The Proud Brought Down

Isaiah 2:10-17

Put on a news broadcast any evening, and you are likely to see a news clip, or at least hear about a proud and arrogant person, probably a politician, world leader, or perhaps some big business person.  They believe that they have all the answers to the many difficulties and troubles in your country, with the economy, the social issues, international problems, etc.  They think that they are always right, that their position, their power, their money can rule the day.  People believe in them and follow them, giving them more power, and more arrogance as they put their hope in them.  The prophet Isaiah had a message from Yahweh for these proud ones, and for the people who trust and rely on them to save the day.

With the moral and economic conditions in this world going rapidly downhill in this day, we might be wondering if the end will soon be upon us.  People are afraid, genuinely afraid, and they are searching for answers, for someone or something to turn to for help.  The Bible speaks frequently about the end times, often calling it the Day of the Lord.  On that day, just like we see today, there will be many proud people who think they have all the answers.  They look to the populace to follow after their every word.  The Lord God, and His Word are not in their thoughts at all.

Isaiah, in his day, and godly Biblical preachers today ask who are you going to put your trust in?  With life so insecure, and the economy and social order ready to collapse, who are we turning to?  When the proud and boastful politicians stand in front of the cameras telling us to follow them and everything will be fine, when the financial wizards tell us to invest in their plans, when sociologists and the medical field are saying things that just seem so crazy and wrong, do we really think they are invincible?

The Day of the Lord is a day of judgment (vs. 12).  God will judge both good and evil.  That day is quickly coming.  Everything human and man-made that we have relied on will collapse.  The proud and lofty shall be brought low.  We need to be trusting only in God.  It is important that we have a proper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ before that day.  God, and He alone, must be exalted.

Isaiah speaks of mighty and powerful things in nature, such as the great and study trees, like cedars and oaks, and the majestic mountains (vs. 13-14).  These symbolize the mighty and powerful people that hold great power, either politically or in the business world, that think they will stand forever.  They hold power now over their country, over the economy, over making godless and wicked decisions in the social order, but the Lord God will bring them down.

In the days of Isaiah major cities would build large, fortified walls to surround them, and attempt to keep them safe from enemy attack (vs. 15-16).  They also had strongly built towers that would also be a source of safety that the people would run to in case of attacks.  Lofty towers and strong walls were part of the city’s defenses.  We don’t rely on them today, but we do look to our country and the military to keep us safe from enemy attacks.  The trading ships going to and from Tarshish that Isaiah speaks of  indicate the economy of the day, and how people looked to that for their financial security.  When times and the economy look precarious, we frantically look at where the safest and most stable place is to put whatever finances we have.

What are we putting our confidence in?  Are we trusting in political, social, or business leaders who think that they have all the answers, and who haughtily turn aside from what the Lord says in His Word?  These folks are trusting in nothing but false pride.  We may think that these man-made and human powers have all the answers, and that they can never let us down, but God will bring them down (vs. 17).  He will bring down anything other than Himself that we rely on.  There is a day coming when human pride and arrogance will be smashed forever, and the entire world will acknowledge that God, alone, rules.

Of More Value Than Sparrows

Matthew 10:24-33

Our Scripture today is from the Gospel reading from this past Sunday, the last one in June.  In this passage from Matthew’s Gospel today, the Lord has several things for us to learn and let sink into our head and hearts.  Let’s take a quick look at what God wants us to understand.

As Jesus begins in our Scripture, He reminds us of our correct position with Him, that of the Teacher and the disciple, the Master and the servant (vs. 24-25).  Naturally, we are the disciples and servants, and Jesus is our Teacher and Master.  Throughout His ministry, Jesus was continually attacked, first verbally, and then later physically, by the Pharisees and other Jewish religious leaders.  Sometimes people think that once they become a Christian their lives will then be problem-free.  However, the Savior instructs us that if the Teacher, the Master has suffered and was attacked, so will His disciples.  If He was persecuted, so will we be, as well (John 15:20).  The Master, the Teacher is not treated one way, and then the disciple and servant treated better.  Satan hates Jesus, and he certainly hates His followers, and will go after them, just as he did the Savior.

One thing that the Pharisees and religious leaders called Jesus was Beelzebub, and they said that He performed His miracles and received His power from Beelzebub (vs. 25).  Beelzebub was a pagan Philistine god, and meant “Lord of the flies”.  It is also a name of the prince of demons.  The Pharisees accused Jesus of using Beelzebub’s power to drive out demons (Matthew 12:24).  I don’t know of anyone who likes flies!  They are nasty, filthy creatures, and we don’t like them in our house.  Flies are attracted to decaying food, dead animals, and also other filthy waste.  Who in their right mind would worship flies, or a demon who is lord of flies?!  As a deep insult, and rejection of Jesus, His enemies called Him Beelzebub, and that His power came from a major satanic demon, or from Satan himself.  Today we often see that God and His power, His Word, is called evil.  If Jesus was called evil, His followers should expect the same.  If you are a follower of Jesus, and maintain a consistent Christ-like walk and behavior, you must expect to experience persecution and rejection.  If we are more like Christ, we will be more hated by His enemies.

Jesus goes on to tell us to not be afraid, but to continue to preach His message to others (vs. 27).  Just because we know that we have enemies out there, enemies who want to hurt us, we should not hide, but need to keep preaching the Gospel.  In the last number of years, Christianity and the Bible has been coming under even more attack in many countries, including my own and others that were once stalwart defenders of the Faith.  Speaking out for Jesus and the Bible can sometimes bring very harsh backlash, and even become dangerous.  Some believers may be afraid, and choose to stay quiet for their own safety.  The Lord Jesus, though, told us that we do not need to be afraid of those who come against us and attack us.  What is the worst that our enemies can do?  As Jesus said, they can kill our body (vs. 28).  Our enemies are only able to take our physical lives.  They cannot touch our souls.  We do not need to fear them.  We should not refrain from speaking from God’s Word, the Bible, just because our enemies don’t like it.  We are not to fear them.  Instead we need to fear and obey God.  He, alone, has the authority over the soul as well as the body, and He alone can bring both to eternal condemnation in hell.

This statement is quickly followed up with some words of Jesus to assure us of God’s love and care for His Blood-bought children, those who have trusted His Son as Savior (vs. 29-31).  Jesus pointed out how God is aware of everything that happens.  He controls the timing and circumstances of everything, even insignificant events, including such things as the death of a sparrow.  We are far more valuable to God than they are.  Since He takes care of them, He can be trusted to take care of us.  God even has each and every hair of our head numbered.  Since He controls the smallest details and mundane matters in our life, we can trust that Jesus will take care of everything about us.

In closing, the Lord Jesus tells us that we should not be afraid to stand up and be counted as a Christian, as a follower of His (vs. 32-33).  When anyone, including enemies, ask if we are Christian, we should never fear or be ashamed to openly state that we are, that we believe in and love the Lord Jesus.  The person who acknowledges Jesus in life or death is the one whom the Lord will acknowledge before God as His own.

Do not be surprised when opposition and persecution comes.  Jesus endured it, and so will we.  Don’t be afraid to proclaim that you’re a Christian, as Jesus will then acknowledge you.  Remember, God cares about even the tiniest details about us.  He will take care of you!

Adam Versus Jesus

Romans 5:15-19

One school assignment, usually in Middle School, is to compare and/or contrast certain items.  This might be an essay assignment, or perhaps in science class, where the student makes observations, and writes down the comparisons or contrasts.  Comparing is when one  identifies the similarities between two or more objects, and contrasting identifies their differences.  In our Scripture today from the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul did this.  Perhaps remembering back to his own school days, Paul sought to instruct his readers by mostly contrasting two different people, and how the one did a certain action, bringing about a certain result, and the other did another action, bringing about a different result.  As we look into our Scripture we will see the two people, their differences, and what it means for us.

The two people who Paul was contrasting in these verses today are Adam and Jesus.  Adam committed an act of sin when he disobeyed God and ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thus bringing sin into the world.  Jesus also did one act, when He came to earth and died upon the cross for our sins, thus bringing salvation to all who believe.  As we look more closely at these two, we will see the contrast between the condemning act of Adam and the redemptive act of Jesus Christ.

When Adam decided to disobey God, and eat the forbidden fruit, his willful disobedience didn’t just affect himself.  That act of sin was passed down to all of his descendants for generations to come.  All men bear the guilt of sin because of Adam’s one act, and are subject to death (vs. 15).  Now we contrast that act with the one act of Jesus.  Jesus had an act of obedience, an act of sacrifice and grace, when He died upon the cross for mankind’s redemption.  Through that act, all who believe and accept Jesus as their Savior, receive eternal life.  The One Man, Jesus, nullified the offense of the one man, Adam.  Jesus’ one act of redemption was immeasurably greater than Adam’s one act of condemnation.

Paul continues on in stating that Adam brought upon all men condemnation for only one offense - his willful act of disobedience (vs. 16).  The contrast here is that Jesus delivers all believers from condemnation of many offenses.  Those who accept Jesus have all their sins forgiven, not just one or two, or just sins just like what Adam’s was, but all.  Looking back over a lifetime, most of us can say we have sins too many to count, yet each and every one of them are forgiven through the one act of Jesus.

Adam’s sin brought universal death (vs. 17).  Jesus’ sacrifice brought righteousness and salvation to those who believe in Him.  Salvation and righteousness are gifts from God which come solely through Jesus Christ, and are received by faith.   Jesus’ one act, in contrast to Adam’s one act, also brought us grace, and not just grace, but an abundance of grace!

The judgment of condemnation came to all men because of Adam’s sin, but the gift of eternal life came through Jesus (vs. 18).  This verse does not mean that all men will be saved.  All men are condemned in Adam, but only those who believe and accept Jesus are saved.  Why do some people want to pay for something that is freely given to us?  Salvation was paid for by Jesus, and given freely to those who receive Him as Savior.  Some want to do something to earn salvation, but we can’t afford it, as the price is perfection.

Adam was humanity’s representative.  When he sinned, all sinned.  Sin passed on to the human race.  We have all reaped the results of Adam’s sin.  We inherited his sinful nature, guilt, and God’s punishment.  Through the obedience of One, Jesus, we can be declared righteous.  Because of Jesus, those who call upon Him receive His forgiveness and His righteousness.

In closing, I will mention a little sideline.  Bible scholars agree that the Apostle Paul was a very educated man, with an advanced education.  In reading through the Book of Romans, we see that Paul spoke of Adam as a real and literal person, not as some mythical or fairy tale character.  Paul spoke of Adam in the same sense as he spoke of Jesus, both as real and literal people, not as some myth.  Paul believed the Bible as literal.  So did Jesus, when He mentioned some people that nonbelievers hold as myth, such as Noah and Jonah.  Since they believe the Bible, we ought to as well!

Stuck In The Mud

Psalm 69:1-13

Getting stuck in the mud is no fun!  We could be out driving in our car, and for whatever reason, we go off the road and we get our tires stuck in the mud in a ditch or side of the road.  Sometimes we might be out hiking in the woods or other rugged areas, and being off of any well-defined path, we might need to walk through some muddy, boggy spots.  That brings the possibility of sinking down into the mud, possibly to where it might be difficult to get out, or at the least losing a shoe or boot.  These situations can quickly ruin the day, or possibly put one into a bit of peril.   King David was no stranger to troubles, and in our psalm today we read of some distressful times he faced, including getting stuck.  Let’s take a look.

As we look at the first half of Psalm 69, we read of some type of dangerous situation that David found himself in.  Numerous times in his life, David had been in difficult and serious trouble.  When he was a young man, David spent many years living out in the wilderness on the run from his enemies, particularly King Saul.  Earlier, as a youth, he had spent a lot of time as a shepherd outdoors watching his family’s sheep.  David knew what it was like living outside including in some desolate areas.  He knew the dangers, including swampy, boggy, muddy places, and areas prone to floods.  He knew the dangers, and perhaps had on occasion gotten stuck.

Now, as he writes this psalm, King David is in some sort of trouble, trouble that he compares with being in a flood, with water that is up to his neck, ready to engulf him.  This trouble has him so trapped that it is like he is stuck deep in the mire (vs. 1-2).  We don’t know what this circumstance is, but the Bible has recorded that he faced many problems, some of his own making.  Our troubles, and also our sin, can be so consuming that there seems to be no way that we can extricate ourselves.  We are over our head, like a flood; so terribly stuck, like in boggy mud.  Without the power of God, we stand no chance.  When devastated by tragedy, we don’t need to despair, because we can turn to God and ask Him to save us and help us (vs. 3).  Only Jesus can help us from the deep mire we find ourselves in.

David had been a believer and follower of the Lord God his whole life.  He knew that the Lord could help him, and trusted that He would.  David knew that his enemies were closely watching him.  In addition to their relentless attacks on him, he knew that they were watching to see if God would come to his aid or not, to see if the Lord was capable.  David did not want the Lord’s reputation to suffer on account of him (vs. 6).  He knew that God was capable, and he wanted his rescue to bring Him glory.  David prayed that his dismal situation may not be a stumbling block to others.

David also knew that all of his actions and behavior were also being watched.  That is true for believers today, as well.  The unsaved, particularly those who are actually hostile against Jesus, closely watch those who make professions of faith in Him, just waiting for the Christian to slip up in any way.  What we do and how we live has a profound effect on those around us.  People are watching us, even when we don’t realize it.  We need to represent Jesus well at all times.  Not only should we pray that we are not led into temptation, we need to be careful that we not lead anyone else there because of our behavior and actions.

Sometimes a Christian’s suffering comes because of their steadfast commitment to God (vs. 7-9).  This was the case in David’s life.  Though he wasn’t perfect, he chose to follow God, and often his enemies rebuked and reproached him.

David’s situation was in such a bad spot that even drunks were making up little ditties about him! (vs. 12).  Things looked bad.  When we are completely beaten down, and the situation seems hopeless, we need to continue to pray to God, just as David did, and He will hear and rescue us (vs. 13).  As the great Christian Corrie ten Boom said, “There is no pit so deep, that He is not deeper still.  With Jesus, even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.”

I Must Speak His Word

Jeremiah 20:7-13

Have you ever tried telling some very vital news to some people, only to have them turn around and slam you down?  Maybe you were telling them an important truth, but they ganged up and attacked you, so now you feel like just keeping your mouth shut.  If that’s how they act, forget it!  You won’t say anything more.  The great prophet Jeremiah felt like that.  Let’s look into this week’s Old Testament Scripture to see what was happening in Jeremiah’s life, and how the Lord encouraged him.

Jeremiah was called to the ministry from a very early age.  He deeply loved the Lord, and sought to follow and obey Him.  Like all of the prophets before him, Jeremiah would bring God’s Word to the people regardless of what that word might be or how welcome it was.  For centuries before Jeremiah’s day, the prophets had warned the people that if they failed to obey the Lord, if they would not follow His Law, and if they started to worship false, pagan gods, He would bring judgment upon them.  Now, in Jeremiah’s day, that future judgment was right upon them.  That warning was now to become fact.  Jeremiah spoke of the judgment that would come upon the people because they had chosen to ignore God’s Word (vs. 8).

What was the people’s response to the message the Lord had given Jeremiah?  Did they act sensibly and fearfully, choosing to now obey God?  No, the people only turned on Jeremiah, deriding, mocking, and reproaching him and his words (vs. 7-8).   Being mocked and derided by others is very painful, especially when you know that what you have spoken is the truth.  This treatment wasn’t unique to Jeremiah. Many times, both in Biblical times and even today, God’s servants proclaim His Word, yet only receive persecution and sorrow from others.

Jeremiah’s treatment was harsher than most.  He was physically assaulted, imprisoned, and even put into the bottom of a slimy, muck-filled pit or well.  Jeremiah lamented all that he was having to go through because of his ministry.  Many of the prophet’s enemies denounced him, and tried to entice him to step into sin or speak something false (vs. 10).  At times he felt like quitting.  Jeremiah was feeling so dejected, so depressed, that he wanted to stop preaching (vs 9).  He actually made that decision, and for a while he stopped preaching altogether.  If preaching in the Name of the Lord only brought mistreatment and persecution, he would just stop.

Have you ever felt like that?  Perhaps a ministry you do for the Lord, or just by your following Jesus has brought some type of persecution or mockery from others.  Maybe your boss or co-workers who know you are a Christian give you mistreatment or scorn.  Maybe your family has turned against you.  Maybe a sermon you give from the pulpit, faithfully preaching the Bible, has people in the community all upset.  In some parts of the world there is actual, physical persecution and imprisonment for bringing God’s Word, just like what happened to Jeremiah.  Do you decide to stop, to keep quiet, and speak no more in His Name?

Jeremiah, in the midst of despair, made that decision.  However, God was not going to accept Jeremiah’s resignation, and His Word became like a burning fire within him (vs. 9).  Try as he might to go about his own private life, Jeremiah could not keep quiet about the Lord and His Word.  Like a small fire within him, the longer he kept quiet, the stronger the burning became, and he had to return to preaching God’s message.

The Lord did not abandon Jeremiah.  He always had been there with him, and the prophet realized this (vs. 11-13).  Early in his ministry God had promised Jeremiah that He would be with him to deliver him from all his enemies, and He was true to His Word (Jeremiah 1:19).  Jeremiah prayed to God for His help, praised Him, and found encouragement.  When the opposition we may receive for following Jesus and speaking His message becomes overwhelming, we can receive the same encouragement that Jeremiah received.  God will faithfully help us as we endure hardship.  He is with us as a mighty, awesome One.

The Harvest Is Ready, But Laborers Are Few

Matthew 9:35-38

When you have a job to do, there are often several things that you might need in order to successfully complete that job.  For one, you will need to know exactly what it is that you have to do, to understand your job assignment.  Another thing is that you will need all the tools necessary in order to properly do that job.  And then there is the need to have all the workers required.  If you don’t have all the needed workers, the job will be slow in getting finished, or perhaps not even finished at all.  Our Scripture this morning from the Gospel of Matthew, tells of a job that all believers have been given, but need more help in getting it done.

As our brief Scripture begins, Jesus was traveling around the various cities and villages of Galilee.  The Savior would preach and teach the people from local synagogues, bringing the message of God to them.  Jesus also was healing those who were sick, and came to Him for His touch (vs. 35).  Jesus banished all illness, and cast out demons, giving evidence of His deity.

While Jesus ministered to the large numbers of people who came to Him each day, we read that He was moved with compassion for them (vs. 36).  The word compassion means to have sympathy and pity for others, and to have concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others.  This world is filled with people who are going through difficult, sometimes catastrophic circumstances.  These serious and critical problems can often just wear us down, the burden being so heavy.  We can become so physically and mentally tired and worn out from having to deal with our issues.   Sometimes we might be hard pressed to find anyone who really and genuinely cares.  Who really cares?

The answer is that Jesus does.  He was moved with compassion for the crowds of suffering humanity that kept coming to Him.  As Matthew records, He saw them as being like sheep without a shepherd.  When there is a flock of sheep out grazing in the pasture, and if there is no shepherd, they will soon get themselves into all sorts of trouble.  The sheep will wander away from the fold.  A good shepherd will see that the fields the sheep are in are ones with plenty of good grass.  They will also ensure that the sheep are safe from any predator.  However, without a shepherd the sheep will wander off into unsafe, even dangerous territory.  They may start feeding on poisonous plants.  They will wander near rivers and be in danger of drowning.  They will wander near cliffs and dangerous crags.  And most certainly they will be in danger from wolves, coyotes, bears, etc.  These people had no spiritual leadership, no spiritual shepherd.  Because of that, they did not know the Lord God and His Word, and were spiritually lost.  The phrase that Jesus used, “sheep without a shepherd” echoed the words of Numbers 27:17.  God’s people have always needed a good, strong, godly spiritual leader, one who closely followed the Lord.  When they did not have such a person, they were so quick to fall into sin, false teachings, and idolatry.  These people had no spiritual leadership.  Their spiritual needs were even more desperate than the need for physical healing.  Meeting that need would require more laborers.

Jesus saw the need, and that in order to get His message out to all the people, not just in Galilee and Judea, but also throughout the whole world, there would need to be more people than just the disciples He had around Him then.  These people were ready to hear God’s message.  They needed that message!  They were like a field with plenty of ripe grain or other crops, but not enough workers to bring it in.  Jesus told the disciples that they needed to pray to the Lord for more laborers to bring in the harvest of souls (vs. 37-38).

Things are no different today.  Our neighborhoods, our cities and villages, our country, and the whole world is filled with people who need to hear God’s message of salvation through Jesus Christ.  They are certainly like those sheep without a shepherd.  They have problems and needs that only Jesus can help and solve.  However, they need to hear about Him.  God needs people to bring the message of His Son to them, to tell them that there is a Savior who died for their sins.

Jesus proclaimed that the crowds then were spiritually ripe for harvest.  They are today, too!  Many people are ready to give their lives to Him if someone would tell them.  There are souls to be saved, but not many spiritual leaders or preachers of righteousness, not many who are willing to go out into the fields and bring in the harvest.  We need to pray for more to bring the Gospel, and for hearts to respond.  Jesus has told us what work needs to be done, and He has given us everything we need to accomplish it.  He just needs more workers.  Will you be willing to work for the Lord’s harvest?  Will you be a laborer for Jesus, and help to bring in a harvest of souls in these last days?

The Amazing Love Of God

Romans 5:6-11

There is one question that many would not really like to think about, but I’ll ask it anyway.  Is there anyone who you might be willing to die for?  Plenty of people would answer right away that they would willingly die for their children, or perhaps their spouse, a sibling, or a parent.  Some people have a very close and dear friend, one that they might consider giving their life for if such a dire situation occurred.  What about just an acquaintance, or a stranger?  Not too many would willingly die for them, even if they were very good people.  I don’t think that anyone would be willing to die for an enemy, or someone who had been totally disrespectful to us or done us wrong.  In our Scripture passage today, we read about a Person who did just that.  Let’s look into the Bible, into the Book of Romans, and see what God tells us.

As one reads through the Bible, we quickly learn that because of our sin, our relationship with God has been broken.  The punishment for sin is death, eternal death and separation from God (Romans 6:23).  There is nothing that we can do to repair that.  We are weak and helpless, because we can do nothing on our own to save ourselves (vs. 6).  Someone has to come and rescue us.  As the Apostle Paul continues, there was a Person who was willing to step in and do what was necessary to reconcile us to God, which was to pay the price for our sins, and that price was death.

Again, we ponder exactly who we would be willing to die for (vs. 7).  Like mentioned, perhaps we would for a relative.  However, if that relative had grossly mistreated us, we might not be willing to.  A non-relative would probably have to be someone quite special, someone who had done great good to many.  But considering that such a person is quite rare, the number we would be willing to die for is probably very low.  As we read in the next verse, we see that God loved us so much that He willingly died for us while we were sinners (vs. 8).

Take a look into any nearby prisons.  Would you willingly die for any of those prisoners, those convicted of murder, armed robbery, child abuse, etc.?  What about the gang members in our cities, those who are drug addicts and drunks?  The corrupt politicians and business people?  Though the particulars are different for each of us, we all are in a desperately sinful condition before we accept Jesus as Savior.  And yet, despite being sinners, actually being God’s enemies and in rebellion against Him, Jesus willingly died for us.  He died for those who bitterly hated him.

God sent Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough, but because He loved us.  He loved us even before we turned to Him, when we were rebels.  Jesus did not die for only the nice or good people, which undoubtedly would be the only condition before we would even consider such a thing.  Jesus gave His sinless life for everyone, the wretch lying in the gutter of the alley, the most vile criminal in prison, and the corrupt businessmen.  He did this because of His amazing love for all of mankind.

God didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up.  He didn’t wait for us to become good, righteous, or holy, as that would be impossible.  No, He died for us while we were still sinners. He did not die just for our benefit.  He died in our place.  All sin deserves punishment.  However instead of punishing us with the death we deserve, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, and took our punishment by dying on the cross.   Jesus’ death was a substitutionary sacrifice.  It is the Blood of Jesus that saves us from the wrath of God against sin.  Since Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners, how much more will He do for us now that we are redeemed and reconciled to Him? (vs. 9).  We are justified now, and the Blood of Jesus stands as the guarantee for that justification.

Many of us have a hard time feeling loved by other people, and with some people it might be because of some rather rotten things they have done.  However, God didn’t choose to love us because we were especially lovely.  He loved us, and then we became lovely.  God thinks you are very special, so much so that Jesus died for you.  None of us deserve that, but thankfully deserving it isn’t the basis for God’s love!  If this news from God’s Word doesn’t make you feel loved, I don’t know what will!