HOW DO I GET IT RIGHT WITH GOD In order to get “right” with God, we must first understand what is “wrong.” The answer is sin. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3). We have rebelled against God’s commands; we “like sheep, have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death. “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The good news is that a loving God has pursued us in order to bring us salvation. Jesus declared His purpose was “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He pronounced His purpose accomplished when He died on the cross with the words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Having a right relationship with God begins with acknowledging your sin. Next comes a humble confession of your sin to God (Isaiah 57:15). “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:10). This repentance must be accompanied by faith – specifically, faith that Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection qualify Him to be your Savior. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Many other passages speak of the necessity of faith, such as John 20:27; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16; 3:11, 26; and Ephesians 2:8. Being right with God is a matter of your response to what God has done on your behalf. He sent the Savior, He provided the sacrifice to take away your sin (John 1:29), and He offers you the promise: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). A beautiful illustration of repentance and forgiveness is the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son wasted his father’s gift in shameful sin (verse 13). When he acknowledged his wrongdoing, he decided to return home (verse 18). He assumed he would no longer be considered a son (verse 19), but he was wrong. The father loved the returned rebel as much as ever (verse 20). All was forgiven, and a celebration ensued (verse 24). God is good to keep His promises, including the promise to forgive. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). If you want to get right with God, here is a sample prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. “God, I know that I have sinned against You and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him and His resurrection I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness – the gift of eternal life! Amen!” DID YOU FIND THIS TO BE HELPFUL? Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Loving God Is Greater Than Knowing God Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus answered him, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and most important commandment. Mark 12:30 So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ Luke 10:27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ” CHECK YOURSELF DO YOU REALLY LOVE GOD? To love God is something greater than to know Him. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT SELF-INDULGENCE Titus 3:3 Indeed, we, too, were once stupid, disobedient, and misled. We were slaves to many kinds of lusts and pleasures. We were mean and jealous. We were hated, and we hated each other. LET US THANK GOD WE ARE NOT HOW WE USE TO BE AND LET US THANK GOD WE ARE NOT WHERE WE USE TO BE. Romans 12:2 Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. Galatians 5:16-17 Let me explain further. Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants. What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other. As a result, you don’t always do what you intend to do. LET US LIVE OUR LIFE STRIVING TO BE LIKE CHRIST. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com Pastor Andra Higginbotham
The consequences of God’s anger Jeremiah 12:7–8 “I have abandoned my nation. I have left my own people. I have handed the people I love over to their enemies. My people have turned on me like a lion in the forest. They roar at me, so I hate them. 1 Kings 14:15–16 “The LORD will strike Israel like cattails which shake in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which he gave their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River because they dedicated poles to the goddess Asherah and made the LORD furious. So the LORD will desert Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins, the sins which he led Israel to commit.” 2 Chronicles 12:5–8 The prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, “This is what the LORD says: You have abandoned me, so I will abandon you. I will hand you over to Shishak.” Then the commanders of Israel and the king humbled themselves. “The LORD is right!” they said. When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, he spoke his word to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them. In a little while I will give them an escape. I will not use Shishak to pour my anger on Jerusalem. But they will become his servants so that they can learn the difference between serving me and serving foreign kings.” Isaiah 54:7–8 “I abandoned you for one brief moment, but I will bring you back with unlimited compassion. I hid my face from you for a moment in a burst of anger, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting kindness,” says the LORD your defender. OUR GOD IS SENDING US A STRONG MESSAGE THROUGH THESE VERSES. WERE YOU ABLE TO RECEIVE THE POINTS THAT GOD WAS MAKING? ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
God is compassionate: 2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort. Exodus 33:19 The LORD said, “I will let all my goodness pass in front of you, and there I will call out my name ‘the LORD.’ I will be kind to anyone I want to. I will be merciful to anyone I want to. Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient, always faithful and ready to forgive. Psalm 119:156 Your acts of compassion are many in number, O LORD. Give me a new life guided by your regulations. Joel 2:13 Tear your hearts, not your clothes. Return to the LORD your God. He is merciful and compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive and to change his plans about disaster. LET US LIVE OUR LIFE IN A WAY THAT WILL CAUSE OUR GOD TO WANT TO BE KIND AND MERCIFUL TO US. WE SERVE A GOOD GOD, A COMPASSIONATE GOD, GLOORRYY!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
OUR GOD SPEAKS TO US ABOUT ADDICTION John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: Whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin. Philippians 3:18–19 I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my eyes, that many live as the enemies of the cross of Christ. In the end they will be destroyed. Their own emotions are their god, and they take pride in the shameful things they do. Their minds are set on worldly things. Titus 3:3 Indeed, we, too, were once stupid, disobedient, and misled. We were slaves to many kinds of lusts and pleasures. We were mean and jealous. We were hated, and we hated each other. 2 Peter 2:19 They promise these people freedom, but they themselves are slaves to corruption. A person is a slave to whatever he gives in to. CHECK YOURSELF, WHAT SINS ARE YOU ADDICTED TO? DON’T BE A SLAVE TO SIN. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
God speaks to us about purification Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Isaiah 1:16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. STOP BEING COMFORTABLE WITH THOSE SINS THAT YOU LOVE. CLEANSE YOURSELF, STOP SINNING. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
GOD TEACHES US ABOUT DIFFICULT PEOPLE Mark 11:25 ESV And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15 ESV See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Matthew 5:44 ESV But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 18:15 ESV “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Proverbs 22:24-25 ESV Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Proverbs 20:3 GW Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Why Did This Happen? (I am focusing on the book of Job.) My friend is fond of saying, “There are no accidents in God’s program,” because our calamities are actually God’s carefully crafted plan. However, that assures us only momentarily: “What a relief that God is in control … [pause] … But if God is in control, why did he allow this painful thing to happen?” There are at least five reasons God brings calamity into the lives of his people. One of those takes center stage in the book of Job, so let’s consider it first. Is This God’s Judgment? The first reason God causes calamity is to discipline someone for specific sin. But be careful! It was their misapplication of this principle that led Job’s friends off track. Many make the same mistake today; therefore, let’s carefully consider this point. At first, Job didn’t demand answers from God when God brought disaster on him (1:22; 2:10). However, over time Job’s trust in God was devoured by a locust swarm of demanding “Why?” questions. Why did I not die at birth? Come forth from the womb and expire? (3:11) Why is light given to him who suffers? (3:20a) Why then have You brought me out of the womb? … [Why will] He not let my few days alone? Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer. (10:18, 20) Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have you set me as Your target? (7:20) When Job asked, “Why has this happened?” the theologians in Job’s world were, as we shall see presently, happy to supply him with what they believed was the right answer: “God is disciplining you for your sin.” Does God discipline people with calamity for specific sins they have committed? Yes … sometimes. King David destroyed his life in exchange for a few minutes of pleasure with Bathsheba. But his life wasn’t the only one that David destroyed. God brought calamity—the death of their infant son—on David and Bathsheba as judgment for their adultery (2 Samuel 12:15, 18). King Uzziah of Judah was struck with leprosy when he violated God’s law by trying to offer a sacrifice in the temple, something only priests from the tribe of Levi were allowed to do (2 Chronicles 26:16–19). And it wasn’t only royalty that incurred this kind of judgment. Gehazi was just a servant, but he was also struck by God with leprosy when he lied to Elisha about taking money from Naaman (2 Kings 5:20–27). Sometimes God does cause calamity in order to discipline people for specific sins. Tragically, Job’s friends misapplied that principle to Job, with devastating effect—as we shall now see. The Visit When word of Job’s catastrophes spread, there was great concern among Job’s acquaintances. Three of them, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—wisdom experts like Job himself—determined that they would visit Job in an attempt to comfort him. When they arrived at Job’s house, they were shocked by what they found. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great. (2:12–13) Enthroned on ashes and covered with maggots, filth, scabs, and oozing sores, Job was unrecognizable to his friends. His complaint, “So am I allotted months of vanity” (7:3), suggests that he had been in this pitiful state for several months before they arrived. In 7:14 Job spoke of hallucinations, a common result of significant sleep loss. He had no hope and would have given anything for a restful night’s sleep. When I lie down I say, “When shall I arise?” But the night continues, and I am continually tossing until dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt, my skin hardens and runs … My days … come to an end without hope. (7:4–6) Observing Job’s misery, his friends broke their silence. Unanimously accepting that God was in control, they took it upon themselves to explain why God had ruined Job. As we consider this, you must grasp a significant point: Job’s friends were both right and wrong at the same time. They were correct in saying that God does use calamity to discipline specific sin. Their mistake, however, was assuming that that is the only reason God brings calamity, and therefore, that it must be true in Job’s case. Eliphaz was the first to speak. His opening salvo is a summary of everything he and his companions would say in the next twenty chapters. Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble harvest it. By the breath of God they perish and by the blast of His anger they come to an end. (4:7–9) Eliphaz had a simple theology of calamity. If you live rightly, God blesses you. If you live badly, God drops a bomb on you. Job had obviously taken a direct hit from the biggest bomb in God’s arsenal; therefore, he must have been living badly. Convinced that they were right, Eliphaz and his friends tightened their philosophical fingers around Job’s throat with clear references to his agonizing physical condition. • Eliphaz: “Affliction does not come from the dust … The wicked man writhes in pain all his days” (5:6; 15:20). • Bildad: “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out … His skin is devoured by disease” (18:5, 13). • Zophar: “If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away … then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect” (11:14–15). The relentless accusations of Job’s friends had the same effect on Job that accusations of a lack of faith or hidden sin have on sick or hurting Christians today. They frustrated and dispirited him. You smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians. O that you would be completely silent, and that it would become your wisdom! (13:4–5) My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me. Surely mockers are with me, and my eye gazes on their provocation. (17:1–2) Job’s calamities were devastating enough without his friends heaping insult on agony. Instead of untrue accusations, Job longed for comfort from them: For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. (6:14) Job’s resistance to their accusations infuriated his friends; therefore, Eliphaz eventually stripped off the gloves and let Job have it right on the chin. Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you, that He enters into judgment against you? Is not your wickedness great? (22:4–5a) “Job, do you think God has done all this to you because you are such a great guy? Because you are so godly? That’s ridiculous, Job!” Actually, it wasn’t ridiculous at all. How had God described Job in chapters 1 and 2? “There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (1:8; 2:3). Derek Kidner has rightly said of Job, “It was his very innocence that exposed him to the ordeal.” 1 Unfortunately, the reductionistic view of calamity held by Job’s friends is still with us. You know the scenario. A Christian is in the hospital with a devastating illness such as cancer, and some well-meaning acquaintances show up and say, “If you had enough faith, you would be healed” or “You must have secret sin in your life. That’s why this is happening to you.” To face calamity, you must embrace this lesson from the book of Job: a catastrophe in health, finances, or family doesn’t necessarily mean that God is angry at you. Occasionally God does use calamity to discipline a specific sin; however, Job’s terrible losses and ravaged body had nothing to do with a lack of faith or hidden iniquity. In fact, at the end of Job’s book God was righteously angry at Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for insisting that Job’s calamities must have been the result of his secret sin (42:7). Our Lord Jesus Christ was also no friend of Eliphaz’s criminally simplistic, “You must have been bad” view of calamity, something his disciples learned in John 9. As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” (John 9:1–2) The disciples had exactly the same theology of sickness as Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Jesus was quick to correct it: It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (9:3) Many Christians today fall into the trap of Job’s three friends, assuming that calamity comes for only one reason. As a result, they often unjustly accuse suffering people, stealing their hope that, in the midst of their tragedy, God still loves them. To steal that hope is a theft more cruel than any other. God’s fury with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in Job 42:7 serves as a warning against it. If there is no obvious cause-and-effect relationship between your calamity and a specific sin, you don’t have to torture yourself trying to divine what the sin is for which God is disciplining you. Of course, if you are harboring sin you need to repent from, by all means do so! But don’t fall into the trap of Job’s friends, accusing others (or yourself) of being out of God’s favor because they or you have experienced a tragedy. Cancer, crime, or car accidents aren’t proof that God is angry at you. “But,” you ask, “if God isn’t disciplining me for a specific sin, why did he allow this to happen?” Let’s step aside from the book of Job for a moment to answer that question from the rest of Scripture. PART 2 COMING SOON. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A VERY DEEP STUDY; I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. AND RECEIVE FROM IT. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
