Tag: God is Big!!! Job 11

Job 11:7-9

“Can you find out the deep things of God?

Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?

It is higher than heaven—what can you do?

Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?

Its measure is longer than the earth

and broader than the sea.

Tag:  God is Big!!

What would it be like to have a God you perfectly understood?  What would a God you could perfectly understand and comprehend look like?  If you could “fit” a God you could perfectly understand into a human mind, what could a God like that actually do for you? Could a God that was small enough to be completely understood by the finite mind of man be able to do infinite things?   

This is the problem with human nature.  We want to bring God down from heaven to fit into our heads and our hearts, so that we can “know” Him the way we think He should be.  However, that is a very small God.   The truth is, as Job’s friend pointed out in the above verses, is that God is so big, His “measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.”   However, that phrase alone attempts to put God into a framework man can understand.   Zophar, Job’s friend, was trying to tell Job that God was BIG!!  That is the point he is making.   

Yet, Zophar, himself, did not take his own description of God.   In his response to Job’s suffering he had reduced God to a mean power that most certainly was crushing Job because of his sin.  Zophar had no room in his mind for the God of the book of Job ... many of us don’t.  How could a righteous God allow someone to suffer as Job had and was suffering?  On top of all this, God, Himself, told us in chapter one of the book that Job was a “righteous” man.  God is allowing a righteous man to suffer to prove a point to Satan himself (and to teach us about God).   Zophar is telling Job that God is so big you can’t understand Him.  But, in the same breath, telling Job there is only one explanation for his suffering .... his own sin.  

We have to come to the point to know that God is bigger than we are, or then our human minds can comprehend.  We have to, by faith, trust that a God that big is also able to do what He wants, the way He wants, without violating His own character and His own Word.   By Faith we believe that God is the God that His Word tells us and that we an rejoice in that God and rest in assurance that His size is matched by His justice and grace.   His Word says that it is.  By faith, we believe that!!

Tag: Words Matter - Psalm 12-14

Psalms 12:2

Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;

with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Psalms 12:6

The words of the Lord are pure words,

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

Tag:  Words Matter

Character of the heart and mind is best revealed by the lips and the tongue.   Mankind is full of wickedness, so their tongue reveals it.  God is full of love and His words are pure and right.  It is amazing how many of us seek the approval of the words of man over the approval of the words of God.   God knows us completely and can judge us and our motivates in complete purity.   Man only knows what they see of us, can’t know our true motivates and, yet, makes judgements we all weigh with great meaning in our lives.   In the above verses we have the plain truth of those thoughts.   Man uses lies and flattery, with a double heart to speak.  God uses pure words ... so pure they are as though refined not once; not twice; but, as it were, seven times.   This is the very nature of God vs the very nature of mankind.   Why do we put so much weight on man’s words over God’s Words?   There might be a few reasons:

1. Man uses flattery and doesn’t tell us the truth.  Mostly, we don’t like to hear the exact truth.   God speaks truth.  We seldom want to hear the complete truth. 

2.  Man can’t do anything about what he says.  He might make judgements about us, but, in truth that is all he can do.  God CAN and DOES judge us.  God can execute His judgments ... in purity.  

3.  Man can be easily persuaded to change their opinion of us and we can manipulate their hearts to change what they say and how they evaluate.  God can’t be manipulated.  

4. We can change man’s mind easily, by just a little change in ourselves or our behavior.  God demands we change the heart and submit to His authority.   

5. We can, ultimately reject man and not lose much.  We can reject God, too.  But, if we do, we lose our lives.  

Man’s words are evil and God’s words are pure.   We out to listen to God and not man.  A good mantra might be:

I will not let the words of others determine my worth; but I will let them speak to my growth ... as long as they echo the words of God.  

Tag: God Gives Us Rest - Joshua 21-24

Joshua 21:43-44

Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.

Tag:  God Gives Us Rest

The “land” in Exodus and Joshua is a “picture” of what Christ promised us in the New Testament.   The writer in Hebrews said it this way:

Hebrews 4:1-3

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

“As I swore in my wrath,

‘They shall not enter my rest,’”

although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.

The writer of Hebrews is telling “us” (NT Christians) are like “them” (OT Israel) in that God had promised something, based upon THE WORK He has done for them.   When Joshua lead them into the land, God gave them “rest” and conquer the nations that were in the “promise land” - that was promised to Abraham and his descendants.   However, they will, soon (as the story unfolds) lose the possession of the land, because they did not pursue the rest of the land “by faith.”   The “effort” they were to put into the land, was not “mixed” (or “united”) by faith.  

We have the same “rest” to enter into for our lives.   But, we have to enter into that rest with and by faith.   The faith we have in Christ is to lead us to the “rest” we can find only in Christ.   But, we must pursue that rest by faith.   But this faith is not an intellectual understating or simply acknowledgment. It is “obedient” faith.  It is faith that says I will submit, walk and/or follow through with what God says.  If you have faith that a chair can hold you up but you never sit in the chair you will never have the rest that chair promises to give.  If God says that He will provide what you want but you constantly worry, you will never enter into that rest He can offer.   Rest is only for those who walk in “obedient” faith.   We can make decisions contrary to Christ and expect to “rest” in His promises.   

Tag: God Reveals Truth - Genesis 16-19

Genesis 18:16-18

Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Tag:  God Reveals Truth

Abraham has just spent time with three “angels.’  One was probably a Theophany of Christ ... meaning, an appearance of the Son of God in the Old Testament.   In that discussion with the three of them Abraham, along with Sarah, his wife, is informed that Sarah, at 99 years old, is going to have a baby; the promised one: Isaac.   Abraham shows them great hospitality and then, as they leave, two of the angels head for Sodom.  This is the town where Abraham’s nephew, Lot, lives.   Here we have the above text tell us an important truth about God:  God is willing to show truth to those who worship Him in Sprit and in truth.   Abraham was willing to worship the “Lord” (the Theophany of Christ) and the “Lord” revealed to Abraham what He was about to do ... destroy Sodom.  Today God does not send angels in physical form to speak truth to us ... at least not that we are aware of (see Hebrews 13:2).   But, God does use the Word of God to give us truth and insight about what He is about to do.   We simply have to read God’s Word to know that He will, soon, judge the unrighteousness of mankind.  We only have to read God’s Word to know that God is going to watch over the righteous.   God is revealing Himself to us and in us each day of our lives.  Abraham put himself in a worshipful mindset to hear God’s voice. In return God revealed His plans for Sodom.  This put Abraham on his knees in prayer for his nephew Lot.  That probably saved Lot.  God is wiling to reveal truth to those who worship Him (put Him in the center) to give the clarity for life and peace in the midst of storms.   

Tag: Sin Dwells in Me!! Romans 7-8

Romans 7:17-20

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Tag:  Sin Dwells In Me!!!

We all struggle with sin.  Even the deepest, of all believers, struggles with sin.  The verses just prior to those posted above show that even the Apostle Paul struggled with sin:

Romans 7:15

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

In these verses posted above, Paul gives us the reason we sin:  Sin dwells in us!!  Yes, sin has been defeated (Romans 7:6).   Yes, sin has no condemnation over us (Romans 8:1).   Yes, we are set free from the power of sin and death over us by being “in” Christ Jesus (Romas 8:2-3).    But, all that does not complete “remove” sin in our lives.  So, we will continue to sin.  In fact, Paul goes on to say that we will sin, even more, when we attempt to defeat sin by living based upon some “law” concept ... doing certain things (right) that are laid out by mankind ... or, even trying to keep God’s Law, by our own efforts.   God has set us free from the power of sin and death by FAITH in Christ Jesus.   We are not to “try harder” to defeat sin.  We are stop “trying” and keep “relying” on Him who saved us.  Sin “dwells” in us.  That will not stop until we are in glory with Christ.  But, we have to make sure that even though it is in the “house” it does not become master of the house.   We do that by allowing the Sprit of God to change our mind.  Note:

Romans 8:5-8

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

We can’t please God in the “flesh” (trying harder).  We can only please God by allowing the Spirit of God to produce fruit in our lives (relying through believing the Spirit of God will be master of the house).   

Tag: Jesus Words are Powerful - Matthew 8-10

Matthew 8:8-11

But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

Tag:  Christ’s Words are Powerful

The centurion, in the above dialogue, had a son at home who was dying.   He came to Jesus for help.   Jesse offered to go to his house to see the boy.  The rest of the narrative is clear.   The centurion recognizes “authority.”    The centurion was a man of authority.  He knew that when he tells men what to do (because he can), men do what he tells them.  The point is that, IF, Jesus was who He claimed to be (an the centurion believed He was), all Jesus would have to do is speak a WORD and his son would be healed.  He “believed” that Jesus was the Son of God. With such a belief, he realized that the God of the universe could do whatever He wanted. If He wanted to heal the centurion son, the father reasoned, then all Jesus had to do was speak a word.   Note the following passages:

Matthew 8:16

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.

Matthew 8:26

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:30-32

Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

All Jesus had to do, in each of these instances, was speak a word.  He has “authority” over sickness; over the creation; over demons!   Jesus has authority. Our faith is not what Jesus will do, but what Jesus can do.  We believe He can and that is our part.  What He does and when and if He does it, is His part.   Faith is the faith of the centurion:  Belief that Jesus HAS the authority to command anything He will to be done.   What a great, restful, peace for the Believer.  To simply know God can do what He wants.    And, what He wants is perfect for us!! 

Tag: Even the Worst Sinners ... Isaiah 18-22

Isaiah 19:19-22

In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

Tag: Even Sinners Can Come To Christ

As we read the above passage, we have to recall some amazing aspects about the country of Egypt.  Typically, when we read the Bible, Egypt is a picture of sin and the sinner.   When Abraham went “down” to Egypt, that was not a good thing.  Egypt is “below” Israel geographically.  So, too, is it referred to morally and spiritually.   Egypt in the Bible is the picture of all wickedness.  They worshiped many false gods.   God would destroy them when He brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt.   Moses and the Ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea may be the most known story in the Bible.  That is the day God redeemed Israel from the bondage of Egypt.  That entire story is a picture of Jesus Christ saving sinners from the bondage of sin.   So, Egypt is a picture of your worse sin and sinning.   That is what makes the above passage so amazing.  In the above text we are reading of times when the one who was doing the striking (Egypt) would be in a place of healing.   In the above text we read about the one who offered no mercy to their captors, would be given mercy.  Here we have a picture of the worse type of sinner (the one who had no regard for others) coming to Christ.   Christ is the one they have to turn to, however.   This is a picture of a day when even the Egyptians would come to Christ.  They would not simply be sorry for their condition, but seek repentance and cry for salvation.   God can save the worst of sinners.  The above text bears this out.  But, the worst of sinners, like these Egyptians (finally) must recognize the God of the universe and the payment of Christ’s death on their behalf.   Being sorry does not save someone.   Repenting and asking God to save does ... that is the message in the above text ... no matter how bad someone might be.  

Tag: Suffering Impacts Psychological Makeup - Job 8-10

Job 9:25-26

“My days are swifter than a runner;

they flee away; they see no good.

They go by like skiffs of reed,

like an eagle swooping on the prey.

Tag:  Suffering Impacts our Psychological Makeup

Job is suffering.  It is doubtful that there is not one person on the face of the planet that would respond any different than Job.  Job is struggling with the loss of children, the loss of servants (who would have been friends), the loss of property, the loss of respect, and the loss of these three friends who are now condemning him.  The psychological impact that can have on someone is real and obvious in the above verses.  Job no longer takes stock in the great life he has.   It is not that it seems brief (and it is brief), but that he states his days “see no good.”   Despite what we read in the beginning of the book about Job’s bless life, this pain, suffering and loss have caused him to see little, or no value, in his previous state of life.  To him he is just a “reed” floating in the river.  His life has no significance.   His life is as fast as an eagle swooping on a prey.   Job may, however, be thinking he is the prey and not the eagle.  His life is over, unexpectedly, as the prey’s would be.   When we are in suffering, or dealing with someone who is suffering, this is the language we say or hear.   The only solution is to turn to the last chapters of this book and read about and hear about the power of God, the character of God, and the ability of God to restore.  If, like Job, we only view our world through our current circumstances, this is how we view life.   But, when we look at the life we have, no matter the circumstances, through the lens of God’s character, we have a different psychological disposition.   Job, in the above verses is reviewing his life through the lens of pain ... natural, but not useful or profitable.   We have to read to the end of the book to get Job’s antidote for psychological depression.  Job needs to see his condition through the eyes of God’s character.  

Tag: God Hates and Loves - Psalms 9-11

Psalms 11:4-7

The Lord is in his holy temple;

the Lord's throne is in heaven;

his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

The Lord tests the righteous,

but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Let him rain coals on the wicked;

fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

For the Lord is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds;

the upright shall behold his face.

Tag:  God Hates Wickedness and Loves Righteousness

The world believes “God is Love!”   They would be half right.   God is love.  God loves righteousness and righteous living.  God is righteous.   His love is perfect.   He can’t love, however, wickedness.  If you have “love” you must have “hate.”  You can’t have one without the other, as one defines the other.   You can’t have “hot” if there is not, also, “cold.”   We would not know “hot” if we did not know, also, “cold.”   We can’t know “love” unless we know, “hate.”   In the above passage we have this argument.   The writer is letting us know that God loves and God hates.   God will “tests” the righteous the passage says (more on that in a few lines), but He will “rain coals on the wicked.”   God will send “fire and sulfur and scorching wind” upon those who are NOT righteous.   

In regard to God “testing” the righteous, note:

Hebrews 12:5-6

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

God disciplines those He loves, those He has declared righteous through the death of His son and their faith in that propitiation.    We can rejoice that God is perfect in love.  But, let us also remember that God is also perfect in his hatred for wickedness.   Equally so!!

Tag: A Stone of Witness Can’t be Moved - Joshua 21-24

Joshua 24:27-28

And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Tag:  A Stone of Witness Can’t be Moved

Joshua and the nation of Israel made a commitment to God to honor Him and obey Him throughout their generation.   The memorial they chose to commemorate that agreement was a stone they set in place to remind them of their commitment.  This type of “memorial” is not unlike many “memorial” items we have today.  The ring finger of a married couple carries a “memorial” of their wedding vows.   A war “memorial” is a marker to remember those who fought for their country.  We have “Memorial Day” as a day we put aside to “remember.”    For the Christian the cross is the “memorial” symbol of the covenant we have with Christ.   It might be wise to remember that the “empty” cross was a memorial of the early church ... signifying that Christ died on the cross, but was taken down from the cross and rose again.   These “memorials” serve to remind us of commitments and promises made.   We tend to be a people that needs “concrete” signs of remembrance.  A ring on the finger has no magic power.   Nor does the cross carry mystical enchantments for us.  But they do serve to remind us of the promises made.  The empty cross is the reminder from Christ that He died, rose and will come again.  It is our reminder to Him that we will bear His cross, each day for Him.    This is our “stone of remembrance.”   It can’t be moved.  

Tag: Want more? Go get it!!! - Joshua 16-20

Joshua 17:17-18

Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”

Tag:  Want more? Go get it!!

The tribe of Ephraim and the tribe of Manasseh had come to Joshua to complain that they have been given only one allotment of land.  They stated, earlier, that they were a great people and needed more:

Joshua 17:14

Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?”

Joshua is more than willing to accommodate them.  He just makes it plain to them that if they want more, they will have to go get it.  Joshua took their complaint seriously, but was not willing to simply solve the problem himself.  He was more than willing to empower them and guide them, but he was not going to simply give in and appease them.  Leadership has to solve problems.  The fact that they wanted more land was not selfish or sinful.  It was, however, short sighted to think that Joshua would just give them more rich farm land that held cities already built by their enemies, whom they destroyed.  Joshua wanted to get them more land but they would have to be both industrious and militant.    They would have to earn it and have to cultivate it.  How many times have we seen church members leave a church because the wanted “more” for their kids, for their worship experience or something?   Pastor Joshua would have said, “You want more, great!! But, you will have to clear the land and build it.”   People today are like Lot ... just find a “city” and squat!!    Joshua says find some land and cultivate and build.   You want more?  Go find the land and in the power of Christ conquer and build something new upon it.  

Tag: When we Wonder Too Far ... Genesis 12-15

Genesis 13:1-4

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.

Tag:  After Wandering Too Far ... 

In the beginning no of chapter 12 of this book, Abraham is called, by God, to go to the land of Canaan.   When he arrives there, where God told him to go, he sets up an alter to worship and praise God and to mark his spot.    However, a famine comes to the land, and what does Abraham do? 

Genesis 12:10

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Although God does use this wayward trip to increase Abraham’s wealth, it was not an act of faith; it was rather an act of fear.  God had called him to the place he had arrived.  But, he didn’t like the conditions and sought comfort and peach in Egypt, a place God would eventually rescue the entire nation from, out of captivity (Exodus).   Egypt, in Scriptures, is almost always a picture of our old life, a life before God, the “carnal” life, the life of the flesh.  Abraham, not trusting God during the famine, ran to Egypt.   But, he did not stay there.  As the above passage points out, Abraham came back to the place of worship and to the land God promised him.   God knows we will, at times, end up in Egypt.  But, God is a God of grace and forgiveness.   Abraham came back to the beginning.  Abraham “returned” to God.   That is the picture of the Christian life.  We all, at times, will find ourselves in Egypt, in the carnal, old life, looking for some other place to solve the “famine” in our lives.  But, God wants us to return to Him and find Him as the source of our famine.   God brought Abraham to this place. God brings us to our place.  When we don’t see what we “want” in that place and we see “famine,” that does not mean we should go off to our “Egypt.”    God wants us to “return” to the place from the start and worship Him and rejoice in Him.  It is hear that God will say to Abraham:

Genesis 13:14-16

The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

There is no famine a heart of Faith can’t solve.   

Tag: Payment Is Due and Always Paid - Romans 5-6

Romans 6:20-23

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tag: Payment Is Due and Always Paid

In the above verses we see Paul giving us a summary of what it means to both come to Christ (accept the free gift of Christ) and those who reject the truth of Christ and see no need to be regenerated.    He explains that before Christ we were all “slaves of sin.”  Most people today would not agree with that statement.  They would insist that they are good and moral and, although not perfect, not unworthy of God’s good favor ... assuming they believe in a God!  The problem with their thinking is that they ARE enslaved to sin and refuse to admit it, therefore they refuse to believe they need to be reformed.  But we all must recognize that we are sinners and need God’s salvation.   However, once we do, we are slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:1-19).   

Note what one commentator says about this section: 

John MacArthur:

“Unsaved persons, who are slaves of sin, are free in regard to righteousness. That is, they have no connection to righteousness; it can make no demands on them since they possess neither the desire nor the ability to meet its requirements. They are controlled and ruled by sin, the master whom they are bound to serve. In that sense, they have no responsibility to righteousness, because they are powerless to meet its standards and demands. That is why it is foolish to preach reformation to sinners. They cannot reform their living until God transforms their lives.

However, those who come to Christ are no longer slaves to sin (they still sin, yes, but they are not “owned” by sin ... they are “owned” by Christ).   We are now slaves of righteousness.   The “fruit” of those who are “slaves to sin” is death ... whether they want to admit it or not.   The “fruit” of righteousness (we are made “righteous” by Christ) leads to “Sanctification” (Practical day-to-day holiness) and, eventually, eternal life.   There is a payment in the future that will be paid. Those who reject Christ will be paid for that rejection in eternal death.   Those who accept Christ’s free gift will have in this life, Sanctification, and in the next life Glorification ... enteral life!!   Payments will be made.  

Tag: Sin is Serious to God - Matthew 5-7

Matthew 5:27-30

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Tag:  Sin is Serious to God

“How many times have I committed adultery?”  If the average man was asked this question, most would say, in shock, none (undoubtedly too many would have to say “yes, multiple times” to that question).   But, the standard by which a man would measure themselves is, most likely, not the same standard outlined in the above words of Jesus.   In Jesus’ message on the Mount (known as “The Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7), the measurement of adultery is tied to the looking at a woman to lust after her.   To God’s standards, simply looking at a woman to lust after her, is the EXACT same as adultery to God.   It is doubtful if any man, on this earth, would hold to such a standard.   Jesus’ teaching in this message is that the “Law” is not being replaced ... it is being expanded to include, not just behavior, but heart intent.   God knows that the evil of behavior is preceded by the evil of the heart.  Note what Job said, in his pain, about this subject:

Job 31:1-7

“I have made a covenant with my eyes;

how then could I gaze at a virgin?

What would be my portion from God above

and my heritage from the Almighty on high?

Is not calamity for the unrighteous,

and disaster for the workers of iniquity?

Does not he see my ways

and number all my steps?

“If I have walked with falsehood

and my foot has hastened to deceit;

(Let me be weighed in a just balance,

and let God know my integrity!)

if my step has turned aside from the way

and my heart has gone after my eyes,

and if any spot has stuck to my hands,

God judges us for our evil hearts!!  We have to have Christ purify our hearts.   That is the necessity of the Gospel.   But, it begins with us realizing that we have sinned.  How many times have I committed adultery, by allowing my evil heart to run lose and absence the power of the Gospel.  

Tag: When Religion Fails - Isaiah 12-17

Isaiah 17:7-8

In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense.

Tag: When Your Religion Fails You Turn to God

In Isaiah 17 we are reading an “oracle” (preached message of warning) toward the capital city of Syria, Damascus.    The people of Syria had forsaken God’s other warnings and turned to their own religious practices ... the ones they made up.   Isaiah writes, “He will not look to the alter ... work of his hands ... his own fingers have made ... the Aherim and alters of incense.”    Man likes to make religious practices.   Man likes to make ways to show his own greatness as he worships a pretend god he can control and he can manipulate to his own favor.   But, there will be a time, as above, when all that made-up religion fail and man has to rely on “his Maker.”   There will be a time when man has to turn his eyes to the “Holy One of Israel.”    When the Jesus was lifted up on the cross everyone was looking at Him.   Note what another prophet says about this “looking:”

Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

At some point mankind has to look on Him whom was pierced for our sins and bruised for our iniquities.   They will either rejoice (for His payment of their sins), or morn that they did this and rejected Him.     But, all eyes WILL BE on Him.

Tag: Life is Futile - Job 6-7

Job 7:1-3

“Has not man a hard service on earth,

and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?

Like a slave who longs for the shadow,

and like a hired hand who looks for his wages,

so I am allotted months of emptiness,

and nights of misery are apportioned to me.

Tag:  Life Can Feel Futile 

In chapter’s six and seven of Job we are reading both Job’s response to his friend, Eliphaz’s, words of “encouragement.”   Eliphaz as, in essence, told Job that the reason for his pain and suffering is his sin.  Job responds as most of us: He defends himself.  But, what is recorded in chapter seven is more Job’s response to Eliphaz AND to God.   Job seems to be turning his complaints to God and begins to wonder about life as a whole.   In the above text we read that life can be quite futile.  Job is painting a picture of life based upon the view of his current lens: Pain and suffering.   When we experience pain and suffering, we can often think that life is very futile and not worth living.   Remember, in the beginning of chapter three of this book, Job wished he had never been born:

Job 3:3

“Let the day perish on which I was born,

and the night that said,

‘A man is conceived.’

He would soon become suicidal:

Job 3:11-13

“Why did I not die at birth,

come out from the womb and expire?

Why did the knees receive me?

Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

For then I would have lain down and been quiet;

I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,

Elijah, the prophet of God, also spoke with this heavy heart:

1 Kings 19:4

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Yet, even in all abundance life can seem to be futile.  Read Solomon’s words about life:

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Life can seem futile. It is only when we look through the lens of Christ’s Words that we can understand that IN CHRIST we have joy and peace.  This word is meant to be futile.  It is not meant to satisfy the longing in our hearts.   What we long for is ONLY found in Christ.  We should all have the same lens as Job.   We should see the weight of this world as a struggle and a tiresome burden.  It should force us to run to Christ and rest in His Words:

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We can find the rest we need in the arms of Christ!!

Tag: God Honors Man - Man’s Response? Psalm 6-8

Psalms 8:3-5

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

Tag:  God Honors Man - Man’s Response? 

What we read in the above passage is the wonder and majesty of God as it benefits man.   God has established man at the top of the food chain.  Note what the writer goes on to say:

Psalms 8:6-8

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Man is king!!  What is man’s response to this authority God gives him?  What is man’s response to the privilege God gives him?  What is man’s response to the fact that God “cares” for him?   We don’t have to read much in God’s Word to answer those questions.   In Genesis 11, after man was told to go out and fill the earth, we have a good example of man’s response to God bestowing him with breath honor:

Genesis 11:1-4

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

Man’s response to God’s goodness is to “make a name for ourselves.”   The writer of the above Psalm tells us that our response should be praise and glory to God’s name.   We can spend our time on this earth establishing our own name, or, we can spend time praising and glorifying God’s name.  That is the proper response to God’s goodness to us.   

Tag: God is Better Than Ground - Joshua 11-15

Joshua 13:32-33

These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

Tag:  God is Better Than Ground

In these chapters of Joshua we read about the wars, conquering and distribution of the land of Canaan, as promised by God.  Before Moses died, he delivered the message to the nation of Israel that the land of Canaan was to be there land. However, the land was occupied, obviously, the Canaanites.   Their evil, however, had risen to God and God uses Israel to destroy them, because of their evilness.  In the process God gave the Israelites the land and fulfilled His promise.  So, each tribe was given the gift of the land (the giving and conquering of the land is a picture for believers of our day to day lives and conquering sin in our own lives).  The nation had wandered for forty-years, in hopes to secure the lands.  No more tent living.  No more mana eating.  No more stick gathering for fires.   They would have cities and homes.   In the above passage, however, we read about one tribe, Levi, who did not get an inheritance in the land.   They were to serve God in the Tabernacle.  They were to be located in each sanctuary city.   Their inheritance was God, Himself. This is true, as well, in today’s believers life.  Like the Israelite tribes we get hung up on “owning” homes and lands.  We want our fair share of this earth’s dirt!!  We tend to want to “own” stuff.  Owning stuff makes us feel secure, important and worthy.   The owning of stuff gives us a sense of legacy ... leaving stuff to those around us.  When we die families fight over our stuff.   This is the legacy of human existence.   What the tribe of Levi had, was far better, however.  They owned NO land, or cities, or property.  Their inheritance was the God of the universe.  Notice what Peter says about our lives as believers:

1 Peter 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

Israel would eventually lose the land, because of their sin.  We can’t lose our inheritance with Christ.   It is imperishable!!!

Tag: Might is Not Always Right - Genesis 8-11

Genesis 10:8-10

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Tag:  Might is Not Always Right

Nimrod, in the above passage, is said to be a “might man.”   He was a “mighty hunter before the Lord.”  This does not necessarily mean he was all this with God’s approval.  It is rather, in the “sight” of God.   Notice the connection of Nimrod:

1. He was a descendent of Ham, the cursed son of Noah.   Nimrod was a Canaanite.   The Cannanites were cursed before God:

Genesis 10:8-10

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

This would include Nimrod. 

2.  He was a mighty man and his first city was “Babel.”  In chapter eleven we will read the story of the Tower of Babel and how man’s pride began to lift them up and, yet, tore them down.   

3. He had a proverb spoken after him.  He received the glory and honor for the proverb, not God. 

Nimrod’s might was not from someone who feared the Lord.  He isn’t explained as a humble servant o man and God. Rather he is what begins to happen to man when they get recognition and fame.   Before the Lord he was recognized as mighty, but not humble and God fearing.  Might is not always Right.   God rejects the proud and gives grace to the humble.  

James 4:6

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Don’t let you might cause you to lose your right standing before God.  

Tag: Logic vs Faith - Romans 3-4

Romans 4:19

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

Tag:  Logic vs Faith

An important truth in Christianity is that God is NEVER illogical, but He is not always confined to the man’s logic.   God often asks us to believe things that are completely illogical for us, as human beings.   They seem contrary to sound logic.  People seem to want their faith to be “logical.”  Yet, we think like mere mortals.  God’s mind is incredibly different.  We are limited in our thinking to the strength and capabilities of a human soul, mind and body.  God is only limited by His character.  He can’t lie because He is the God of truth (John 14:6).   So, when we read the above story about Abraham, we have to pause and marvel.  Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 99.  God came and gave them a promise that they would have a son, whom God would raise to make Abraham’s descendants as the “sands of the sea-short.”   That is illogical for Abraham to believe ... that at 100 he could farther a son.   Yet, with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).    In our spiritual battle we have to realize we have “strongholds” in our mind that are based upon logical thoughts, that are contrary to the “knowledge of God” and that hold us back in our faith.  Note:

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

It was logical for Abraham to reject the thought he would be able to give birth to a son at 100 years old.   Faith, however, enables us to “destroy” logical arguments that rise against the knowledge of God!! We can believe things God wants us to do, when we destroy our own logic and remember that God is all powerful and all knowing.  He can do things we can’t even imagine.   It is not that we are thinking “illogical” when we put our faith in God for tough things.  It is that we are thinking “God-gical” when we believe God can do anything He says He will do.   We simply have to think through with the mind of Christ and bring all thoughts captive to the power of Christ!!