STEPPING IN

Is Self-preservation

Part 3

HANDING OVER YOUR CHILDREN

Ryan had needed an advocate and savior.  Lilly, the prostitute needed an advocate and savior.  Lilly needed someone standing with her, on her side, someone to reach in and pull her out of the dark pit someone had thrown her soul down.  It's funny but I never recognized with Ryan's situation, what God made very clear to me with Lilly's.  I can't explain it, but suspect that God wouldn't or couldn't teach me through anyone but a living breathing person.  

Let me explain how things work the way God taught it to me, through Lilly:

Okay, I'm going to add  the text of Romans 1:18-21 NKJV

18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

In these verses God gives us the key to understanding the whole thing.  

When a culture rejects God they reject all that God has created: 

-- When God created the first human he created relationship with him; God-man relationship.

 -- What is the first human-human relationship God creates?  MARRIAGE!

 -- Finally what is the first human-human relationship humans procreate?  CHILDREN!

When humans reject relationship God they reject ALL relationships.  We understand holiness, creativity, love, and righteousness are personal attributes of God.  God isn't simply in a state of holiness and righteousness, and God doesn't simply abide in a state of love.  God IS holiness, righteousness, and love.  In the same way God is relationship.  We see this principle at work then:

 Reject God, reject relationship!

There is something really weird happening in Romans 1, beginning with verse 24, then again in 26, and finally in verse 28...

24 "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." 

26 "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones."

28" Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done."

(Bold and italic print are my addition)

These verse used to really upset me!!  How does a loving heavenly Father, "hand" or "give" people over to depraved minds, sin, and ultimately destruction?  it is one thing if I hand myself over to destruction, but GOD HANDING AND GIVING PEOPLE OVER?!?!  Don't God's actions in Romans 1 violate LOVE, the essence of God's nature?!  NO!  In Romans 1 God is simply following OUR LEAD!  

It is the culture which "hands" and "gives" it's CHILDREN over to foolishness, sin, and ultimately destruction!  It is human parents, not the heavenly Father who hands us over.  God does in the spirit realm what human parents are doing in the physical world.  God is literally giving us the desires of our hearts, that we as a people group SHOW him we want for ourselves!  

Consider this:  

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."

That is the fifth command out of the Ten Commandments.  I've long called it the "linchpin" or "hinge" which holds all the other Commandments together.  The first four Commandments are about relationship with God.  The last five Commandments are about human relationships.  The Fifth Commandment is where God and human combine.  Parents are the first representation of God. Parents are also the first representation of human culture or family.  So what does the break down look like if people reject relationship with God?

Broken relationship with God ---->  break the marriage relationship ----> break marriage and break children ---->   break children and break the world!

When God gives someone over he isn't leading the way.  When God hands or gives a person over to ultimate destruction he is following the world's lead; God does to us what we have done to ourselves first.  Then we see this principle:

When God "gives" or "hands" people over he does so because we first SHOW him that is what we want!  When God "hands" over he is giving us our heart's desires!

First God sent his perfect commands through Moses, a broken sinful human. It was impossible for those humans to keep God's perfect laws.  A bunch of laws cannot achieve salvation, or even the hope of salvation.  God tells us that his law is powerless;  GOD HIMSELF SAYS TO US, AS REGARDS, HIS RIGHTEOUS, HOLY, AND PERFECT LAW, THAT IT IS POWERLESS!  

 "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering."

Romans 8:3 (NIV)

(Bold and underlined text is my addition)

Now if God's law, which is perfect, is POWERLESS, then how could any Christian ever believe a law like the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA could have had any power?   If God's laws are perfect and powerless, how much less powerful are the laws made by mere men?  

Words even God's words can't save, free, or repair broken relationship with God.  God had to put on human flesh, and come down himself to save, free, and restore relationship.  What restores relationship is not words, but face to face relationship with God.  

Ryan's mom handed him over to his abuser, same thing for Lilly.  It isn't enough to tell people they are sinners!  It isn't enough to make laws against sin! God models this for us.  Jesus came down to have relationship with us, and when he does he hands us back to Father.  In the same way God works through us in relationship to save, free, and restore.  

Ryan's mom handed him over to his slave master.  Someone; a real live, breathing, human through whom God pours out his "FATHER LOVE," must reach in and hand them back to God!!   

-- There is only one end to gay marriage

-- There is only one end to sexual brokenness and immorality, including homosexual sin!

-- There is only one end to sexual sin in the Church

-- There is only one end to molesting priests in the Church

-- There is only one end to abortion 

-- There is only one end to the destruction of family

YOU have to reach in and pull the Ryan's and Lilly's out of the chains, cages, and dark pits their human moms and dads have thrown them into through the creation of broken relationship with their childre.  Nothing we say or do outside of being walking talking compassion buckets full of Father God's RELATIONSHIP LOVE can succeed!!!  

Now let me explain the heart of what the title means:

STEPPING IN: Is Self-preservation 

Part 4