Today I will be speaking to you on The Gospel of Entitlement. I woke up this morning with this sad feeling in my heart. I grew up in a home where no one ever said they were sorry. We used to have these blow-outs and everyone would go to their own room and all you would hear is the sound of doors slamming. A few hours later we would come out and pretend nothing ever happened. The feelings of hurt were still there but the problem was never resolved. The behavior was never addressed and the dysfunctional patterns continued. After years and years of this, you become hardened from the lack of repentance. You start to feel entitled. You assume that because you are family, that you can say, and do whatever you want without ever asking for forgiveness. This is not how things work in the Kingdom of God.
This morning I was feeling a great conviction for all the entitlement I have operated in and out of the body of Christ. First, I was convicted for all the times I failed to say thank you. How many times do we sit at the table to eat and never give thanks to God? To us, it is a normal thing to sit and have food on the table but to others around the world, however, the struggle to eat every day is real. Some people are digging in the trash for a meal even as I speak. We may argue that they have put themselves in this position but I highly doubt the children in impoverished countries choose to eat their meals out of dumpsters. Are we thankful for the bed we sleep in? Many people are sleeping in the cold like animals on hard cement sidewalks, in cars, in hotels, in fields, and park benches. They have no place to lay their heads. I know a few beloved saints who are homeless. What are we doing as a body of Christ to make sure our own family is taken care of? Are we thankful for our homes, our cars, and our families or do we feel entitled to them? Even though family can be quite difficult many people live alone and unloved with little or no support. They probably wish they had someone to nag them, care about them and even get on their case. I'm not saying we should put up with abuse but what I am saying is we need to be thankful for the things we take for granted. It seems like our family are the people we are least thankful for.
Another thing we take for granted is our bible, our ability to meet openly to worship Christ and Christ's forgiveness. I think because we have taken our families' forgiveness for granted that we tend to carry that into church behavior. I don't know why we can't just say we are sorry and resolve issues in the church. Instead of confronting the issues we go into our spiritual rooms and pout. We slam the doors shut of fellowship and we stop talking to our brothers and sisters. Some of us never even know what happened or transpired. We just know we were unfriended on Facebook. There is no growth in personal relationships when there's no honesty. I'm not saying that we should be rude but how is anyone supposed to grow if you don't tell them what offended you. We need to ask ourselves this, am I always the one getting offended? If the answer is yes then why is that? How can we grow in love, humility and mature when we don't take responsibility.
This is the beauty of repentance. Repentance takes responsibility. It isn't like I'm sorry. I'm sorry is for people who feel temporarily bad for what they did but have no intention of changing it. We often hear people say, "My bad." Then nothing comes of it because it is only a saying. It is not a conviction that you hurt someone or that you need to make it right. Repentance is a conviction and a challenge to change with God's grace. I'm sorry takes people for granted. It is basically assuming that the person is okay with your behavior. Maybe you don't even say you're sorry because you feel entitled to that person's forgiveness. We do this in personal, family, and marriage relationships. We even do this in our relationship with God. We hurt people and instead of repenting we go on our merry way taking the relationship for granted. I think we have all done this. How many times have we or our children done something totally disrespectful and still feel entitled to receiving gifts from us? Let's face it, we live in a culture of entitlement. Let me define entitlement: It is believing that you have the rights to the benefits of a covenant and or relationship without having to abide by the covenant and laws you feel entitled to. For example, we are in a covenant marriage with God. We have made a vow or promise to not have any idols before him or beside him. In marriage, this would look like not having any extramarital relationships outside of marriage, whether that would be emotional, physical or spiritual intimacy outside of the marriage covenant. When we say I do in our marriage or to God we are to keep the vows we made. Entitlement makes us believe that we can somehow break our covenant vows and still be entitled to the intimacy in the marriage. When we feel distant from God and we no longer live in His blessing we need to ask ourselves did skip over asking for forgiveness when we broke our vows to him. Did we repent for what we did?
I'm going to let you know that idolatry of self is one of the biggest reasons that so many marriages fail. I know this by experience. Many people walk away from God and their marriages because they don't believe they need to crucify self. They still want to receive from God and their marriage but only if it benefits them. Some people get offended by God if things don't go their way and purposely go into the world throwing a temper tantrum. The root of this behavior is entitlement. The worse part of this insidious heart issue is that people have come up with doctrines to disguise this prideful attitude. The church has come to know this movement as hyper-grace, inclusion, and universalism. What these doctrines teach their followers is that they are forgiven already outside the work of repentance. This is not true. Repentance is the only gateway to reconciliation with the Father.
Hebrews 10:26-31 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
I heard many people claim that this scripture is not for today. Please note the writer of Hebrews made a distinction between Moses' law and the blood sacrifice of Christ. God will judge his people! We need understand there is no reconciliation outside of repentance. You can't go and cheat on your wife or husband then act like nothing happened. This is trampling their heart underfoot. This is what God feels like when we trample the blood of Jesus underfoot. The blood of Jesus is God's mercy. Mercy is the most vulnerable part of God's heart. It is the blood of his Son. It is a delusion to think that a holy God would allow us to come into His kingdom outside of the covenant sacrifice of Christ. We insult the spirit of grace when we trample all over his mercy. Does God forgive us? Yes! However, we cannot continue to do the same things over and over again without repentance. To believe we can continue in sin without repentance is entitlement. We aren't entitled to forgiveness. It is true that we don't have to earn it but that doesn't mean we can take advantage of it either. How can we say we love God and be operating in sin and self-seeking. Self-seeking is also entitlement. Let me define self-seeking: It is advancing our own agenda, serving ourselves, our own interests before others or even at their expense. Are you living at the expense of God's mercy and grace?
We can't abuse the grace and mercy; expecting his blessing. We can't trample on the blood of Jesus and expect to enter his Kingdom. This is deception and lawlessness. Let us turn to Romans 11:20-21 Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. In the scripture above the natural branches are the Jews. Paul is using this example to let us know that we should not be proud but consider how the Jews took God for granted lest we fall into the same trap. There are so many people that believe once saved always saved but Paul is warning us that we can make the same mistake the Jews made by taking his goodness for granted. The balance is knowing that God is holy. Paul is asking us to consider his goodness and his severity.
In the book of Jude, verse 6 and 7 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. What is God saying here? He is saying that if the angels whom he created to worship him can fall into deception and leave their position how can we believe as mere mortals that we cannot fall from grace? Then Jude who continues by giving the example of those who had given themselves over to sexual immorality how they would suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
Let us consider the Archangel Lucifer. He was gifted and in God's leadership. He was made to worship God. Yet, pride filled his heart. This happened in the presence of our Holy God. It wasn't enough to be second in command he wanted to be Lord of his own life and be the one being worshipped. Take heed if you are leading worship and you end up wanting to be worshiped. How many leaders have we seen fall into pride? I've been such a leader. How many have we seen feel entitled to be served, receive your money, live in luxury, greed, and corruption? Lucifer in his rebellion took all those around him down. There many false teachers who are doing the same because their mindset and heart attitude have infected the church! They indeed preach, teach and set as example entitlement. Entitlement is rooted in pride friends. If you honestly believe you can live your life in sin and be entitled to heaven this is deception. Right now it's the strongest delusion I've seen in the church for decades!
In Hebrews 12:14-16 the scripture again admonishes us to "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright." Let us look at this scripture carefully. Esau was supposed to inherit the birthright or blessing of His father but gave it up for some temporal carnal pleasure. This scripture is warning to us that we can give up our birthright. God has an inheritance for us that he purchased with Jesus' precious blood. It can't be taken from us but we can certainly give it up for fornication, adultery, drugs, drunkenness and the list goes on. We can say no to God's goodness. I don't know how many people I've seen become bitter and offended with God; just to leave him. Many. If you feel conviction and fear please understand that there is balance in the full counsel of God. I'm not teaching this to condemn you but to challenge and persuade you to repent from your heart.
Jude 20-25
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." Some people we will have to be very hard with. Pulling them out of the fire!
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
My prayer today is that I'm able to pull you out of the fire if you are heading into hell but also let you know that God is able to present you faultless if you don't continue to feel entitled to his goodness. Hell is real. Let me quickly share my vision of hell and her prisoners of war! This happened right before Christmas. I saw hell with her mouth wide open licking her lips and her belly was engorged with lost souls. I saw hearts that were black like stone (from the deceitfulness of sin, hurt and offense), people with blinders on (they were blinded by pride), chains that extended out of hell that shackled others in captivity, and others were following the pied piper on the wide road of destruction they were being seduced away by the lusts of this world. Many were at the wide gate and God was saying, "Wake up from your delusion!" He showed me people who were willing to grab people by the ankles, prostrate on their faces dragging behind those who unwittingly were going to hell. I'm here to grab you by the ankles and tell you that you need to get off the wide road of destruction. Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your heart but make a full confession of sin, repent, change your ways and be baptized for the remission of sins. If you desire to be baptized into repentance please visit my website at loverevivalrevolution.com and go to the salvation page or click on the tab salvation on this blog.
