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{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade…
Exhortation to Those Who Began the Heavenly Trade But Have Backslidden
Advice: Be Deeply Affected by Your Evil Condition
Consider How Ugly and Displeasing You Have Become to God}
Also consider the withered, decayed professor of Christianity—how ugly, offensive, and displeasing an object he is in the eyes of God. “But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38 NASB). God does not care for the company of such people; they are a burden to Him. God does not love to see them any more than people do a dead corpse in their house or a rotten tree in their garden; to God, they are only uselessly taking up space (Luke 13:7).1271 God considers those unworthy of the kingdom of God who, having put their hand to the plow, look back (Luke 9:62).1272 Nothing more troubles God than a lukewarm temperament that was once burning in love, but is now neither hot nor cold; such people irritate Christ’s stomach and make Him downright sick until He has vomited them out onto the dunghill from which they came (Revelation 3:16).1273 Is this not troublesome to a sensible heart?
1271“And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’” (Luke 13:7 NASB).
1272“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62 NKJV). Looking back does not refer merely just any attention to the past, for example, learning from one’s mistakes and sins, but a yearning for one’s past sins or things once given up for Christ’s service. How much worse is actual apostasy.
1273“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16 NKJV).
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