A Journey by Faith

Genesis 12:1-8

When some people travel, they like to be free, with little planning, just enjoying wherever the road takes them.  That’s not me!  Whenever I travel anywhere, I always like to have my route and destination completely mapped out ahead of time.  Back in the days when using paper maps was common, I studied them carefully, noting which roads to take, and each and every turn I had to make.  Nowadays I check the map online while my daughter, my faithful navigator, puts everything into her GPS on her phone which will tell me where to make my turns.  I don’t know if I would have done so well with what the Lord called Abram (later known as Abraham) to do.  Let’s take a look at what He called Abram to do.

As our Scripture opens, we read of God calling Abram to leave his extended family and the home that he had in the city of Haran.  Right prior to our passage, in the last few verses of chapter 11, we read that Abram’s elderly father had taken the whole extended family out of Ur of the Chaldees and moved northwest to Haran.  Ur was an ancient Sumerian city-state in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) near the mouth of the Euphrates River and the Persian Gulf. This was a very pagan culture, which worshipped the moon as its chief deity.  Haran was an ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia (present day Turkey), also along the Euphrates River, about 650 miles northwest of Ur.  After living in Haran for a number of years, God called Abram to pack up his belongings, take his wife, and leave (vs. 1).  God did not tell him where he was going to, just that He would show him the land He would give to his descendants.

God commanded Abram to “get out” (vs. 1).  This phrase was not a request or a suggestion.  It was a command.  Go!  Now!  Get up and move!  Abram, at age 75, was told to leave everything that he knew - his land, any business he may have had, his relatives, and his home, and he was obedient.  There were three layers of separation that Abram was called to make - from his country and the familiar culture of Ur and Haran, from his relatives and his family ties, and from his house, his earthly security.  God uprooted him from idolatry and set him apart for His purposes.  Separation unto God always involves separation from something else.

In verses 2 and 3 we read God’s promises to Abram, which form the core of the Abrahamic Covenant.  God promised to make him a great nation, which implies physical descendants which he currently had none of.  God promised to bless him and make his name great.  This was fulfilled both historically and spiritually.  Abram would be a blessing by becoming a channel of God’s grace.  God promised to protect him and his seed, and through him the world would be blessed, which was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus (Galatians 3:8, 16).  These promises are literal, unconditional, and everlasting.

Abram immediately obeyed the Lord (vs. 4-5).  He obeyed without knowing the destination (Hebrews 11:8).  God told him very little of where he was going, any description of the land, or how long it would take to get there.  He just told Abram to go, and his obedience was credited to him as faith.  Abram did not delay, and he left the comfort and security he had known, choosing faith and trust in God instead, solely relying on His Word.

Abram journeyed south of Haran, down to Shechem, which was in the hill country of Canaan (vs. 6-7).  This location was about 35 miles north of where Jerusalem would later be, a journey of about 45o miles from Haran.  Abram stopped at the plains of Moreh, where there were terebinth trees, a place associated with pagan Canaanite worship.  Here God repeats His promises to Abram, and the patriarch builds an altar to the Lord.

Worship was Abram’s first act in the promised land.  In faith he responded to God’s promise with worship, not in reliance upon himself.  Abram journeyed a bit further south, to a spot between Bethel and Ai, just west of the Jordan River, where he built another altar to God (vs. 8).  Not only were these altars that he built for his worship, but they were also public testimonies to the Canaanites, a witness to the one true God, Yahweh.

Abram was now living as a pilgrim (Hebrews 11:9-10), moving through the land God promised, but not yet possessing it.  His life is a pattern of faith, obedience, worship, and witness.  Obedience to God often requires us leaving our comfort zones.  It may disrupt our routines, our relationships, or our plans.  Faith trusts God’s promises, even when fulfillment seems distant, like it did for Abram.  And like Abram, worship should always be our first response throughout our life, bearing public testimony to God’s Name.  Remember, God’s promises are sure, even when circumstances seem contrary.

Stand on God's Word

Matthew 4:1-11

As humans, we all face temptations every day.  This included our Lord Jesus Christ while on earth, for though He was fully God, He was also fully man.  Satan delights when we give in to temptation and sin, and he would have loved to have seen Jesus give in to temptation, for then He would not have been sinless and able to redeem us.  In our Scripture today we will look at one specific time in particular when Satan came against Jesus with several temptations.  Let’s see how Jesus responded, and came out victorious.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus had just been baptized, and publicly identified as the beloved Son of God, and had been anointed by the Holy Spirit for His earthly ministry.  He was then led by the Spirit into the wilderness.  This was not by accident.  Temptation, in itself, is not a sin.  It is only when we fail and give in does the sin come.  This would be a demonstration of Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father.

Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, and was fasting and praying during that time (vs. 2).  By the end of that time He was naturally hungry, and Satan used that as an opportunity to attack.  Satan will often strike when we are physically or emotionally depleted.  He came to Jesus, tempting Him to change some of the stones into bread (vs. 3).  This temptation was to use divine power independently of the Father’s will.  Satan suggested a shortcut, to satisfy a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.

The Savior responded by coming against His adversary with Scripture (vs. 4).  He didn’t use His own power or wit.  Jesus confronted the devil with God’s Word, and only God’s Word.  He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3.  Obedience to God is more important than physical satisfaction.

Satan wasn’t going to give up, so he came at Jesus with another temptation (vs. 5-6).  Since Jesus had used the Bible, Satan tried to also use it in this temptation (Psalm 91:11-12).  He tempted Jesus to throw Himself from the Temple and command angels to catch Him.  However, he misused Scripture, trying to force God’s hand, demanding miraculous proof.  That is the sin of presumption, testing God rather than trusting Him.  Jesus responded again with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16.  Scripture interprets Scripture.  One verse never contradicts another.

Satan often uses half-truths instead of outright lies.  He likes promoting just enough truth about God to appear Biblical, while denying the power of the Gospel to save and transform.  We see this frequently done by false teachers and preachers.  They like to twist Bible verses around and quoting it to suit their ungodly teachings, but never using the Scripture to teach salvation.  Faith does not manipulate God or His Word, but rather submits to Him.

The devil tried a third time with a temptation of offering the kingdoms of the world to Jesus (vs. 8-9).  Jesus will ultimately receive all the kingdoms of the earth, but Satan promised to give them to Him right then, without the cross, but only if He would worship him.  Again, Jesus responded with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20.   This is the temptation of compromise: gain without suffering, glory without obedience.  The devil flashes newer, bigger, and seemingly better things of this world in front of us, trying to lure us into thinking we must have it, which leads to the worship of the god of this world, who is Satan (II Corinthians 4:4).  Worship belongs to God alone - no compromise, no negotiation.  Christ’s authority is absolute.  When Satan left, angels came to minister to Jesus (vs. 11).  God’s provision comes in God’s time.

Why was Jesus tempted?  By being tempted, He showed us that He was human, like us.  And by overcoming temptation, Jesus showed His ability to carry out His Father’s will.  Through His perfect obedience, Jesus will rescue us from the devil.  Jesus’ rejection of the devil’s temptations also provides us the perfect model for enduring temptations, which is using God’s Word against the devil.

Satan hates the Bible, which is why he tries so hard to destroy it.  He was repelled by the Word of God as he tempted Jesus.  It is our sword against him (Ephesians 6:17).  We can’t simply wave our Bible in the air, hoping to scare the devil away, and we can never defeat him in our own strength.  If we try he will surely give us a beat down.  To effectively defeat his lies, we need a good working knowledge of God’s Word, so that we can fight deception with truth, whatever the situation may be.  Stand firmly upon God’s written Word, as our Lord did when the devil tempted Him to yield to his deception.

One Brought Death, One Brought Life

Romans 5:12-21

If you look back on your life, can you see where one decision or one act of yours changed the whole trajectory of your life, maybe for good, or maybe for worse?  Perhaps that one thing you did also affected not only your life, but the life of someone else, or perhaps several people.  It might also have affected your family, maybe for several generations to come.  In our Scripture today we will see how one person’s single decision to do something affected not just himself, but everyone from that time forward.  Let’s look at what God’s Word can teach us from St. Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.

In this Scripture passage from Romans Paul explains why salvation must be by grace, and why the Lord Jesus’ work is fully sufficient.  We will see that Adam’s sin brought death, condemnation, and ruin to mankind, but Christ’s obedience brings righteousness, justification, and life.  His work does not merely undo Adam’s fall, it surpasses it.

As Paul begins, we learn that sin entered into the world through our first father, Adam, and death was the direct result of sin (vs. 12).  This death is both a physical and spiritual death.  Since each one of us is a descendant of Adam, not only will we each one day physically die, we have all inherited original sin, and are sinners ourselves.

Both sin and death reigned even when there was no written law to break (vs. 13-14).  People do not die just because they personally violate the Mosaic Law.  They die because they are from Adam’s race, and his guilt is imputed to them.  Adam was a type, or figure of Him who was to come, which is speaking of the Lord Jesus.  He is a type of Christ, not in character, but in function.  Both act as representative heads whose actions affect all who belong to them.

As we see, Adam’s offense brought death to all.  However, Jesus’ grace brings life (vs. 15).  Paul emphasizes here that Christ’s work is not merely equal to Adam’s fall.  It is much superior, as the apostle tells us that the Savior’s work was “much more”!  His obedience overwhelmed Adam’s disobedience.  We also read that God’s gift by His grace “abounded to many”.  I am thankful that the “many” includes me, and that God's love has transferred me into the territory of His marvelous, infinite, matchless grace! No matter what life may bring, nothing can remove us from the realm of God’s grace.

When we read the account of Adam’s sin in Genesis, we see that it took just one act of disobedience to bring sin and condemnation into the world (vs. 16).  Likewise, Jesus’ one act of obedience to God, specifically His death on the cross, brings justification.  Justification is not earned. It is a gift, based on His obedience, not ours.  Adam’s sin caused death to reign, but Jesus’ righteousness causes those who believe in Him to reign (vs. 17).  This includes victory over sin’s dominion, a restored relationship with God, and eternal life.

Paul repeats that it was just one man’s one offense that brought sin and judgment upon all mankind (vs. 18).  We might wonder why that is so.  When we look in nature we see examples - just one tiny microscopic spore of a fungus can multiply and grow to millions of times larger, infecting a much larger area.  One tiny speck of mold in a tiny corner of a loaf of bread, and very soon the whole loaf is moldy.  One speck on one orange in a bag of oranges, and soon the whole bag has gone bad.  One tiny growth of mold within the walls of a house, if left alone, very soon the whole house has mold.  One single act of disobedience by Adam and sin grew so all people are sinners and stand condemned before God.  However, the good news is that the one act of sinless Jesus provides eternal life to all who accept Him as Savior (vs. 19).

As we close this Scripture passage we see that grace is not threatened by sin (vs. 20-21).  It is not limited by sin.  Grace overflows beyond sin’s reach.  Sin reigned in death, but now grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life for those who come to Jesus in faith.  You don’t have to earn God’s favor.  It is Jesus’ obedience, not yours, that secures your salvation.  If you have accepted Him as Savior then sin is no longer your master, death is no longer your terror, and condemnation is no longer your destiny.  God’s grace is stronger than your failures.

Have Mercy on Me

Psalm 51

We’ve all sinned, done some things that were against God’s commands, things that grieved Him.  Did you ever try to cover up a sin that you knew was terribly wrong, or pretend that it never happened?  Our psalm for this week was written about just such an event, and the repentance, cleansing, and restoration that followed.

The superscription for this psalm gives us the context, as King David wrote this after having been confronted by the prophet Nathan following having committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David’s elite soldiers (I Samuel 11 - 12:15).  When they found out that she was pregnant, David ordered his general, Joab, to put Uriah in the thickest part of the battle, and then retreat, essentially ordering his execution.  So David committed two grave sins - adultery and murder.  Then David married Bathsheba, and acted for over a year as if nothing had happened.  However, God knew, and when David was not repenting on his own, He sent Nathan to confront him.

The king could have had Nathan killed for daring to confront his sin, but David knew he had done wickedly in the sight of God, and immediately repented and cried out to God for forgiveness (vs. 1-2).  He knew that he could not fix this, and he cried for God’s mercy, which is undeserved. Forgiveness is grounded in who God is, not who we are.

David made a full confession of his sins (vs. 3-4).  He didn’t try to hide it any longer, make excuses, or give a partial confession.  He was aware of the gravity of his sin, and took responsibility.  He also acknowledged that his offense was against God.  Whenever we sin, our sins are against God and His holiness.  This does not deny the harm done to others.  Rather, it recognizes that all sin is ultimately rebellion against God.

He confessed not only his acts of sin, but also that he, like all of us, had a sinful nature (vs. 5-6).  God desires that we are truthful to both Him and ourselves.  The Lord wants integrity, not outward religiosity.

Our psalm continues with a picture of sacrificial imagery (vs. 7).  Hyssop was a plant used to sprinkle water and the blood of sacrifice, which is an image of cleansing.  David was asking for cleansing through atonement. Even though I really dislike winter and snow, snow can be a picture of our forgiveness.  Jesus provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sins, and our hearts to be made whiter than snow.  Only He can cleanse the sinner, and He does so thoroughly.  There is only one way to deal with our sin problem, and that is the Precious Blood of Jesus.

In verse 10 David prayed that God would “Create in me a clean heart.”  The word “create” in Hebrew is “bara”, which is the same verb used in Genesis 1 when God created the heavens and the earth.  David was asking for a divine act of re-creation.  He wanted God to make him into a new man.  David prayed that God not cast him away, nor take His Holy Spirit from him (vs. 11).  This was not about losing his salvation, as we cannot lose our salvation.  This was about losing the empowering presence of God for service, such as what happened with the previous king, Saul.

David prayed that the joy of the Lord that he once felt would return (vs. 12).  Sometimes we struggle with self-forgiveness because we find it difficult to accept God’s forgiveness.  Guilt can be so strong that it overshadows God’s gift of forgiveness.  Often our personal disappointment prevents us from forgiving ourselves, especially when we see the results of our sin.  However, David knew that when God forgives, we are truly forgiven, and we can move on in our life by further service to Him (vs. 13).

Rituals alone cannot fix sin (vs. 16-17).  God wants heart-level repentance rather than just an outward show.  Repentance involves full confession, and a true confession will acknowledge our guilt.  It involves recognizing that the sin was against God, even though other people may be hurt, as well.  When we repent, we take full responsibility for our sin.  There can be no blaming others or making excuses with God.  It is not complete without full honesty.  Repentance means changing one's mind about sin.

It was at David’s lowest point that he had a revelation of God’s love and mercy.  God does not abandon us in our times of crisis, for He has promised to save us, even in our darkest time.  Psalm 51 is a gift to every believer who has ever failed, which is all of us.  It shows that no sin is too deep for God’s mercy, and no heart is too broken for God to restore.  David’s darkest moment became the occasion for one of Scripture’s brightest testimonies of grace.

The Worst Decision

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7

You put a child in a room with lots of nice toys which you tell him that he can play with, but you instruct him that he is not to play with this one thing which is off to the side.  You tell him to leave that one alone.  There is a good chance that the child will eventually make his way over to that one thing that he was told to leave alone and will check it out.  Why, when he has a room of nice toys, does he want to play with the one he’s told to leave alone?  Why is it when we are told not to do something, that we get an overwhelming desire to do that one thing?  That has been the case since our first parents, Adam and Eve.  In today’s Old Testament Scripture we will take a look at the tragic day when they could not leave alone the one thing they were told to not eat.

As we begin, we read that God placed the man that He had created, Adam, into the Garden of Eden, which he was to tend and take care of (vs. 15-17).  The Lord then instructed Adam that he could eat from every tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He was warned that if he did eat from that he would die. The command was simple, clear, and rooted in God’s goodness.  He gave abundant freedom, but one prohibition, and the consequence was certain.

We then jump over to the beginning verses of chapter 3 of Genesis where we first meet the serpent (vs. 1).  The serpent was used as Satan’s instrument in tempting Eve.  In the last book of the Bible, the serpent is specifically identified as Satan (Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2).  Eve’s first mistake was that she wandered near the Tree of Knowledge.  God hadn’t prohibited getting near it, but when He forbids something, it is best to stay far away to avoid temptation.  However, Eve had ventured near.  The serpent’s first tactic in tempting was to sow doubt, so he asks her if God really said what He said.  The serpent wanted to raise doubts about God’s good intentions.  Satan always attacks God’s Word, having people question its accuracy before he leads them to deny it.  The doubt that Satan plants are the seedbed of disobedience.  Every temptation begins with a challenge to God’s authority, His goodness, or His clarity.

As soon as the serpent began to talk with Eve, she would have been wise to turn and run the other way, but instead she stayed and talked with him, listening to him try to cast doubt on God’s Word (vs. 2-3).  Eve answered his question, however her answer was only partially accurate.  She repeated God’s command, but she added “nor shall you touch it”, which actually the Lord had not said.  She also omitted the word “surely” when speaking of dying.  It is wrong to either add to or subtract from God’s Word.

Satan next went for direct denial of God’s Word and deception (vs. 4-5).  He boldly told her the lie that she would not die, calling God a liar.  Instead, Satan promised her that her eyes would be opened, and she would be like God.  He implied that God was withholding something good from them.  His temptation appealed to their pride, autonomy, and self-exaltation.  This is the essence of sin - the desire to be independent of God, and to define good and evil or oneself.

Next followed the most devastating act in human history - when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit (vs. 6).  This temptation was threefold.  She saw that the fruit was good for food, which is lust of the flesh.  She saw that it was pleasant to the eyes, which is lust of the eyes.  And that it would make one wise, which is the pride of life (I John 2:16).  Eve ate and then Adam followed after her.  She was deceived, but Adam was not deceived.  He sinned willfully (I Timothy 2:14).  His sin is the one through which death entered the world, plunging the human race into sin (Romans 5:12).  Their act of disobedience stemmed directly from the temptation to mistrust God’s loving relationship.

Then followed immediate consequences (vs. 7).  Their eyes were indeed opened, but not as promised.  They gained experiential knowledge of evil, but not divine wisdom.  Though physical death wasn’t immediate, it began its process.  However, spiritual death was immediate, which leads to eternal death, apart from salvation through the Lord Jesus.  Their innocence was lost and shame entered. The two made a feeble attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves, which symbolizes human attempts to deal with sin.  However it was insufficient, temporary, and inadequate.  God would later replace their coverings with animal skins, which is a foreshadowing of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.

We have to wonder why Adam and Eve would trust the serpent who they didn’t know, and not trust the Lord God who they did know.  The Lord would meet with them and walk with them every evening, yet they took the word of that serpent, Satan, who they had just encountered.  Man had every reason to trust and obey his loving Father, yet he sinned at the first opportunity and disobeyed, breaking the one rule.  However, God showed His love, as He immediately began to redeem mankind from sin.

What is Truly Important

Philippians 3:7-14

Have you gotten a trophy or two in your lifetime, perhaps for some sport,  or maybe a blue ribbon for some achievement?  Maybe hanging on your wall are diplomas, showing your academic achievements.  They may not be an Academy Award, a Nobel prize, or an Olympic medal, but we’re still proud of our achievements.  What would you think of someone who would throw all of their awards away?  That would be a shock!  The world would look at them as odd, to say the least.  In our Scripture today we look at someone who had achieved a lot in his past, but now considered it all trash.  There was now only one thing important in his life, and he was pursuing that with a zeal that outmatched any from his past.  Let’s take a look.

As you might have guessed, the person we are looking at today is the Apostle Paul.  In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul wanted to stress to the new believers what is really important in their Christian walk.  As Paul traveled around Greece and Asia Minor winning souls to Christ and establishing churches, there were others who would come shortly after, telling the new converts that they needed to fully follow the Old Testament Mosaic Law in order to be accepted by God.  In various verses in his epistles, Paul stressed how that was not true.  One did not need to keep the Law to be accepted by God.  Immediately prior to today’s passage, Paul listed his impressive religious credentials.  If anyone could claim righteousness by the Law, it was him.  However, Paul learned, and now taught, that works do not save us.  True righteousness is found only in Jesus, and that the Christian life is a forward-pressing pursuit of knowing Him more deeply.

As Paul shared, everything that he once trusted in - his Jewish heritage, meticulous law-keeping, his reputation, they were now worthless compared to Christ (vs. 7-8).  This was a complete reorientation of what matters for salvation.  Salvation requires abandoning confidence in our self-righteousness.  We can be a member of our church since birth, been tithing since our first paycheck, be a deacon, teach Sunday School, etc., but none of these can save us.  Salvation requires abandoning confidence in any works.  Even good things become “loss” if they keep us from Jesus.

Scripture teaches us that the righteousness that will save us is not earned, not inherited, and not achieved, but it is imputed by God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 9).  This is the heart of justification.  Our assurance rests not in performance, but in Christ’s finished work.  What is important is knowing Jesus Christ, having a deepening relationship with Him, and knowing the power of His resurrection (vs. 10), which is the same power that enables holy living.  Also the fellowship of His sufferings, which will draw us closer to Him.  Paul said that his greatest desire was for the final resurrection (vs. 11), which should also be our ultimate hope and destination.

As the Apostle continued, he knew that he was still growing as a believer (vs. 12).  Christians are a work in progress.  We should be growing in Christ, seeking to draw closer to Jesus, and be more and more obedient to His commands, even though sometimes we fall short.  No one, even the most brilliant of saints, ever gets to a point of spiritual perfection.  Paul knew, though, that he was safe and secure, just like a child in their parent’s hand, because Jesus had a hold of him.

Paul made the conscious decision that he would refuse to be controlled by the past (vs. 13).  He refused to rest on past achievements or be paralyzed by past failures.  With God’s forgiveness, we can leave our past mistakes behind, and live for today.  If He doesn’t remember our forgiven sin, then why should we? (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 1:18).  Yesterday’s victories do not guarantee today’s faithfulness, nor does yesterday’s failures disqualify today’s obedience.

The Christian life is not static.  Jesus has taken hold of us, and now we run, not to earn His love, but because we already have it.  The finish line is ahead, and the prize is Jesus, Himself.  Paul made it a point to press forward, to strain with all of his effort, to make it to the finish line and receive his eternal reward (vs. 13-14).  We need to follow the path that Jesus laid out for us, and not get side-tracked.  We should have a single aim - to complete the course, whatever challenges it presents.  As Hebrews 12:1-2 says, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, as He guides us to the finish line.

Prayer and Fasting

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

We are now beginning the season of Lent, a period of forty days before Easter where Christians take part in solemn observances of prayer, fasting, abstinence, and often adding special acts of service or other religious practices.  As I am writing this on Ash Wednesday, I swapped our usual Gospel reading from later in the week to today, as it focuses on giving alms, prayer, and fasting, two common practices during Lent. In today’s Scripture Jesus contrasts true righteousness with the empty religiosity of the Pharisees, and calls His followers to sincere, God-centered righteousness.

In Jesus’ day, many of the Pharisees liked to perform their acts of spiritual observance, such as giving alms, praying, and fasting, out in the open.  They would often do this with great show, so that others would see.  They hoped that others would notice and be impressed with how religious and godly they seemed to be.  Unfortunately we still see this today with people in church congregations who try to impress others with their “godly” practices.  Jesus warns His disciples about this subtle spiritual trap (vs. 1).  He isn’t telling us that we should never do any good works publicly, however we should not be doing them for the public’s applause.  We should be doing them for the right reasons - so that others will glorify God.  If our goal is human praise, human praise is all we will get.

Scripture shows that the people who seek out public applause for their spiritual acts are hypocrites, as they are pretending to be something they are not.  God values quiet, humble generosity with our alms giving (vs. 2-4).  We should be giving in ways that only God needs to know about.  Jesus wants us to give from a heart that seeks only His approval, not those around us.  The less attention we draw to ourselves, the more glory goes to God.

Jesus continues by speaking about our prayer life (vs. 5-6).  Generally, most of our prayer should be done in private.  That is not to say that there is anything wrong with praying with our Christian brothers and sisters.  Corporate prayer with family and in church is good.  However, again, Jesus is speaking against making our prayers a performance in order to be admired.  Our prayers should not be man-centered, but instead be God-centered.  Our private prayer life reveals our true walk with God.

Next we jump down to verses 16-18 where Jesus talks about fasting.  The Pharisees were frequent fasters, and they would let everyone know they were doing that by their appearance and actions.  Jesus told His followers that was the wrong way.  We should not be making ourselves look miserable so others will admire our devotion.  Instead Jesus said that we should look and act our normal way when fasting.  It should be between ourselves and God, so we don’t need to be telling others that we’re fasting, either.  Spiritual disciplines are not props for public admiration.

Fasting does not serve to change God’s mind.  Nor should it be a way to try to manipulate His will, or think that it will speed up His answer.  Instead, fasting helps us focus our attention on God alone, so that we listen and worship wholeheartedly.  When fasting, we are better able to fix our eyes on Jesus, and hear Him clearly.  Also, fasting can be carried out in several ways.  Frequently it is going without food or certain types of food.  We can also fast by eliminating some activities, or giving up that extra hour of sleep, in order to seek the Lord during that time.  The intent of any fast is to pray without disturbance so we can focus fully on the Lord.

Jesus finishes this lesson with teaching us where our true treasures should be (vs. 19-21).  There are two kinds of treasure.  One is earthly treasure, which is temporary, vulnerable, and corruptible.  Then there is heavenly treasure, which is eternal, secure, and incorruptible.  Our heart will follow where we have made our investments.  Heavenly treasures can include our acts of obedience, our sacrificial giving, the God-honoring service we do, and especially the souls that we have won for Jesus.

Remember, God is always watching.  Whether our work is on a public stage or done in the quietness of our homes, God sees it.  And when we do things with a heart to serve Him, He rewards us with His pleasure.  However, when we work with impure motives, or just to gain other’s approval, that will be our only reward.  We secure God’s approval in the secret places, when no one else knows what we have done.  One word of approval from God is worth more than a million from the world.

A Life Ordered by God's Word

Psalm 119:1-16

Our psalm selection for this week comes from a rather special and unique psalm.  Psalm 119 holds a special position in the Bible, as it is both the longest psalm in the Book of Psalms, and is also the longest chapter in the Bible, containing 176 verses.  In all but about five or six of these verses there is a synonym for God’s law, using words such as: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, ordinances, word, and ways. Psalm 119 is one of nine acrostic psalms.  The psalm is divided into segments of eight verses, each one beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Let’s take a look at the first two segments of this beautiful psalm which praises God’s Word.

The first segment of eight verses speak of how one is blessed by God when they order their life by God’s Word.  To be blessed is to be highly favored by God (vs. 1).  To be “undefiled in the way” refers to their manner of life.  They don’t have sinless perfection, as none but the Lord Jesus led such a life, but they try to live their life with integrity.  God’s Word governs their whole pattern of life.  Such a person is truly blessed by God.

Our unknown psalmist continues by declaring that God’s blessing is upon the one that not only keeps God’s testimonies, but also seeks Him with their whole heart (vs. 2).  They guard their life and heart, holding fast onto His Word.  They seek after God, having no divided loyalties between Him and the world.  The psalmist repeats that such a person will not commit iniquity or sin, but follow God’s ways (vs. 3).  Again, this is not referring to sinless perfection, but a consistent pattern of seeking to live a righteous life by following God’s ways, revealed in Scripture.  His Word should be what shapes our behavior, not our personal preferences.

God’s commands in His Word are binding, clear, and authoritative (vs. 4).  They are not an option, nor are we to pick and choose what we want to obey or not obey.  A faithful believer will diligently, carefully, and intentionally seek to follow them.  He will cry out to God, seeking His help to obey His Word (vs. 5).  We all know that even when we desire to faithfully follow God, we will occasionally fall, so we pray for His help. On the other hand, when we become lax in our obedience to the Lord, we should be filled with shame (vs. 6).  This includes just partial obedience.  Partial obedience is in truth, disobedience.  The psalmist continues to praise the Lord and resolve to obey Him (vs. 7-8).

The second segment of eight verses highlight the cleansing and transforming power of God’s Word and Law.  It begins with a question that every young person must answer, and that is how to keep oneself clean from the stain of sin in their life (vs. 9).  The psalmist answers this question for us.  Becoming clean from the stain of sin does not happen by self-help, but by taking heed, by careful obedience to God’s Word.  The Bible is sufficient for our moral purity.

The psalmist recognized his own tendency to drift away from committed devotion, so he prayed to seek Him with his whole heart (vs. 10). We need to spend time reading and meditating on Scripture, and most importantly, obeying it.  Spiritual vigilance is necessary to live a life pleasing to God.

One way to keep ourselves close to the Lord is by hiding His Word in our heart (vs. 11).  To do that we need to be reading, meditating, and even memorizing Scripture each day.  Memorization is an important weapon against sin.  When we memorize God’s Word, it is planted into our hearts. That way we can be prepared for temptation, as it becomes our spiritual sword. Even if we stray from Him, those words will play over and over in our mind.  His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11).  Also, there may come a time when we cannot have a Bible with us.  However, if we have Scripture passages memorized, those verses will always be with us.

As we jump down to verse 14, we see that our psalmist values his Bible more than material wealth.  Given a choice between his Bible or great riches, he would choose his Bible.  Would you?  Many people dream of getting rich.  That is why places like Las Vegas exist.  What if we were more excited about following the Lord’s Word than about winning millions of dollars?  True riches belong to those who walk with Jesus.  True joy is found in God’s Word, not in material prosperity.

The psalmist closes by saying that his delight is God’s Word, and promises not to forget it (vs. 16).  To avoid forgetting something one needs to keep it forefront in one’s mind.  To not forget certain Bible verses, we need to keep repeating them over and over again.

Do you want to be blessed in your life?  I’m sure we all do.  God’s blessing is tied to obeying His Word.  Let’s follow this psalmist’s example with wholehearted devotion and submission to Scripture, and by meditation and memorization so that we can live a life of blessing, peace, and joy.

Are We Hypocrites?

Isaiah 58:1-12

No one really likes being called a hypocrite.  People outside of the church often use that as an excuse as to why they won’t attend.  They say that the church is filled with hypocrites.  Often then, some people in the church will get offended or become even more self-righteous.  And they certainly don’t like it if a fellow church member calls another a hypocrite.  However, what if it is the Lord God who is calling us hypocrites?  In our Scripture passage today, as we approach Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent later this week, we read from the prophet Isaiah when the Lord called out His people for their hypocrisy.

Many of the people of Judah during Isaiah’s day were very outwardly religious.  They kept all of the religious holy days and festivals.  They fasted when they should, and brought all of the required sacrifices to the Temple.  They prayed at the appointed times.  If someone were to observe them they would conclude that they were very religious.  However, most of them were just outwardly religious, but inwardly they were rebellious.  Despite their rituals, their hearts were far from God.

God gave Isaiah a message, and that was to proclaim to the people of Judah their sins (vs. 1).  The prophet does so without softening his message.  All of their religious activity was hypocrisy, masking a deep rebellion.  God told Isaiah to confront His people with the truth without any coddling or flattery.  He takes hypocrisy seriously, both back then and today.  From all outward appearance they seemed devoted to God, following His ways (vs. 2).  However, it was all external.  Their obedience to Him was only superficial.

The people couldn’t understand - they fasted and prayed, yet it seemed that God took no notice and didn’t see (vs. 3).  Their prayers seemed to go unanswered.  How often do we feel the same way?  We pray, we fast, we go through any number of religious rituals, and then get angry at God.  The problem was not with God, but with them.  Isaiah proceeded to tell them that they weren’t fasting in order to get closer to God and hear from Him.  They fasted while exploiting their workers, and while they were fighting among themselves (vs. 3-4).  Their fasting was self-centered, not God centered.  How about with us?  When we fast and pray, do we continue in our sinful ways, hoping that God will be proud of our fasting and answer our prayers?  Religious rituals cannot co-exist with unrighteous living.

The people were in the habit of making a big, outward show of their religiosity, such as wearing sackcloth and ashes so everyone knew they were fasting (vs. 5).  Though we don’t usually do that, we have our own ways of trying to appear pious.  However, God rejects ritual without righteousness.  All God saw was a hypocritical show of religiosity instead of true repentance.  True worship requires a heart aligned with God’s Word, not empty ceremony.  What God wants is that we show love, compassion, and caring for others in their needs, a practical righteousness flowing from a transformed heart (vs. 6-7).  True devotion to God always expresses itself in love, justice, and mercy.

When the people start truly practicing righteousness and following His ways, God’s blessings will follow.  His light and health will follow, and He will be our Rear Guard against our enemies (vs. 8).  He will be there with us and take care of us.  These blessings would come to the people when they started obeying His Word and caring for others (vs. 9-12).  God delights to answer prayer when His people walk in integrity.  Obedience brings a flourishing in our relationship with the Lord, and an outpouring of His blessings.

God promises to guide us continually (vs. 11).  Not a human, or even an angel, but the Lord.  We can notice the word “will”.  This makes it certain.  God will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  He also promised to guide us continually.  We are not led sometimes.  We have a perpetual Guide.

As we look back over this passage of Scripture, we learn that God rejects worship that is merely external.  True faith produces obedience, compassion, and holiness.  God is not impressed by ritual, but by righteousness that reflects His character.  We need to show Him genuine devotion, with compassion for others and integrity in our actions.  When we do, God promises to continually guide our ways.

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

How would you like to spend a period of time in a dimly lit room, eating nothing but some type of tasteless cooked cereal?  Most of us wouldn’t like that, as we prefer our food to be flavored, and we enjoy sunlight.  That is why one of the first things I do every day is open up the shades in my home to let the sunlight in.  I also flavor my food to a moderate amount.  Jesus likes light and flavoring, too.  However, rather than referring to the spice rack in the kitchen and sunlight through a window, He is referring to desiring His followers to be that in the world around them.  Let’s look into our short Scripture passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus was seated on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and was preaching a message, today known as the Sermon on the Mount.  He told His followers that they are the salt of the earth (vs. 13).   Salt enhances taste.  It flavors food which might otherwise be bland, which is why it is added to many recipes.  Salt was also used in the ancient world as a preservative.  Before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat and other foods, as it would prevent decay.

This is what Jesus wants us to be in the world.  Today the world is morally and spiritually decaying.  Jesus wants us to go out into the world and be salt.  As His disciples, our godly lives and Gospel witness can help to restrain corruption.  As we act as salt with our Christian living, we can show an alternative to the corrupting ways of the world, and point them to Jesus for salvation.  Our presence should bring moral clarity and a spiritual attractiveness that brings a desired flavor to the world’s decay.  The Apostle Paul tells us that our speech, the way we talk and act, should always be as seasoning to others (Colossians 4:6).  As we all know from experience, salt causes thirst.  When those who don’t know Jesus see how we handle problems, illnesses, or suffering, they will thirst to know how we do it, and then we can tell them about what Jesus can do in their lives

Salt in Jesus’ day was often mixed with impurities.  If the true salt leached out, what remained was useless.  If a professing believer loses their distinctiveness, their witness becomes ineffective.  Compromising one's beliefs and the truth of God’s Word will destroy one's testimony.  If we lose our flavor, if our beliefs become watered down, if our words and actions do not display true faith in Jesus Christ, then we lose our influence and we are of little value to the Kingdom of God.

The second thing Jesus told His followers is that they are light (vs. 14-16).  One thing that light does is that it reveals.  In a dark room you will stumble around, bumping into whatever is there that you can’t see.  When a light is turned on, then you can see and avoid the obstacles.  As light, believers reveal the truth about God, about sin, and about salvation.  We are to shine as lights in the middle of a crooked and perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  We are a light in the darkness.  We are watched.  The world may hate the light, but there will be some attracted to it.  We must let our light shine.

Light also reflects off of objects.  Jesus is the true Light (John 8:12).  We shine only because we reflect Him.  This is borrowed light, just like the moon reflecting the sun.  Jesus said that we are not to let our light be hidden, but rather be the light on a lampstand or a beacon from a city on a hill.  A genuine Christian is visible against the corrupt and perverse world.  Our lives are meant to be public testimonies.  No one lights a lamp to hide it.  Likewise, God saved us to shine, not to retreat.  Our testimony is meant to illuminate our sphere of influence.

Light shines most effectively when it is not hidden.  Light is brightest when the lamp is kept clean.  We need to eliminate sinful attitudes and practices which dims our testimony for Jesus.  Light reveals what is hidden in the darkness.  It serves to warn of danger and guides to safety.  This is what the Lord wants us to be for a lost world.

As believers, we represent the family of God.  The world will judge our Father based on our words, behavior, and our attitudes.  Jesus challenges His followers to let their light shine into the world’s spiritual darkness, and be the salt to flavor and preserve against an increasingly corrupt and perverse world.  Our deeds, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, will reflect an image of God that others will see.  Remember, this world is dark and decaying.  As Christians, we are not called to blend in but to stand out.

Preaching Christ Crucified

I Corinthians 2:1-11

Imagine, if you will, that you had been inviting a close friend or relative to come to church or Bible study with you.  They are not Christian, not a believer, and you are praying that they will come, hear the Word of God, and may soon accept Jesus.  Finally they accept and come with you.  However, that day there was a guest preacher, and his message was so intellectual, so highbrow.  He used so many ten-dollar words it would make a graduate student from Harvard or Oxford’s head spin!  There was very little mention of Jesus, and none of His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, or salvation.  Your friend could barely follow along, and went home hearing nothing of the salvation they needed, and had no interest in returning.  This was something that the Apostle Paul did not want to see happen, and he speaks along this line in our Scripture for today.

Today’s Scripture continues on from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.  Greek culture in that time highly prized intellectual speech and polished rhetoric.  They really loaded up on those ten-dollar words!  Paul was no intellectual light-weight.  He was extremely well-educated, and could easily hold his own in any intellectual conversation or discussion.  However, when it was time to bring a message or preach a sermon, Paul stuck strictly to the message of the Gospel, and spoke in a manner that anyone in the audience could understand (vs. 1).  His goal was to bring the Gospel of salvation to everyone in a manner and way that everyone could understand.  Paul’s goal was not to impress people, but to declare God’s truth plainly.  Like Paul, preachers today need to realize that the power of their message is not in their preaching skills, but is in the message of Christ.

Paul wanted to make sure that his messages were centered on Jesus and His death on the cross for everyone’s sins (vs 2).  It wasn’t that he felt that other doctrines were not of any importance, as his letters speak of other things, such as spiritual warfare and godly Christian living.  However, salvation is the governing center of all doctrines.  The cross is the dividing line between human wisdom and divine wisdom.  Every doctrine flows from Jesus and His sacrifice.  A Christ-centered ministry should be non-negotiable.  The cross is not one theme among many.  It is the foundation of all preaching.  Preaching that doesn’t exalt the Lord Jesus is empty preaching.

When he came to Corinth, Paul did not rely on making an impression with his eloquence and his human wisdom (vs. 3-5).  His preaching was not with persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.  He didn’t want their faith to be built on personality, eloquence, or emotional manipulation, as that is false and unstable.  However, faith built on God’s power is unshakeable.  When people follow image-conscious leaders in the church, the leader is exalted.  He is placed on a pedestal, and ultimately takes the place of the head of the church.  However, when the people follow leaders who have a servant’s heart, the Lord Jesus is exalted.

Paul did speak with wisdom, but it was not worldly or philosophical (vs. 6-7).  It is God’s wisdom, which is revealed to believers.  Paul spoke of the “wisdom of God in a mystery”.  A “mystery” in Scripture is truth that was once hidden, but now revealed.  Paul was speaking of how God planned redemption from before creation (Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 1:20).  The Gospel message that Paul sought to always preach was God’s divine plan from the start.  The leaders of the world did not understand God’s wisdom, as they took and crucified the Savior, God’s Son (vs. 8).  It is no different today, as the leaders of this world follow their own wisdom, not God’s, and oppose Jesus at every opportunity.

Paul proceeded in verse 9 to quote Isaiah 64:4.  Many people often apply this verse to heaven, but in this context it is referring to spiritual truths which are now revealed to believers.  It is true that we have no comprehension of how wonderful heaven will be, but at the same time, the spiritual truths which were once hidden mysteries are just as glorious when we see them revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  God makes His truths known to us through the Holy Spirit (vs. 10), as He enables us to understand the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God, and what He wishes and allows, the Spirit reveals to us (vs. 11).  It is impossible to know God through human reasoning alone.

As we close this portion of Scripture, we see that the truth about God is not the product of human philosophy, but is revealed by the Holy Spirit.  The cross should always be the heart of Christian preaching, as it divides between true and false wisdom.  Human intellect cannot reach anyone for God.  Thus whether teaching, witnessing, or preaching, the message must be Jesus Christ and His cross, and not the self-help, feel good, or entertainment messages so many prefer to preach.  Remember, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is a central doctrine of our faith, and understanding it correctly is essential for eternal life.

Faith in God in the Face of Fear

Psalm 27

Our psalm for this week is one of my three all-time favorite psalms.  This psalm, along with Psalms 34 and 103, top my list of favorites.  Psalm 27 was one of the first chapters of the Bible that I memorized.  It is one of King David’s richest confessions of faith in the Lord, showing his confidence in Yahweh in the face of fear, enemies and uncertainty.  We all face times in our life when we also face fear, sometimes great fear where our whole world seems to come crashing down around us, or even when our very life is in danger.  Psalm 27 is a good one to latch onto in such times.

Though the Scriptures do not specify exactly when David wrote this psalm, it was likely either during the years when he was fleeing from King Saul, or later, after he was king, during the time when he had to flee Jerusalem when his son Absalom conducted a coup to dethrone him.  David spent several years as a young adult on the run from King Saul.  Saul wasn’t trying to just catch David and throw him in prison, or even to banish him from the country.  Saul wanted to kill David.  If someone is trying to hunt you down to kill you, that would certainly be a fearful time.  Absalom was also serious, and he knew that as long as his father was alive he couldn’t be king, so David’s life was in danger then, too.

As our psalm begins, David spoke of how all of his confidence, all of his trust during this desperate time, was in Yahweh.  God was his light, his source of truth, guidance, and hope (vs. 1).  There is no darkness in God.  Jesus said that He is the light of the world (John 8:12).  Even when darkness fills the world, our heart does not need to feel hopeless.  God shines a light on our inner being that no darkness can overcome.

David also called God his salvation (vs. 1).  God alone would deliver him from danger and the enemies who were attacking him.  He proclaimed that the Lord was the strength of his life.  He is our stability and protection.  Our courage is not just positive thinking. That will not defeat an enemy. Instead, it comes from God.  Courage is rooted in God’s character, not in human strength.   David speaks of real adversaries who were violent, malicious, and determined (vs. 2-3).  Faith is not a denial of danger.  It is trust in God despite danger.  In these times our trust should be in God’s character, not in changing circumstances.

If you could have any desire of yours granted, what would it be?  David had one wish, and that was to dwell in the house of the Lord his whole life, to behold God’s beauty, and inquire in His temple (vs. 4).  He wanted fellowship, worship, and communion with God.  Even though his life was in danger, David’s greatest desire was not deliverance, nor for money or fame, but deeper fellowship with God.  He didn’t close his eyes to the trouble and danger that he was in.  David trusted that God would hide him, set him upon a rock for protection, and give him victory over his enemies (vs. 5-6).  In gratitude, David responded with worship.

Our psalm continues with a prayer that David made to the Lord (vs. 7-12).  He wanted to seek God’s face, pursuing His presence, His will, and His approval in life, not that of his own.  David also prayed to God not to abandon him (vs. 9-10).  He knew that the Lord would always receive him, whether his earthly parents did or not.  No matter what happens in our relationship with our parents or any other human relationship, our God and Father will receive us with His arms wide open.  David continued to pray that the Lord would teach him, lead him, and protect him (vs. 11-12).  He trusted in God, not in himself.

David closed with a final declaration of faith (vs. 13-14).  He instructed all who would read this that we need to trust God, be of good courage, and wait for Him to respond.  Waiting is not passive.  It is active trust.  Courage grows as we wait on God, not on circumstances to change.  As we wait on the Lord, we should pray, giving thanks in our circumstances, thanking God that He has it all under control, and then release our situation into His hands to do what He will with it.  Then we wait on the Lord.  Waiting on God requires faith in Him, trusting Him even without knowing when or how He will resolve the situation.  Such expressions of trust enable God to pour out upon us the very blessing that He intends.

Although circumstances change, God’s promises do not change.  Stand on the rock of His promises and take shelter under His wings until the storms pass.  We should not spend all of our time looking down at our circumstances, otherwise we will forget to look up to God.  As the saying goes, don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big our God is!

From Fear to Faith

Habakkuk 3:2-6, 17-19

What might trigger the greatest fear you would ever face?  Perhaps a complete economic collapse.  A war or enemy invasion would do that.  Also a great famine.  All of these were events that the Prophet Habakkuk and the people of Judah faced.  When faced with these, would you fall down in fear and panic, or perhaps be filled with anger at God?  Or would you move from fear to faith in God, as Habakkuk did?  Our Scripture today shows us a glimpse of some very dark and fearful times, and how the prophet went from fear into faith.

We have very little personal information about the prophet Habakkuk, other than that his ministry was shortly before the Babylonian Empire’s invasion of Judah.  His book was not written as messages to the people, but rather as a dialogue between himself and God.  One of the issues that he wrestled with, which many people today also wonder about, is why does God allow evil to prosper, and when will He act on this?  Our Scripture passage from the final chapter of this short book, contains a prayer to God, a song, and a declaration of faith.

As the prophet observed the conditions of his world and nation at the time, he knew that the invasion and destruction of his nation was imminent.  Thousands will be killed, and those who remained would be taken captive or starve.  As a believer, Habakkuk knew that this was God’s judgment on the people’s sins.  However, he prayed that God, in His judgment, would also have mercy (vs. 2).  He knew that God must judge sin, but prayed that He would also choose to show mercy on His people.

Habakkuk recalled, perhaps in a vision, God’s glory and His deliverance of His people in the past.  He recalled the Exodus, when God led the people from the south (vs. 3).  He also spoke of God’s radiant glory, the same glory that was seen at Sinai (vs. 4), along with His judgments, both against Egypt with the plagues and also His people when they sinned (vs. 5).  As Habakkuk continued, he also described how all of creation trembles before its Creator (vs. 6).  Mountains melt before Him.  When God rises to judge, nothing can stand.

Next we move to the last three verses of our Scripture passage, which are among the most beautiful declarations of trust in all of the Bible.  The prophet listed the loss of several major crops of that area, along with the loss of cattle (vs. 17).  In an agrarian society, which that was, this was a total economic collapse.  It would be the equivalent of losing your job, all of your savings, your home, basically all security all at once.  This was definitely what was going to happen when the Babylonians invaded, and perhaps it was already beginning.  There would be no escaping this devastation.

Most of us would probably be filled with fear, panic, and anxiety at such a time.  During the Great Depression many people felt they couldn’t handle such a time, even considering suicide, which increased during those years.  Fear and panic was not the response of Habakkuk, nor should it be of any true Christian.  The prophet rejoiced in the Lord (vs. 18).  It was a conscious choice that he made, as he stated I will twice in that verse.  Fear may seem to be a natural reaction to an economic collapse, but we can choose to live in the joy of the Lord.  Habakkuk realized he had no control over certain things, so he chose to control his response.  He rejoiced in the Lord regardless of what happened.  He drew from God the strength to go on.

This is not a denial of extremely difficult times, nor naive optimism.  What Habakkuk had, and we also should have, is a faith rooted in God’s character, not in our circumstances.  The prophet found his joy, not in what God gives, but in who God is.

As his song of praise to God continued, Habakkuk did not say that his circumstances, his nation, nor his resources were his strength.  He said that God himself was his strength (vs. 19).  He knew that God would give him stability in an unstable time.  He would give him sure footing like a deer in dangerous times, and would lift him above the chaos.  As we see, faith is not always getting what we want, nor in always understanding everything that God does.  Faith is trusting in God’s character, rejoicing in Him, and standing firm even when everything else falls apart.

When we face sudden tragedy and loss, we may wonder where God is, and be tempted to give up.  But in such times we must remember that God is with us.  He will show us kindness in the midst of tragedy and loss.  God is all-powerful and sovereign.  There is no way He will fail.  His promises are as good as kept.  Failure and success are not about us or circumstances.  We stand on a mountain with feet like a deer.  With God we are secure and victorious.

Habakkuk began with a complaint and ended with a song.  He started in confusion and ended in confidence.  He moved from “Why, Lord?” to “I will rejoice in the Lord.”  That journey is the journey of every believer who learns to trust God’s character more than in their circumstances.

Blessed are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

The Beatitudes are some of the most beloved parts of Scripture for many people.  We enjoy reading that if we are merciful, meek, pure in heart, seeking righteousness, and are peacemakers, that the Lord will bless us.  Those are all attributes that a Christian should seek to incorporate into their lives.  However, there is one Beatitude, that when reading in Matthew 5, we might wish that Jesus would have just left off, and that is what we will focus on today.

Early in His ministry, Jesus sat on a high hillside and taught the crowds a very important sermon, which today we call the Sermon on the Mount.  Right at the start of this teaching was the Beatitudes.  The first seven of these Beatitudes focus on our inward character.  When we get to our Scripture verses, the Beatitudes turn to outward opposition that believers will face if they are closely following the Lord and His Word.  Let’s take a look at how if we choose to live a godly life, it will inevitably collide with a hostile world.

As mentioned, the Beatitudes describe the character of believers and followers of the Lord Jesus.  As He continued His teaching, Jesus described what the world’s reaction to His followers would be.  He doesn’t try to hide or even soften this reality from us, but tells us plainly that there will be persecution.  We will be reviled, spoken evil about, and lied about.  This persecution is not hypothetical.  It is guaranteed for those who live godly lives.  But like the other Beatitudes, we are blessed when this happens, and our reward will be great.

There are many Christians around the world who suffer some type of persecution today.  Persecution can include pressure, harassment, mistreatment, exclusion, or violence, and covers both verbal and physical hostility.  One important thing to notice is that Jesus is speaking about persecution for righteousness’ sake (vs. 10).  This is strictly being persecuted because you are a Christian, for following Jesus and obeying His Word.  The blessing is not for any hardship or persecution one might receive for being a difficult or obnoxious person, or for anything political, but is for living in obedience to God.

We shouldn’t be surprised when persecution of any sort occurs because of our faith.  Jesus told us here that it would, and the Apostle Paul, when writing to Timothy, told that all who live godly lives will suffer persecution (II Timothy 3:12).  Persecution is evidence of belonging to Christ, not a sign of God’s displeasure.  The world opposes righteousness because it exposes its darkness (John 3:19-20).

In our Scripture passage Jesus lists three forms of attacks (vs. 11).  There is reviling, which is insults, mockery, and verbal abuse.  Then there is persecution, which would include stronger hostility, including social or physical harm.  He also mentions false accusations, which are slander, misrepresentation, and lies.  Jesus acknowledges that we will be lied about.  The world often attacks character when it cannot refute the truth.  Again, this is persecution that is done because of our association to the Lord Jesus, as the verse says “for My sake”.

This is not something that should discourage us, or make us want to hide our light.  Jesus tells us that we can rejoice (vs. 12).  To do so when faced with attacks is not natural, but shows supernatural grace.  Such persecution will bring great rewards in heaven, as God keeps perfect accounts.  Many of His faithful servants in the past also suffered persecution.  We are following a trail of blood that has been laid out in every century, from the time of Abel until today.

As we meditate upon these verses we realize that faithfully following the Lord Jesus and His Word will not generally be accepted in any culture.  A godly life exposes sin, and the world resents that exposure.  We should not lose heart, though.  There is a great reward stored up in heaven for those who are insulted and persecuted for Jesus’ sake.  God sees every insult, every loss, and every sacrifice.  Nothing done for Jesus is ever wasted.

God's Wisdom vs. Man's Wisdom

I Corinthians 1:18-31

We have all heard the phrase that one should never bring up religion or politics with other people, mainly because those can be very hot topics.  People can quickly become angry, or at the very least, offended by those discussions.  The discussion of Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins makes many people angry, and it also quite often brings scoffing and scorn.  This is nothing new.  This is not something that has only occurred in the last fifty or so years.  As we read in our Scripture today, this was also the reaction that the Apostle Paul received on a regular basis.

Have you ever tried talking about Jesus, and His sacrificial death on the cross for mankind’s sins, with unsaved people?  If you don’t get the angry response mentioned above, sometimes you might be told that “you’re a fool for believing such nonsense!”  Retorts like that were frequently thrown at Paul, but that didn’t surprise him, nor stop him (vs. 18).  As he wrote in this epistle, the cross is “foolishness” to the lost.  The natural man rejects the idea that salvation comes through a crucified Savior.  They don’t like to think that they can’t save themself.  And the idea that a bloody form of execution is what brings salvation is repulsive to many.  The message of the cross makes no sense to the unbeliever because Satan has blinded their eyes to the truth.

However, to the saved the cross is the power of God.  Salvation is not some intellectual achievement, but divine intervention.  The cross is God’s means of displaying His power in redemption.  The Gospel message of Jesus dying on the cross for our salvation, and rising again on the third day, is the power of God. Salvation is supernatural.  Human wisdom cannot produce it.  Only God’s power can.

Paul proceeded to quote Isaiah 29:14, where he showed that God has always opposed proud human reasoning (vs. 19-21).  Many churches today want preaching that is intellectual, sounding like a message from a PhD candidate.  Other churches today want their service to be more of a rock concert and the sermons to be more like a motivational talk.  Preaching about Jesus’ death on the cross, His shed Blood paying the price for our salvation, seems foolish, even offensive to them.  Philosophy, education, and intellect cannot bridge the gap between sinful man and a holy God.  He chose preaching as His method of getting His message to people to save sinners, not entertainment, philosophical debate, or human eloquence.  Instead, He uses the clear proclamation of Christ crucified.

Such preaching, though, does not please everyone, as Paul indicated in our Scripture (vs. 22-25).  The apostle indicated two typical responses that he received, and which are also often responses today, as well.  First, Paul spoke how the Jewish people who heard his message wanted to see signs that Jesus was the Messiah, who Paul claimed He was.  They wanted miraculous displays of power.  A Messiah who was crucified looked like weakness to them.  The Greek Gentiles wanted philosophical wisdom in the message.  They wanted to listen to something sophisticated.  A crucified Savior looked intellectually absurd to them.

I have seen both responses today, especially the scoffing intellectual response.   However, the cross upon which Jesus died shows both the power of God, along with His wisdom.  What they consider “foolish” is actually wiser than man, and what they consider “weakness” is stronger than they are.  What the world despises is actually God’s greatest revelation.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that there weren’t many in their congregation that were wise by the world’s standards (vs. 26-29).  There weren’t many who were mighty or noble.  However, God deliberately chose those whom the world considered foolish, weak, base, and despised.  He did this so that no one would be able to walk around bragging that God chose them because of how smart they were, or how good looking, athletic, or wealthy.  He does not want anyone to glory in His presence.  Salvation is designed so that God, alone, receives the glory.

Paul ends this Scripture passage with a magnificent summary (vs. 30-31).  He instructed us how Jesus Christ is made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  Jesus is God’s perfect revelation.  He is our justification, our holiness, and our deliverance.  Everything we have spiritually is in Christ, not in ourselves.

As we look back at this passage, we see that human wisdom cannot produce our salvation, only the power of God can.  He also intentionally chooses the lowly, which would include most of us, to display His grace.  God’s ordained method for saving sinners is not through some spectacular entertainment display or through a motivational or philosophical message, but through the preaching of the cross.  Everything is structured so that God will receive all of the glory.