Death and taxes are not the only certainties!

 

1 Kings 18; Psalm 104; Ezekiel 48; 1 Thessalonians 1

The saying goes that there are two certainties; death and taxes. Whoever says this has not read or believed the promises of God!

As I read the above passages this morning, several verses stuck with me. The first is the example of Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of their idol called Baal. He challenged them to prove their Baal had more power than God. Then he called on God to show them their folly:

And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” (1 Kings 18:36–39)

This plus the entire Bible ensures the certainty of God’s existence and that He rewards those who seek Him, who put His glory at the top of their priority list. This certainty can be tested but only by those whose hearts are sincere. God does not play games!

The next verse is from the psalmist who praises God for His love and care with 34 verses, then says this:

Let sinners be consumed from the earth and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:35)

The rest of Scripture verifies this prayer request will be answered. It seems harsh, but those who suffer because of sin and wickedness have that same desire for justice, righteousness and sin to be completely eradicated. One glad day that will happen. God says so. He is not a deceiver or a liar; those titles belong to Satan who would have us think that we don’t need God or that we will eventually become perfect all by ourselves.

The third verse is in the image above. Here is its context:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:2–10)

The believers in Thessalonica are praised for they are living as God desires. Their purpose is to imitate Jesus, the One who came to reveal the character and glory of God and to sacrifice Himself for sin. He did this so we, by faith, could be saved from a life of sin. By welcoming Jesus into our lives, all things become new. We are changed and being changed so that we not only imitate Him but are transformed into His image. These are certainties, lived out and demonstrated in all who love the Lord.

However, there are a couple more certainties in this passage. God’s people turn from idols to serve Him. We also wait for the return of Christ. He was promised in Genesis and God kept that promise. His return is promised in the New Testament and we know that He will again keep His promise.

The last certainty is the scary one, at least for those who do not believe in Jesus or all these promises. This passage calls it “the wrath to come” which signifies the action of God against those who persist in defying Him and His grace. It is demonstrated in various ways against wickedness throughout the Bible yet has not been totally poured out even though it is a certainty.

APPLY: The applications are in the passage. I’m to pray, serve God and others with love and hope in Jesus, pay attention to His Word, share my faith, shun idols trusting God only as I look for Jesus to return . . . and be ready for death and pay my taxes!