Personally speaking, I love the simple things of the Bible.  The simplicity of scripture is what pieced my heart and saved my soul:  God is real, I am a sinner, and Jesus came to save me!

I remember hearing for the first time Matthew 7 when Jesus said, "Not everyone what says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of Heaven."  I remember hearing that simple truth, and it served as a mirror that allowed me to see my sin and a desperate need of a savior. I can give a hundred more examples of just black and white simple truths, that when I read them, they felt like a million pounds on my heart or a hug around my neck.  The power of the Gospel and the destruction of sin is made simple for man to see and understand.  Not all will understand, but God did not make His saving gospel through the story of His Son rocket science.  God did not make sin hard to detect.  Unlike the cure for cancer or biochemistry, what matters most to God was made simple.  God never wanted to hide these truths from His children or have them spend hours upon hours trying to figure them out. If anything, the Bible is on repeat of these truths and warnings all throughout the scriptures because of His desire for the world to understand.  

Moses acts in much of the same way all throughout his last book written before his death and their entry into the promise land.  As we spoke about last week in the message, out of deep love for his people, Moses doesn't mind repeating himself.  Each week Moses tells the people the same thing, just through different past stories and future warnings. Everything he speaks on centers around man's sin, God's goodness, and the call to faith and obedience. Each week Moses teaches, he begs, he pleads, and prays for the people to listen!

"God is good and He is worth trusting in!"

In this week's scripture, Moses tells the people that each one will at some point have to decide if they will listen. In verses 26-28, Moses tells them, “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. Talk about simple truths and teaching that all men need to face sooner rather than later.

Reality is, we can pray, plead, teach, and beg all day, but each person will be accountable for themselves when they stand before the Lord one day.  The truths that each one of us has heard will either bless or curse us depending on how we heard them and how we respond to them.  

Yes or No?

This world needs to stop making faith so complicated and just answer the simple questions the scriptures give us today........

Is God real and is Jesus the way?
Is obedience to God's Word greater than the desires of sin?
Will you repent of your sin that God has revealed to you?
Will you follow Jesus no matter where He leads you and no matter what it costs?

Now, will you choose blessings or curses?

God never wanted faith to be misunderstood or complicated.  He wants His children to understand His commandments and to find hope in His Son.  He also wants us to not be confused by the consequences that follow when we choose the world over Him.  The Bible does not hide the destruction that man has invited, and God has promised to those who run after the things of this world over the love of His Son.

With each verse, chapter, and book, God has told us such things.

So......

Blessings or Curses?


Stay faithful church,
Pastor Hunter

Read Matthew 7 on the simple truths of God's goodness and man's sin.