Panic In Paris

Row upon row of empty seats at the Paris Olympic Games has made organizers panic, prompting them to offer tourists tickets at fire-sale prices.

According to the Daily Mail, tickets to events for Team Great Britain have been offered for as little as £12, or USD $15.39.

Could it be that mocking God has consequences?

Be informed, not misled.

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Breitbart News says, "But it’s not just events for the Brits that are getting the discount treatment."

The Daily Mail reports:

Entry for the women’s Japan vs Nigeria group stage game at the Stade de France on August 31 and the Australia vs USA were both selling at just €15.

And tickets for Friday’s men’s quarter-final at the Lyon Stadium are also on sale at the same price, with seats available for €15 for those who purchased more than four at once.

Basketball games on August 31 are also going cheap, with admission for two games – Japan vs Germany and Australia vs Canada – selling for just over £19 (€24).

Before the start of the Olympics, the Paris rail system was hit by a series of arson attacks that caused massive delays and caused widespread transportation issues throughout the French capital and the area around it.

Olympic organizers potentially gave ticket buyers another reason not to attend the Games after putting on a blasphemous performance during the opening ceremony, which contained, among other things, a drag queen-inspired parody of the Last Supper.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked.

Galatians 6 verses 7, 8, and 9 says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Paul is urging the Galatians to keep living in a way that is consistent with what they believe. They are free people in Christ, and God's Spirit is with them.

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don't give up.

RE: mocking God

To mock God is to disrespect, dishonor, or ignore Him. It is a serious offense committed by those who have no fear of God or who deny His existence. The most easily recognized form of mockery is disrespect, typified by verbal insults or other acts of disdain. It is associated with ridicule, scoffing, and defiance. Mockery is a dishonoring attitude that shows low estimation, contempt, or even open hostility.

We live in a culture that often mocks God.

The recent blasphemous display in Paris is the most recent episode of mocking the Almighty God.

The LGBTQAI+ movement, particularly the "trans movement," is a mockery of God, who is the Creator of all things, including human beings who are created as "male and female."

People who affirm and promote the movement may be deceived to believe they are displaying virtue in their affirmation but are, in fact, mocking God. Actually calling Him a liar.

In the Bible, mockery is a behavior and attitude shown by the fool (Psalm 74:22), the wicked (Psalm 1:1), the enemy (Psalm 74:10), the hater of knowledge (Proverbs 1:22; 13:1), the proud (Psalm 119:51; Isaiah 37:17), and the unteachable (Proverbs 15:12). A mocker goes beyond mere lack of judgment to making a conscious decision for evil. Mockers are without a spirit of obedience, teachability, discernment, wisdom, worship, or faith.

Those who mock God will mock the people of God as well. 

The prophet Jeremiah "became the laughingstock of all my people" and was mocked "in song all day long" (Lamentations 3:14). Mockery of God’s prophets was commonplace (2 Chronicles 36:16). Nehemiah was mocked by his enemies (Nehemiah 2:19). Elisha was mocked by the youths of Bethel (2 Kings 2:23). And of course our Lord Jesus Christ was mocked—by Herod and his soldiers (Luke 23:11), by the Roman soldiers (Mark 15:20; Luke 23:36), by a thief on a cross (Luke 23:39), and by the Jewish leaders who passed by the cross (Matthew 27:41).

It is easy for us as believers to point the finger at those outside the church who mock God. But the most subtle and dangerous mockery of God comes from those of us sitting in church. We are guilty of mockery when we behave with an outward show of spirituality or godliness without an inward engagement or change of heart.

Charles G. Finney, the great Presbyterian preacher and educator in the 1800s, wrote about the effects of mocking God: "To mock God is to pretend to love and serve him when we do not; to act in a false manner, to be insincere and hypocritical in our professions, pretending to obey him, love, serve, and worship him, when we do not. . . . Mocking God grieves the Holy Spirit, and sears the conscience; and thus the bands of sin become stronger and stronger. The heart becomes gradually hardened by this  process."

This is what it means that God is not mocked. There are repercussions for ignoring God’s directives and willfully choosing sin. Adam and Eve tried and brought sorrow and death into the world (Genesis 2:15–17; 3:6, 24). Ananias and Sapphira’s deception brought about a swift and public judgment (Acts 5:1–11). Galatians 6:7, which I quoted earlier, states a universal principle: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

God cannot be deceived (Hebrews 4:12–13). Achan’s sin (Joshua 7) and Jonah’s flight (Jonah 1) were not unknown to God. Jesus’ repeated words to every church in Revelation 2—3 were, "I know your works." We only deceive ourselves when we think our attitudes and actions are not seen by an all-powerful and all-knowing God.

Takeaway

The Bible shows us how to live a blessed life, sometimes through the good examples of godly men and women and sometimes through the negative examples of those who choose to follow another path. 

Psalm 1:1–3 says: 

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Faithful. Be Engaged. Be Blessed. Be Prayerful.