Which Side Are You On?

"Our guilty conscience becomes a curtain

that separates us from God.

As a result, we hide from our Master."

-- Max Lucado (He Choose The Nails)

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Which Side Are You On?

A.W. Tozer

"Go into the caves of the cliffs; dig holes and hide in the ground from the anger of the Lord and from his great power! Proud peope will be made humble, and they will bow low with shame. At that time only the Lord will still be praised. The Lord All-Powerful has a certain day planned when he will punish the proud and those who brag, and they will no longer be important. Isaiah 2:10-12

READ Isaiah 2:1-4:6

SITUATION Isaiah's vision told both of God's judgment of the wicked and the promise of his coming kingdom for the righteous.

OBSERVATION God can never approve of sin, but he longs to reward those who follow him.

INSPIRATION In the moral conflict now raging around us, whoever is on God's side is on the winning side and cannot lose; whoever is on the other side is on the losing side and cannot win. Here there is no chance, no gamble. There is freedom to choose which side we shall be on but no freedom to negotiate the results of the choice once it is made. By the mercy of God we may repent a wrong choice and alter the consequence by making a new and right choice. Beyond that we cannot go.

The whole matter of moral choice centers around Jesus Christ. Christ stated it plainly; "He that is not with me is against me," and "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The gospel message embodies three distinct elements: an announcement, a command, and a call. It announces the good news of redemption accomplishment in mercy; it commands all men everywhere to surrender to the terms of grace by believing on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

We must all choose whether we will obey the gospel or turn away it unbelief and reject its authority. Our choice is our own, but the consequences of the choice have already been determined by the sovereign will of God, and from this there is no appeal. (From The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer)

APPLICATION Are you inside God's kingdom or do you find yourself peeking in, to see if it is for you? You cannot have one foot in and one foot out. Choose to be in God's kingdom, it will mean eternal rewards and fellowship with God.

EXPLORATION Wickedness or Righteousness ---Psalm 1; Proverbs 3:33; Ezekiel 18:20-21; Malachi 3:18; Matthew 24: 46; 1 Peter 3:12

The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, Max Lucado General Editor - Thomas Nelson Publishers, New Century Version

Don't get caught in the middle - choose!