Punishment

Written earlier.

At the moment Australia is suffering probably the worst yet season of bush fires.  And we are in drought.  Australia is used to bush fires AND drought.  Or so we thought.  At the same time, there is extreme weather world wide.  This seems to be part of it.  And of course, every time this sort of thing happens, we get someone coming along and announcing we are being punished.  Are we?  Are the people going through the bushfires, having their home destroyed and in some cases losing their lives any worse than anyone else?

We are all sinners and deserve punishment.  Does God see sin all the same, or are there “grades” of sin?

Matthew 12: 31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

God can see people’s hearts.  1 Kings 8:39.  We cannot.  We do not know whether they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  So it is wrong for us to make that judgement.  All we know is that we have sinned, everyone has sinned.  We ARE sinners.

God is Love.  Because He is Love, even though we are sinners, and our righteousness and our works are as filthy rags, and even though we are guilty sinners and deserve punishment, He sent His Son to live among us, and to take our punishment for us, so that we could receive what is His by right.

My eyes tear up at the thought of the plan of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God was planned before the foundation of the earth (1 Peter 1:  19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you)

This then was always Plan A.  It wasn’t something quickly thought up when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, because it caught God unawares.  He KNEW what would happen.  He KNEW what would become of the world, and He made prior arrangements.

What love!  Like the father of the prodigal son, like many a parent today who knows very well that their child’s plan will only end in tears, He allowed it to happen, because He had a solution!  And that solution would glorify His Name.

And so…..Jesus was punished in our place.  That just blows my mind.  The Word of God, incarnate, sinless, was made sin so that we, unrighteous wretches that we are, would be atoned for.  We have done nothing to deserve this or to achieve this.  This was all Jesus’ doing.  He gave us a gift, and the only part we have in this is to accept.  We are free to ignore His entreaties, and many have and do…..but I have accepted.  I realised my wretchedness and fell at the foot of the cross and thankfully accepted His gift.  I pray you do too.

Back to the original paragraph.  Are we being punished? Or is this a symptom of the state of the world?  The disasters that Jesus warned us about?  I along with so many others really hope that they are the forerunners of what must happen before Jesus return. 

Instead of crying woe is me or complaining how awful life is, here is an opportunity to show the love of Christ, to show kindness to a neighbour suffering because they have lost everything.  Buy some water or snacks for the firemen, or clean the   toilets in the fire brigade building.  Do the jobs they do not have the time or energy for.  Give a meal to someone that needs it.  Be a friend to all.  If you cannot do anything else, pray!

You just never know whether the person you are helping sees you as help from Christ.  In times like this, people turn to God for help…..and whatever you do might just cement that for them, and they might repent. 

This is an opportunity for us to proclaim the Gospel…..in our lives, in our deeds.

May the Lord be with you.

And thank you for your prayers.