was the great
grandmother of King David. Remember this: in all of the things going on between
nations and in politics, Jesus is still the King of kings and Lord of lords. Of
course, if you want the Lord to do something different than what He has been
doing and allowing, as a believer, you have the benefit of asking Him to do
something else as He directs nations and governments. That is why it says to
Christians in First Timothy 2:1-3, I exhort
therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks, be made for all men;[2] For kings, and for all that
are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and honesty.[3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 2:13-15,
Now
rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook
Zered.[14] And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty
and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out
from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.[15]
For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among
the host, until they were consumed. One of the truths to
mention from these verses is the fact God decides who lives and how long they
live. It says in Hebrews 9:27, And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
Another important truth to be noticed
from Deuteronomy 2:13-15 is the fact that it is a privilege to live on this
earth, especially in the light of going through the doors of opportunity that
God has opened for you. If you are not going through the door that He has
prepared and opened for you, then why should God leave you on the earth? He
just might not. If you are a believer, one of the results of not doing what He
wants you to do can be death. Yes, you still have eternal life, but why should
Jesus leave you on His green earth, if you are not going to glorify His name?
It says in First John 5:16-17, If any man see his brother sins a sin
which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that
sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he
shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto
death.
What happens
when a Christian sins? Even though he or she will not lose their salvation and
their soul will still go to heaven because of Jesus, there is a lot to lose.
There are always negative consequences to sin. There is the sorrow, regret,
remorse, guilt, embarrassment, and broken fellowship from the Lord. There can
be disease, injury, financial loss, loss of opportunity in this life, and many
other losses because of sin. There can be loss of rewards in heaven, which will
mean loss of honors, position, and opportunity in heaven. And as Deuteronomy
chapter 2 and First John chapter 5 tell us, you can also lose your life as a
result of sin. Avoid any and all sin at all cost. Confess your sins quickly to
Jesus. There can be a terrible price to pay as a consequence to sin.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2015 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved