Punishment

Ok
I know I've said it before but I get rather sick when I talk about the parts of the Bible that are hardcore.  That are convicting to me.  These parts aren't fun, but truthfully when I think about it; if I didn't cover the parts that are hard it would be like saying to my kids "Hey, you have no consequence at all for telling me that I'm stupid and please continue to hit me while you're saying it."
Ah, that ain't going to cut it in my family because one I'm not someone to allow a child to hit me just randomly and two that's insane to not to correct your child and make sure they have a consequence like cleaning the bathroom with a toothbrush ;-)

So here we have Hebrews 10 this chapter is full of in your face real t.v. or real Bible.  The chapter talks about Christ's sacrifice, His beautiful decision to give us the ability to be forgiven for our sins.  The first part of the chapter is incredible uplifting and reassuring.  The next chapter is the punch in the gut it's the "now that I've talked about all this incredible stuff let's talk about how you need to act as a Christian".  In verse 24 it gives us the encouragement of stirring up love in one another and doing good works for each other, to not neglect in meeting with each other and to continue to draw near to each other as the Day draws near.  Then the hammer is brought down in verse 26 "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins".  The consequence to this is in verse 29.

Friends, this isn't someone who is walking life with Jesus and trying their hardest to live a life that glorifies God.  This is someone continually rejecting the ways of Jesus.  Someone who has trampled underfoot the Son of God.  For some reason they have been sanctified and have decided they need Jesus and then they choose to walk a path that rejects Jesus in their actions and words.

My question to you is, are you doing that?  How are your words to people, are you continually showing them Christ, or are you talking about them behind their backs using the "concerned Christian" as an excuse to gossip, are you lying to your kids and excusing your actions as just a little white lie, are you drinking and getting drunk justifying your actions because your at home with friends and they'll never talk about it with people at church, are you sleeping with someone outside of marriage?  If you call yourself a Christian and are purposefully not walking the life that Christ has asked us to do, you have profaned the blood of the covenant, you have outraged the Spirit of grace.  And truthfully I'm afraid for you, because never in a million years would I want you to fall into the hands of the living God.

Please Christian brothers and sisters think about what you signed up for when you first believed in Christ.