14 ¶ Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.
There are some interesting ways to look at this verse in application to the Christian. One is that the person who brags about giving he did not do is like a sky that promises the relief of rain but produces nothing. This would be along the line of what commentator John Gill said in the 1700’s. But, in today’s Christianity there is another, more startling interpretation. There are several denominations of Christians who claim to have certain “gifts” that others claim through Biblical study died with the Apostles. For instance, there are people who claim to speak in a special, heavenly language either openly in the congregation or privately in prayer. They call this the gift of “tongues”. However, this doesn’t appear to be Biblical because wherever tongues are mentioned it is a reference to an understandable human language, if not the physical organ in the mouth.
Genesis 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
Genesis 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
Acts 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
The specific reference many of these people use is this one;
1Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
This is the only point of argument. Is this a reference to a real and unique language that the appearances of God, men, churches, or countries, which is what an angel is, use? Each time an angel speaks in the Bible it is in an intelligible language. The gift spoken of in Acts is clearly, in context, the ability to speak other human languages for the purpose of spreading the Gospel, without having been taught those languages in the normal way. If the person claiming to speak in a special tongue is faking then this would be a false gift, if he or she is not then it would be a remarkable thing to be able to speak the gospel in, say, Tibetan, without having learned it. Of course, the Bible requires that someone who can interpret the unknown tongue independently be there. If the speakers are real, then it is an amazing thing, and let’s praise God for it. If they are liars then they certainly fit this verse. If you have this gift why aren’t you on the mission field either overseas or in the ethnic neighborhoods of this country? Could it be that this gift points attention at you, which is what you really desire? I can’t judge you nor can I limit what God can do or will do. Just examine yourself carefully. A great deal is at stake.
Then there is the “gift” of healing which many of us, like myself, believe died with the Apostles, and I don’t mean the Popes or Brother Love down at the First Church of the Feel Good. If this isn’t a false gift, like clouds and wind that promise rain, then why isn’t Benny Hinn down at the cancer ward of the children’s hospital healing those poor, little bodies? Why doesn’t he submit his healing ministry to the examination of the Mayo Clinic or some such institute for further study? Of course, Evander Holyfield’s “miracle” cure of a heart defect by Benny Hinn begs the question; is this for real? If it is, praise God. That’s wonderful. Benny, get down to the Shriner’s Hospital or Johns Hopkins right now. You’ve made your millions. People need help.
If, on the other hand, it isn’t real, if it’s fake, once again we have wind and clouds, but no rain. I suppose I’ll find out on the other side of Glory.
Moving closer to home, you have many young people who claim to have the gift of preaching. They say that God has called them to the ministry to preach. When the building business was going great guns I had a manager of a modular home sales lot ask me why I thought about half of his applicants for sales positions had been in some type of ministry they felt they had been called to but it had folded. I told him that sometimes God wants us to wait until His timing is right for our call to service so these men’s run wasn’t over yet, that sometimes we have an ambition to do something for God so we think God has called us to it mistakenly, and, finally, that all Christians are called to a ministry of some sort and if you have been called to preach then God will open the doors for you to do so and it may be a start and stop sort of thing for awhile until God puts you where He wants you so don’t lose hope. It’s not a career opportunity like Petroleum Engineering where you plot out your college and the churches you’ll apply to. If God isn’t in it, you’ll wind up being a car salesman. Be faithful, hang in there, God has something in store for you. You might be a car salesman until the church God is preparing for you is ready. Anyway, Paul made tents. There is nothing wrong with working full time and preaching as well. But, if it’s a false gift and you’re bragging about how you’ve been called to preach when you haven’t, you’re like wind and clouds with no rain.
The worst bragging of a false gift of all, is to claim to have been saved and to have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in your body, only to live carnally and worldly, without any hope of drawing men and women to Christ, either through carnal, fleshly living like drinking and hanging out at bars and profane language or in fake spirituality, going to church every time the doors are open, carrying your KJB under your arm, saying all the church words but harboring nothing but fear, paranoia, and hate in your heart, expecting God to give you a special deal. You be physically faithful and He better treat you right.
If that’s you’re attitude then you, too, are bragging of a false gift and are like clouds and wind with no rain. So much of modern Christianity is like that; just empty words and shallow deeds, another excuse for some to feel better than others not like them.
Lest I’ve injured someone’s feelings let me point out that the only condemnation that comes from this verse and what I’ve written concerns whether or not your professed gift is true or false. Perhaps only you and God know the answer to this. But, beware of boasting, anyway. It carries with it a whole other spiritual problem. There is a difference between confidence and faith, versus presumption and boasting.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Proverbs 25:13 commentary; are you a faithful messenger, Christian or just a self righteous religious freak?
13 ¶ As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
Dr. Ruckman points out that snow was used for cooling drinks and foods, as far as we know from written sources, as early as 1500BC. When the hard work of the harvest comes where there is no rest until the labor is done, and any factory worker will understand that in the busy season for their company there are sometimes many weeks of 12 hour per day seven day work weeks, cool refreshment is a blessing.
So, without going into a huge historical dissertation about ancient refrigeration methods, of which I have learned some very interesting facts but not very germane to our discussion, let me just say that this verse shows that a faithful messenger is a blessing to the one who sent him as a cold drink in a time of back breaking work is refreshing.
Christians are to be ambassadors for the kingdom of God. We are messengers from the heavenly kingdom which is to come. Our message is the gospel.
1 Corinthians 15:1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
That is our message to the world. Without it the world and all of its people are lost and doomed to an eternity of agony, pain, grief, and loss, as we were, very simply.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Our message is not political in that we are not trumpeting the glory of any earthly kingdom or nation including the one we live in. We are practicing malfeasance in office when we seek revenge, even verbal, when we are self promoting, seek our own welfare over others, do not give of ourselves, our time, and our money sacrificially, love violence as either our own satisfaction or our entertainment, are not honest to a fault in our dealings with the world, speak vain words, become easily offended or angry at the behavior and speech of lost people, are obsessed with things sexual and with appearance, and at all times don’t put our message from God ahead of ourselves, specifically OUR SELF.
Ask yourself, what kind of messenger are you? Are you representing Christ, as part of His body on earth, properly? Anger, paranoia, fear, excessive patriotic fervor for an earthly kingdom, self righteousness, bigotry, cruelty, meanspiritedness, selfishness, arrogance, and hatred are not attributes a heavenly messenger should manifest.
What attributes are your credentials which you present to the world every time you leave your front door either physically or figuratively on the computer or telephone? What is the proof of your position as Christ’s messenger, the fruit that proves what kind of tree you really are?
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Are you a faithful messenger that refreshes the soul of your master? Or are you an angry, self righteous religious freak who serves only your own fears and emotional baggage and your desire to see your SELF be honored? Remember, angry people, full of wrath and hatred, cannot serve Christ. Quit fooling yourself. You don’t fool God or the unsaved.
Dr. Ruckman points out that snow was used for cooling drinks and foods, as far as we know from written sources, as early as 1500BC. When the hard work of the harvest comes where there is no rest until the labor is done, and any factory worker will understand that in the busy season for their company there are sometimes many weeks of 12 hour per day seven day work weeks, cool refreshment is a blessing.
So, without going into a huge historical dissertation about ancient refrigeration methods, of which I have learned some very interesting facts but not very germane to our discussion, let me just say that this verse shows that a faithful messenger is a blessing to the one who sent him as a cold drink in a time of back breaking work is refreshing.
Christians are to be ambassadors for the kingdom of God. We are messengers from the heavenly kingdom which is to come. Our message is the gospel.
1 Corinthians 15:1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
That is our message to the world. Without it the world and all of its people are lost and doomed to an eternity of agony, pain, grief, and loss, as we were, very simply.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Our message is not political in that we are not trumpeting the glory of any earthly kingdom or nation including the one we live in. We are practicing malfeasance in office when we seek revenge, even verbal, when we are self promoting, seek our own welfare over others, do not give of ourselves, our time, and our money sacrificially, love violence as either our own satisfaction or our entertainment, are not honest to a fault in our dealings with the world, speak vain words, become easily offended or angry at the behavior and speech of lost people, are obsessed with things sexual and with appearance, and at all times don’t put our message from God ahead of ourselves, specifically OUR SELF.
Ask yourself, what kind of messenger are you? Are you representing Christ, as part of His body on earth, properly? Anger, paranoia, fear, excessive patriotic fervor for an earthly kingdom, self righteousness, bigotry, cruelty, meanspiritedness, selfishness, arrogance, and hatred are not attributes a heavenly messenger should manifest.
What attributes are your credentials which you present to the world every time you leave your front door either physically or figuratively on the computer or telephone? What is the proof of your position as Christ’s messenger, the fruit that proves what kind of tree you really are?
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Are you a faithful messenger that refreshes the soul of your master? Or are you an angry, self righteous religious freak who serves only your own fears and emotional baggage and your desire to see your SELF be honored? Remember, angry people, full of wrath and hatred, cannot serve Christ. Quit fooling yourself. You don’t fool God or the unsaved.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Proverbs 25:11-12 commentary; A beautiful picture of great value
11 ¶ A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. 12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
The right word spoken at the right time is like a beautiful picture of great value. Like jewelry and ornaments of great value, so is the picture of a person giving wise reproof and instruction (synonyms as per Proverbs 13:18) and correction (synonyms as per 2 Timothy 3:16) to a person who will hear it and obey. This picture requires the speaker of the word and the hearer. Such is the way of the Bible when you have a person who is teachable, who has been molded into the person who can be changed, when God’s word is applied to him or her.
Are you teachable? Can you handle correction? I’m not talking about being chewed out by a person who is as hard headed and self righteous as you are but about being changed by God speaking to you through His word? Some people are too stubborn, too arrogant, and too full of the worship of Self, the great “I”, who like the “great Oz” in the movie and book, stands behind a curtain pretending to be something he is not.
A fool will not hear reproof as we have seen several times in Proverbs. For example;
Proverbs 15:5 A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 15:10 Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
If you are not teachable then perhaps God will make you so. Perhaps you need a chronic illness. An injury. A great disappointment or failure or repeated ones. Perhaps you need to have God take one of your children home with Him in some tragic circumstance in order to get you to look up and realize that there is a God and you aren’t Him.
How long will it take for you to understand that this short life is not what it’s all about. This is the proving ground for what it’s all about. This is where those who will know the God who created them are separated from those who will not. This is where those who know the God who created them but will not hear Him are separated from those who will. We have a timeless eternity ahead of us.
Isaiah 50:4 ¶ The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
A person who will hear and obey instruction and the person giving the instruction is a beautiful picture, a precious thing. The Holy Spirit instructing the Christian, piercing through the layers of Self worship and hardheartedness is an amazing thing. But, it is the two that makes the picture complete. God wants a relationship with you through Jesus Christ by the means of the Holy Spirit, all three being God in one. The Book is the vehicle, the vessel by which He accomplishes the instruction, the correction, and the reproof He wants you to have. Take up and read.
2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The right word spoken at the right time is like a beautiful picture of great value. Like jewelry and ornaments of great value, so is the picture of a person giving wise reproof and instruction (synonyms as per Proverbs 13:18) and correction (synonyms as per 2 Timothy 3:16) to a person who will hear it and obey. This picture requires the speaker of the word and the hearer. Such is the way of the Bible when you have a person who is teachable, who has been molded into the person who can be changed, when God’s word is applied to him or her.
Are you teachable? Can you handle correction? I’m not talking about being chewed out by a person who is as hard headed and self righteous as you are but about being changed by God speaking to you through His word? Some people are too stubborn, too arrogant, and too full of the worship of Self, the great “I”, who like the “great Oz” in the movie and book, stands behind a curtain pretending to be something he is not.
A fool will not hear reproof as we have seen several times in Proverbs. For example;
Proverbs 15:5 A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 15:10 Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
If you are not teachable then perhaps God will make you so. Perhaps you need a chronic illness. An injury. A great disappointment or failure or repeated ones. Perhaps you need to have God take one of your children home with Him in some tragic circumstance in order to get you to look up and realize that there is a God and you aren’t Him.
How long will it take for you to understand that this short life is not what it’s all about. This is the proving ground for what it’s all about. This is where those who will know the God who created them are separated from those who will not. This is where those who know the God who created them but will not hear Him are separated from those who will. We have a timeless eternity ahead of us.
Isaiah 50:4 ¶ The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
A person who will hear and obey instruction and the person giving the instruction is a beautiful picture, a precious thing. The Holy Spirit instructing the Christian, piercing through the layers of Self worship and hardheartedness is an amazing thing. But, it is the two that makes the picture complete. God wants a relationship with you through Jesus Christ by the means of the Holy Spirit, all three being God in one. The Book is the vehicle, the vessel by which He accomplishes the instruction, the correction, and the reproof He wants you to have. Take up and read.
2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Proverbs 25:8-10 commentary; some battles aren't worth winning
8 ¶ Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. 9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: 10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.
Don’t be in a hurry to get in a fight. You have no idea what the outcome might be. Talk things out with the person with whom you have a conflict and don’t be telling tales out of school. It might get back to the person you’re trying to work things out with and make things worse. Many a person I’ve heard say they were trying to work out a problem with someone only to find that their talking about the problem to someone else got back to the first party and ruined everything.
In parts of the South there is a word called “politickin” where, let’s say a husband and wife have a falling out, as in, he cheats on her. Then, he, as he proclaims he’s repented of his sin and is sorry for what he did, goes around to the wife’s family and friends without her and tries to make himself look repentant. Now, what he’s doing is politickin and doing it behind her back, getting her family and friends to side with him or at least have pity on him. He’s gotten the wife’s family to betray her because in her highly emotionally charged state that’s what she feels, that they are taking his side. He also makes it unlikely she’ll forgive him.
This kind of backstabbing goes on in politics, business, and sports as well as the personal. In religion, you might have a popular Pastor caught in a sexual sin or even a crime go around to churches and get some pulpit time to declare either his repentance or his innocence when, after all, our Lord, when innocent, spoke nary a word in His own defence. This is politickin. You have to be suspicious. The old saying goes, if you are innocent don’t confess to something you didn’t do, but if you’re guilty you better cut a deal with the prosecutor. The only person who needs to say anything other than “I didn’t do it” is the guilty party.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III, Scene II it is said, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”, which is often misquoted as “me thinks thou doth protest too much”. This means that you are so emotional about your innocence you sound guilty.
Commentators agree that this set of verses mean, and let me repeat, don’t be in a hurry to get into a public argument or even go to law with someone, you don’t know how its going to turn out, talk it over only with the party involved lest they hear about your politickin and you wind up with egg on your face that you can never wipe off. I’ve seen families hurt by ignoring this advice, marriages ruined, and friendships ended. With regard to legal matters, Jesus says this;
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Much of the problem with disputes going too far has to do with our worship of Self. We demand our “propers”, as they say and are very sensitive to any perceived disrespect. Many people, partly due to their own temperament and partly due to our culture’s “me first” mentality, can’t allow their personal worth or importance to be put to the test in a dispute. These Proverbs cut you down a notch and make you think that perhaps the victory isn’t worth pursuing, I could lose, who is to say, and either way, my reputation may be tarnished forever. I only wish I had known this truth forty years ago. My entire life until the age of 46 was involved in spending too much time getting into drama, the results of which either “boomeranged” on me or just made me look worse even when I won. Think carefully before you strive. Some battles just aren’t worth winning.
Don’t be in a hurry to get in a fight. You have no idea what the outcome might be. Talk things out with the person with whom you have a conflict and don’t be telling tales out of school. It might get back to the person you’re trying to work things out with and make things worse. Many a person I’ve heard say they were trying to work out a problem with someone only to find that their talking about the problem to someone else got back to the first party and ruined everything.
In parts of the South there is a word called “politickin” where, let’s say a husband and wife have a falling out, as in, he cheats on her. Then, he, as he proclaims he’s repented of his sin and is sorry for what he did, goes around to the wife’s family and friends without her and tries to make himself look repentant. Now, what he’s doing is politickin and doing it behind her back, getting her family and friends to side with him or at least have pity on him. He’s gotten the wife’s family to betray her because in her highly emotionally charged state that’s what she feels, that they are taking his side. He also makes it unlikely she’ll forgive him.
This kind of backstabbing goes on in politics, business, and sports as well as the personal. In religion, you might have a popular Pastor caught in a sexual sin or even a crime go around to churches and get some pulpit time to declare either his repentance or his innocence when, after all, our Lord, when innocent, spoke nary a word in His own defence. This is politickin. You have to be suspicious. The old saying goes, if you are innocent don’t confess to something you didn’t do, but if you’re guilty you better cut a deal with the prosecutor. The only person who needs to say anything other than “I didn’t do it” is the guilty party.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III, Scene II it is said, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”, which is often misquoted as “me thinks thou doth protest too much”. This means that you are so emotional about your innocence you sound guilty.
Commentators agree that this set of verses mean, and let me repeat, don’t be in a hurry to get into a public argument or even go to law with someone, you don’t know how its going to turn out, talk it over only with the party involved lest they hear about your politickin and you wind up with egg on your face that you can never wipe off. I’ve seen families hurt by ignoring this advice, marriages ruined, and friendships ended. With regard to legal matters, Jesus says this;
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Much of the problem with disputes going too far has to do with our worship of Self. We demand our “propers”, as they say and are very sensitive to any perceived disrespect. Many people, partly due to their own temperament and partly due to our culture’s “me first” mentality, can’t allow their personal worth or importance to be put to the test in a dispute. These Proverbs cut you down a notch and make you think that perhaps the victory isn’t worth pursuing, I could lose, who is to say, and either way, my reputation may be tarnished forever. I only wish I had known this truth forty years ago. My entire life until the age of 46 was involved in spending too much time getting into drama, the results of which either “boomeranged” on me or just made me look worse even when I won. Think carefully before you strive. Some battles just aren’t worth winning.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Proverbs 25:6-7 commentary; humble yourself before God
6 ¶ Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Practical advice for the ancient Israelite not to put on airs and attempt to place themselves on a par with the powerful men for it is better to be humble and be lifted up than to be arrogant and brought low. Come into the presence of the king in humility without the pretension of the “great” men. Let him raise you up. Do not put yourself in a position to be knocked down several notches.
The Christian faith is one of denial, humility, and the diminuation of Self.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
When you come to God, acting as if He’s very fortunate to have you on His “team” then God will need to knock your legs out from under you. And don’t think that if you’re so meek and miserable that you are humble. There is a tyranny of the so called weak, where they become the center of the universe, and direct others not through command or threat but through emotional manipulation and pity. You can be very arrogant without seeming so on the surface. And arrogance, lifting yourself up, is ungodly behavior for a Christian. Tell me, something, whether you seem to be a tough guy and “all that and a bag o’ chips” or if you are meek and mild and just a doormat for everyone to wipe their feet on, are you proud?
Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
If you have pride in Self, whether it be a vain extolling of your own accomplishments and your man or womanhood, or if you be a behind the scenes emotional manipulator demanding that everyone kowtow to you, you are proud and therefore, in God’s eyes, acting as one of the wicked unsaved persons.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Look around you at the people you love. Look carefully. Who will God have to take away from you in order to get you to look up and quit kissing the mirror? Come before God in humility so that He can lift you up. In these verses lie one of the three times the words “Come up hither (here)” are used in the Bible. The other two times are;
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
This is the foundation for some Bible commentators saying that there will be multiple “translations” or what are popularly called “raptures”. At least one, Dr. Ruckman, insists that there will be a “rapture” of the church before the Tribulation begins and one of the believing Jews during the Tribulation with the first “Come up hither” referring to Christ’s ascension and the resurrection of the dead Old Testament saints in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:52). These things are interesting to discuss but I would not make them issues for argument. Pride tends to creep into arguments and then we forget to keep the main thing the main thing, which is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Just believe on and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ so that some day God will say to you, “COME UP HERE!”.
Practical advice for the ancient Israelite not to put on airs and attempt to place themselves on a par with the powerful men for it is better to be humble and be lifted up than to be arrogant and brought low. Come into the presence of the king in humility without the pretension of the “great” men. Let him raise you up. Do not put yourself in a position to be knocked down several notches.
The Christian faith is one of denial, humility, and the diminuation of Self.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
When you come to God, acting as if He’s very fortunate to have you on His “team” then God will need to knock your legs out from under you. And don’t think that if you’re so meek and miserable that you are humble. There is a tyranny of the so called weak, where they become the center of the universe, and direct others not through command or threat but through emotional manipulation and pity. You can be very arrogant without seeming so on the surface. And arrogance, lifting yourself up, is ungodly behavior for a Christian. Tell me, something, whether you seem to be a tough guy and “all that and a bag o’ chips” or if you are meek and mild and just a doormat for everyone to wipe their feet on, are you proud?
Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
If you have pride in Self, whether it be a vain extolling of your own accomplishments and your man or womanhood, or if you be a behind the scenes emotional manipulator demanding that everyone kowtow to you, you are proud and therefore, in God’s eyes, acting as one of the wicked unsaved persons.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Look around you at the people you love. Look carefully. Who will God have to take away from you in order to get you to look up and quit kissing the mirror? Come before God in humility so that He can lift you up. In these verses lie one of the three times the words “Come up hither (here)” are used in the Bible. The other two times are;
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
This is the foundation for some Bible commentators saying that there will be multiple “translations” or what are popularly called “raptures”. At least one, Dr. Ruckman, insists that there will be a “rapture” of the church before the Tribulation begins and one of the believing Jews during the Tribulation with the first “Come up hither” referring to Christ’s ascension and the resurrection of the dead Old Testament saints in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:52). These things are interesting to discuss but I would not make them issues for argument. Pride tends to creep into arguments and then we forget to keep the main thing the main thing, which is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Just believe on and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ so that some day God will say to you, “COME UP HERE!”.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Proverbs 25:4-5 commentary; removing the dross from the silver
4 ¶ Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
A dictionary will define dross as waste or impure matter. The Bible will define it further as something that is impure in that it is mixed with baser things.
Psalm 119:119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.
Ezekiel 22:18 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
The word, “finer” is used only once in the Bible. It is the person who processes, refines, and purifies something. As these verses, in their literal sense, refer to a king of Israel’s duty, he must remove the wicked from his presence, even from his kingdom and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Christ will remove the wicked from among those claiming to be His people just as a finer would heat up silver to remove the dross, the waste and impurity, from it. At His physical return to earth He will separate the nations, evil from the good, as in Matthew 25. In Matthew 13, at the end of the millennium, all of those who falsely proclaimed to obey Him but, in fact, rebelled with the kings of the earth when Satan is loosed for a bit from his imprisonment will be cast into everlasting fire. Now, no matter when you believe these events will happen, as I am not intending to get into an argument on this subject here the point remains the same and this is a valuable lesson for us Christians.
Part of the purification process, part of our sanctification process, is to remove the impure from the pure in our lives. We have several ways to accomplish that. Some of you will make an effort every day to live right and will by force of your own intentions, your own will, attempt to live as you think Christ would have you live. Others, who have given up on their own will, will submerge themselves in God’s written words in His Bible and plead with God to change them as He sees fit.
The Bible is a finer, heating you up and challenging you, burning away the impurities and the mixtures that take away from what it is God wants you to be. Like a piece of granite the sculpture uses, God will chip away at things about you He has no use for until He has made something meet for use. Like the mast builder He will add things that He wants you to have. I am not talking about using the Bible as a book of rules or advice, which has its place. I am talking about God speaking to you through His words in this Book. As you read the lists of names in 1st Chronicles God will deal with something in your heart, not in audible words, but in a way that finds you changed once you’re done.
Yes, we read the Bible for God’s clear moral standard. Yes, we read the Bible to understand God’s ways and His purposes. Yes, there is history, science, and ethics taught in the Bible. We can learn from it in many ways. However, that isn’t part of the purification process. This lifelong process goes on as God’s word; read, heard, and preached are permitted to work inside of you in a way that you have no control over. All you can do is submit to its authority over your lives. God’s Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith, practice, AND doctrine.
How much of your faith is polluted by your own will, your own self empowerment, your own carnal imagination and how much is directed by an omnipotent and omniscient God? How many of you have faith in your faith more than you have faith in Christ? How many of you declare yourselves as Christians because of an act of will on your part rather than submission to the truth of the God who created you?
We have impurities in our hearts and God uses the Bible as the finer who will burn. Yes, God uses our circumstances to purge us from things that we hold onto that are not of God or, good things that we have placed in between us and God. Many a young mother has been forced to look up when God took her baby from her. Many a young man has been made to look to the heavens when his dreams for his life were shattered by a disease or condition. But, without the Bible’s clear direction, taught by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, these circumstances would be just a test of our strength to hold onto our own faith in ourselves to withstand adversity.
As we grow in faith God uses His word to remove the impurities from our lives like the finer uses fire to remove the dross from the silver. There are so many verses in the Bible that deal with things that He does not want in our lives and things that He does want that it is staggering to read them all.
Our love of money and wealth is in the way of our relationship with Christ.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Your own will can’t drive out this lust. You’ll just wrap it up in a pretty package with a bow and say you are seeking wealth to glorify God. Reading the Bible over and over will disabuse you of that notion.
Our love of what attracted Eve to the forbidden fruit is in the way of our relationship with Christ. Let’s compare the passage in Genesis with the admonition in 1 John.
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
1John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
You will not, of your own accord, remove these impurities from the silver that is your faith. You’ll make excuses. You’ll lie. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a Christian say they were not doing something ungodly that they clearly were doing. And they believed their own lie. They’d say they weren’t gossiping while they gossiped. They’d say they weren’t placing themselves as an ideal example when they were. They’d say they were a wicked sinner, a piece of dirt, when every action and every word that came from them showed they didn’t believe that one bit.
The Bible will change you. Beyond the Bible study, beyond the memorization of a verse or two, beyond these necessary things, if you submit to God’s word, God will remove sin from your heart. Will you cease from sin? Not on this earth you won’t. Will you be perfected and complete? Not yet. But, God will change you through His words in His Book. If your changes don’t come directly from the divine hand of a Holy God then they are purely humanistic drivel, the success or failure of which is based on your human will.
Won’t you let God fine you? Won’t you let Christ change you? Won’t your deny yourself and submit yourself to God through His words? You have Christ in your heart. The Word (Capital W) of God by which all things were created and by which all things are sustained. Now let His words (small W) into your heart, soul, and mind to change you into a vessel meet for the Master’s purpose. The King of all creation will remove that which has no value from your life and make you useful for His purpose.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
A dictionary will define dross as waste or impure matter. The Bible will define it further as something that is impure in that it is mixed with baser things.
Psalm 119:119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.
Ezekiel 22:18 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
The word, “finer” is used only once in the Bible. It is the person who processes, refines, and purifies something. As these verses, in their literal sense, refer to a king of Israel’s duty, he must remove the wicked from his presence, even from his kingdom and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Christ will remove the wicked from among those claiming to be His people just as a finer would heat up silver to remove the dross, the waste and impurity, from it. At His physical return to earth He will separate the nations, evil from the good, as in Matthew 25. In Matthew 13, at the end of the millennium, all of those who falsely proclaimed to obey Him but, in fact, rebelled with the kings of the earth when Satan is loosed for a bit from his imprisonment will be cast into everlasting fire. Now, no matter when you believe these events will happen, as I am not intending to get into an argument on this subject here the point remains the same and this is a valuable lesson for us Christians.
Part of the purification process, part of our sanctification process, is to remove the impure from the pure in our lives. We have several ways to accomplish that. Some of you will make an effort every day to live right and will by force of your own intentions, your own will, attempt to live as you think Christ would have you live. Others, who have given up on their own will, will submerge themselves in God’s written words in His Bible and plead with God to change them as He sees fit.
The Bible is a finer, heating you up and challenging you, burning away the impurities and the mixtures that take away from what it is God wants you to be. Like a piece of granite the sculpture uses, God will chip away at things about you He has no use for until He has made something meet for use. Like the mast builder He will add things that He wants you to have. I am not talking about using the Bible as a book of rules or advice, which has its place. I am talking about God speaking to you through His words in this Book. As you read the lists of names in 1st Chronicles God will deal with something in your heart, not in audible words, but in a way that finds you changed once you’re done.
Yes, we read the Bible for God’s clear moral standard. Yes, we read the Bible to understand God’s ways and His purposes. Yes, there is history, science, and ethics taught in the Bible. We can learn from it in many ways. However, that isn’t part of the purification process. This lifelong process goes on as God’s word; read, heard, and preached are permitted to work inside of you in a way that you have no control over. All you can do is submit to its authority over your lives. God’s Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith, practice, AND doctrine.
How much of your faith is polluted by your own will, your own self empowerment, your own carnal imagination and how much is directed by an omnipotent and omniscient God? How many of you have faith in your faith more than you have faith in Christ? How many of you declare yourselves as Christians because of an act of will on your part rather than submission to the truth of the God who created you?
We have impurities in our hearts and God uses the Bible as the finer who will burn. Yes, God uses our circumstances to purge us from things that we hold onto that are not of God or, good things that we have placed in between us and God. Many a young mother has been forced to look up when God took her baby from her. Many a young man has been made to look to the heavens when his dreams for his life were shattered by a disease or condition. But, without the Bible’s clear direction, taught by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, these circumstances would be just a test of our strength to hold onto our own faith in ourselves to withstand adversity.
As we grow in faith God uses His word to remove the impurities from our lives like the finer uses fire to remove the dross from the silver. There are so many verses in the Bible that deal with things that He does not want in our lives and things that He does want that it is staggering to read them all.
Our love of money and wealth is in the way of our relationship with Christ.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Your own will can’t drive out this lust. You’ll just wrap it up in a pretty package with a bow and say you are seeking wealth to glorify God. Reading the Bible over and over will disabuse you of that notion.
Our love of what attracted Eve to the forbidden fruit is in the way of our relationship with Christ. Let’s compare the passage in Genesis with the admonition in 1 John.
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
1John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
You will not, of your own accord, remove these impurities from the silver that is your faith. You’ll make excuses. You’ll lie. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a Christian say they were not doing something ungodly that they clearly were doing. And they believed their own lie. They’d say they weren’t gossiping while they gossiped. They’d say they weren’t placing themselves as an ideal example when they were. They’d say they were a wicked sinner, a piece of dirt, when every action and every word that came from them showed they didn’t believe that one bit.
The Bible will change you. Beyond the Bible study, beyond the memorization of a verse or two, beyond these necessary things, if you submit to God’s word, God will remove sin from your heart. Will you cease from sin? Not on this earth you won’t. Will you be perfected and complete? Not yet. But, God will change you through His words in His Book. If your changes don’t come directly from the divine hand of a Holy God then they are purely humanistic drivel, the success or failure of which is based on your human will.
Won’t you let God fine you? Won’t you let Christ change you? Won’t your deny yourself and submit yourself to God through His words? You have Christ in your heart. The Word (Capital W) of God by which all things were created and by which all things are sustained. Now let His words (small W) into your heart, soul, and mind to change you into a vessel meet for the Master’s purpose. The King of all creation will remove that which has no value from your life and make you useful for His purpose.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Proverbs 25:1-3 commentary; God's heart is unsearchable
1 ¶ These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. 2 ¶ It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. 3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Solomon actually spoke three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 4:32) although many of them apparently were not written under the inspiration of God but under his own wisdom or that of his scribes who did the actually writing so the Holy Spirit did not include them in the Bible. The following are some that Hezekiah’s scribes copied. Now, to the modern Bible corrector I ask, would these copies of copies be as certifiable as “given by inspiration” as the much vaunted and missing originals? They would according to Job 32:8;
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
As would Jeremiah’s words which included more words than the originals did;
Jeremiah 36:32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.
And, to those people who think they are actually smarter than God, so would Paul’s letters, which were given by inspiration, not dictation.
2Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
The problem with scholars called the Scriptures “God breathed” rather than “given by inspiration” is that, on the surface, “God breathed” seems to imply word for word dictation and approval by God with the very words being doctrine for someone; even the words of the villains in the Book, the good guys who are in error, and people like Job’s friends, whose reasoning God condemns, Paul’s disobedience reported by Luke in Acts, or his opinion from his very own words. God wanting you to know something for your edification is not the same as God wanting you to emulate something for your sanctification.
Many Greek to English dictionaries simply give the translation of the Greek word in 2 Timothy as being “inspired by God” including Diury’s modern Greek dictionary and most of the older Lexicons such as Liddel and Scott’s, Thayer’s, and others (although this isn’t a recommendation for them, by any means, just a statement of fact.) “Given by inspiration” understanding the verses I’ve pointed out as to how God works is a much better rendering for your understanding than “God breathed”.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
The statement here, in reflection of God Himself, shows that, as there is more knowledge in heaven and earth than man will ever find out, no apologies to those poor, demented souls who elevate the scientific method as potentially being able, with time, to acquire all knowledge and that if it can’t be known by science then it is simply a myth, a fable, or a lie. The kings had many things to contend with, many complicated matters of Law and statecraft, of foreign relations and justice, and the common man could not understand all they had to deal with. So it is with God, through the Lord, Jesus Christ, creating and maintaining the universe and all that is, much of which we don’t know and never will until we are in glory.
From the smallest molecular function to the greatest movement of a star, whatever a star really is, Christ’s work is evident.
Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
As the heaven’s high above and the earth below, God’s heart is unsearchable. There are many things we are given to know but many more things we never will. I am all for using science to uncover our world and to improve our lives but I am referring to science, not “science, falsely so called” as in 1 Timothy 6:20 where knowledge is claimed about things that science has no ability to “attain unto” or “apprehend”, as the Bible says in Philippians 3. I am reminded of the 2004 Great Earthquake and Tsunami where the press reported that the rotation of the earth was changed and as I studied more closely I read geologists who mocked that statement saying we have no such instruments so delicate as to measure that and that it is a supposition based on a computer model and notoriously inaccurate guesses based on a laser bounced off the moon.
I realize I sound like a Postmodernist here and I do it gladly. There are many things you will never know in this life. If you would just act on what you did know and stop worrying about the other things you’d have a much better time of it.
Solomon actually spoke three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 4:32) although many of them apparently were not written under the inspiration of God but under his own wisdom or that of his scribes who did the actually writing so the Holy Spirit did not include them in the Bible. The following are some that Hezekiah’s scribes copied. Now, to the modern Bible corrector I ask, would these copies of copies be as certifiable as “given by inspiration” as the much vaunted and missing originals? They would according to Job 32:8;
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
As would Jeremiah’s words which included more words than the originals did;
Jeremiah 36:32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.
And, to those people who think they are actually smarter than God, so would Paul’s letters, which were given by inspiration, not dictation.
2Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
The problem with scholars called the Scriptures “God breathed” rather than “given by inspiration” is that, on the surface, “God breathed” seems to imply word for word dictation and approval by God with the very words being doctrine for someone; even the words of the villains in the Book, the good guys who are in error, and people like Job’s friends, whose reasoning God condemns, Paul’s disobedience reported by Luke in Acts, or his opinion from his very own words. God wanting you to know something for your edification is not the same as God wanting you to emulate something for your sanctification.
Many Greek to English dictionaries simply give the translation of the Greek word in 2 Timothy as being “inspired by God” including Diury’s modern Greek dictionary and most of the older Lexicons such as Liddel and Scott’s, Thayer’s, and others (although this isn’t a recommendation for them, by any means, just a statement of fact.) “Given by inspiration” understanding the verses I’ve pointed out as to how God works is a much better rendering for your understanding than “God breathed”.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
The statement here, in reflection of God Himself, shows that, as there is more knowledge in heaven and earth than man will ever find out, no apologies to those poor, demented souls who elevate the scientific method as potentially being able, with time, to acquire all knowledge and that if it can’t be known by science then it is simply a myth, a fable, or a lie. The kings had many things to contend with, many complicated matters of Law and statecraft, of foreign relations and justice, and the common man could not understand all they had to deal with. So it is with God, through the Lord, Jesus Christ, creating and maintaining the universe and all that is, much of which we don’t know and never will until we are in glory.
From the smallest molecular function to the greatest movement of a star, whatever a star really is, Christ’s work is evident.
Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
As the heaven’s high above and the earth below, God’s heart is unsearchable. There are many things we are given to know but many more things we never will. I am all for using science to uncover our world and to improve our lives but I am referring to science, not “science, falsely so called” as in 1 Timothy 6:20 where knowledge is claimed about things that science has no ability to “attain unto” or “apprehend”, as the Bible says in Philippians 3. I am reminded of the 2004 Great Earthquake and Tsunami where the press reported that the rotation of the earth was changed and as I studied more closely I read geologists who mocked that statement saying we have no such instruments so delicate as to measure that and that it is a supposition based on a computer model and notoriously inaccurate guesses based on a laser bounced off the moon.
I realize I sound like a Postmodernist here and I do it gladly. There are many things you will never know in this life. If you would just act on what you did know and stop worrying about the other things you’d have a much better time of it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)