Square Pegs in Round Holes

It is both laughable and sorrowful to watch a child with a beginner’s set of blocks trying to fit a square block into a round hole. Laughable, watching them try over and over to attempt the impossible; sorrowful, seeing the final frustration set in when they realize it can’t be done.

Many Christians of our day are continually attempting to fit into a secular world that considers them square. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry; seeing them trying to combine two things that do not belong or fit together. It is a spiritual impossibility.

We are elated, and rightly so, whenever we hear of one professing to be a Christian in the political, entertainment, or sports world. But I would remind you, the world never compromises its principles. The Christian must ultimately do this if there is to be co-existence. Change, with them, is always one-sided.

The world, says Christ Himself, hated Him. He also said they will hate those who are all out for Him. Like Jesus, we’re in the world, but not of the world. There is something drastically wrong when our brand of Christianity is accepted and respected by a Christ rejecting world.

I think sometimes many professing Believers of our time have taken, as the Old Testament King, a pen-knife to such scriptures as: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The only exception to this are those who do not live godly.

When Jesus told us, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me,”  it should have given us some hint of what lies before us. When you saw a man in His day carrying a cross, you could be dead certain he was not on his way to the Academy Awards!

But You Promised

What parent is not familiar with the heart wrenching experience of pledging to do a certain thing for their child and, because of some unforeseen circumstance, are unable to make good on it it, and he or she cries out, “But you promised.”

Our God does not know of any such situation. When He makes a promise to His child you can be “fully persuaded that, what He [has] promised, He [is] able also to perform.” As it is written, “Hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Again, “Blessed be the LORD... all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised. ”Therefore, “Let us hold fast...our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).

Charles Spurgeon said, “The best praying in the world is pleading the promises.” He goes on to say, “My brother, if you have a divine promise, you need not plead it with an “if” in it; you may plead it with certainty.” And why is this? Paul tells us, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen.”

O, beloved, let us never enter the Throne Room without carrying the King’s promises with us, for He Himself tells us to do so, “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together.”

A Letter on Repentance

Dear Reader: I thought you might enjoy this correspondence on the subject of repentance.

R.D.S.

My Dear Brother,

You wrote, "I would appreciate hearing your views on repentance and why a person believes it (repentance) is necessary for accepting the Gospel as found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4."

Generally, these days, because of my age (eighty), and my recent sickness (heart-attack), I do not go into in-depth answers to Bible questions. Also, the movement I was associated with for the greater part of my ministry were never satisfied with one clear cut answer to anything. It always ended up being an endless commentary on the subject. That is, until you came around to their way of thinking, or they gave up trying, and broke all fellowship with you, branding you as a heretic. The latter is possibly why I am still a little gun-shy in answering Bible questions. But I am convinced you are not of this sort, so here is a fairly brief answer to your request.

Let me say from the beginning, my position on repentance differs somewhat from many of the old-time Puritans (that it has only to do with sin) and the present-day hyper-dispensationalist (that it is excluded from Paul's gospel). These notes are from my personal study of the scriptures over the years. I am comfortable living with them.

I feel many have the same misguided view of repentance as they do of the word "holiness." As to the latter, it is generally held that it has some moral connection. But clothes, ground, buildings, and instruments have no inherent moral value. It simply means in scripture to,"set apart" or "separate." And so it is with repentance. It has come to be associated, as I said, only with sin. But sin is just one of the many sub-heads that fall under its definition

If you will read and think through my article on my blog entitled, "The Nurse's Guru's Preaching," you will understand my position on repentance more clearly. Repentance has to do with a change of mind. When Jesus tells the story of the two sons He says of the one, "Afterward he repented and went." That is, he thought it through and changed his mind. When Peter mentions repenting of wickedness, in the context, he says it has to do with the thoughts of the heart. The man was thinking wrong, therefore he was to change his mind (repent).

And so, when the Bible says, "Repent and believe," it is simply saying, "change your mind and believe." A lot of professing Christians today tell us they believe, but they have never changed their minds. If repentance has only to do with sin, then what do we say of God when we're told He repented? But if we make it to mean what the scriptures say it means, then all is clear; God changes His mind.

Concerning repentance being a part of the gospel as found in 1Cor.15:1-4. There are many doctrines connected to salvation that are not mentioned in connection with believing. For example: justification, regeneration, adoption, sealing, etc. All of which are understood as one grows in the Lord. But each took place at the time of a person's salvation. And so it is with repentance. One may not have understood it, but they changed their mind (repented) before they believed. That is, if they're really saved.

Hope this helps. Sorry, I am tired and must close. As an old preacher used to say when closing his sermon, "I done preached out from underneath myself."

An Old Disciple,

R.D.S.

Philosophical Philanderers

Recently one of my wife's readers asked prayer for a close family member. Salle, in turn, as we often do with one another, asked me to pray about the situation. It seems, a man, in this case, a professing Believer,  had met a woman on-line and was planning on leaving his good, Christian wife of many years for her. He had already met with her secretly on a couple of occasions. 

The lady making the request also included in her correspondence some of the adulterer's reasoning for his sin. After hearing of the affair, I said to my wife "Why is it every Christian I ever met intending to go into sin, all of a sudden becomes a philosopher? I have never heard such philosophical jargon come out of anyone's mouth like that spued out of these people. In this case a philosophical philanderer. 

Evidently this dunce is ignorant to the fact of the meaning of the word philosophy. The root meaning of the word is, "lover of wisdom." Now Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, apart from Jesus Christ wrote, "Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away." If you have any doubts about the veracity of this, just take a little time to talk to David and Bathsheba!

The Nurse's Guru's Preaching

During a recent hospital stay I spoke to one of my nurses concerning the things of the Lord. It seems she was caught up in the new Grace Movement; that is, majoring on grace at the exclusion and expense of all other Bible doctrines. She mentioned her "Media Minister" on television, located somewhere in the Orient. She quoted him when attempting to prove her point on grace, "What good has preaching individual repentance done us? To which I could have argued, "What good has preaching an isolated grace done us? The followers of this pseudo-grace movement, I have observed, are the very ones Jude refers to in his brief epistle, "Ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness."  This type of teaching on grace is a disgrace!

There has been much, some very heated, discussion on the meaning of the word repentance. But there is no need for lexicons, dictionaries, or the Greek. Our good old reliable K.J.V. interprets it for us. "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented." Repentance is a gift of God's grace to an individual (2Tim. 2:25). Repentance is not apart from God's grace, it is an intricate part of His grace. As Oswald Chambers writes, "It is the threshold of knowing and understanding God...it is the bedrock of Christianity." And when it takes place, there is a radical u-turn in one's life. It is not only a change in direction, but in a person's thinking, actions, and principles; your entire lifestyle, inward and outward is changed. 

It is important to realize repentance has not only to do with our unrighteousness, but our self-righteousness. We're to repent of our virtues as well as our vices.  The thing that kept David so long from repenting was, no doubt, his reputation. But when he did, it was a "true repentance." Augustine wrote, "Repentance damns many" (speaking of false repentance). And as the Puritan, Thomas Watson, says, "A broken bone, if not set properly, will result in a person being a cripple all their life. So it is with repentance, one will go through life not fully healed." Beware of substituting remorse for repentance. The former's attention is centered on you, the latter on God.

Repentance is fundamental to all Bible preaching: John the Baptist preached it; Jesus commissioned the twelve to preach it; Peter preached it at Pentecost; Paul preached it to the Gentiles; and our glorified Lord preached it to the seven churches. And that, my friend, is why I've preach it it these many years, and will continue as long as God gives me breath.

 

Imaginary Grace

A few years ago I published what I thought to be an excellent article by a profound writer friend entitled, "Saying No to the Needs of Others." Along with it, I included his picture. The photo showed him with a cigar in his mouth. As I mentioned to my readers at the time, I inserted the picture purposely to see how much grace some had. It's always good to check up on ourselves from time to time to see if we have what Paul calls, "true grace," or if it be only imaginary. How embarrassing to find you're not as spiritual as you thought yourself to be.

Out of all our readers, many of whom wrote concerning the blessing they received from the article, there was one very unhappy fundamentalist who took me to task. He apparently did not read the article; he only saw the stogie. Ironically, he didn't attack the one with the Havana between his lips, but me personally. It seems he was upset with my apparent (to him) sinful life-style, and what he saw as my abuse of grace in condoning and propagating sin. I'm sure he was not aware of the wonderful compliment he was giving me (Romans 3:8).

I would not have been offended in the least had I been in the presence of the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, when he lit up a cigar; nor would have I been when the renowned Bible expositor, G. Campbell Morgan, smoked his eight a day. Also, many of the Puritans when drinking a glass of wine.To do so would only have proven me to be the weak brother (Romans 14). And I'd like to think myself a little more mature than those who get upset at questionable things such as these and other things.

I like what C.S. Lewis has to say on this issue in his book, Mere Christianity. He writes, "One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing without wanting everyone else to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons-marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turning."

"Not only do some people frustrate the grace of God, but it frustrates them!

The Unchangeable Christ

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
Because of a number of religious charlatans on television and not a few hucksters in the pulpits, many of God's dear people have faltered in the faith. These pseudo-ministers are easy to spot. Their ministries are build almost entirely around the material and physical, and major on the historical Christ's ministry on earth to Israel. Jesus' present-day heavenly ministry to both Jew and Gentile, with its emphasis on the spiritual aspect of our lives is seldom, if ever, mentioned. 

It is difficult to show any understanding toward those who should know better, a novice being the exception, of course. The former are expected to think things through. Most, if not all, the latter have not yet grasped this, either because of not being taught, or for the fact they are babes in Christ. But when one puts on his or her thinking cap, it's plain the text is speaking of our Lord's attributes, His character, His eternal principles. For example, most certainly, He was not the same after the Resurrection as he was before. In the days of His flesh He wept, was tired, and thirsted. That has all changed now! But not His love, compassion. mercy,  and grace; they are forever the same. And will be eternally.

Paul is distinctively the apostle to the uncircumcision (Gentiles), called by Jesus Christ to be so, just as Jesus and the twelve were primarily to the nation Israel. All Church truth you can get through Paul's writings. That is the reason you do not want to be out of his epistles any length of time. Interestingly, have you noticed the secular news media invariably go to the gospels to prove their point concerning issues of our day, but only mention Paul in a critical way. Think! does not this tell you something? Paul's writings are the many things Jesus could not tell His disciples while on earth, because they were not able to hear them. I wonder, are you and I?  

A Fly On the Wall

My wife and friend, a local pastor’s wife, had met for their monthly luncheon. While dining, the preacher’s wife brought up an interesting question. “If,” she asked my wife, you could have been a ‘fly on the wall,’ so to speak, what Bible incident would you liked to have seen and heard?” Salle’s friend chose the annunciation of Jesus’ birth by the angels to the shepherds. And my wife’s was to have observed and listened in on the conversation between Jesus and the two disciples on the Emmaus Road.

This all provoked me to think. If I were asked the same question, what would my answer be. It didn't take a second for me to answer the question, I would loved to have heard and seen all that went into Creation. Experiencing the Spirit’s movement, hearing God’s audible voice, and seeing the glorious light of God shine out of total darkness. Think of it, from complete darkness to eternal light, simply by the Spirit’s moving and God speaking.

Although I was not present “In the beginning,” I was there fifty-six years ago when God spoke to a young sinner in his early twenties. When the blessed Spirit of the living God moved upon my heart, which was in utter darkness, and God said, “Let there be light.” But our beloved Paul said it so much better than I, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Wait a Week

Until the angel descends from heaven and sets his right foot upon the sea, and his left on the earth, and cries “that there should be time no longer,” we will be creatures of time, living in a time capsule, if you please. I like to believe time is a parenthesis in God’s eternal sentence.

I was impressed as I went through the book of Leviticus that the waiting period for diagnosing leprosy was seven days. The leper had to wait a week for the Priest’s findings. Whether it had to do with his person, clothes,or house, there was this long, grueling waiting period.

We learn from this teachable incident that though we may be, God is not in a hurry. It is the first thing He taught man in creation when he placed him in time. He showed mankind that even God, when dealing with time, didn't create the world overnight. It took time!

There are no clocks or watches in heaven. They’re the two means on earth, many times, that push us to our wit’s end. We need to learn that with time is a little word that accompanies it, “process.” Therefore we need to be patient. We read of our father Abraham, “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise...For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

A Coveted Spirit

C.H. Spurgeon writes of the Old Testament saint Caleb," It is a rough name—"Caleb." Most translators say it signifies "a dog." But what mattereth a man's name? Possibly the man himself was somewhat rough: many of the heartiest of men are so. As the unpolished oyster yet beareth within itself the priceless pearl, so ofttimes ruggedness of exterior covereth worth. A dog, moreover, is not all badness, though 'Without are dogs and sorcerers.' It hath this virtue, that it followeth its master; and therein this Caleb was well-named; for never dog so followed his master as Caleb followed his God." 

One of the last times I saw my beloved mentor, Dr. Joe Henry Hankins, alive was when I picked him up at his motel. It was the last night of a revival he was holding at my home church. As I waited for him in his room as he readied to leave, I asked him if he would preach a sermon that night just for me. To which he replied, "Sonny boy, I'll do just that." That evening, when he announced his sermon title, he told the people he was going to preach a message on, "The Man Who Served God Eighty-Five Years and Never Failed Him Once."

Paul told us to "covet the best gifts," I have always coveted Caleb's spirit. I want nothing to do with the spirit that says, "We be not able." I desire that of Caleb's clan, "We be more than able." Nor do I wish to see giants, I want to see past them, as the old war horse, and see God! Only those with with "another spirit," "wholly follow the Lord." And possess all their possessions given them as their inheritance by God. 

You can always spot  a Caleb spirit: it is a courageous spirit; it is a God-honoring spirit; it is faithful spirit; it is a different spirit; it is a spirit whose faith is undaunted with time; it is a spirit that is willing to run the long gamut against popular opinion for forty years. IT IS A SPIRIT THAT DOESN'T HAVE "QUIT" IN ITS VOCABULARY! 

One Thing Or Another

"It's either one thing or the other." I do not know the times I heard my dear Kentucky-bred mother refer to this old saying. Life throughout is ever changing. It is not a consistent this; just as many times it's that. Whichever is our lot at any particular time, we need to learn to adapt. Those who do not adjust, I have observed, are in constant turmoil.

I came up with a little axiom some years ago: "Nothing's perfect, nothing's lasting,and you'll never get it altogether." It is impossible to get your ducks lined up in perfect order, let alone getting them to stay that way. 

You can forget perfection, there will always be a chip, tear, dent, or a spot. You can also rule out anything lasting. Everything and everyone wears away with time. Enjoy it and them while you have them, but don't try to keep a firm grip. Things and people have a way of slipping through our fingers. And as to getting everything all together, even wise old Solomon could not have accomplished such a feat. 

The writer of Hebrews tells us of only One who eternally stays the same. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." The hymn writer had it right when he penned-

1. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
   Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
   Change and decay in all around I see—
   O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
2. Only He's perfection, Only He's everlasting, and only He has it altogether. And thank God, I'm in Him and He in me!

Paul/A Basket Case

"Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket...And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands."

This incident in Paul's life has always fascinated me. Like a pomegranate, it is full of seed thoughts. Allow me to pass along to you just a few that come to my mind.

1. God does not always use supernatural means of deliverance, as in Peter's case (Acts 12). Most of the time He uses the human and natural, like in Paul's situation.

2. Some go to great length to prove Paul was small, as his name indicates. But you'd know that by him fitting into a basket. I doubt if a "heavy" man like Eli would have fit. The baskets were used for food, grain and fish. Not overly large. Not made with holding humans in mind, I'm sure

3. Whoever was the weaver of the basket, I am certain, never dreamed it would be used to deliver the world's greatest mind from extermination. Therefore, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

4. And what were the names of the helpers who gently let the apostle down to safety? No one knows, except God. And in the final analysis, that's all that matters. "Who they were nobody knows; what they did, everybody knows."

5. Should not Paul have stayed, like many missionaries, and died a martyr's death. No! it was not yet his time. Of the two witnesses in Revelation we're told, "And when they shall have finished their testimony...the beast...shall overcome them, and kill them." Jesus' rule was when they persecute you in one city, flee to another.

6. As a new convert, this was Paul's first suffering for Christ, and it came in the form of humiliation. It was a wounded pride he suffered. He came into Damascus with pomp, representing the  Jewish supreme council. Now he leaves in the darkness of night like a hunted thief. He learned early, "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord." I wonder if some of us have learned this yet?

The Christian and Technology

I was holding a meeting for a preacher friend of mine, Pastor Larry Groves in Indianapolis, Ind. Personal computers were fairly new and he had just purchased one. He mentioned how wonderful it was that he could now read his Bible and was not limited to the personal notes he could put next to a text. I mentioned I would never give up my Bible for technology. I now read my Bible, as well as many other books, on my Kindle.

The truth is, pseudo-spiritual saints such as I was, have a lot to learn. But, sad to say, because of pride and stubborn ignorance, some never do. It hasn't entered their dull mind to consider the printing press, that it was new technology at one time. The Word has been engraved in stone, written on plaster, in the dirt, on paper, and parchments. Even on the heart. It is not the type of platter the steak is served on, its the steak itself!

While walking down the street one day, evangelist D.L. Moody was approached by a drunk. He handed Mr. Moody a ten dollar bill for an offering, which he accepted. A companion asked, if he was going to keep it, coming from such a derelict. To which the wise man replied, "The devil's had it long enough, I'm going to use it for the glory of God."

My sentiments exactly!  

      

One Little Word Will Fell Him

In the third stanza of Martin Luther’s hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, it reads…

And though this world, with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,

we will not fear, for God hath willed

his truth to triumph through us.

The Prince of Darkness grim,

we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure,

for lo, his doom is sure;

one little word shall fell him.

The Man Christ Jesus defeated the most powerful force in the universe (apart from God), by using the scriptures. With every one of Satan’s moves, quoting from one book, Deuteronomy, the Son of God would checkmate him with, “It is written.” And what our Lord used to defeat the devil is available to you and me.

I like how Amy Carmichael put it, “The only thing that matters is to throw all the energies of our being into the faithful use of this precious blade.” But to do this one must, as I like to say, be soaked in the scriptures. As one writer has said of Christ, “His mind was a storehouse of the Words of God.” And so must ours be, if we are to overcome the wicked one.

Personally I have never been big on memorization, but rather familiarization. Jesus said we are to live by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, not select passages. O, how precious to behold a man or woman whose entire being is governed by the principles as they are found in God’s Word! Was He called the LIVING WORD because His soul was saturated with the WRITTEN WORD? I don’t know the answer to my question. But I know the statement is true.   

John's "Wish List"

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." I just returned home from a two day stay at the VA hospital in Sacramento. I needed a blood transfusion (four units) for blood I was losing in my stomach, and naturally, an endoscopy to cauterize the source of the cause. Even though I had been up for twenty-four hours, the night before the procedure, I was unable to sleep, I think because of weakness and anxiety, 

About two in the morning, I turned on the TV, hoping that would possibly help me in drifting off into La-La Land. As I surfed all seven channels, I came across one of the "feel good" TV ministries. For the life of me, I cannot understand how even a novice could fall for that jargon. But as P.T. Barnum is purported to have said, "There's a sucker born every minute." Any worldly con-man would spot such shams. Our Lord told us as much when He said the children of this world are wiser than those of light.

I seriously doubt some Christians put their thinking caps on when reading the Bible. To use our opening text to prove a "health and wealth" philosophy is utter nonsense. John is speaking in a general sense. What would you expect him to say? "I wish above all things you will be in want and poor health?" To ask about one's health was common custom in ancient Jewish correspondence. Evidently Gaius' spiritual state was of such excellence that John prayed his physical health would match it. Or, it may be, John's beloved friend was not well and the apostle was praying Gaius would be as healthy in body as in soul.

The scriptures teach throughout, God's people are still a part of humanity after He calls them out from the world. In one sense, we are nothing like natural man, but in another, just like them. This is so that we can still relate to their infirmities and sufferings. You know, like Jesus came in the flesh to identify with us. From godly Isaac's poor eyesight to Paul's continual affliction, God's elect have always suffered in one form or another. And as to wealth, let us not forget Jesus had to borrow a penny. To by-pass the Cross for a "health and wealth" life is Satan inspired, to be sure (Matt.4 cp. Lk.4). As my dear friend, Dr. John R. Rice used to say, "Healers die also."

No cross, no crown! It's not now, it's later (Ro.8:18). 

A Branded Conscience

"Having their conscience seared with a hot iron..." I once heard a preacher illustrate this text by applying it to a branded calf. He said, once the seared place healed, you could jab it with a penknife and the beast would nor flinch; it was now insensitive in that area. 

There has been much discussion and written about the subject of conscience. Generally speaking, there seems to be no debate it is an inner sense of what is right and wrong in one's conduct or motives. As to the latter, before conversion, because of depravity, there is a bent to follow the evil. Concerning the former, after salvation, because of the divine nature, there is a leaning to pursue the good.

It seems when Satan has put his brand upon an individual life by cauterizing their conscience, there is no longer conviction. That is, no conviction without conscience! " John.8:9 tells us, "...being convicted by their own conscience..." If as the old adage says, "Conscience is your guide," when seared, the two choices will disappear. And you will naturally choose the latter, though it is no longer set before you, it is ingrained in you. What will be missing is the good.

The devil is no respecter of persons when it comes to the ruination of a life. Young or old, it matters not to him. Many religious young people, because of their continual refusal to do the good and leave off the bad, have had their conscience seared, just like the old reprobate in the gutter. What a chilling thought, to go through life in such a hopeless condition!      

Those Dreaded Confrontations

One of the negative characteristics in Jacob's life was his dislike for facing people. He ran from those he didn't like to face. We're told he, "left" home, and in Laban's case, "stole away." How many there are of us that can relate to him. Like the ostrich, we'd prefer to bury our head in the sand. But sooner or later, all must face the music.

The word confrontation means: (1) to meet face to face; to stand facing. (2) to place before. There are three necessary encounters we cannot avoid indefinitely. Facing others, God, and ourselves. Jacob ran for years trying to avoid facing these three  with whom he had dealings earlier in life. But God brought him to a place he couldn't get out of and demanded of him a confrontation.

Interestingly, the whole of Jacob's life was changed when he came to the end of himself and faced those he'd evaded for so long. When the Lord asked what his name was, and he said, "Jacob" (meaning supplanted, schemer, deceiver), it was then God said he was a prince. And after coming face to face with his offended brother, he found a warm reception, with much affection and blessings.

Why, O, why, do we run from God's best?

The Separatist Movement

I believe most emphatically in Biblical separation. But I do not, and will not, accept a list of man-made rules. My son, Andrew, mentioned once to a woman that the Bible did not teach total abstinence; to which she replied, "But don't you think God holds us to a higher standard than that?"

You can trace all separatist movements back as far as the Pharisees, and yes, even further, to Israel of old. They added hundreds of their own commandments to God's law. We find such descriptive terms of these separatists as, "They say, and do not." And, "Thou that sayest a man should not...dost thou...? 

Francis Schaeffer, J.I. Packer, and Harry Ironside all belonged to strict separatist groups in their day, the latter two coming close to nervous breakdowns, because they could not live up to the rigidity of the "elites" teaching. But each found, in time, that the strongest advocates of the movements didn't live up to what they preached.

This was the whole issue over Paul's stern rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2:11-14. Especially verse 14, "If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest the Gentiles to live as do the Jews.?"

Let each reader heed the words of the first Church council."Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear."      

A Spittin' Image

"He also did predestinate [us] to be conformed to the image of His Son...be not conformed to this world." 

Matthew Henry says, "None can know their election but by their conformity to the image of Christ...it cannot be a temptation to any to be conformed to the world to believe that they were predestined to be conformed to Christ."

Predestination has to do with saved people. God predetermined before hand that His elect be like His Son. He has destined each who name the name of Christ to ultimately bear the moral and spiritual image of the Son of God. As the old timers used to say, "We'll be the spittin' image of Him."

A preacher visiting a mountain man noticed he was whittling on a piece of wood. Trying to get a conversation started, the pastor asked what he was making. The reply was, "An elephant," to which the man of God said, "Wow, that must be difficult!" The old man answered, "Not really, I just cut off everything that don't look like an elephant."

And so it is with us beloved, God is cutting away everything in our lives that does not look like Jesus Christ!

Don' Give Up On God

In Psalm 81:14 God tells His people, “I should soon have…” The context, verses 11 through 16, show they couldn’t wait for God, but rather gave up on Him. Their clocks, like our own, ran fast. How many have given up on the Lord, not knowing the answer was on it’s way, right around the corner, so to speak? As someone has said, “It’s always too soon to give up.”

When your need seems slow in coming, remember the “raven” is on it’s way...Don’t give up! When life feels useless, think of John the Baptist in the wilderness all those years...Don’t give up! When your prayers are not answered immediately, remind yourself of Daniel’s three week wait...Don’t give up! When deliverance looks afar off, read about the three Hebrew children...Don”t give up! When darkness is prolonged, take Job for your example, see the end of the Lord...Don’t give up!

Some will never know what would have happened in their lives had they waited for the Lord just a little longer. Throughout scripture, God is known to wait before taking action on His children’s behalf. “God waited in the days of Noah.” And so, we need to learn to wait on a waiting God. “Therefore will the Lord wait...Blessed are all they that wait for Him.”

Learning the Word

Darling David said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted;that I might learn thy statutes (Word).” David knew the “letter” of God’s Law; but in his affliction he learned the “spirit” of the Word. That is, the underlying and deeper meaning.

A preacher friend, now with the Lord, exemplified the above truth to me years ago. He was born with Cerebral Palsy and knew first hand the meaning of affliction. He asked me why God wanted Abraham to offer up Isaac? My immediate answer was “He was a type of Christ, says Hebrews.” Bill said, “True, but is there also not a deep spiritual meaning?” Then continued, “Two equal loves cannot coexist, one love must die.”

Affliction has a way, if you’ll pardon the expression, of putting clothes on naked truth. Suffering makes truths we have long known come alive. Truths that had laid dormant, suddenly have new meaning. They bleed, weep, and hurt like we ourselves. An example of this is when we put Joseph’s clothes on Romans 8:28. It is then the latter means so much more to us.

Those Blessed Psalms

My wife has a book by C.S. Lewis entitled, Reflections on the Psalms. Whenever I see it I’m reminded again of how I, along with a multitude of others, love this precious book. Through the years, I have jotted down some little personal notes in the heading this book. I’d like to share some of these thoughts with you today, if you don't mind:

1. The Spirit-filled believer is drawn to Psalms (Eph.5:18-19).

2. Much of the book is autobiographical...about David's personal life.

3. There is a Balm in Psalms. It’s the “Gilead” of the Bible (Jer.8:22 a, cp. Gen.37:25).

4. It is in the very heart of the Bible because it’s to the heart.

5. David’s physical foes have become our spiritual enemies today
(1Cor.10:6 a, 11).

6. Look for Jesus when you read the Psalms (Luke 24:44 cp. Psl.2:2 and  Acts 4:26).

A Psalm a day will bring the Great Physician your way.

The Downs and Ups of a Child of God

“Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” The worldling has his or her ups and downs, while God’s elect have their downs and ups. That is, God’s people ultimately bounce back. You know, “You can’t keep a good man down.”

David had his down moments, and he knew God knew of them. God understanding his thoughts, I’m sure, was aware David, like ourselves, wished it were not so. In an old time camp meeting, David would have given a hearty AMEN! to the quartet singing the old spiritual, “Sometimes I’m Up, Sometimes I’m Down, O, Yes, Lord!”    

Is this not why we all love the book of Psalms so dearly? The Psalmist did not go from mountaintop to mountaintop without having his valley experiences. And this was so he might appreciate and enjoy breathing that celestial air once he climbed back up.

In the Christian life, the rule is we’re to be up, the exception being when we’re down; Whenever reversed, there is dire reason for concern. I heard a preacher say once, “I’m never down. I won’t allow myself to be down.” I knew immediately I was listening to a spiritual sham or a self-deceived braggart.

   

Yielding To Temptation

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Being tempted is not sin; giving in to it is. Therefore, it is imperative there be no flag of surrender.

I have found a great number of those who have yielded fell for the lie the devil told them, “Your temptation is greater than others, God will understand if you submit.” And so they pride themselves that their particular enticement was different from anyone else’s, among God’s people. True, it may not have been the same in kind, but it can be the same in intensity. Sorry Mr. or Mrs. Narcissus, you’re not the only one, it’s common to all.

How some love to broadcast their great temptation in front of groups, councillors, and those close to them. Interestingly, Jesus never mentioned to anyone His temptation on the Mount, nor that in the Garden. God only knows those precious souls who fought it through behind closed doors, and came out victorious. There is always a way out, As my pastor says, “When tempted, look for the escape hatch.”

It would be well for each of us who have “pity parties” when severely tempted, to remind ourselves to, “Consider HIM that endured...lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”  

“A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.” C. S. Lewis.

God Vindicates His Own

“But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Texts such as this can be found throughout the New Testament, especially the Gospels. Not only do they prove the inspiration of the Bible, but the vindication of the prophets.

Whenever the words of God’s man or woman, speaking on behalf of the Lord, came to pass,they were vindicated. No matter how long it took. Sometimes hundreds of years had to elapse before what they said was realized as credible and authentic.

And so it will be with many of us. In spite of the fact that a great number are belittled and maligned for what they say today, down the road, possibly in the far off future, God will vindicate their testimony. You see, the grave is not silent, for “He being dead yet speaketh.”

As Night Follows Day

“The earth was also corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The old adage, “As night follows day,” simply means you can depend on it. That is, you can count on it, expect it, yes! Look for it with assurance. One will follow upon the heels of the other; it will always be close by.

And so it is with corruption,whenever you find it, you can be certain violence will soon come on the scene. Whether it be an individual, city, state, nation, or the entire earth, when corruption enters, violence will be the result.

Today, as in that of Noah (history repeats itself), corruption is universal. Extreme violence has already begun happening in many parts of the world. And don’t be deceived, we are not exempt. You can hang your hat on the fact that intense violence, such as we have never seen in our beloved nation, is at the door.

No sane, sensible person, would deny our entire country is steeped in corruption. From politics to religion, every facet of society has been severely tainted. The only answer is a Revival or His Return. Personally, I pray for the second. But if the second is on hold, then I'm for the first.

Until one of these two happens, as Noah of old, we can walk victoriously with our God in the midst of all the filth.     

One of the Crowd

“Then shall I be...as another man.” Once Samson decided to disobey God he became just like one of the guys. He was no longer one of a kind, but rather, one of the crowd. As long as he followed the Lord, he was of a rare breed; when he went back, he became a regular toy soldier, in step with everyone else. Someone wrote, “Be like a diamond; precious and rare, not like a stone that is found everywhere.” 

Only in doing the Will of God will you find individual distinctiveness. Everything and everyone outside His plan is run-of-the-mill. All look and taste like vanilla, life becomes monotonous. The adventure and excitement resulting from serving the Lord leaves one, and nothing is left but daily boredom. Without God as the center of our lives, all our created enthusiastic endeavours fizzle out like a sparkler.

Only the life wholly given up to God is the one full of constant surprises. When we are willing to be different from the mass, it is then He distributes His individual gifts. To the rest, like those working in an office during holidays, all receive the same thing.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter; and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr, Seuss