The Bible teaches us, that after understanding the fundamental doctrines of the scriptures, we should move on to the deep things that are written so that we may have a broader and more comprehensive knowledge of the God whom we serve. In the presentation for today, we will seek to understand how collateral damage and blessings work, so that we may be fully aware of our responsibilities, our purchased freedoms, and our privileges as sons and daughters of God.
Let’s begin by certifying from the Bible, the sacred truth that what a person does, whether good or bad has a collateral effect on other people. This truth is brought to light over and over again in the scriptures, and as we near the close of earth’s history, it will become more and more necessary for us to understand it, for it will have a direct implication for events that will begin to transpire across the globe.
When a righteous, God-fearing person comes in contact with other people on a regular basis, they will receive blessings. This is true regardless of whether or not the people who the righteous interact with are ungodly, or are saints. This truth was certified in the interaction of Joseph and Potiphar. Let’s read:
Genesis 39:1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
39:2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
39:3 And his master saw that the LORD [was] with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
39:5 And it came to pass from the time [that] he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
The same truth was again certified between Jacob and Laban, for wherever a righteous person goes, the blessings of God prevail on those who interact with them. Let’s read:
Genesis 30:25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
30:29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30:30 For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
The same truth of collateral blessings is made manifest in the experience of Paul who was jailed by the Roman authorities. Those who were in charge of Paul and many other prisoners had taken a ship headed for Italy where he was to be tried by the Roman emporer. These soldiers who had custody of Paul were obviously not Christians, yet when serious danger befell them, God spared their lives as a collateral blessing, because of Paul’s presence. Let’s read:
Acts 27:1 And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto [one] named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.
27:9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished [them],
27:10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.
27:11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
27:14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on [us], all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
27:21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
27:22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of [any man's] life among you, but of the ship.
27:23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
The very same truth was reiterated again by The Lord Himself, when Abraham was interceding for the men of Sodom, whose sins had reached unto heaven. When the Bible speaks of Sodom and Gommorah, it is also referring to and including the three other cities of Zoar, Zeboiim and Admah whose close proximity to Sodom caused them to be labeled “The cities of the plain” Let’s read:
Genesis 14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
14:2 [That these] made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
These five cities were the locations where sin and sexual immorality had deteriorated to an alarming, all-time low, in so much that God had no choice but to close their probation. Let’s read:
Genesis 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
And so Abraham began to plead with God for mercy, because in his finite reasoning, he saw that something was not adding up. Is God going to destroy the righteous with those whose probation was closed? Wouldn’t the God of heaven at least put a difference between those who serve Him and those who couldn’t care less about God? These perplexing questions were haunting the mind of Abraham and consequently moved him to ask answers from God directly. Let’s read:
Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that [are] therein?
18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
It is critically important for us to understand the nature and implications of Abraham’s questions. Note well that he did not ask whether God will destroy the wicked and save the righteous. This was not his question. Abraham’s question was whether God will spare everyone in the city if fifty saints could be found. So let’s hit pause for a moment and consider the bigger picture for a moment. Could it be that God has deliberately placed His people in strategic places in the earth, not only to stem the tide of evil and preach the gospel, but also that blessings and mercies may also fall upon those who do not know God? Let’s read:
Ezekiel 28:25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.
Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
And so it is, that as Abraham continued to plead with God, he received the answer to his questions. Let’s read:
Genesis 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
Abraham then began to lower the threshold by five people, then by ten until he came right down to the last ten righteous persons, if any could have been found. What is worthy of note is the fact that based on archeological discoveries, it is estimated that the population of Sodom and Gomorrah was anywhere from five hundred thousand to one and a half million people.
Now let’s consider for a moment the mercy, kindness, and collateral blessings of God, who was willing to spare the doomed cities only if ten saints could be found in them. Sacred history shows that in fact there was only one saint living in those twin cities, and it was because of God’s collateral blessings on that one person, that perhaps hundreds of thousands of sinners were permitted to live and do evil, and also to prosper for many years. Let’s read:
Genesis 18:32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for ten's sake.
Even when it was determined in the counsels of heaven that the iniquity of Sodom and Gomorrah must be brought to an abrupt halt, God still waited for the one saint to leave, before total destruction ensued. The mercy of God is very great as is evidenced by His own words to Lot who was procrastinating to depart. Let’s read:
Genesis 19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19:20 Behold now, this city [is] near to flee unto, and it [is] a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, ([is] it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
The city that Lot was referring to was zoar, one of the five cities that were scheduled for destruction. Now it is very important for earth’s inhabitants to trace the footsteps of the Great God in His dealings with His erring creatures. We should never ever allow any person to persuade us into believing that God is not a God of love. His kindness and mercies are beyond our comprehension, as is evidenced by His response to Lot’s request. Let’s read:
Genesis 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
But the opposite is also true, for there is also collateral damage when a person commits sin. Innocent people do suffer as a result of one man’s wrong-doing, and this sacred truth therefore lays upon all Christians to live righteously in the sight of God so that our presence would bring blessings and not curses.
The Lord had just given a stunning victory to Israel over the city of Jericho, and the instruction was given that no one should covet or take to themselves any of the valuables found in the city. But there was one man who decided to disobey, by stealing some costly items found in the spoils of war, and as a result of his sin, thirty six men were killed. Let’s read:
Joshua7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them [from] before the gate [even] unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put [it] even among their own stuff.
7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
But the most striking example of collateral damage occurred after Adam and Eve sinned. All of humanity suffered and continues to suffer as a result of collateral damage, arising from one man’s sin. We were nowhere around when our first parents sinned, but nevertheless we are subject to disease, decay, and death. Let’s read:
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
The sin of Adam caused drastic changes in nature too, changes that we now consider to be normal, but which were not the original plan of our Creator. Take for instance rain. Rain came about as a result of sin, although we now view it as being essential to our existence. Rain was not a part of God’s original plan, for although we now need it to live, it does come at a cost, for it sometimes causes severe flooding, and mudslides. Let’s read:
Genesis2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground. 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
Adam’s sin also caused collateral damage in the animals that God created. All beasts, including what we now call carnivores, originally ate only grass or herbs, and so there were no “bad feelings” or animosities at lunch-time between wolves and sheep, leopards and rein deer. Let’s read:
Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.
It was therefore necessary for us to observe the collateral damage that sin does as a result of man’s sin, so that we may be better prepared to understand and appreciate the collateral blessings that have fallen upon the human family as a direct result of one man’s righteousness. We can reason however we like about God’s love and grace, the fact of the matter remains that something very major took place at Calvary, and as a result every member of the human family has benefitted, including those who deliberately choose not to know or serve God. For instance, in the former dispensation, judgments were at times meted out to nations and individuals in no uncertain manner, after their probation was closed. Let’s take a few notable examples.
Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth
6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth shall die.
Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Exodus 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who [is] the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
Exodus 6:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
6:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I [am] the LORD:
6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I [am] the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
5:2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which [was] in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which [was] at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
5:4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
5:6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
5:8 Then came in all the king's wise [men]: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
5:9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
5:19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
5:20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
5:23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath [is], and whose [are] all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
5:25 And this [is] the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
5:26 This [is] the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
5:28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
And we can go on and on and on. But some way, somehow these direct manifestations of God’s judgments against nations and individuals seem to have come to a sudden stop since Christ died. Obviously, there has been a decided change for some reason that we need to investigate, because since these manifestations have all but ceased, many people are now making a mockery of God, endeavoring to change His sacred institutions and carrying sin to a dangerously low level by legalizing iniquity. And so the question begs an answer, What exactly took place on Calvary that has brought these judgments to a seemingly abrupt halt? And what took place when Christ died that has resulted in manifold collateral blessings to every person? As usual, we turn to the scriptures for the correct answers, for the Bible explains itself. Let’s read:
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
5:15 But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
5:16 And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment [was] by one to condemnation, but the free gift [is] of many offences unto justification.
5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.
5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
The problem with many of us who are living in the twenty-first century, is that because there has been quite a dramatic cessation of former direct judgments, that we are now taking God’s grace for granted. Instead of humbling ourselves in gratitude for what Christ has accomplished on Calvary, many are now making a mockery of His great salvation and mercies, and gradually diminishing the importance and relevance of His Law. Many now hold that they are a law unto themselves, and are accountable to no one about how they live or what they do. Many have now mistaken mercy for license and misinterpreted God’s grace as authorization to do evil. These attitudes and dispositions are alluded to in several passages of scripture. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
2nd Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God’s reluctance to once again bring judgments should not be interpreted as weakness on His part, but rather as a gracious overture to save as many as would be saved. Furthermore, the days of our probation are swiftly drawing to a close, after which the severe judgments that had been put on hold for many centuries, will finally be released abruptly without any mercy. This is the warning that The Great God Of Heaven is now giving to mortal man, so that all who are willing and obedient may escape the coming deluge of fire and recompenses. This is what is clearly stated in God’s so that everyone may take heed. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
3:11 [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,
3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
1st Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
God is still holding back the winds of strife so that all who are willing may find shelter in Christ. He is still standing at our heart’s door waiting for an invitation to come in, and if we respond today in the affirmative, the collateral blessings that resulted from Christ’s death will be ours for time and for eternity. We therefore end with a text that should serve to encourage each and everyone to make the right choice. Let’s read:
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.
22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
God bless!