Wisdom's Friend

Wisdom's Friend
Wisdom's Friend

Thursday, December 30, 2010

In Awe of God




IN AWE OF GOD





In jail, I had finished conducting the Sunday evening service for the inmates there and opened up the time for questions. One hand from the back was raised and a voice said, "Don't you think it is arrogant of God to want us to worship him?"

You have to understand that a church service in a jail is somewhat different from that in a church in the "outside". Some of those in attendance at the service are not believers but just want to get out of their cells. (Or maybe that's not so different after all.) At any rate, I thought the questioner did not mean to mock the proceedings but was voicing genuine convictions.

The question was helpful to me in that it showed the background to which who-knows-how-many people come to the whole matter of religion and God. It is not in man's normal, sinful nature to want to worship anyone but himself. The pursuit of pleasure for one's self is why most of those men were in that prison in the first place, with drug abuse the most common cause, and I appreciated the honesty of this questioner. In answer to the question, I said, no, I did not think it was arrogant of God because he is worthy of such worship. I did not quote any Bible verse to him, but I could have, such as the following:

"Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created" (Rev. 4:11).

I wish I had had more time to go into more detail regarding that answer, but I did not and trusted the Holy Spirit to use that answer to work in that man's heart and in the hearts of the rest of the men, who heard our exchange.

I use this event to illustrate what this present writing is about: the importance of having a right and true awe of God. Without it, we will go far astray from him, and only with such awe are we open to God working within us to draw us closer to him. The matter of being humbly in awe of God is crucial to knowing the truth about reality and God as the supreme aspect of that reality.

"For this is what the high and lofty One says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite'" (Is. 57:15).

"I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who of himself would dare to approach me?" (Jer 30:21),

Man is not qualified even to come before God to inquire of him.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord" (Ez. 20:3).

Therefore, to question whether God, who is infinite and infinitely above human beings, has the right to tell human beings to worship him shows just how far from awe of God such a questioner is. It shows not only ignorance but conceit or vanity, to think that man is above worshipping God.

"From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits" (Ps. 73:7).

Do not suppose wrongly, however, that this verse applies only to men in prison. Because all human beings are born prisoners of sin, we are all vulnerable to this uniquely human shortcoming of pride. The pride, arrogance, conceit and foolishness of man is beyond belief and indeed knows no limits.

Because God is so different from man, an alien entity far above him in essence and being--in a word, because God is "God and not man" (Hos. 11:9)--man makes the arrogant assumption that God either does not exist or else is inferior to man. In other words, man measures God by himself and judges God. It is no wonder that God mocks this attitude and judges it rightly for the stupidity it is:

"Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood!" (Is. 10:15).

An axe is a tool created by its designer to be used by him for his own purposes. The axe does not exist for itself or for its own purposes. It is a servant of its creator, just as all mankind is servant to its Creator.

"All things serve you" (Ps. 119:91).

"Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" Rev. 4:11).

But because man cannot directly see the One for whom all things were created, he chooses to elevate that which he can see directly, with his physical eyes--the creation, the universe--above that which he cannot, to worship the creation rather than its Creator.

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen" (Rom. 1:25).

This horrible affront against God has never been more widespread or more blatant than today, in our so-called scientific age. Science boldly declares in book after book and web site after web site that the only things that are to be trusted or at least deemed valid for consideration by man are those things that can be seen, measured, tested, or otherwise controlled or examined or judged by man. Man's own reasoning is looked to as the supreme way to discover the truth. But those who adhere to such a position are ignorant of the most basic truths of reality, that it is far too deep for such a limited tool as man's reasoning to figure out.

"That which is, is far off and deep, very deep; who can find it out?" (Eccl. 7:24).

"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave--what can you know?" (Job 11:7,8).

Now, please do not misunderstand. This is not meant to be a rejection of using reason to discover some aspects of life and reality and even God, but a rejection of relying upon it solely or above all else. For science and reasoning are truly wonderful gifts God has given to men to make us able to appreciate him and his creation all the better. When used properly, for that purpose, they are indeed wonderful gifts. And the way to use the gift of reasoning properly is to use it not on one's own, apart from God and even in defiance of God, but with God, so that he can direct that reasoning.

"'Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord" (Is. 1:18).

But even then, what science and reasoning discover is but the smallest part of reality and the creation or natural world. What has been discovered is truly amazing and we should be in awe of it, as well as its Creator. But that awe is meant to prime us to want to know the Creator of this awesome creation.

"And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?" (Job 26:14).

The overdependence upon science and reasoning to discover the deeper aspects of God and reality comes from the underlying focus on man and self that pervades the modern scientific viewpoint. Man is the measure of all things in this worldview, not God. They have pushed aside all consideration of God to focus on man, and they measure and judge reality based on man's faulty and fragile senses of perception and limited reasoning capabilities. But since such avenues of perceiving and understanding reality cannot directly sense God, they automatically reject all possibility of his existence and interaction with the world he created. In doing this, they have rightly angered the unseen but knowable God who created them and their world.

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Rom. 1:18-20).

There is no excuse for the brazen, arrogant attitude so often upheld by those who look solely to science to explain all things and reject out of hand any thought of there being anything else other than such things as science can deal with. No excuse, because, as Scripture sternly warns, "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them."

God has made it plain to them simply by the very nature of the world they inhabit and study so fervently. The irony of much of modern science is that the one thing that enables it to exist and function at all, the orderliness of the nature it investigates, is the very thing it rejects when it points to a Being capable of imposing such an orderliness upon that nature. It stands in awe of the creation but not the Creator of that creation.

Instead of the natural assumption that an intelligent design of the universe points to an Intelligent Designer, these adherents of this type of science say that the universe itself is its own creator, or any of other variations of this theme, as long as no weight is given to the more logical inference that the existence of such a finely tuned universe clearly shows the existence of an intelligent Designer.

My purpose in writing here is not to debate this issue of ID or Intelligent Design. Many other far more qualified Christian writers than I have taken up this and are doing a fine job of defending the truths put forth in Scripture on this matter. Rather, my aim here is to look more at the underlying causes that make a person reject what Scripture itself calls the plain witness of creation to all mankind that there is a God and Creator of that creation. Those causes stem from man's natural alienation from God because of his sinful nature and until that sinful nature is dealt with, no man will ever be able to understand rightly the true nature of reality. God has so decreed it:

"The world through its wisdom did not know him" (1 Cor. 1:21).

The world cannot know God through its wisdom or limited reasoning abilities because it is crippled by the sinful nature of human beings and only through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is this barrier or veil removed:

"But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Cor. 3:14-16).

This passage refers to the fact that the ancient Israelites did not understand the true nature of the covenant that God had made with them, that it was meant to be a matter of spirit (one's heart and attitude) and not strictly a matter of external things such as the letter of the law. But the principle of this message equally applies to those who today elevate the scientific principle above all else. They look to another set of laws, those governing the natural world, as their supreme guide and god. They too have settled for less than the fullness of the truth of reality. They worship the creation rather than the Creator of that creation.

"Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles" (Rom. 1:21-23).

Notice the mention of things of nature like birds and animals. Nature has become the god of the scientific world; its laws are to them like the laws that God gave to his people long ago to guide them; they are in awe of the creation rather than of the Creator. A loss of awe of God is at the heart of much of this world's problems. It is time we recovered this awe of God. The rest of this piece of writing therefore is aimed at this very thing.

It is always good to begin with a definition. What is awe? One dictionary defines it as "An overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration." It is important, I think, to emphasize that one word overwhelming. Awe is not just an admiration of something or someone, it is an encounter with something so far above us that we are completely overwhelmed by the force of impact of that which we have encountered.

When the disciple Peter first encountered Jesus in his ministry here on earth, Jesus performed a miracle of making an abundance of fishes come into the fisherman's net. When Peter saw this, he was immediately aware that this was no ordinary man before him and the realization that he now stood in the presence of the great Creator of all fishes and of the world in which they and he inhabited, he was so overwhelmed, so in awe of this God so far beyond him, that he could no longer stand but he fell to his knees and cried out in awe and fear:

"'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken" (Lk. 5:8-9).

Immediately, we see the unbreakable connection between fear or awe of God and our sinful nature, as was mentioned here previously. Our sinfulness before a holy God always engenders fear in us, and rightly so. We should be afraid of God's righteous judgment upon us for our sins. But this fear can be handled in two ways and lead to two different results. One way is to cover up or pass over this realization and pretend that it is not so: We can suppress the truth. We can be:

"men who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Rom. 1:18).

Or we can be honest and acknowledge the truth about ourselves, that we are sinners before a holy God, and accept the truth and light of God as shown in his Son Jesus Christ:

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (Jn. 3:19-21).

These are the only two choices open to us. One is to suppress the initial awe everyone feels when encountering the truth about God and reality, and the other is to humble ourselves, acknowledge the truth about ourselves and our sinfulness, and to embrace this awe as the fitting and right response to living in the presence of the infinite God. The wise person will choose to let the awe of God overwhelm him. This is the gateway to ever-increasing awe of God and eternal life in him. This awe basically encompasses three parts:

We should be in awe of God for:

1. His being: who he is--his very nature and essence.
2. His works: what he does--the past, present, and future deeds of God.
3. His worthiness: Who he is and what he does that makes him worthy of awe.

We begin with an examination of God's being and essence, because existence must come first before works or a judgment of those works. For it is obvious that no works can be done by a person until that person first exists. This being the case, we immediately see our first reason for awe of God: that he has always existed.

"You are from all eternity" (Ps. 93:2).

This simple statement of Scripture is far from simple in its impact. Whenever I meditate upon God, this first truth about him always overwhelms me, the key aspect of awe. I stand in awe and cannot fully comprehend what it means to be eternally existent. My mind just goes around and around in circles trying to fathom this deep truth about God. It is truly a very deep truth about God, yet it is expressed in those simple, brief words of the psalm: "You are from all eternity."

Think of the power that is required for anything to exist, much less exist forever. In fact, it requires infinite power, power with no limits, for otherwise, how could one continuously overcome all the potential threats of non-existence? That is why, thinking philosophically, if there is a god, he must, of necessity, be infinite. For he is the rock-bottom, most fundamental and basic foundation of existence itself, and if there is any limit whatsoever to his power, that existence is threatened by that limitation. God must, of necessity, by definition, be infinite. And he is.

"He is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else" (Acts 17:25),

God needs nothing. If he did, he could not be God, the infinite one, for that would mean that he is dependent upon something outside of himself. But God is, by definition and essence, the supreme foundation not only of all that exists but of all that can exist. All that exists depends upon his existence first.

"For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

We need him for our existence; it depends upon him. But God has no needs for his own existence; he is his own reference point.

"When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself" (Heb. 6:13).

God may have no needs, but he does, however, have desires. He is love (1 Jn. 4:16) and love desires to share itself with others. That is why the passage from Revelation, quoted earlier, says that "by your will" all things were created. God did not have to create; he wanted to create, to share the great joy of existence.

The mystery of existence itself is thus the first of all mysteries, the first cause for awe to arise in us when encountering God. Surely it is something of which we should rightly be in awe. In fact, more than one philosopher has said that the first question that rightly should be asked is, "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

The whole matter of "simply" existing is not so simple at all and is truly a cause for standing in awe of God. God is the first to exist and he has never not existed; he is eternal in existence. It is from this firm foundation that the existence of all else rests. So, from a desire but under no compulsion, God created all else that exists.

But for what purpose does it exist? Some of those whom he has created claim that they can see no reason for existence. For them, the universe is an eternal, mindless mechanism, driven by forces with no feeling and no love for man; indeed, the universe is seen by them to be downright hostile to man and our existence rests upon a razor-thin blade of happenstance and chance.

How different from the Biblical revelation of an eternal God who creates out of love! He made the entire universe specifically so that the human beings he would later create would have a friendly place to dwell and inhabit.

"For this is what the Lord says--he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited--he says: 'I am the Lord, and there is no other'" (Is. 45:18).

God formed the cosmos and world so that human beings could have a place custom-made for their human needs. This is what is known as the fine-tuning of the universe; that is, that conditions of many variables in the natural world are so critically fine-tuned as to be within that very narrow range that will support human life. The slightest variance in either direction for these variables would make it impossible for human life to exist.

Not only that, but God made this universe a place of great beauty that inspires awe in human beings who have been given a consciousness and senses that can appreciate the beauty of a sunset or a multitude of other beautiful aspects of creation. He did not have to do this. God could have created any kind of world he desired. He could have made the earth a dull, boring, drab kind of world. But he didn't. He didn't, because an artist's creation reflects the artist himself. And God is not ugly or drab or boring. He is the fullness of all that is exciting and fulfilling and beautiful in existence and life. This world is incredibly beautiful because it reflects the beauty of its Creator. Another reason for awe of God: his incomparable beauty and glory.

In a vision, Ezekiel saw the Lord and described his beauty and glory thus:

"(I saw) a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown" (Ez. 1:26-28).

Notice Ezekiel's reaction to his encounter with God in his glory: "When I saw it, I fell facedown." That is awe, to be so overwhelmed at God that one cannot even stand before him. Peter fell to his knees in his fishing boat when he stood before the God of all creation; Ezekiel did the same. All human beings are awestruck when standing before the God of all creation, whether because of his deeds of creation or simply his very essence as God. Thus God's works and his existence work together to create awe in man. God thus designed it so that this great, supreme, absolute, infinite essence whom he is, beyond which one cannot go, could be made known to others that did not yet exist and so be known and appreciated in awe--and he knew that he would do this from all eternity.

"All his works are known to God from eternity" (Acts 15:18 KJII).

Another reason to stand in awe of God. I cannot actually fathom this part of his essence any more than I can any other part. I often do not know what my actions will be in the next moment, much less years from now. But God knows what he will do centuries from the current moment, even into all eternity. It is all known ahead of time to him because he is not restricted to time. He has no limits of any kind except those which he has voluntarily placed upon himself.

Sometimes God tells his prophets what is to take place in the future and the prophet tells the ones concerned. That is what Samuel did when Saul came to him. Samuel told him all that would occur in the near future, both Saul's actions and the Lords:

"Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, 'Has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance? When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, "The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, 'What shall I do about my son?' Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you'" (1Sam. 10:1-7).

In another place, Scripture describes God knowing what both he and his servant Job would do:

"After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has'" (Job 42:7-8).

Yet another example is found in God's revelation of his people Israel's future:

"Then the Lord said to him, 'Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions'" (Gen. 15:13,14).

One of the great possessions given by God to his people, to those who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, is an intimate relationship with him. Ask any human being what is one of the things he treasures most in life and he or she will tell you that it is his or her family and loved ones and the relationship and fellowship enjoyed in that relationship. This is no surprise, for God created us in his image and that image is one of love and fellowship and relationship. But there are levels and degrees of such relating to others. If we accept that human relationships between one another is one of the greatest joys in life, then surely we should not be surprised that the greatest joy of all comes when we relate in love with the greatest Being of all, the One who created us for this very purpose, a relationship of love with him.

God makes himself known in his relationship with us through his Son Jesus Christ and through his Holy Spirit. It is in the Spirit that the deepest and highest joys of life are found. This secret is revealed by God to us in one of the most profound chapters in the Bible, First Corinthians, chapter two. There we find some of the deepest truths about reality ever to be revealed to us by God.

"Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Cor. 2:11,12).

Imagine, being able to understand the thoughts of God! Such a thing is incomprehensible to us--yet God tells us it is so in his Word. In fact, he concludes his message to us in this deep chapter of the Bible with these words:

"We have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16).

Elsewhere in Scripture, God in his wisdom calls out to us to accept this new mind in place of our old, faulty mind that has been wounded by sinful human nature:

"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares: . . . If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you" (Prov. 1:20, 23).

Amazing! God is ready to pour out his own heart to us and enable us to know his very thoughts. This is as deep a level as any being can go, to know the very heart and thoughts of God himself. Yet that is the promise and great possession made possible through Christ and the Holy Spirit by God. Truly this is something of which to be in awe. Yet how few actually accept the offer. Rather than accept the offer to know the infinite mind of God, they prefer to trust their own puny, limited mind. Surely Scripture rightly describes such people:

"He who trusts in his own mind is a fool" (Prov. 28:26).

Only a fool purposely and willfully suppresses the clear evidence God has given in nature, his Word, his Son, and through his Holy Spirit to accept the imaginings of his own heart and mind instead. That is to make one's self an idol in place of the true God. And all idols and false gods will be destroyed when the end comes.

"The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land" (Zeph. 2:11).

The time is quickly coming when such awe will sweep across this world, as God makes known his final judgment upon it for its refusal to be in awe of him. He is the great Creator who nevertheless invites man to come close to him, even so close as to know the thoughts of his mind, yet who will smash down every high thing, such as the vain mind of man, that exalts itself up against him. This is he who:

"forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth--the Lord God Almighty is his name" (Amos 4:13).

Judgment is one of the inevitable results of God having created all that exists. For once something begins to exist, that very existence takes up space and exists in time and therefore is open to judgment for how it exists and how it uses the time given to it to exist. On the human level, this judgment makes itself known in faulty acts of judgment such as criticizing of one another and even perversion of justice, corruption and all kinds of other faulty evaluations and judgments. Human beings, because of their sinful nature, do not always make right judgments. Often they do not even want to, for they pervert right and true judgment in order to obtain their own ends. They value self above truth.

It is not so with God. Because he is perfect in all his nature and all his ways, he alone is worthy to make judgment on all of creation. He did this at the beginning, after he had created all that exists. Then, Scripture says, he looked out at all that he had created out of nothing and passed judgment upon it:

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Gen.1:31).

What God did in the beginning, he will do in the end. Just as he judged the creation when it began, so will he do when it ends. For we are warned constantly through Scripture that there is a coming great and final judgment of all creation. Because of this great emphasis in Holy Scriptures on this coming Great and Last or Final Judgment, we would do well to pay serious attention to it. We should be in awe of God because of his coming judgment of the whole world and of each of us as an individual in that world.

"A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:10).

"I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books" (Rev 20:12).

Surely this is an awesome scene, worthy of our utmost attention: to know that we will be judged by almighty God. It is this very knowledge that drives us to the one way God has provided to be delivered from his righteous judgment for all our shortcomings in life: his Son, Jesus Christ. For Jesus is the one who saves us from the coming wrath (1 Ths. 1:10). All those who accept what Jesus did on the cross for them--putting himself in our place under the wrath of God over our sins--will be delivered from God's wrath over their sin. For this we truly should be in awe of God and his great love for us.

"I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. . . . In wrath, you remember mercy" (Hab 3:2).

But for those who do not stand in awe of God and his offer of mercy and forgiveness, it is another story.

"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).

What should be our right response to all this, then? When we see the world begin to fall apart, as the very heavens begin to rip apart at the end and all the earth is shaken, we who trust in Jesus to save us need not be shaken, but should follow the words of Hebrews:

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" (Heb. 12:28).

For we trust and stand in awe of him who gave this earth its beginning and who will bring it to its end.

"I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22:13).

This being so, "how pleasant and fitting to praise him!" (Ps. 147:1).

And that is what I do. That is why this was written, as praise to him of whom I am in awe.

"For the Lord your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome" (Dt. 10:17).

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Avoiding Extremes




AVOIDING EXTREMES

If a little bit of something is good for you, a lot must be even better--right? Not necessarily. The wise person knows this, as Solomon, famous for his wisdom, clearly warns:

"The man who fears God will avoid all extremes" (Eccl. 7:18),

All extremes, even extremes of something good, can be bad. The story is told of a man whose wife had a good habit of keeping their house clean, and her husband appreciated this. But she did tend to take this to extremes. One night, for instance, he got up out of bed for a few moments, and when he got back--the bed was made!

Or consider children, as famous for being messy as Solomon is for being wise. Messiness is considered not good, but still, as Solomon himself has said, there is a time and place for everything (Eccl. 3:1). Thus there is a time when even messiness must be tolerated. Or, as once again it is Solomon who said:

"An empty stable stays clean, but there is no income from an empty stable" (Prov. 14:4).

Using children again for illustration, I once witnessed a humorous instance of the truth of this proverb. I saw a little one following her brother across the lawn when he stopped to pick up a dandelion and blow away the seeds. That looked like fun, so she copy-catted him and blew away her own seed head. The problem was, she had been eating a cupcake loaded with frosting and most of that sticky frosting was now around her mouth, which proved to be like a magnet for the airy seeds now floating around. No doubt you can easily picture her face. But if you think that is funny, you should have seen her mother's face when she saw her. I well remember the puzzled look on that face and her words: "Is that . . . dandelion seeds around your mouth?" There was a sigh as she picked up her child and proceeded towards the nearest faucet.

Yes, children can be messy, but it's the wise parent who knows that this must be accepted at times--and when it needs to be dealt with. This particular child's face was promptly cleaned to prevent the sticky frosting-dandelion seed concoction from spreading to other less suitable places.

These have been humorous illustrations of the principle stated in the Bible of avoiding extremes, even extremes of good things. But the same principle applies to more serious areas of life as well. It can and should be applied, for instance, to the matter of money and wealth. Jesus frequently warned against extremes in the pursuit of money. Solomon likewise warned against this extreme--and he should know: His wealth was as world-renowned as his wisdom. Therefore, when he cautions us against extremes in this area, we would be wise to listen. Here is one such warning he gives:

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint" (Prov. 23:4).

Here is another:

"Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil" (Prov. 15:16).

In his proverbs, Solomon frequently contrast two opposites to show the contrasting results of following one or the other. Here he contrasts the opposite states of having little with the extreme of having too much, which does indeed often result in turmoil. There is nothing necessarily wrong with being wealthy, but most of us do not really need to be wealthy to do the work God has prepared for us to do in his kingdom (Eph. 2:10). Rather, we should agree with both Solomon and Paul that it really takes little for us to be supplied with all we need:

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Eph. 4:11-13).

"The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble" (Prov. 15:6).

Just what kind of trouble can extreme income bring, whether to the one who acquired it through wickedness or through legitimate means? Well, for one thing, when one is wealthy, others take notice and jealousy and greed and lust and envy and all sorts of wicked desires spring up in some of those who see the wealth of others. These wicked desires sometimes lead to wicked deeds against those with wealth--attacks that the poor do not need to worry about.

"A man's riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat" (Prov. 13:8).

So a rich man may have the money to ransom his life or the life of a loved one who was kidnapped, and that is good. But it is far better never having to worry about such a fate at all because one has no excess wealth that is noticed by others. Some people want wealth for this very reason, to be seen by others as rich. But sometimes that very desire can be their undoing.

Nevertheless, being poor is not usually the best situation either. If we would follow Solomon's advice, it is better to have neither extreme. The man of God avoids all extremes.

"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God" (Prov. 3:8,9).

This area in between, then, is what we normally should aim for: having enough to provide for ourselves and our families and the work of the kingdom of God, but not so much that we are in danger of having to spend our time protecting our wealth and wasting that time that could be better spent in other ways for God's purposes and his kingdom.

This passage raises a further question with more serious consequences than our concern for money. In Proverbs 3:8,9, our actions and attitudes regarding money are linked to a higher issue, that of our relationship with God: Too much wealth may tempt one to rely upon self and say, "Who is the Lord?" and at the other end, too little money may tempt one to "steal and so dishonor the name of my God". Thus both extremes have their temptations and are thus to be avoided. The man of God avoids all extremes.

This passage also mentions honor, that it is possible to dishonor God by one's going to extremes regarding pursuing wealth. Another verse also mentions honor, saying that it is not honorable to seek one's own honor (Prov. 25:27). This harks back to the proud desire some have to obtain wealth so as to be seen and honored in the community. But Scripture, in the same verse, says that although wealth, like honey, is good, "if you find honey, eat just enough--too much of it, and you will vomit" (Prov. 25:16).

But, again, just to be clear on this issue, there is nothing wrong with being wealthy, just that few really need this blessing from God to perform their divine tasks in his kingdom as his children. So, if God has blessed you with this blessing, enjoy it but enjoy even more using it for his purposes.

"Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste" (Prov. 24:13).

But there is yet a higher dimension to all of this. It is important to live out the principle of avoiding extremes in life regarding money, but an even deeper application of this principle is found in the area of the spiritual well being of one's soul. It is to this matter that we now turn our attention.

There a somewhat odd passage in Proverbs regarding all of this. In Proverbs, chapter seven, we find these strange words:

"Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise--why destroy yourself?" (Eccl. 7:16).

Hmmph. What can that mean? That doesn't sound quite right. How could one be overly righteous or overly wise?

Jesus once told a parable that may help explain this:

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk. 18:9-14).

The Pharisee no doubt really was extremely compliant with the demands of the Jewish law. Pharisees were known to require all kinds of further additions to that law--additions that God himself never required of his people. They were overrighteous and overwise in attempting to obey religious rules. Apparently they failed to heed the warning of Ecclesiastes 7:16 not to put themselves in jeopardy by so doing, for Jesus pronounced the verdict of guilty upon them in his parable, which means that they were thus subject to God's anger for failing to do as he said. Yes, by their extreme devotion, they were in danger of destroying themselves.

Too bad they also apparently did not pay attention to another Scripture that warns against this as well. I find it interesting that our modern-day translations of the Bible translate this particular passage in three very different ways. The passage is found in Zephaniah 2:5. The RSV translates it this way:

"I will destroy you," thus making God the one who destroys them.

But the KJV has it this way:

"Thou hast destroyed thyself," thus making the people themselves responsible for their own destruction.

So which is it? I like the way God has arranged things. Some people might complain that there are too many versions or translations of the Bible around and that we have lost some of the impact of God's Word in this way. I say that we have not lost but gained--as long as we are aware of the restrictions and failings of all translations. None is perfect compared to the original words God gave to his biblical authors. My intention here is not to get sidetracked on this issue but simply to point out that we definitely gain here by having more than one version. For The RSV points to God as the one who destroys, while the KJV, as mentioned, points the finger at the people themselves. Rather than argue over the cause, why not simply just accept the end result, which is the same in both cases, which is that the people are destroyed? And that, in fact, is what the NIV simply states: that they are, in fact, destroyed:

"You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper."

What difference does it make if it is God or self that cause one to be destroyed? That person or that people still ends up being destroyed--and justly so. Jesus made use of similar reasoning in another parable when he depicts God speaking to an unworthy servant, "I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant!" (Lk. 19:22). And elsewhere, in speaking of the Great Judgment, he used similar reasoning:

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Mt. 12:37).

Now we are getting into serious territory, the eternal destiny of human souls. Thus the words of Proverbs chapter seven become all the more sobering, as the message proceeds from warning about being overly righteous to overly wicked:

"Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool--why die before your time?" (Eccl. 7:17).

We know from experience of living in this world that God does tolerate, for a time, the wickedness of people in rebellion against him. There is no use denying that; evil does exist in our world. But though he may tolerate such evil for a time, those who press this graciousness of God (gracious in that he does not immediately destroy them but gives them time to repent) into a license to do even more evil--they risk God cutting off that time given to them to repent. Their misuse of God's grace into an opportunity to do more and more evil can reach a stopping point, and God will indeed cut them off earlier than he might otherwise have. Thus they become fools for defying God.

That is just one way they could die before their time. Another is the fact that wickedness, by itself, shortens the lives of those who live by it. Few are the violent, wicked souls who live as long as the righteous. Gang members are known for killing off each other; drug users frequently shorten their lives by their dangerous habits; and many other examples could be given. But they are all summed up in the warning of Ecclesiastes 7:17: "Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool--why die before your time?" Extremes can bring punishment and death before they would otherwise have come.

Demons are an extreme example of beings taking things to extreme. Once when Jesus confronted some of these evil spirits, they said to him, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" (Mt. 8:29).

"Before the time . . ." Those who go to extremes shorten the period between their extreme actions and the judgment of those extreme actions. Therefore, for the preservation of his soul, "the man of God avoids all extremes."





The  man  of  Goavoids  all  extremes.


Saturday, December 18, 2010

Conceit: Barrier to Wisdom


CONCEIT:

Barrier to Wisdom


In World War Two, when an allied soldier who helped liberate one of the infamous German death camps saw the unbelievable conditions and the stark evil that made itself seen and felt there, he remarked that up to that point in his service in the war he may not have known what he was fighting for, but now at least he knew what he was fighting against.

That is the way it is in life: We may not always be able to pin down in a concise fashion what motivates us and what governs our actions, but somewhere deep inside us, we know what is right and what is wrong and when we see wickedness and evil, we are instinctively repelled by it and react against it--at least this is true for those who have not given in to evil. For there are some who view evil as the best way to attain their goals for themselves and they pursue it with no twinge of conscience. This is possible because conscience is only a warning device and that warning can be ignored; it is possible to have the conscience seared into numbness and uselessness.

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (1 Tim.4:1,2).

We are now in those later times and the number of those who are being deceived by teachings from spirits from hell is rapidly increasing--teachings like universalism (everyone will be saved), that there is no hell, no judgment, that Jesus is not the only way to be saved--things like that, teachings that sear conscience with a hot iron because they are teachings from a very hot place.

Scripture warns us to fight against such demonic teachings:

"Fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith" (1Tim 1:18,19).

What a strong image that word shipwreck conveys to our mind: total ruin of all that one is and has. It is a very serious thing to reject conscience. God put conscience into us as a reminder of the true nature of reality, that there really is a God and that there is such a thing as good and evil. Conscience is a universal character trait of all human beings and this natural inborn prodding must be consciously rejected and subdued to ignore it. And many do choose willfully to put aside conscience, especially and first of all the most basic aspect of conscience, that there is a God. This is denial of reality for which the penalty is most severe:

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them" (Rom. 1:18,19).

But no matter how plain it is that we are held accountable to God for our actions, many still foolishly choose to put aside this innate protective system. Why? Knowing that God judges such action most severely, why would anyone still go ahead and do so? This is the perplexing mystery of those who do evil:

"Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them" (Rom. 1:32).

At least two factors enter into explaining this mystery of why so many people choose to do evil when they know it is wrong, and both reasons have to do with a lack: lack of wisdom and lack of discipline. Each of these causes will now be looked at in more depth. First, lack of wisdom.

First of all, then, what is wisdom? There is no need to delve into all the many conflicting definitions or views offered by the world's many philosophies, for God has clearly revealed to us what wisdom is.

"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).

Immediately, we see two important things concerning wisdom: Both are connections. But they are connections that are opposite to each other, that is, we must stay connected to one (God) and break a connection to the other (evil). It is possible to have one but not the other.

Through conscience, we know that we should not do evil. If people indeed honor this God-given protective warning within them, then they have understanding. But understanding is not enough; it is not wisdom. It is to go only part way. The fullness of understanding is to not only depart from evil (the negative aspect) but to embrace the good (the positive) by having a reverential fear of God. That is wisdom.

As was just mentioned, it is not enough to have one or the other, though both are good. In order to live life as God means for us to live it, we need both wisdom and understanding.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom" (Js. 3:13).

A third insight is further given us in this passage from James, that not only do we need both wisdom and understanding but that this internal wisdom is still to no effect unless it is evidenced outwardly in a life of good deeds "done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

But even this is not enough. Many people follow a false religion of this world, all of which teach that through doing good works a person will merit going to some sort of paradise when he dies. But Scripture is clear that simply doing good deeds does not earn us heaven (Eph. 2:8,9; Gal. 2:16). But the world does not like to hear this truth because it cuts off any human attempt to perform works to save itself, thus wounding selfish pride: human conceit is at the root of rejecting conscience and many other catastrophes. So the world's religions and philosophies cling to the false notion of doing good on its own power to save the self and the world. But such "wisdom" is not from God.

"This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish" (Js. 2:15).

And there it is again. This passage actually uses the word "devilish", which connects back to the mention of the hot, hellish source of such wisdom, quoted earlier:

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (1 Tim.4:1,2).

There are actually two kinds of wisdom, depending on their source. There is a heavenly wisdom from God and an earthly, hellish kind of wisdom from the devil. Both co-exist in this world and it may be hard to distinguish one from the other. But Scripture gives us a distinguishing characteristic of each: By their fruits you shall know them (Mt. 7:16).

The "wisdom" that comes from the devil bears bad fruit:

"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice" (Js. 2:16).

The true wisdom that comes down from God and heaven:

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity" (Js. 3:17).

Notice the first indicator that Scripture here gives to verify that the wisdom is from God: It "is first pure." Those who do not depart from evil but embrace it cannot have true wisdom because true wisdom is first of all pure. And those whose consciences have been seared with the false teachings that emanate from hell do not have lives of purity but pursue evil, therefore they have no real and true wisdom, for all such wisdom must come from God and be in accord with his nature of goodness.

Thus there are these two sources of wisdom, the false and the true, and there are two consequences of obtaining one's wisdom from whichever one is chosen. One leads to life and the other to death.

"For whoever finds me (Wisdom), finds life, and will obtain favor from the Lord" (Prov 8:35).

"But he who sins against me (Wisdom) wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death" (Prov 8:36).

That is a strong statement, that those who hate wisdom love death. Is this really so? Scripture says that it is indeed so:

"Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears'" (Job 28:22).

How sad, that only in death will a person who rejects God's wisdom finally learn that he has been a fool and not wise at all, though he considered himself too wise to fall for the foolishness of the gospel while he was alive. Though made in the image of God, and thus like a god to rule over the other creatures created to inhabit the earth, with a mind that is supposed to be used to rule that dominion wisely, their end is that of mortal humans and not "gods":

"They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, `You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler" (Ps. 82:5-7).

But even then, at death, it is only a rumor of wisdom that whispers into such a person's consciousness, not the full knowledge that, yes, God was right when he said in his Word that true wisdom is found only in the fear of God and in departing from evil. That full knowledge comes in its terrifying fullness only after death clamps its fullness upon such a person. Only then, when the "wisdom" he followed in life carries him off to its source in hell and he is dead forever. Only then will he realize the terrifying fullness of where his devilish wisdom has finally led him to. That is his wisdom's final message to him, carrying him away to eternal fire and darkness.

"Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through. The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror" (Is. 28:18,19).

The great tragedy is that it does not have to be this way. God's wisdom calls out to everyone to heed its voice and follows it to its Source--or be led away to the source of the other kind of wisdom, the kind that has its source in the depths of hell. But Wisdom's voice is often drowned out by Folly's. For both God's heavenly wisdom and hell's wisdom call out to the world to follow it. Even the way they call tells the nature of each. For God's wisdom, as personified in the Lord Jesus Christ, whispers in the soul's ear with a quiet voice:

"He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets" (Is. 42:2).

Not so, the way of the wisdom from the darkness. It shouts out loudly, to misdirect the attention of the crowd away from true wisdom's voice:

"The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge" (Prov. 9:13).

This is a favorite trick of the devil, to raise such a ruckus that the noise drowns out the sane voice of reason and prevents people from receiving the truth from God.

"Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar . . ." (Acts 21:34).

This leads us to the second great truth that Scripture reveals to us concerning the role of rejecting the voice of conscience in causing a person and a world to do evil: that of lack of discipline.

What is discipline that it should hold such an important place in determining the destiny of a person or a world? The meaning of discipline relevant to our purposes here is: training to improve strength or self-control. This is what those who do evil reject. They thus lose the means whereby they could have obtained self-control. But since they reject this God-given means, they have no strength, no power, to withstand the power of evil and they succumb to it.

"They themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" (2 Ptr. 2:19).

Discipline is self control. Lack of discipline leads to lack of self control. Lack of self control leads to evil. It is no coincidence, then, that our heavenly Father, in his great love for us, disciplines us, for without it, we cannot withstand evil.

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Heb. 12:5-10).

But it is the next verse from this Hebrews passage that reveals the real secret of why some reject such discipline and others accept it:

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (v. 11).

And there it is: why so many in this world end up in eternal darkness, after foolishly rejecting conscience and discipline: because they want only pleasure and no pain and therefore dedicate their life here on earth to seeking such and enjoying a brief time of pleasure, like new shoots that spring up from the ground. They therefore reject the discipline through which conscience works and thus, ironically, reap a harvest of never-ending pain.

"You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain" (Is. 17:10,11).

The pain of hell is everlasting and incurable. The pain we occasionally endure here on earth is temporary and is meant to discipline us and mature us--if we would but submit to this loving discipline of our heavenly Father.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (Js. 1:2-4).

The quality of lacking again surfaces here in Scripture. Whether it be a lack of conscience, due to its searing by giving in to the seducing call of hell's wisdom, or lack of knowledge, wisdom, discipline or any other godly quality, when one purposely walks away from God's provision for all we need to avoid evil, evil is sure to come. A lack of will to pursue good inevitably results in evil. Or, as Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." And nothing is precisely what so many desire to do in life. They want a life of ease and comfort, with no effort required of them, especially with regards to anything spiritual.

But anything worthwhile carries a price with it, and the more something is worth, the more it costs one to obtain it. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a great pearl hidden in a field (Mt. 13:45,46), for which the wise person gladly gives up all he has to obtain it. He also said that anyone who wants to follow him must give up all that he has, even his own life and soul:

"If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:26).

The apostle Paul knew this truth, for he said that all else in life, however much he valued it, had come to be worthless to him compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ.

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Ph. 3:8).

So we have these two main goals in life that people pursue: pleasure for self and denial of self in order to gain Christ. Paul says with tears:

"Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things" (3:18,19).

To have one's mind on earthly things is actually a form of conceit, for whatever one focuses on reveals the heart. A focus on things of this life, especially self, reveals a lack of respect and valuing the things of God. It puts self first, above God. There is no greater conceit. Examples of this abound in our world.

Science is one area of the conceit of man. Science has indeed given us much to be thankful for, but it has been raised to the status of a god for many in this world. A famous astronomer has said that the universe is all there ever was, is, and ever will be. This similar to the Bible's description of God (Rev. 1:8), thus making out the physical creation to be its own creator, God. Such conceit is appalling.

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen" (Rom. 1:25).

Another example is found in government. Government is looked to by vast masses of people to provide for them in all areas of life. Government also has become an idol or false god for many.

Other examples can be given, such as trust in military might (Russia, China, and the U.S.A. come to mind), trust in education to solve the world's problems, and, of course, the many false religions of the world. All these things and more show the conceit of man as things he trusts in to save him from himself. It is conceit because it looks to man to solve his problems, thinking that there is no need to call upon a god other than himself. Such conceit is rightly condemned soundly in Scripture:

"The evil conceits of their minds know no limits" (Ps. 73:7).

"For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the Lord; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water. The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands" (Is. 32:6-8).

So here we are back to the beginning, with Scripture again contrasting the two approaches to wisdom and to how one thinks. Back to the beginning of conceit as a stumbling block to obtaining true wisdom. In the end, we find that it all distills down to the one cardinal principle that was stated at the beginning.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and discipline.


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Awareness

AWARENESS


Awareness is crucial to survival, yet many people are unaware of this critical truth--therefore, they will not survive.

"Therefore evil will come on you; you won't know when it dawns: and mischief will fall on you; you will not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come on you suddenly, which you don't know" (Is. 47:11).

It saddens me greatly to see a world intent on pursuing temporary pleasures of little significance while ignoring eternal matters of supreme importance, such as the eternal fate of one's soul. Because of this, they will not survive death and God's judgment. Their unawareness of the importance of the condition of their soul before God will doom them to an eternity apart from him.

I still remember well reading long ago an article in the newspaper by a famous advice columnist. A reader had written in asking for advice about her boyfriend's talk about hell. She wanted to know what this famous advice columnist thought about hell. Her reply? I was astounded to read that she said, "Well, I have never really thought about it." Never thought about it? Astonishing! The possibility that she herself might someday wind up in the ultimate place of suffering for eternity--and she has never thought about it? Yet here she was, looked up to around the world as a wise person, full of useful advice to everyone about life. But I ask you, what good is such advice about living if one does not know how to prepare for dying, as God and Scripture advise us to do?

"Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?"  (Jer 8:9).

It is bad enough when so many never stop to consider what is going to happen to them when they die; it is far worse when a person of influence over multitudes of people does the same, for they will follow this person into the eternal darkness.

"Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?" (Lk. 6:39).

I do not want anyone to go from this life into eternal darkness. That is one reason I have written numerous articles and posted them on this site and various other places on the internet (http://www.christianblog.com/archive/wisdomsfriend/ ; http://spirit-filled-devotions.blogspot.com/): I want to warn as many as I can to wake up from their complacency and consider their eternal destiny. In doing this, I am simply echoing the words of the preacher as recorded in Ecclesiastes:

"Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart"  (Eccl. 7:2).

We should indeed take this to heart . . . but so few do. Rather, they are like the people of ancient Jerusalem, whose complacency alarmed the prophet Jeremiah and caused him to declare of her:

"She did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding" (Lam. 1:9).

The prophet's words apply just as well today. So many are wrapped up in pursuing comfort, while so few even think about where it will all lead. They do not consider their future, only the pleasure of the moment. Therefore, their fall will be astounding. No wonder the book of the Bible from which the above quote is taken is called Lamentations. How sad! We should lament with the author at the fatal lack of awareness of so many, whether in one part of the world, as in the Jerusalem of his day to which he spoke, or in the world today as a whole. Wherever or whenever it is found, lack of awareness of what life is all about and its brevity and seriousness is just cause for lamentation.

But it is one thing simply to lament the sad spiritual state of a people; it is another to do something about it. That is the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19,20) that Jesus gave to those who call themselves by his name: to wake up the people of this world to their dangerous spiritual condition, to make them aware of the coming judgment and the only way be saved from condemnation in that judgment: to make them aware of Jesus. The light of the morning star, Jesus Christ,  shining in the darkness of the human heart, is the only cure for unawareness:

"We have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Ptr. 1:19).

Jesus said "I am the light of the world (Isaiah 60:1). He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn. 8:12).

Darkness obscures and hides. Light reveals; it enables one to have awareness. Jesus is the light that brings awareness to one's heart and being. He shows us the reality which we inhabit, especially the reality of our own heart.

But that, of course, is precisely the reality that the human heart does not want to see, for the reality is that the human heart is, by nature, opposed to God; it wants to live for self instead of for him who created it to live for God.

"This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn't come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. (Jn 3:19,20).

Nevertheless, those who truly love the truth will let God's searching light into their hearts, because they know that truth and reality do not disappear simply because one refuses to accept them. Truth and reality are stronger than one's wishes, stronger than the human heart's desire to conceal its sinful nature. Therefore the wise person will let the Son shine in his heart to reveal the truth. These are those who love the truth, who is Jesus (Jn. 14:6).

"But the one doing the truth comes to the Light) (Jn. 3:21).

So it is that the world is divided into two groups: those who love darkness because it hides (they think) their heart's desire to do evil, and those who love the light even though it exposes this same evil in their own hearts. They love the truth more than their own lives.

"They do not love their lives so much as to shrink from death" (Rev. 12:11).

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 9:15).

Even though the light of God searching their heart reveals the sin within that heart and exposes them; even though this bringing to the light of their own sin rightly condemns them to death; even so, they trust the God who is light when he says that through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, that just sentence of death will not kill them, for he has promised them that though they die (physically), they will not die (spiritually).

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (Jn. 11:25,26).

That is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But before people will accept this good news, they must first be aware that they need it. One way to help make them aware of their need for Jesus as Savior is to remind them of their own mortality. No wonder the psalmist cries out:

"Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days. Let me know how fleeting is my life" (Ps 39:4).

"Remember how short my time is! For what vanity have you created all the children of men! What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol" (Ps. 89:47,48).

Notice that in this last passage we are given not only a warning to become aware of the brevity of life and its seriousness, but are also given the one source where we can find the cure for any lack of awareness: We obtain it from God, the One who is aware of all our sins:

"They don't consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their own deeds have engulfed them. They are before my face" ( Hos. 7:2).

Every person alive needs to consider while yet alive his own lack of holiness before a holy God . If this is not done, then that person will die in that uncleanness and forever forfeit the heritage of heaven that could have been his.

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs" (Jonah 2:8).

We tend to think of idols as being carved images of stone or wood that ignorant people worship. But the truth is, anything that takes the place of God in our hearts and lives is an idol. And without a doubt, the single-most common idol is self. Self, however, is a worthless idol, for self cannot save self from death.

"All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can't keep his soul alive" (Ps 22:29).

"What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol" (Ps 89:48).

If self cannot save self, then it is an idol with no power. How foolish to trust in something that cannot save.

"Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before" (Isaiah 47:14).

"All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame" (Is. 44:9).

"They are ignorant . . ." In other words, they are unaware. They will remain ignorant and unaware as long as they refuse the light of Christ in their hearts. For stubborn refusal of the light of God brings ever-increasing darkness, so that the heart grows in hardness until it is finally abandoned by the Lord to its own desire to be apart from God.

"Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened" (Rom. 1:21).

"Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Rom. 1:28).

This is the terrifying end to which unawareness leads: to end up with no awareness of him who is the source of all that is good in life. This is the life of drab existence only, not life, an existence of going through the motions with no enjoyment of life.

"For without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" (Eccl. 2:25).

Indeed. But that is just one side of awareness, the side of lack. There is another side, the side of fullness. Even as there are those who are unaware of God and want to stay that way, so are those whose passion is to become more and more aware each day of this wonderful, magnificent, gracious God who is the all in all of their life. While the unaware pull back into the shadows and darkness, these others run into the light, wanting all the light God offers to them.

"But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light" (Jn. 3:21).

This is what God wants us to do, to come into the light with a heart yearning for that light, for him. And we need to do this with a sense of urgency, for the time to do this is growing very, very short. There is very little time left to put off our unawareness and to become fully aware of God and his ownership of us. We must do this and do it quickly.

"Do this, understanding the present time. The hour has com for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here" (Rom. 13:11,12).

Even though a believer in Christ, a Christian, has become aware of his own sinfulness and also aware of God's provision to save us from that sinfulness that separates us from him--even though this is so, we must not sit back content in this awareness. For like everything else in life, awareness has degrees. The first step in our walk of faith with God is not the last step; there are many steps of growth in between.

So God calls us to increasing awareness of him and his demands and desires for us in our walk with him. We are to grow in awareness, just as we are to grow in all others of our relationship with him. The knowledge of each other and the relationship with each other that a man and a woman have on their wedding day is not the same as that which they have after many years of marriage. They grow in that relationship, and so are we to grow in our relationship with our heavenly bridegroom.

This piece of writing that you are now reading is meant to be a call for you to wake up and ask the Lord to give you ever-increasing awareness of him. For the day of judgment approaches, when each person's relationship with the Lord will be revealed. Some do not see that day approaching, when God's hand of judgment is raised to strike the earth, and they will suffer for their lack of awareness and lack of saving relationship with God.

"O Lord, your hand is lifted up, yet they don't see" (Isaiah 26:11).

Others--those who are aware of God and the coming judgment and have prepared themselves for it by being found in Jesus Christ--they are not only aware but have sharpened that awareness through the Holy Spirit, who makes one aware of Jesus, to the extent that they hear him speak to them even when asleep.

"I was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks" (SS. 5:2).

To which of these two groups do you belong? Are you aware of your need for the Lord Jesus Christ to make you acceptable to God, before his judgment falls upon this earth and upon you? Are you aware of the late hour? Do you see his hand raised to strike this earth in judgment? The signs are all around us and increasing in frequency and intensity.  Those who have the awareness provided by the Lord to those who call upon him see it. I pray that this article will help you to see even more and help motivate you to call out for more awareness of God and his coming judgment as well as his grace provided for all in Jesus Christ.

Friday, December 10, 2010

ULTIMATE




ULTIMATE



There is irony regarding what people want out of life. Human beings live in a world where life ends in death, and it is only natural that they should groan for more than that, natural to desire liberation from decay and death. As Scripture puts it:

"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Rom. 8:20-22).

Jesus said that he came to our world for this very reason: to release us from our fear of death and to give us this abundant life (Jn. 10:10) for which we cry out. Yet most of the world rejects this offer of abundant life. That is the irony, that the world rejects him who can give them the very thing they so ardently yearn for.

"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him" (Jn. 1:9-11).

Why is this so? Why does the world reject the only one (Acts 4:12) who can give them the very thing they so desperately need and want? It is because they do not want to pay the price to receive it, for the abundant life in Christ is very costly, even all that one has and is:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:26).

Notice that Jesus is speaking of being a disciple, not of salvation. We know from Scripture that salvation is free:

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 5:16).

But, though accepting salvation in Jesus as Savior is free and could not be earned even if we tried (and many do), realizing the abundant life in him is not free, not always easy, but costs us dearly; in fact, costs us everything.

"Then Peter said in reply, 'Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?'  Jesus said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first'" (Mt. 19:27-30).

Notice that once again Jesus refers to one's family, the one thing that is closest to most people's heart. Nothing must come before him if one desires to have the abundant life he came to bring. It is all or nothing. That is the way because he is the Way: "I am  . . . the way" (Jn. 14:6).

But that is not the message people want to hear. They want an easier way.

"For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord; who tell the seers, 'Don't see!' and to the prophets, 'Don't prophesy to us right things. Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy deceits. Get out of the way. Turn aside from the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.'" (Isaiah 30:9-11).

It is natural, sinful human nature to want the easy way out. Jesus knew full well this natural human trait, just as he knew everything else about the human heart:

"But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man" (Jn. 2:24,25).

Because he knew so well this perverse nature of the human heart, that though people claimed they wanted the abundant life he came to bring them, they would refuse to pay the price to receive it, which is the surrender of those same lives to him, but would seek an easier way--because he knew all this, he said:

"Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Lk. 7:13,14).

The road, the way, that leads to life is narrow indeed; the gate is small indeed--even just one person: Jesus Christ, the single gate and one shepherd who leads those who will follow him as his sheep out into verdant pastures, the abundant life they so desire.

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture" (Jn. 10:9).

In Jesus, we human beings who cry out from the depths of our hearts for a fuller life are promised exactly that. But many refuse to take that offer because of the cost. It is both sad and tragic that so many people are satisfied with a life that is far below what could be theirs. Food, family, friends and fun--that is the world's idea of life. A dog is satisfied with the same things.

"Their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things" (Ph. 3:19).

Is it not a shameful thing to waste one's life pursuing things that do not last when God has offered us true life that is eternal? Jesus thought so. He said:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Mt. 6:25).

Life is indeed more important than any of these things. Why is it, then, that so few ever seem to realize this? Why do so many satisfy themselves with the same pleasures that satisfy a dog, when they could have so much more out of life, have true life in him who is life ("I am . . . the life"--Jn. 14:6)?

It is because they do not have a true vision of who God is and what he is offering them. They see only this life and this world, not opening their eyes to the far greater life and world and God of that other world that dwarfs this one to insignificance by comparison. Lack of vision is the crucial and error that so many make. And it is a fatal error.

"Where there is no vision , the people perish" (Prov. 29:18 KJV).

The vision that so many people have of God is a human vision, one that arises from their own imagination or reasoning or the philosophies of the world, rather than God's own revelation of himself in his Word. It is no wonder, then, that so many settle for a life that is less than life, because they have never seen the greater life that could be theirs in Jesus Christ, who is God. They have a faulty vision of God. They settle for relatives instead of the absolutes of God; they have something less than the ultimate--and that is what they really want, despite their claims otherwise.

People claim they want the ultimate in life, all that life has to offer. But when it comes right down to it, they are deceiving themselves, for if they truly wanted the ultimate in life, they would want God, who is the ultimate Ultimate.

"He is Lord of Lords and King of kings" (Rev. 17:14).

"For even if there are so-called gods . . . (as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'), yet for us there is but one God, the Father . . . and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ . . . but not everyone knows this" (1 Cor 8:5-7).

There it is again: not everyone knows this. And Scripture says that those who do not know this are doomed to be without life forever.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6).

They do not know, they do not see; they don't want to see the Ultimate who cannot be escaped, though they try. And why do they seek to avoid the Ultimate? Because of who he is and who they are.

"For the LORD your God is God  of gods , and Lord of lords , a great God, a mighty, and a terrible God" (Dt. 10:17 KJV).

Terrible here, of course, means causing fear or dread. And what do human beings have to dread about being in the presence of God? The answer is found in Hosea:

"For I am God, and not man--the Holy One among you" (Hos. 11:9).

Scripture here specifically singles out God's holiness as that which makes him so other to us. In fact, that is one meaning of holiness, that of being separate, distinct, "other". Yet, though he is so different from us, so other, we are also strongly linked to him, having been made in his likeness (Gen. 1:26). And though he is holy and so far above us, he created us to have life with him, only in him, so that those who try to live apart from him attempt the impossible, to live apart from the only life there is, him who is life, Jesus Christ: "I am . . . the life" (Jn. 14:6). There is no life outside of Jesus Christ, who is the God who is life, who is the Ultimate.

Our life has a beginning and an end, a first breath and a last. Both are found in God:

"I am the alpha and the omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13).

This is ultimate. And there is no escaping the ultimate. If only people would not try but would accept the ultimate that cannot be avoided, just as they could not avoid being born nor avoid dying. What cannot be avoided must be confronted. Instead of seeking to avoid the ultimate, why not embrace it. That is the way to true life that ends up in heaven forever with him who is life. This is the way.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Is 55:9).

The thoughts and comments that will be shared on this site will focus on this ultimate Way of God, Jesus Christ, and I invite you to explore other messages that appear here and in the archives. God's blessings to you as you reach out for the Ultimate, Jesus Christ.