If You Are Wise, You Will Fertilize

But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also,

until I dig around it and fertilize it.’ – Luke 13:8

It’s Springtime, the time of year when we fertilize and prepare our gardens and plant flowers and vegetables. It’s also the time of year when flowers are beginning to bloom and trees are budding. It’s a time of color and warmer weather. It’s a time of newness. It’s a welcome change from the darkness and gloom of the winter and time just preceding Spring. Now why am I talking about Springtime? Has dear Pastor Claude waxed horticultural? Well, not exactly. I love flowers and Spring, but I have another “culture” to discuss beyond horticulture.

I want to talk to you about fertilization. Jesus spoke of fertilization you know? He spoke of it to illustrate a spiritual preparatory action to help us be fruitful. God desires we are fruitful in life. A producing saint is a beautiful saint to the LORD. A fruitfully productive saint attracts others and is a welcome sight. What do I mean when I title this message, “If You Are Wise, You Will Fertilize”? How and why should we fertilize? Let’s see.

In Luke 13 Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. And along the way He is given some news. Here we will look at what Jesus thought about the news reporting of His day. We will find that He appears Jesus doesn’t think too much of the reporting of current events. What He does care about is the personal repentance of people. There’s a great lesson to be learned in this.

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

We have no record of the actual events referenced here in these verses. The Galileans of Jesus day were known for being rebellious. Pilate was very much known as a politician who would not hesitate to make examples of people in vicious and violent ways. And apparently what he had done to these Galileans was breaking news being circulated among the people. This was the current headline, the breaking news story of the day.

² And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no;

An Act of God? When something bad happens to someone, we often do one of two things. First, we attribute the tragedy to God. Insurance companies won’t cover things they define as “An Act of God.” Why do people automatically assign blame to God for tragedies? While God is sovereign and nothing happens that doesn’t go across His desk for approval so to speak, He is not the Author of all tragedy. In Job 1 we discover the hand of Satan in the “great wind” that brought the house down on Job’s children (Job 1:18-20). God gave Satan permission to afflict Job, but it was Satan who brought the storm. We shouldn’t be quick to assign blame for tragedies to God.

The judgment of God is on them! The second thing people often do when tragedy hits is that they blame the victims of the tragedy. They say, “They must have done something to bring this tragedy upon themselves and God is judging them. This is also disproven in the book of Job when we see Job described as “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). In Job 1 and 2 we discover that the tragedy and affliction experienced by Job was instigated by Satan. The bulk of the book of Job has Job not only afflicted greatly in various ways, but answering the accusations of his “friends,” who seek to blame him for what has happened to him.

Look deeper at tragedy and hardship. People of Jesus time would have been perplexed at this because they thought evil only happens to evil people. They frequently looked at their world in superstitious ways. Jesus goes on to dismiss this notion and points the people to more important things. “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no;” Sometimes the tragedy that comes on people is at the hand of God in a disciplinary way (e.g., the captivity of Israel in the Old Testament). And sometimes tragedy comes upon people as a consequence of sinful choices they make. But Job and Jesus tell us here that, that isn’t always the case. We know from scripture, (and these people should have known), that bad things, evil things also happen to “good” people, even righteous people. Job is an example of this. Therefore, we need to look deeper at tragedy and hardship.

but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

Don’t let the news or current events keep you from repenting and getting right with God. Jesus points to the greater, more relevant issue of the day for these people, i.e., “but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

The people of Judea looked down on those of Galilee because of they were mostly Gentiles. Jews referred to this area as “Galilee of the Gentiles” (cf. Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:15). Because they were Gentiles, it was assumed they were less spiritual, and they were discriminated against by the Jews. Jesus is having none of that and tells them they themselves needed to repent.

God is not racist. While the gospel came to the Jew first and then the Gentiles (Romans 1:16; 2:9 and 10), we shouldn’t assume God is bigoted or racist. Indeed. The Bible tells us very clearly, “For there is no partiality with God” (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; see context). There was a planned sequence of sharing the gospel, but the gospel plan of God was always intended to reach the world, bot Jew and Gentile.

It’s more important to repent. To “repent” (Greek metanoeo) means, to think differently, to reconsider, to change one’s mind. To repent means to confess and forsake one’s sin. Repentance is integral to getting right with God. God is patient and long suffering with us in hopes that the sinner will repent (Romans 2:1-4). God desires none to perish but for everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God, “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). And repentance is a big part of that.

⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus was aware of current events. Jesus was aware of what went on in the world around Him. He was familiar enough with current events to reference them as He did here. There is nothing intrinsically, spiritually, or scripturally that would justify a willful ignorance of what is happening in the world around us. Jesus kept abreast of current events, we should too.

The Pool of Siloam is located south of what is called the Temple Mount today. It was fed by the Gihon Spring which fed water through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Apparently by this pool there had been a tower that fell, and eighteen people died as a result.

Jesus is not a racist. Notice, Jesus says, “do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?” The “all other men” is further proof of impartiality. I say this because it has become popular for “woke” pastors who detract from God’s word in order to exert their own authority have become to bring accusation against Jesus as a “racist.” Nothing could be further from the truth. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God loves the “world,” and offers salvation to “whoever believes.” These are clear statements of impartiality.

Safe Spaces?

 

In times of difficulty such as Pilates mingling of the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices and the eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell, people seek out safe spaces. But in truth, there are no safe spaces. Evil has a way of finding people. Instead of safe spaces, we need to take refuge in a Person.

 

The Bible says:

 

·       Psalm 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

 

·       Psalm 28:8–9 - The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. ⁹Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.

 

·       Psalm 31:1–5 - In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. ²Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. ³   For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. ⁴Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. ⁵Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

 

·       Psalm 46:1–3 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ²Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³            Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

The message of the Bible is not to take refuge in a place or even a “kingdom,” but to take refuge in God. That is what we will see here. There are no safe spaces, not even the kingdom of God here, but our refuge needs to be in God. Get right with God.

 

⁶ He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ ⁸ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”

 

But be wise and fertilize. Jesus turns to a tool He often used in communicating to the lost, parables. A Parable is a method of communicating that illustrates a heavenly or spiritual truth by way of referencing a well-known or commonly known situation. Here Jesus refers to a man who had planted a vineyard. Such a reference would be very familiar and common in this agrarian society.

 

God desires fruitfulness. The dilemma referred to by Jesus here would be something the people He was speaking too would be very familiar with. A man planted a vineyard. He goes to get some fruit from it and finds none. This condition had gone on for some three years already. The man had had enough. “Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?” he says. Now, this man would have been justified in thinking and proceeding the way he did. But Jesus conveys something further.

 

God desires us to be fruitful. From the first command to humanity to “be fruitful and multiply,” God desires us to be fruitful (e.g., Genesis 1:22, 28; 8:17; 9:1 and 7). In the parable of the Sower, Jesus refers to fruitfulness as the indication of true conversion (cf.  Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15). Jesus says every branch that doesn’t bear fruit will be cut off by the Vinedresser His Father (cf. John 15:2). Jesus says we can’t bear fruit on our own but only by being attached to Him (John 15:4). But the purpose of Jesus choosing us is to bear fruit. He said to the apostles:

 

·       John 15:16 - ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (cf. Matthew 7:15-19). The “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-24) are indicators of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person. Love is the prime fruit that a genuinely saved person who has been born again of the Spirit should produce (cf. Romans 5:5). Fruitfulness is normal for the genuine born-again believer (e.g., Colossians 1:10; 2 Peter 1:5-9).

 

A little more time. The “keeper” (Greek ampelourgon) or vinedresser, suggests the owner give the plant more time. He says, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.” Now what point is Jesus making here?  I suggest three.

 

First, God is merciful to give you more time to repent if you haven’t already. In Romans 2 it states:

 

·       Romans 2:1–4 - Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

God is good, patient and longsuffering. He graciously waits for sinners to repent. However, . . .

 

Second, God will judge in truth at some point. While the gardener suggested more time be given to the plant, he also said that after this one-year extension of time, it should be cut down; or judged. God has graciously given the unrepentant sinner time. But that time is not forever. Eternal life is forever. But the time God gives for sinners to repent is limited. Jesus is subtly communicating that now is the time to repent! Now is the day of salvation!

 

Third, if you are wise you will fertilize. Now fertilizer is food that has been consumed and processed through bodily functions by animals. Fertilizer is deteriorated decayed material that is rich in nutrients so that where it is spread, it facilitates growth. My further question is, “What do you think Jesus was referring to by mentioning this fertilization?” I believe it was these current event stories.

 

How do we fertilize spiritually? The Apostle Paul makes an interesting comment that dovetails nicely with Jesus his Savior and Lord’s words. The Apostle Paul gives us insight into spiritual fertilization. To the Philippians Paul was inspired to write:

 

·       Philippians 3:7–11 - But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

The word “rubbish” in verse eight is translated from the Greek term skubala. Skubala is a word used to describe table scraps, trash, garbage, sewage, manure, excrement. This is a word used to refer to something to be thrown out or disposed of, something disgusting, filthy abhorrent such as a rotting corpse or partly eaten fish. leftovers to the dogs, or sweepings, sewage, muck, or dung. Hence, it connoted something disgusting, filthy, abhorrent, that which was to be rejected or thrown out. It can also refer to “pitiful or horrible remains” as a rotting corpse partly eaten by fish.  [1]

 

What does it mean to spiritual fertilize? How do we spiritually fertilize? To fertilize spiritually is to “count all things loss” that keep us from “the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” To fertilize spiritually is to look at the things around you and “count them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.” To fertilize spiritually is to do a self-assessment, to look around you at the things in your life, the things you watch, the things you do, your past times and things you participate in, and anything that hinders you from knowing Jesus, see it as rotten flesh or dead fish parts and throw it in the garbage and make it mulch to fertilize your life to know Christ better. That is what it means to spiritually fertilize.

 

Make a mainstream media mulch. It’s very easy to get caught up in the news, breaking stories, and current events of the day. The news, whether watched, read, or listened to, can be a source of distraction and even depression if we focus too much on it. I think Jesus is telling the people it’s okay to be aware of current events, but at some point, you have to pass them through; let them serve to spur you on to repentance and getting right with God. At some point we should take what we have accumulated and consumed from the mainstream media and throw it in a mulch pit and use it to fertilize us; to help us become fruitful instead of futile. That happens when we pass it all through the screen of God’s word. God’s word helps us to keep it all in perspective. Test all things and hold on to what is good (1 Thess. 5:21). The rest, throw it in the mulch pit and fertilize.

 

Prophetic processing. Fear is often the product of a diet of mainstream media. But the Bible says very clearly, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). If we simply take the “news” at face value and the way media packages it, we will likely be reduced to terrified wrecks. But, if we process current events through the lens of God’s prophetic word, it will help us make sense of the world we live in and understand the times. We need to be like the “sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32a). The Apostle Peter was inspired to put it like this:

 

·       2 Peter 1:19–21 - ¹⁹ And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

“Which you do well to heed.” “Heed” (Greek prosechontes – Present/Active/Participle of prosecho) which means continue to pay attention to, continue to watch, be attentive to give heed to keep following, be devoted to, be concerned about. Whatever we see on the news, whatever news we read or hear about, should be processed prophetically. We should constantly be asking, “Now where does this fit into God’s prophetic plans?” Ignorance is an ingredient to fear. Understanding, especially understanding from Gods’ word, dispels fear and builds faith and courage (e.g., Romans 10:17).

 

Light it up! God’s prophetic word is a light in the darkness of this world. And if we process the events taking place in this world by God’s word, eventually “the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” The light will go on, the confusion, delusion, and uncertainties that feed fear will be exposed and defeated and your faith will rise up. All of this is a product of the Holy Spirit directing us, teaching us, comforting us with His word (e.g., John 14:26-27; 16:13). Jesus said, “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe” (John 14:29). That is the principle of prophecy; God tells us what to expect beforehand, that we might process what we see and believe.

 

Let’s dig in! Pardon the pun, but now is the time to process what we have been taking in. How about you, are you finding yourself locked into news reports so much so that they are dragging you away from God? Are you depressed by the darkness of what’s reported of what is going on in the world today? Maybe it’s time to pass those things through and fertilize. Maybe it’s time to take a break and examine your life and get right with God through faith in Jesus. Maybe it’s time to respond to God patience and grace and love and get right with Him.

 

 

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[1] Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, The - The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Sigma-Omega.

 

 

The Source of Sickness

 

But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” – Luke 13:12

 

Where does sickness come from? Are we always to blame for our sicknesses? Does sickness mean we have a lack of faith? Some people would make that claim, or bring that accusation. But all that does is compound the pain and suffering of the afflicted.

The Source of Sickness

In Luke 13 a woman with, “a spirit of infirmity eighteen years” was healed by Jesus. I don’t know about you, but to that I say, “Praise the Lord!” But what about sickness and healing? Why isn’t everyone healed? This is an age-old question that many have pondered, struggled with, and even been run aground in their faith with. It needn’t be so. The account in Luke reads:  

¹⁰ Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

A “spirit of infirmity.” Now this is not necessarily just a bad case of osteoporosis. The scripture account states the woman was afflicted with a “spirit of infirmity.” Apparently, a malevolent spirit had a hand in this particular affliction, and that is all we can say.

Planetary and personal sin and sickness. We live in a fallen world infected with planetary sin. When our first parents sinned, it impacted creation with sin. Now, Satan of course sinned against God prior to the fall of Adam And Eve otherwise how could he have been the serpent and tempted them (cf. Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19). But Satan’s sin and its consequences were apparently limited to him and those who chose to follow him. I do not believe God created this world in sin. When He created as we see in Genesis 1 and 2, God created a sinless world and then said what He had created was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Holy God would not have pronounced a “very good” on something that was sinful or permeated with sin.

But when Adam and Eve chose to follow the serpent rather than the God who Created and loved them, sin entered in. That sinful influence was and remains planetary; it permeates the DNA of all creation. “For the creation was subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20; cf. also Genesis 3:17-19).This is why there are destructive storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and all the other natural destructive forces we have seen throughout history since the Fall. Our bodies having been built from “the dust of the ground,” (Genesis 2:7), are part of God’s creation. And because of that our bodies are fallen and under the influence of planetary sin. This is the cause of all ailments and sickness. This is why for instance, a man Like Pastor Chuck Smith, can live his entire life never having smoked a cigarette or abstained from alcohol and who took good care of his body, could die of lung cancer. Yes, we could include environmental factors, but those bring us to the other aspect of sin, personal sin.

Planetary sin’s influences are in effect regardless of personal decision to sin. In other words, you can get sick simply by virtue of being a part of God’s creation that is under the influence of planetary sin. Therefore, we can say that people are not necessarily blameworthy for their sicknesses. Sickness may simply be the effects of the objective planetary sinfulness of creation. But environmental factors that are linked to the cause of illness bring us to the personal aspect of sin.

Our personal sinful choices have consequences. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). There is a consequence for sinful choices. God in His sovereignty enforces such consequences. Our bodies are gifts from God; temples meant to house the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Before we are born again, these temples are dormant, empty. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us – “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). So, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our bodies.

Now, we should take a short moment to mention that this principle can be applied more broadly. For instance, a nation or continent, or world that forsakes God and indulges in sinful physical recklessness with the environment and with their bodies can expect a consequence. I’m not a proponent of Green Peace nor am I a tree hugger, but if we treat God’s creation sinfully, there will be consequences. And we see them in pollution and ruined or greatly diminished natural resources. Take a walk on the beach and observe the garbage that washes ashore. Go to a communist country where there are few of any environmental protections and take a deep breath of that fumes from cares, trucks, busses and factories. You’ll choke! I’m sure there are many such consequences that we could consider here. I only mention these to show the principle of consequence for mistreating God’s creation is not merely individual, but also corporate and even global.

God warns, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:17). We should take good care of our bodies. This does not mean we should worship our bodies. That is what some do. They are so taken with their looks and body upkeep that they obsess over their bodies to the neglect of other more eternal priorities. Watch out for this. But we should take good care of our bodies; what we eat; exercise; how we use them. And if we don’t take good care of our bodies there is a consequence, “God will destroy him.”

We can expect a physical consequence when we mistreat our bodies. Smokers have a much higher probability to cancer than nonsmokers. That’s just a fact. Those who consume alcohol have a much higher probability of liver damage. Those who indulge in illicit or harmful drug use can expect brain damage and other ailments. There is often a physical consequence to personal sinful choices.

But there is one more source of illness and that is spiritual. In our Luke 13 passage here, we are introduced to a “spirit of infirmity.” This tells us that some illness or physically hurtful conditions have a spiritual element as their cause. When we look at the book of Job, we see Satan’s involvement in the physical afflictions of that tortured man (cf. Job 2:1-8). And if Satan was involved in the physical afflictions of Job, it’s not a stretch to think that others were also attacked in such ways. And apparently, other spirits or demons follow the tactics of their boss Beelzebub.  

“Infirmity” (Greek astheneias: noun of astheneia) means weakness, sickness, distress, lack of strength. That this was a “spirit of infirmity,” indicates her condition was spiritually connected in some way. Apparently, this “spirit of infirmity” was able to force this woman into a bent over state. It was as though this woman was forced into a position of submission by this spirit.

Not all ailments are caused by spirits. But some are as we see here. Whenever someone is sick it is wise to always pray and include in your prayers a request to God to expose and solve any spiritual element in the sickness.

Eighteen years! Here, the woman was in this condition for EIGHTEEN YEARS! That’s a horrible state. Imagine, hunched over and bent for eighteen years. For eighteen years finding it difficult to look anyone in the eye or carry on a normal upright living. Thank God Jesus came along to free this woman from her bounds. The timing of God is something that may befuddle us. But knowing God’s goodness and love and His grace, we trust that He has legitimate reasons, even for an eighteen-year wait.

¹² But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” ¹³ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

This is a moving account. Eighteen years! Eighteen years? Yes, eighteen years. That’s a long time. Think of the hopeless plight this woman was in. After five years, or ten years, its likely she had given up hope of healing. But after eighteen years, hope and even the thought of being healed had thoroughly evaporated. But with Jesus there is always hope. Nothing is impossible with Him.

Jesus sees our conditions and acts on our behalf. Now notice, it states Jesus “saw” (Greek idon – Aorist/Active/Participle of eidon) meaning Jesus was seeing, perceiving, looking after. Jesus saw her and perceived her plight. Jesus is the one who saw this woman. She did not have to ask or solicit Jesus for healing. Perhaps in her hunched over state, she didn’t even see Jesus was there!

Then it states Jesus said to the woman, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”  “Loosed” (Greek apolelusai – Perfect/Middle/Indicative of appoluo) means freed, released, let go, sent away, dismissed, let die, divorced, depart. This is a word used to convey the idea of redeeming prisoners or slaves. It is used to convey the idea of releasing someone from their legal obligations. It is used to convey the idea of being given exemption from military service. And it is used to convey the idea of being acquitted of a crime.

We don’t know how this “spirit of infirmity” entered this woman’s life. We aren’t given those circumstances. What we are told is that, no matter what led to this affliction from a spirit of infirmity, Jesus, with merely a word, “loosed” her from it. Jesus, with a word, freed and released this woman from a debilitating and humiliating ailment she had been afflicted by for eighteen years!

Sickness has a way of isolating the afflicted. When you’re sick, you feel alone, maybe even abandoned by God. But here we see that as soon as Jesus saw this hunched over woman, He sprang into healing action. Now this raises the question, “If that’s the case, has Jesus seen me and if He’s seen me, why hasn’t He healed me?” Well, to such a heartfelt question I would answer, I believe Jesus does see us when we are sick or suffering. The Bible says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a; cf. also Zechariah 4:10). And Jesus Himself promised, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is there (Matthew 18:20). Jesus told Paul when he feared and felt forsaken in Corinth, “for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you” (Acts 18:10; cf. also Acts 23:10). So, there is ample evidence that God is with us during trails, hardships, and yes, sickness.

“But if Jesus is with me, and sees my pain, why doesn’t He heal me?” This is a more complex question that we don’t always have the answer to. Paul prayed to Jesus three times to have his “thorn in the flesh” removed. But Jesus’ answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a). There is no indication that Paul felt abandoned by Jesus while suffering this affliction. Quite the contrary. Paul responded to Jesus’ “No” about healing him, with the words, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10). There are lessons to be learned in sickness and suffering that are more profound and eternally valuable than our healing. Learning the sufficiency of God’s grace is one of them.

There are times when God’s will and plans involve purposes beyond our mere physical healing. Peter would go so far as to say, “he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1). That doesn’t mean that “suffering in the flesh” has some kind of expiatory value; or that our suffering adds in some way to the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus’ atoning work on the cross is “finished” (see John 19:30). Jesus’ atoning cross work is totally sufficient. We should not and indeed cannot add to Jesus’ cross work. So, what does Peter mean? I believe Peter is alluding to the fact that sickness and the suffering that accompanies it provides an environment suited to get closer to God. And the closer we come to God, the more clearly we see our sin. And the closer to God the more power we have over our sin. When we are suffering in the flesh, we have a greater appreciation for eternity. And when we are suffering in the flesh, we are not in a position to be as tempted as we might normally be when healthy. Because of this, we can even say, when it comes to resisting temptation to sin, suffering in the flesh has its advantages. Suffering in the flesh can therefore be said to lead us to cease from sin. Therefore, it may be a part of God’s plan to allow people to suffer.

But another reason why God might allow suffering to continue is that it provides an opportunity not only for the sick to experience the sufficiency of His grace, but others to see such sufficient grace in real life. We look at the testimony of Paul and we see him welcome the opportunity to continue in his physical suffering if it means he will experience the sufficiency of God’s grace and Jesus’ strength made perfect in his weakness. How many have watched a beloved holy one, a fellow dear believer suffer physically only to be in awe of the sufficiency of God’s grace in their hour of need? I have. I have seen God’s sufficient grace in many a brother and sister in Christ. And I have seen the absence of comfort in such times in the lives of unbelievers. Both testify to me, and to others in the presence of the suffering, that God’s grace is sufficient. We needn’t fear or dread the end of life break down of our bodies. We needn’t fear sickness or suffering. Jesus will be there and whether He chooses to heal or not, His grace will be sufficient. That is a great part of God’s plans and purposes.

The one-time God will always heal. There is one time, one situation where we can always be healed. That time and situation is when a person, caught up in and convicted of their sinful plight, calls out to God to be saved from their sin. God calls the sinner to come to Him and He will wash away our sins (Isaiah 1:18). The LORD is so gracious and generous. The LORD calls and invites the sinner saying, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him shile He is near. Let eh wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). And the reason God will do that is found in Jesus. Isaiah further explained, of Messiah Who is Jesus, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.         But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6). All of this was accomplished in Jesus. When it says, “By His stripes we are healed,”  it is not merely referring to physical healing, it is talking about spiritual healing from the damnable effects of sin. And Jesus Himself said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). So this is available to whoever calls on the name of the LORD! Praise the LORD for providing a way to be healed from our curse of sin!

How can we be healed of our sin? How can we be saved from our sin? Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Simple. But profound. Healing. Praise. Earlier in the Gospel of Luke Jesus said, “unless you repent your will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3 and 5). Repentance means to confess your sins to God and forsake them. Jesus says later in Luke 13, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Salvation and healing from sin is not something we do in our own strength. We “are not able.” That is why salvation form sin is a gift of God’s grace to be received by faith in Jesus. If you want to be saved and healed of your sinful condition, then confess to God that you have sinned against Him. Then purpose in your heart to forsake your sin and trust Jesus as your Savior. God can and does justly forgive the sinner who does this because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross (see Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 6:3). God put our unrighteousness on Jesus on the cross, and when we trust in Jesus as our Savior, God puts Jesus’ righteousness to our account (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21). This is all provided by God to us freely as a gift of His grace (cf. Ephesians 2:1-9). You can be healed and forgiven your sins right now, today, no delay, everyone.

Now this doesn’t mean that when we are saved from our sins, we won’t experience any difficulty, trial, pain, sickness or suffering. What we saw with Paul and Peter testifies to this truth. What it does mean is that even if it is God’s will for us to suffer or remain sick, His grace is there for us, His sufficient comforting grace that will get us through. And we always have the hope of heaven; eternal life. Peter put it like this, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5). What a wonderful provision God has given, by His grace.

The bottom line is that sometimes suffering and sickness are part of God’s plan. We might not always understand this. We probably won’t ever like it. But we must submit ourselves to God and His will and plan. Peter was inspired to conclude, “Therefore let those who surer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). Sometimes it is “the will of God” to suffer through sickness, even die. No matter the decision and plan and will of God, our only proper response is to follow other saints of old who obeyed Peter’s words to “commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” That should be our conclusion. And when we and those going through the suffering with us, will discover and experience firsthand, the sufficiency of God’s grace.  

“A brother and companion in”

“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos

for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”  

- Revelation 1:9

What makes a pastor effective? What makes someone effective in serving our Lord? A lot of damage has been done to the name of Jesus, to His bride the church, and to the reputation of our Lord by those who claim to be pastors of Christ or in some way claim to belong to Christ. The world is deceived and under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). But even those who walk according to the course of this world and the prince of the power of the air are able to spot a charlatan, hypocrite, or shallow disingenuous follower of Jesus (Eph. 2:1-3). And when they spot a phony or shallow “follower” of Jesus, they are quick to exploit it to their own ends. They only have to find one slacker, one superficial “Christian” to have enough ammunition to excuse themselves from listening to any conviction for their sins that the Holy Spirit might be dealing with them about.

Did you ever ask yourself why the hypocrites Ananias and Sapphira were dealt with so severely by the Holy Spirit? They sold some property and gave a portion of it to the church giving the impression they had given it all at great personal sacrifice. That doesn’t seem to be such a big deal. But they were both exposed for their deceit and stopped literally dead in their tracks. What was the big deal? Peter was moved by the Spirt to indict them for having a heart filled by Satan to lie to the Spirit; they tested the Spirit of God with their lying ways. Why was that such a big deal? Why did they have to pay such severe price? After the incident it says, “So great fear came upon all those who heard these things” Acts 5:1-11). There was an important lesson to be learned early on in the early church; one that we should revisit in our day.

The lost world is rejecting a shallow superficial Spiritless church today. Sinners are running hell bent from the church headed for a cliff that will plummet them into a Christ-less eternity. It’s a heart breaking situation. But what is even more heartbreaking is that so much of the church just doesn’t seem to care. They indulge in political discussions which soon degenerate into arguments. They are satisfied to be preoccupied with tweets, twitters, and texts of depersonalized messages to others. Maybe they have a Facebook “ministry.” Maybe they have an Instagram account. But when was the last time there was an actual conversation up front and personal with an actual flesh and blood person?

Then there are the people who are more concerned with the standings of their team than the spiritual state of the lost around them. People know the sales coming this month but they aren’t too privy to the salvation condition of those around them.

The world sees through superficiality. They can spot a hypocrite a mile away; even if it is for the selfish sake of justifying or excusing their own sin. What’s the solution? One of the most enduring examples of effective ministry is the Apostle John. In His last inspired piece of writing he wrote the following:

·         Revelation 1:9 - “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”  

John identified himself as “both your brother and companion in the tribulation.” John was in the trenches with his people. He didn’t lead from the rear but led from the front lines. And because of this he was loved by those he led in the Lord. No one could accuse John of not genuinely caring or being false or hypocritical in some way. That was because he was a “brother and companion in.” That small little preposition “in” carries a lot of weight. It was because John was “in” life with those he wrote to and ministered to that he was so effective.

Now we would be amiss to attribute John’s effectiveness and longevity to only being “in” something. Most importantly he “was in the Spirit” (Revelation 1:10). But it was the Holy Spirit who moved John to be that loving brother and companion to those he ministered too. And this work of the Spirit in and through John is what made him one of the lasting pillars of the early church.

John was their companion in tribulation. Today we have Isis and Islam as the prime instrument of the devil to persecute the church. In John’s day it was Rome. Today’s brand of persecution has nothing on the Roman’s brand. The devil is ruthless in every age. It takes a genuine Spirit-filled Church to weather his diabolical storms. John was a church leader, a pastor, who led the charge through tribulations. And those following him loved him for his courage. Rumor had it that Domitian tried to do in John by boiling him alive in oil. But old bro John was miraculously preserved through it all. Was it true? We don’t know. It’s possible. But even if such an account isn’t true, it tells us a lot about how those around him felt about John.

The environment into which this revelation is being received is one of “tribulation” (Greek thlipsis). “Tribulation” means literally a pressing, pressure. It can refer to anything that burdens the spirit of a person. Jesus used this term when He stated, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33). There have always been, and there will always be, pressures and persecutions in this life, until the Lord returns to set things right. Until then people inside and outside of the church will be looking for those who have a genuine answer to their trial produced questions, a genuine solution to their pressure produced problems.

In this world Jesus affirms we will experience tribulation. But I should mention here that this does not mean we will experience the Great Tribulation! We will experience pressures from the world and our adversary the devil. The “tribulation” referred to in John 16:33 and Revelation 1:9 are not the same as the Great Tribulation described in Revelation chapters 6-19. The difference between the tribulation referred to by Jesus that we would experience and that of the Great Tribulation is that the source or origin of each is different.

During the Great Tribulation God is the One who orchestrates the tribulation by pouring out His righteous and well deserved wrath on a Christ rejecting world (Revelation 6:17; 16:17-19). Christians are not destined to experience the wrathful tribulation of God but will be and are saved from it (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).  In this world now we have an adversary who prowls the earth like a roaring lion seeking to prey on the weak (1 Peter 5:8-9). We are in a spiritual war against Satan and his cohorts (Ephesians 6:10-18). We live in a fallen world where sin causes tribulation to its victims (1 John 3:8). In this world we will suffer tribulations.

It should also be noted here that the cause of the tribulation John and his fellow believers were experiencing was their faithfulness to “the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Their faithfulness led to tribulation. When was the last time you suffered for “the word of God” and/or “for the testimony of Jesus Christ? They experienced trials because they did the right thing in the eyes of God. They were not suffering as a consequence of their personal sins. They were not compromisers. They were not hypocrites. They weren’t sorry for themselves. They had no self-pity. They, along with John, were suffering for faithfully living out God’s word and sharing the testimony of Jesus Christ. The world yearns for those who can take a hit and keep on moving, and do it with joy. When you’ve been genuinely saved and born again by Jesus, how can you not tell the world of the incredible truth?

At the time that John was given this revelation there was a great persecution by Rome against those who called themselves “Christian.”  The Church experienced its first persecution under Caesar Nero (54-68) and more particularly under Emperor Domitian in A.D. 95 around the time that the book of Revelation was received by John. The persecution under Nero was instigated by Nero himself as historians tell us he blamed Christians for starting a fire in Rome that he in his personal madness had set. It was a fierce fire that spread to the entire city.  As the truth of this terrible deed began to be discovered Nero diverted attention from himself and blamed Christians. 

The Roman historian Tacitus wrote the following in regards to this situation:

“With this view he inflicted the most exquisite tortures on those men who, under the vulgar appellation of Christians, were already branded with deserved infamy. They derived their name and origin from Christ, who, in the reign of Tiberius, had suffered death by the sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate.  For a while this dire superstition was checked, but it again burst forth; and not only spread itself over Judea, the first seat of this mischievous sect, but was even introduced into Rome, the common asylum which receives and protects whatever is impure, whatever is atrocious. The confessions of those who were seized discovered a great multitude of their accomplices, and they were all convicted, not so much for the crime of setting fire to the city as for their hatred of human kind. They died in torments, and their torments were embittered by insult and derision. Some were nailed on crosses; others sewn up in the skins of wild bests, and exposed to the fury of dogs; others again, smeared over with combustible materials, were used as torches to illuminate the darkness of the night. The gardens of Nero were destined for the melancholy spectacle, which was accompanied with a horse race, and honored with the presence of the emperor, who mingled with the populace in the dress and attitude of a charioteer. The guilt of the Christians deserved indeed the most exemplary punishments, but the public abhorrence was changed into commiseration, from the opinion that those unhappy wretches were sacrificed, not so much to the public welfare as to the cruelty of a jealous tyrant.”  ^[1]

Nero was a madman; a precursor to Antichrist who had the spirit of antichrist (cf. 1 John 4). When Nero was three years old his mother murdered his father by giving young Nero poisoned food to give his father. One can only imagine the effect upon Nero as he watched his father writhe in pain and die before him.  At age 12 Nero tortured to death a friend who displeased him. At age 15 Nero married but then strangled to death his wife when she displeased him. He married and murdered two other wives and eventually murdered his mother as well. Nero was a madman and his behavior confirms this.

It’s believed that when Nero came to power his insane nature led to his exalting himself as a god and demanding that all subjects of the Roman empire bow to worship him. (Sounds like some politicians of our day doesn’t it?) When Christians refused to worship him he began a one-man mission to wipe out Christianity. Nero would travel throughout the empire with his military and round up any who would not declare, “Caesar is Lord.”  Nero would take these “offenders” and dip them in hot wax and use them as human candlesticks in his imperial garden. He would then strip naked and ride his chariot in the garden shouting, “You are the light of the world! You are the light of the world!” A day is coming when bowing to a world leader or system of government will be demanded. There will be consequences for refusing. What will Christians do then? Will they have the spiritual fortitude and faith to stand firm for the Lord? We will see. The world is watching and they will see too.

Nero was described as “an ugly man with a bull neck, beetle brows and a flat nose with a tough mouth. He had a pot belly with spindly legs, bad skin and an offensive odor.”  At the age of 31 Nero committed suicide by slitting his own throat. By the end of his reign he had murdered an estimated 3 million Christians. Slitting throats are becoming more and more common in our day too.

Titus Flavius Domitian was the next Roman emperor to persecute Christians. He was the emperor who persecuted Christians during the end of the first century when the book of Revelation was received. Domitian’s persecution led to the murder of millions more Christians. Historians refer to Nero as a crazy devil. But Domitian was a sane devil. Domitian was cruel and calculated in his efforts to annihilate Christianity from the face of the earth. Domitian chose to attack Christian leadership. It was Domitian who, legend has it, attempted to execute John by boiling him in a cauldron of hot oil. God miraculously spared John through the execution.

John alone of the 11 original disciples (not counting Judas who committed suicide) survived execution for their faith. John, known as the apostle of love, survived. “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8a).  Frustrated, Domitian exiled John to the rocky, desolate, barren isle of Patmos. This island is 50 miles southwest of Ephesus (located in the area of modern day Turkey) in the Aegean Sea. It’s a small island 10 miles long and 6 miles wide. It was on this island, during a time of tribulation, that John received the vision of Revelation. There’s a lesson here for those partaking in comfortable Christianity today. Jesus has a way of giving revelation during times of personal tribulation. Our problem is, we have been trying to avoid tribulation and therefore aren’t in a position to receive much revelation from our Lord.

The Apostle John was persecuted for his loyalty to “the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” John would not compromise God’s word. John stood faithfully for the truth God had revealed. John persevered in the “patience of Jesus Christ.” John was who he was because he was a man of the word of God. He referred to the Old Testament 518 times in Revelation. He knew the word and lived by the word even if that meant discomfort and trials would enter his life. There isn’t much tribulation for us today because there aren’t many willing to stand for “the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” We are the spiritually poorer and less effective as a result.

John was their brother and companion in tribulation. But he was also their brother in the “kingdom.” John wasn’t a doom and gloom pastor. I don’t mean to convey the idea of us going and looking for trouble. We don’t have to manufacture trials. If we live right, holy lives unto the Lord, trials will come. John spoke of the truth and realities of persecution, but he also shared the prospect of serving in the coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth. Praise the Lord for that! Jesus is coming back! That is just as certain as His first coming. And when we look at the indicators of His return and compare them to what is going on in the world today, well, yes indeed, we should be expecting Jesus to come take us home very soon.  

John was further their companion in the “patience of Jesus Christ.” All three of these things mentioned, tribulation, kingdom and patience are all connected to Jesus Christ. We suffer persecution because of our belonging to Jesus. If we aren’t suffering, I suggest we examine the genuineness of our faith. If Paul said, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If we aren’t suffering or discomforted in some way, then maybe we should follow another of Paul’s inspired instructions when he wrote, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

We will serve in His Kingdom. But there is also an aspect of “patience.” These things are coming and will unfold. The patience of Jesus is necessary, even if it means trials and persecution because God desires none to perish and for all to have ample opportunity to repent and be saved (e.g. 2 Peter 3:9). If suffering some temporal trials is necessary to provide more time to repent and be saved eternally, then it is well worth it.

As we patiently wait for the Lord’s return, let us do so like a waiter or waitress. A good waiter or waitress is a servant, looking to assist patrons until directed otherwise. The people of this world are our patrons. Serve them the gospel. Serve them Christlike love. Serve them God’s word. Serve them genuinely. And do so until told otherwise.

John was a brother and companion in. He was in their lives. He was living in similar life circumstances. He was not aloof. He was not preaching, teaching or living something that was disconnected from reality or out of touch with the real issues in the real world. John was effective in ministry, he was looked for and welcomed by people for ministry, because he was in life with people demonstrating the real practical life application of God’s revealed truths. That’s an example we should follow. Let’s be a brother and companion to people according to His word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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[1] Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon (abridgment by D.M. Low) Harcourt, Brace and Co.: New York 1960, p. 202).

Jesus, Man of the Word

“And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written” – Luke 4:17b

 

Jesus was a Man of God’s word. He is described as “the Word made flesh” (John 1:14). He is the manifestation and culmination of God’s word. The entire Bible speaks of Him (Heb. 10:7). God’s purpose for us is to become like Jesus (Rom. 8:29). If that is to happen an essential indispensible ingredient is to become people of God’s word like Jesus. In Luke 4 we see Jesus, Man of the word depicted for us. Our calling is to follow His example.

 

When Jesus, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” to be “tempted for forty days by the devil” He went with God’s word in mind (Luke 4:1-2). Because Jesus had God’s word memorized and embedded in His heart He was able to ward off the temptations of the devil (Luke 4:3-13). Even when the devil attempted to misuse the scripture itself in his attack, Jesus, knowing the context of scripture, was not duped but was able to answer the adversary. If we are to survive our wilderness experiences and times of temptation, and attacks of the devil, we need to be like Jesus and have the word of God firmly embedded in us through memorization. And we need to know God’s word in context so that we don’t fall prey to those who would take it out of context. We need to be students of God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15). We need to know “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

 

The victory in the wilderness empowered Jesus. It states, “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). His successful resistance to temptation led to empowerment. His familiarity with and use of God’s word was integral to this. Jesus was powerful because He was a man of God’s word. Every time we apply God’s word and resist the devil’s temptations or the lusts of our flesh we get stronger spiritually. That is a principle. Sow to the Spirit and reap a harvest of righteousness. The opposite is true too. Sow to the flesh and reap corruption. We are exhorted by the Lord in His word to “not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6:7-9). Don’t give up! Obey God’s word! Apply it to life in the power of the Spirit and you will increase your spiritual strength.

 

When Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit He became popular. The Spirit made Him known throughout the entire region. But Jesus was not influenced by the crowds. He returned to His home town of Nazareth.  He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and was handed the book of Isaiah (Luke 4:14-17a). Then it states, “And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:” (Luke 4:17b). Jesus “found the place” in God’s word; He was familiar with God’s word. Jesus was a student of God’s Word. He knew exactly where to look in God’s word for pertinent information for the given situation. That tells us He knew the word of God. Jesus was a man of God’s word. We need to know God’s word and be familiar with it. We need to be able to apply God’s word and be ready to share it pertinently in the circumstances of life. Learn to speak with God’s word in the conversations of life. That is God’s will for us.

 

Because He was a man of God’s word He was able to read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me . . .” (Luke 4:18). The Spirit being upon Jesus and the Lord’s anointing were the result of Jesus being a Man of God’s word. He was empowered and was able to confidently apply the scriptures to Himself because He knew the word of God. As a man of God’s word He knew He was anointed by God” to preach the gospel to the poor, . . . heal the brokenhearted, . . . proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” He knew His calling and purpose and confidently walked in them because of the certainty He had in God’s word. He knew God’s word and where He stood in relation to it enough to say, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:20-21). If we want the power and anointing of the Spirit and to know and confidently walk in our calling and purpose, then we too must be people of God’s word. Otherwise we will be like sheep wandering aimlessly without a shepherd. We need to heed the revelation of God’s word (Mark 6:34).

 

When Jesus shared the word His listeners, “marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luke 4:22). Jesus spoke the uncompromising truth of God’s word in a gracious way. He taught God’s word in a way that identified sin but always accompanied that with pointing people to God’s grace. The grace of God was upon Him from birth (Luke 2:40). He was full of grace and the truth of God’s word (John 1:14; 17:17). The grace He embodied was the ultimate goal of the Law (John 1:17; Gal. 3:10-13). We need to receive and share God’s grace based on His word.

 

Jesus’ familiarity with God’s word also enabled Him to make true assessments of people and His life situations. He was not deluded by the fancy of humanity. He knew the whimsy and waywardness of sinful humanity. He shared this honestly and openly (Luke 4:23). He spoke truthfully with the people and applied God’s word to their lives even if it ruffled some feathers. He spoke of how previous generations of Israelites had rejected God and His word. He was not intimidated by their anger but meekly passed through the midst of them (Luke 4:24-30).

 

There’s a consequence to rejecting God’s word. God through the prophet Hosea said of His people, “I have written for him the great things of my law, but they were considered a strange thing” (Hosea 8:12). They had allowed God’s word to become “a strange thing” to them. They were unfamiliar with it. It had lost its importance in their lives. They lost sight of the treasure of God’s word. They turned to worldly pagan alternatives to God’s word. God brought discipline and firm judgment on His people because they rebelled against His Law (Hosea 8:1). God said of those ignorant and rejecting of His word, “their heart is divided” (Hosea 10:2). Without God’s word as our source of absolute truth we degenerate into idolatrous self-serving gods of our own tossed to and fro with every wind and wave of religious or worldly teaching (Eph. 4:14). This ultimately leads to us being cheated out of God’s best for us (Col. 2:8).

 

God’s people also relied on false idols and as a result had become hardened toward God. Through Hosea God said, “The inhabitants of Samaria [i.e. the capitol of the northern kingdom of Israel] fear because of the calf of Beth Aven. For its people mourn for it, and its priests shriek for it - because its glory has departed from it” (Hosea 10:5). Israel was mourning and shrieking in agony before a calf god idol! They had forsaken the One True God and His word and the result was a pitiful delusion. Today people are mourning their financial plight. They weep in the vicinity of the Wall Street bull because Ichabod is written where prosperity used to be. Is there any doubt that we as a people and nation and even throughout the world are shrieking over the idol of mammon? We have made money our god, our idol. The glory has departed and we mourn. And unfortunately this is true in much of the church as well.

 

 Whenever we neglect or reject God’s word or rely on an alternative it leads to sin, spiritual dullness, and a hardening of our heart. The word of God is able to tell us exactly where we are with the Lord. It “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). It is like a mirror that gives us the correct reflection of who we are (James 1:22-25). In God’s word we are exhorted to ask God to, “search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). We need to go to God prayerfully with an open Bible before us.

 

Through Hosea God called to Israel and He still calls to us saying, “Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12b). The coldness we see in hearts today is directly related to a departure from God’s word (Mat. 24:12).  Instead of mourning and shrieking over the idols of this world we should be mourning over our sin before the One True Holy God. We need to break up our own hard hearts before the Lord. Isaiah in the presence of Holy God said, “Woe is me, I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). When was the last time you mourned before the Lord and cried out anything like that?  “A broken and contrite heart – these O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). We and our nation are too concerned with the banking of the Lord. God just may break our banks to break us. We need to be broken before the Lord. That will only happen, that can only happen, if we return to God’s word. Being a person of God’s word is essential to a true assessment of others and ourselves.

 

Jesus, Man of God’s word, ministered with authority. What He said and did was powerful because it was rooted in and based on God’s word. Those who heard Him teach, “were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority” (Luke 4:31-32). Demons left at His word (Luke 4:33-35). People were amazed at the power of the Lord. They exclaimed, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:36). How sad it is that the people of Jesus day were so unfamiliar with God’s word. What an indictment it is against the ministers of that day that the people were so ignorant of God’s word. God through Hosea said similarly, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). He called out, “Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1). How could this be? What was the cause of this indictment? The answer was, “Because you have forgotten the law of your God” (Hosea 4:6). Gods people forsook His word and “willingly walked by human precept” (Hosea 5:11). How sad it is when people rely on human opinion or precepts instead of or in a place superior to God’s word. There’s little power in personal opinions. The power of God is in His word.

 

The word of this Man of God’s word was circulating throughout the land (Luke 4:37). There’s something about God’s word that impacts people. It is God’s word! God’s word is powerful (Heb.4:12). And therefore ministry and what is done in the name of the Lord is powerful in proportion to the amount of God’s word that is in it. God magnifies His word above His own name! (Ps. 138:2). God honors and empowers His word. Human opinion is a vapor. God’s word is a solid rock foundation (Mat. 7:24). Be a person of God’s word.

 

Lastly, Jesus, Man of God’s word, healed the sick and defeated demons  but priority and prime purpose was, “I must preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 4:38-44). Jesus’ purpose was to share the kingdom of God. The way He did that was by sharing the word of God. That must be our priority and purpose too. If we are to fulfill and experience God’s ultimate purpose we will need to become people of God’s word who share God’s word with others. There’s no getting around this. We need to get into God’s word and let it get into us. And then we need to share it from our hearts and minds where it has been cultivated and grown. Jesus was and is a Man of God’s word. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Mat. 24:35). Are you a person of God’s word like Jesus?

 

Respect God’s Word

". . . and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" - Matthew 16:18b

 

There is a war of world views upon us. It has been raging for quite some time. We are seeing the seeds of sin planted in our educational system and society come to harvest. Such a harvest of unholiness have been watered and ripened under the noses of the church. This harvest of hatred toward God has been cultivated on the watch of a church characterized by Laodicean lukewarmness. God's people have for the most part been complacent, condoning and compromising in her sheepish responses. The church is now watching what is being reaped because we have not sown. Immorality, licentiousness, wickedness, idolatry, and all kinds of unholy rotten fruit is coming to harvest. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few and we should therefore pray for more workers (Matthew 9:37-38). We haven't prayed. The enemy has preyed. There is therefore a proliferation of tares amongst God's wheat. There is a rise of evil in our world that is fast approaching, if not already exceeding that which was like the days of Noah just as Jesus said would happen (Matthew 24:37).

So what is the response of the church? What has the church decided to do? Some, awakened by guilt and the conviction of their lapse of duty, run out into the fray naked. They fail to put on the spiritual armor and weaponry provided by God (Ephesians 6:10-18). No helmet of salvation, no breastplate of truth, no work boots of the gospel, no shield of faith. Nothing, just their prayerless carnal impressions and impulses in a kamikaze attack. And the result has been lambs to the slaughter.

But worse than the prayerless forays is the treachery of those who seek to put unloaded weapons in the Christian soldier's hands. Those in charge of the arsenal have either sent out weapons with no ammunition or provided a badly chipped and unsharpened saber. Not only is their brand of sword not tempered, it is distempered. What do I mean? Too often the church has taken the one instrument, the one effective weapon God has provided for our warfare, and dulled it. I'm talking of the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

It's not a pretty sight to see people hacking away at the enemy with a dull machete. No one should be hacking away at anyone. We can hack away at the thick underbrush of the weeds of this world (Matthew 13:22). But we should never hack away at people. The sword of Gods' word must always be administered with the courage of His love (Ephesians 4:15).

Spiritual surgery must be performed by laser sharp tools. The sharper the scalpel the cleaner the cut. The sharper the scalpel the less scarring and more effective the surgery. What is a sharp scalpel of God's word? It is one that is translated true to the text.

Now I'm not looking to get into a war over translations. I'm not a Kings James Only proponent. And I am not looking to get into a discussion over which manuscripts are more reliable. There is a more insidious and fundamental attitude toward the word of God that precedes such discussion of textual criticism. I'm not going to go into an academic discussion that will put most readers into glazed dazed coma. Please hear me out and read on. I am talking about a more basic attitude of disrespect toward God's word.

It is always a dangerous thing to bend God’s word to fit human opinion. That is what we see happening in certain segments of the church of our day. There is a human-centric view that aims to temper the truth of God for the sinner as well as for the wayward saint. People, who claim good intentions, not only bend God's word but avoid and sometimes even cut out portions of the Holy text. They dissect and divide with an eye to sugarcoating. They ignore or divert attention from any scripture that is not palatable to them or that they perceive will not be palatable to those they want to reach. They feel frequently that what God says in His word is too harsh for listeners. But feelings are fickle. We are not called to feel. We are called to faith. And faith comes by hearing God's word (Romans 10:17). Distort or hinder God's word in any way and you limit the ability to see it produce faith in people.

The rationale for the redaction of God's word is frequently a person's self-imposed prime directive of relevance. "We must make God's word RELEVANT!" I understand that. Really, to a certain extent, every "translation" of the original text of God's word is meant to make the revealed content understandable to people in their language. That's a good thing. But the line is crossed when "translation" is mixed with human opinion. The line is crossed when  personal preferences drives  what people feel is important to be emphasized or de-emphasized from God's revealed text.

One wonders if one day, in the pursuit of relevance, a consequence of human centric treatment of God's word would be an attempt to remove God's ordained and revealed gender specific references. Oh I know this has already been spearheaded by, for example, the Today's New International Version "translation." (To me that's not even a work worthy of the definition of "translations.") But I can foresee an even more disrespectful treatment of God's word.

It's not hard to imagine a complete denial of the Fatherhood of God someday in "Christian" circles. Can't you foresee the feminizing of the Holy Spirit? And toward the end if societal trends of our day are adopted to their extremes, can't you imagine some pushing into God's Holy Word a kind of transgender malaise of gender non-specificity. To them God is capricious about His gender. Like them, God can be whatever gender He wants to be. God wears pants one day. God wears a skirt the other. A kind of crazy modern day modalistic view of God. God becomes to them a kind of chaotic chameleon of gender neutrality. This is the ultimate projection of humanities' distorted sinful perceptions on God. It's blasphemous.

How long before such "translations" of God's word or such "interpretations" of God's word begin to cut out references to anything and everything deemed "offensive" to the culture of the day. Can't you just see the political correctness of this world being adopted hook, line, and sinker by the end times stinking stenchy church? Years ago we might have responded to that, "No way!" Today? It might be more relevant to say, "Yes, I can see that way."

Why am I writing this? I'm writing this because of a fire in my belly for God's word. I'm writing this as a precaution. I'm writing this in hopes that in some small way I can be used by the Lord to awaken some of His people to the importance of His word. "'The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?' says the LORD. 'Is not My word like a fire?' says the LORD. 'And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?'" (Jeremiah 23:28-29). We are inundated with the chaff of unfaithfulness to God's word. We are swamped with dreamers passing on human opinions. We are impressed with the machinations of marketeers. But a house built without scripture is built on sand (Matthew 7:24-27). A storm is coming, (it's here!)  and if we forsake God's word we will not stand! We are responding to the world's attempts to stone us by retreating into houses made of straw. We need God's word to break those rocks! We need His fiery word to burn up the chaffy straw houses we've built. We need a revival of God's word. That begins with a respect for God's word.

The problem with a disrespectful attitude toward God's word starts with the human centricity of those who are guilty of this distortion of God's word. They fail to remember that God is the Creator who made us and that He knows best about what we need. No man or woman is worthy of a position to sit as editor of God's revelation. Humanity falls short of God's glory. We need to listen to the Author and surrender to His instructions. We need to "humble yourselves before the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:6).

Therefore, let’s get right back to the bottom line of God's word. Let's consider why we should not try to alter the meaning of God’s word to fit our human opinions. Let's set aside our "relevance" for the sake of God's revelation. If we truly believe in God and His omniscient foreknowledge then we should believe that none of what we see in our world today has caught God off guard. God has revealed His word to humanity knowing full well what humanity needed to here "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). Let's trust God and His word as God's word. What does God say about His word and how we should handle it?

First, God warns against changing or altering His word in numerous places in His word. The God says in His word:

·         Deuteronomy 4:2 - ² You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

·         Deuteronomy 12:32 - ³² “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

·         Proverbs 30:5-6 - Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.⁶ Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.     

·         Revelation 22:18-19 - ¹⁸ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

If you wrote a letter to someone and the person who read it changed your words and altered its meaning to mean something other than what you clearly and simply intended, you would probably find that offensive and even criminal. If a general sent orders to the front lines and when they got there the orders were altered  by those in lesser command, the offenders would face a court marshal and more importantly victory in the battle would be put in jeopardy. Changing God’s word is like changing orders or changing a letter, it puts people at risk and jeopardizes God’s intended purposes, it is offensive and it is criminal.

Second, God’s word is holy, unique, and ought to be approached with the utmost reverence. God says His word is holy which means it is unique. The Bible states this saying:

·         Romans 1:2 - ² which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

·         2 Timothy 3:15-17 - ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

There is no book like God’s book the Bible. No other book is verified and validated by the combination of manuscript evidence, archeological evidence, prophetic evidence, the preservation in the face of persecution evidence and the logical statistical rational of the combination of these factors considered together.  No book can match the 66 book Bible for truth and reliability. God’s word is holy and we ought to have reverence for it. 

Third, we should inductively look to learn from God in His word not deductively look to use God’s word to support our views.  The proper way to approach God’s word is inductively. This means we come to it open and eager to learn what the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to us through the word. This means we come to the word of God first and form our beliefs and opinions based on what the word says, not the other way around. When a person approaches God’s word deductively with preconceived beliefs and then seeks to support their particular opinions with God’s word, it leads to scripture twisting, misinterpretation, misunderstanding and manipulation of God’s holy word. We are the ones who must learn from God; we cannot teach God anything.

At the root of the problem is that we live in a sinful world that places man at its center. This man-centered mentality has crept into the church. The Bible refers to this as the works of the flesh. It is walking according to our own understanding rather than walking in the Spirit and being guided by God (1 Corinthians 3; Galatians 3:1-5; 5:16-26). We shouldn’t look to shade God’s word to fit our preconceived opinions. Rather we should look to the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s word to our understanding (1 Corinthians 2:9-15).

When people try to contemporize God’s word under the premise that it needs to be made “relevant” to peer pressures and beliefs of the day, what they have done is they have become people pleasers and consequently stopped being servants of God (Galatians 1:10).  God’s word is true and unchanging like He is (Matthew 24:35; John 17:17; Hebrews 13:8). Rather than trying to change God’s word to fit the prevailing human opinion of the day we ought to be trying to see how what human beings say fit according to God’s word. When you look at human fields of learning you find an ever changing unstable series of “facts” that with time prove to be wrong or off for the most part. God’s word is dependable and has stood the test of time. We need to respect it when we approach it because it is indeed, God’s word. If we do that, then we can change the momentum of this war of world views. If we do that, we can go on the offensive. Jesus said, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. . . . and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 7:24 and 16:18b). Respect God's word. Amen.