“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, the said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND NOT SACRIFICE: for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:11-13. KJV
It is a fact that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s will, and that God loves everyone, John 3:16. Jesus came to fulfill his Father’s purpose. What he taught, and who he taught, was his Father’s will. It is the will of the Lord God that all have an opportunity to receive the forgiveness of sins. That is the background and reason for the great commission of Matthew 28:19.
But, he not only commanded us to go to all nations, but he set the example himself. Isaiah, prophesied, “And leaving Nazareth, he came down and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, and the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nepthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and the shadow of death light is sprung up.” Matthew 4:13-18. Where he went, and as he went, he spoke to the people. Recall, his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in Samaria. More than once he went to the aid of the Romans. The Pharisees hated both of these peoples and avoided all contact with them they could. Not once do we ever see him turning anyone away because they were sinners; not the woman taken in the act of adultery, not Matthew the tax collector, not Judas the betrayer. No sin was too evil for him to be filled with compassion for the sinner. Why was that? That was because sins do not come in degrees of evil in God‘s sight. All have sinned. There are no black lies and no little white lies. We are told that there will be no liars enter into heaven. As Paul said “of such were some of you.” There are no social drinkers, and no alcoholics, the statement is that there will be no drunkards, and probably none of us can be certain that we would not abuse that addiction, thus it is safer not to place that burden of decision upon ourselves. The same could be said of Marijuana, crack, painkillers, or whatever. I choose to under-medicate on any medication or perscription so long as it accomplishes the purpose.
But we are off the subject, Jesus did not avoid sinners, they were everywhere, and they needed him the most. Likewise, since all have sinned, and if they have not accepted the Lord and been obedient to him in repentance and baptism, they are our challenge. We rub shoulders with them every day. The vital words of the great commission are “as you go, teach.” It is part of living to go. Jesus asked the woman at the well for a drink of water. He was breaking several “No, No’s” in doing that. This was a woman, she was a woman of bad reputation, she was a Samaritan, and they were alone in a remote place. A present-day setting could be, a woman, a prostitute, a woman of a different race than our own, late at light on a dark street corner. Now Jesus would not have us deliberately put ourselves in such a setting, but what is he saying, is “As you go, teach, all nations whatsoever I have commanded you, baptizing,” and he set the example by doing what he asked that we do. Let us not be so concerned about whether they believe or not that we forget it is we who have been sent. We are just the messenger, the carrier of good news. He came to save sinners. Let us go for the same reason. Only we have the light that can take away the darkness.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
YOU ARE A PERFECT FIT
FOR THE JOB AHEaD
The first verse of this text was a favorite my mother often quoted, but I don’t recall her ever getting involved in a discussion of the rest of the text. Two of my uncles by marriage, often became engrossed in a heated “discussion” of the use of the word “predestinate” in the other portion. One was a firm believer in “predestination” while the other, as far as I could see, was so uninformed in scripture that his opinions could be ignored entirely. Mother used to say of the two of them that they would argue with a fence post. Let us hope that we can do a little better than that.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might, be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.
You will recall that when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree that was in the midst of the garden. Satan, the master of deceptions, used a half-truth. Hs said that they would be like God in that they would know good and evil, to deceive them. Adam had been created in the image of God, but was not aware, at this stage of good and evil. God, knowing what was best for them, had forbidden them to eat, or even touch the fruit of that particular tree. We all start out, like them, not knowing the difference between good and evil. Satan used that half-truth to lead Eve, probably the most easily deceived of the two, to just taste that fruit. That was the first sin, disobedience. With the “Pandora’s box” opened; all the rest followed in quick order. Man is not like the animals. They have no knowledge of good or evil. Man was created to use his brain to logically plan and make decisions. He is not a robot, mindlessly going through life. He is, like God, able to think and come to conclusions.
Now what about the predestination side of the text? The choice of two phrases, “according to his purpose” and “whom he did foreknow” need to be considered here. God has a purpose for every person on this earth. Noah was born and used of God to save a new start for mankind following the flood. Moses was born and preserved that he might lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt to the land of promise. Elijah was sent to be the major prophet to announce the Messiah to come. John to be his forerunner, and to introduce him. These are but a few examples, We could go on to Peter, the leader of the apostles, and Paul the evangelist to the Gentile world.
As God sent each of these, He also sent us, even the unborn who have been slaughtered without a chance to be used. They had been unable to fulfill their purpose; perhaps that is the reason the world is in such a state today. Those who succeed, he calls, he justifies, and he will glorify in time to come. We have been assured that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” He knew them from the beginning. He knows them now, and he will reward them when the time is right.
God has chosen each of us for a purpose. Even as Jesus repeatedly assured his apostles, “It is not yet my time,” when the time came he sent Judas to go do his task. Judas was to be the betrayer, just as John the Baptist was to be the forerunner, and Peter to preach at Pentecost. Each to his own task, for good or bad. And that includes all of us as well.
The first verse of this text was a favorite my mother often quoted, but I don’t recall her ever getting involved in a discussion of the rest of the text. Two of my uncles by marriage, often became engrossed in a heated “discussion” of the use of the word “predestinate” in the other portion. One was a firm believer in “predestination” while the other, as far as I could see, was so uninformed in scripture that his opinions could be ignored entirely. Mother used to say of the two of them that they would argue with a fence post. Let us hope that we can do a little better than that.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might, be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.
You will recall that when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree that was in the midst of the garden. Satan, the master of deceptions, used a half-truth. Hs said that they would be like God in that they would know good and evil, to deceive them. Adam had been created in the image of God, but was not aware, at this stage of good and evil. God, knowing what was best for them, had forbidden them to eat, or even touch the fruit of that particular tree. We all start out, like them, not knowing the difference between good and evil. Satan used that half-truth to lead Eve, probably the most easily deceived of the two, to just taste that fruit. That was the first sin, disobedience. With the “Pandora’s box” opened; all the rest followed in quick order. Man is not like the animals. They have no knowledge of good or evil. Man was created to use his brain to logically plan and make decisions. He is not a robot, mindlessly going through life. He is, like God, able to think and come to conclusions.
Now what about the predestination side of the text? The choice of two phrases, “according to his purpose” and “whom he did foreknow” need to be considered here. God has a purpose for every person on this earth. Noah was born and used of God to save a new start for mankind following the flood. Moses was born and preserved that he might lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt to the land of promise. Elijah was sent to be the major prophet to announce the Messiah to come. John to be his forerunner, and to introduce him. These are but a few examples, We could go on to Peter, the leader of the apostles, and Paul the evangelist to the Gentile world.
As God sent each of these, He also sent us, even the unborn who have been slaughtered without a chance to be used. They had been unable to fulfill their purpose; perhaps that is the reason the world is in such a state today. Those who succeed, he calls, he justifies, and he will glorify in time to come. We have been assured that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” He knew them from the beginning. He knows them now, and he will reward them when the time is right.
God has chosen each of us for a purpose. Even as Jesus repeatedly assured his apostles, “It is not yet my time,” when the time came he sent Judas to go do his task. Judas was to be the betrayer, just as John the Baptist was to be the forerunner, and Peter to preach at Pentecost. Each to his own task, for good or bad. And that includes all of us as well.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU.
“Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good gifts to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12.
I once knew an evangelist who applied the first portion of this parable as the basis for his prayers that God would provide him with a Mercedes sedan. Now, I am sure that he was thinking a new one as he prayed. God permitted him to have what he asked for, but it was an older one and it was unreliable, a veritable “thorn in the flesh.” Sometimes our Lord permits is to have what we have asked for, in order to teach us a lesson about prayer. He wants us to come to him to ask for what we really need to do his work better, not what we want, perhaps for a questionable motive. Like Ananias and Saphira, we can do the right thing for the wrong motive. I also remember another evangelist, who asked for a BMW. God also allowed him to have it, much to his regrets.
On the other hand, I myself once prayed earnestly for a particular church building, that was up for sale, even though I had no money available at all. God answered that prayer and set in motion the means to provide it. It was a great blessing both to us and to the work that we were doing for Him at the time. It provided a debt free, house of worship, a Bible Bookstore, an apartment for ourselves, guest rooms for visitors, and space for our printing and publishing work. Where we had been working had been frequently burgled, but this replacement was never invaded, though not that they did not try. Our very presence on the property, saved the day, probably also with the protection of our guardian angels for I really do not see myself as being responsible for the two van loads of would be thieves who fled the scene one dark night. They never returned. That could have resulted in a tragic end to our very lives.
I like the second part of the parable. Jesus pointed out that we know how to give what our children need. Sometimes, in fact, we are too generous to their loss. How many times has an only son, or a youngest son, been given everything he wanted to the extent that he never learned to work and accept responsibility for his own family? God knows how to give “good gifts” to those who ask of Him. But, He also knows when it it not for our own good that he give it, then or even at all.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” What a wonderful note on which to end this parable. Like beautiful music, we have all listened to a magnificent musical presentation, which comes to a perfect close leaving us with a memory that will stay with us, perhaps for life. Let s keep this thought ever before us. “Do ye even so to them.”
When you go to God in prayer, pray, not for yourself alone, but pray that the answer to your prayer may be a blessing to others. After all we are here, not for our own blessing, but that we might be a blessing to others. Jesus also said, “Go ye to all the nations.”
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