Purge out the Old Leaven

What do you associate with the power of Jesus Christ?  Perhaps His resurrection or the miracles He performed come to mind.  The wisdom of Jesus in teaching, when He cast out demons with a word, and His supernatural ability to know the hearts of men are all demonstrations of His power.  When a paralytic was brought to Jesus, He said "Son, your sins are forgiven you."  The scribes who sat by criticised Him in their hearts saying, "Who does this blasphemer think he is?  Only God can forgive sins."  Knowing their hearts, Jesus asked the men:  "What is easier - to say 'Your sins are forgiven? or to say to the paralytic 'Rise, take up your bed and walk?'  So you know I have the power to forgive sins (and am God in the flesh), rise, take up your bed and walk!"  Immediately the man stood to his feet and walked, much to the amazement of all the witnesses.  Anyone can say "Your sins are forgiven" because there is no physical means to discern whether spiritual cleansing has taken place.  Healing a paralytic takes more than words:  it takes actual power which Jesus demonstrated over and over again.

Christians are sinners who have trusted in Jesus Christ to forgive their sins and clothe them with His righteousness.  We are born again through spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit and corporately make up the Body of Christ (the church) of which Jesus is the Head.  Once a believer follows Christ in faith, the lifestyle of Christians ought to reflect this inner transformation:  we are to put off sin and hindrances which easily weigh us down.  We do not claim perfection, but daily we are sanctified to that end.  In the early church in Corinth, some of the people were using grace as a cloak for sin.  There was a well-known couple that openly participated in an adulterous and incestuous relationship.  Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5:  "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁵ deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  Paul says in so many words, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and with His power, deliver unrepentant sinners who profess to be Christians to Satan's control."  Open sin cannot be tolerated in the Body of Christ.  It would be better to be without a hand or foot and enter into heaven maimed than to enter whole into Hell.

It seems almost ironic that the power of our LORD Jesus enables us to deliver a sinning brother unto Satan.  Though on the surface this may seem extreme, the one who remains in sin has already made a conscious choice to serve Satan, not Christ.  If fellowship with the Body of Christ continues, it is false fellowship.  Instead of holiness, hypocrisy, uncleanness, and wickedness are the influences sinning believers bring to the whole.  Where strength and victory ought to be a nominal believer supplies weakness, division, discord, and confusion.  Such a cancer must be cut out of the Body, even as gangrenous rot is cut from flesh.  No accommodation for sinful living is provided by Christ for the church.  After effort has been made to graciously encourage and restore such a one (Gal. 6:1), love demands we sever ties with those who are called brothers and sisters who without repentance embrace and pursue sin.  It is the power of Christ which enables us to do so.  Only the power of Jesus can save those who are dead in sins or restore those who have been overtaken by a trespass.

The world treats symptoms and thinks short-term:  God looks upon the heart and keeps eternity in perpetual focus.  Jesus is not only our Saviour, but He is our Standard.  Those who claim allegiance to Him while serving Satan do so to their own hurt and damage wholeness and compromise the unity of the Body.  Man is pleased to be soothed into Hell under the delusion he is a saint, but to this persuasion love cannot submit.  Love does not allow the name or church of Christ to be maligned, nor allow disease to remain in the Body untreated.  A little leaven leavens the whole lump.  It would be better for the body of a sinner to be destroyed on earth so his soul will be saved for eternity.  Once Satan and the world chews us up and spits us out we are granted clarity and new depths of devotion for God we did not posses before.

A great example of God's loving discipline, power, and salvation is seen in the life of Jonah.  Jonah was given a message by God to deliver to the people of Nineveh but he rebelled at God's command.  He ultimately ended up being thrown into a prison of flesh:  he was swallowed by a great fish God had prepared for that purpose.  For three days his body was burnt by digestive juices as he gagged in the suffocating stench of the bowels of the fish.  He lay pressed by folds of flesh in utter darkness, hearing the pulsing of the heart of the creature which compassed and crushed him.  It was only after three days in that prison that Jonah committed himself to God again in obedience.  He was then vomited up by the fish and God used Jonah powerfully to save an enormous city of people.  God saved Jonah so he could save others.  Sometimes a man needs to be imprisoned before he will honour God with his freedom.

When we turn our eyes upon Christ and repent, the power of Jesus frees us from the chains of sin, bondage, and death.  How many of us have been vomited out of prisons of addictions, lusts, and sins and by God's grace entered into new life!  Let us never forget the prison we have been delivered from and walk uprightly, lest we willingly return there as shamed inmates.  I conclude with Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8: "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Honey from the Rock

Honey is an interesting subject.  A natural food, bees gather nectar from flowers and make sweet honey encased in a wax honeycomb.  Someday I would love to take up beekeeping as a hobby!  If packaged properly in the right conditions, pure honey has an incredibly long shelf life.  Proverbs 24:13-14 reads, "My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: ¹⁴ So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off."  Honey is good, and it is good for you.  It is a natural source of energy and some even have dubbed it "The Perfect Food."  Whether it is perfect or not I do not know, but one point on which all people agree is that good honey is sweet!

God promised to bring His people out of the land of bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land, a land "flowing with milk and honey."  It was a land of fatness and sweetness.  It was a place of prosperity, freedom, and victory.  In a similar way, Jesus Christ through the Gospel brings sinners from death to life by grace through faith.  It is a life of freedom, victory, and sweetness.  Just because the Israelites were brought into Canaan, it did not mean the battles were over.  In fact, there were many new battles to be fought with nations long entrenched in the land.  When we are born again and become Christians through faith in Jesus, we have battles to fight against the habits and desires of our flesh, the sway of this world, and Satan.  It is only through God that we can be victorious in these battles.

Sometimes we can be so caught up in fighting, putting on the whole armour of God, resisting the devil, and being sober and vigilant, that we forget that the life of a Christian is not limited to the field of battle.  Perhaps there are some soldiers who can fight day and night for years without respite, but they are as elusive in reality as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.  Even Jesus was ministered to by angels after 40 days of fasting and satanic assault.  God made our bodies to need sleep, and Jesus knows that we need rest for our souls.  Let us never remove our spiritual armour, continuing to walk in the Spirit.  Let us keep the Sword of the Spirit - God's Word - at the ready.  But let us not neglect our need for nourishment and physical and spiritual vitality which comes from resting in Christ and meditating on His Word.  If we will fight on effectively, times of rest and recovery are vital.

This Sunday at Calvary Chapel Sydney we spoke about the time in 1 Samuel 14 when God used Jonathan and his armour bearer to smite a Philistine garrison.  After the battle, Jonathan and some of the victorious men ventured into a forest where they saw honey dripping.  Because King Saul had placed a curse on anyone who ate before evening, no one ate any of that honey.  They were faint and famished but they feared the consequence should they indulge in just a taste of the sweet honey which dripped to the ground.  Jonathan, having been attacking the Philistines all day, was not aware of the oath of the king.  He gathered up a bit of honeycomb with the rod in his hand and tasted it.  His eyes instantly lit up and he felt refreshed.  How good that honey tasted!

God had promised His people a land flowing with milk and honey, yet the people were afraid to eat of the honey because of their king's foolish oath.  There is a class of Christian today who heavily emphasises the fact we are in a spiritual battle and must be able to endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ.  Everything is a battle, everything is a bitter fight, and they feel everyone is against them.  Weary and tired, even after being concussed from a thrown lower millstone which glanced off their head, they try to grimly continue on alone.  Monks of old would buffet their bodies with whipping and fasting, thinking their cold cells and hard beds were the means of gaining spiritual vitality.  Please do not misunderstand:  there is a place for denying the flesh through fasting.  It is certainly true we are in the midst of a spiritual battle of epic proportions:  open war is upon us!  But let us not think that a miserable life is the most holy one.  There will always be a fight, even as there will always be needs in the world.  All Christians can be weary and wounded.  In Christ we are to labour with our hands faithfully, but there is sweetness and rest in our Saviour.

Honey is an interesting study in scripture.  After God freed His people from slavery in Egypt, He caused bread to fall from heaven called "manna."  Exodus 16:31 says the taste of manna was like wafers made with honey.  Jesus later compared Himself to manna:  the Israelites ate the food of heaven and prolonged their lives on earth, and He was the "Living Bread" come down from heaven (John 6:30-37).  All who partake of Christ through faith will live forever!  There is sweetness in Christ.  Deuteronomy 32:4 says of God, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He."  And what do God's people draw from this Rock?  Deuteronomy 32:13 says, "He made him ride in the heights of the earth, that he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock..."  From Christ, the Rock of our Salvation, flows Living Water to satisfy our thirst, honey to give us energy and enlighten our eyes, and oil to keep our lamp shining bright.  Our God has indeed provided everything for life and godliness - even sweetness.

God could have provided us a lifetime of spiritual gruel, grey and flavourless.  Instead He has provided great sweetness through Christ and the Word.  Ezekiel 3:3 tells of when the prophet was told to eat the scroll which contained God's words:  "And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness."  What sweetness we have in God's promises towards us!  Is your life one of bitterness of sweetness?  When the children of Israel came to the waters of Marah, they could not drink of those waters because they were bitter.  They complained with the LORD:  three days without drinkable water was just too much!  Exodus 15:25 reads, "So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet..."  Jesus drank the bitter cup of God's wrath when He was crucified on the tree on Calvary so we can partake of His sweetness.  Instead of bitter herbs and wormwood we can draw sweet honey from the Rock.  Have you tasted and seen that the LORD is good?  Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Divine Qualifications of Suffering

Although we all suffer from various ailments and infirmities, our service unto the LORD need not be hindered.  The work that God has called us to is a spiritual one, and the apparent weaknesses of the vessel is a boon rather than a disqualification!  Sometimes we think if we were stronger, healthier, or without discomfort we would be much more valuable for the kingdom of God.  You may take that up with Him if you like, but I believe God has us right where He wants us!

In his book Lectures to My Students in pages 156-157, C.H. Spurgeon wrote from a similar perspective:

These infirmities may be no detriment to a man's career of special usefulness; they may even have been imposed upon him by divine wisdom as necessary qualifications for his peculiar course of service.  Some plants owe their medicinal qualities to the marsh in which they grow; others to the shades in which alone they flourish.  There are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun.  Boats need ballast as well as sail; a drag on the carriage-wheel is no hindrance when the road runs downhill.  Pain has probably in some cases developed genius; hunting out the soul which otherwise might have slept like a lion in its den.  Had it not been for the broken wing, some might have lost themselves in the clouds, some even of those choice doves who now bear the olive-branch in their mouths and show the way to the ark.

When we are hurting physically or downcast in soul, the temptation is to keep ourselves in focus rather than God.  Our pain and disappointment blinds our eyes from the view of our Messiah and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  We long for the leeks and onions of Egypt when God is currently providing us with manna from heaven, water from the rock, and quail on the breeze.  We neglect the use of what we have because of our perceived lack.  If we say we believe scripture, we must also confess we lack no good thing.  Psalm 34:8-10 reads, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! ⁹ Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. ¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."

If we lack, it is because we have not met the conditions of God's gracious promise:  "...those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."  Are you faithful to seek the LORD even in the midst of misery?  May God help us to do so no matter how we feel.  Blessed is the man who relentlessly trusts in God!

Bludger or Servant?

"The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway."

Proverbs 15:19

A couple nights ago a segment aired on Channel 9 called the "Dole Bludger Challenge."  According to an article written in 2010, an alarming number of Australians are "on the dole," basically receiving a welfare check or unemployment benefits.  A "bludger" is someone who can physically work but is simply too lazy to do so.  While there are people who have genuine needs and are the victims of redundancy or downsizing, there seem to be many who would rather be a bludger than work for their living.  This "bludger" tendency can be seen throughout all cultures and people of the world.

King Solomon compares the way of a lazy man to a hedge of thorns.  He has an excuse to avoid doing anything, seeing potential harm and difficulty in every movement.  A lazy man will not get out of bed because it is too cold.  He gives up buying cigarettes because of the expense but does not quit smoking, bumming off his friends and co-workers.  He cannot afford petrol, but he can afford Foxtel and beer!  If he cannot be the boss he will not work at all because it would be a waste of his genius.  It is amazing how hard some people will work to avoid working.  Instead of seeing opportunities all around him, a lazy man sees any effort as a dangerous, unnecessary intrusion upon his life.

Paul laid out a principle which still rings true today in 2 Thessalonians 3:10:  "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."  God instilled this precept with His people when He led them out of Egypt and they were required to rise every day and gather their daily portion of manna.  If they woke up late after the sun grew hot, the manna would melt.  The only day when they were able to gather a double portion was the day before the Sabbath.  There will be no "spiritual dole bludgers" that inherit the kingdom of God.  We are all called to serve the LORD faithfully, following Christ's example as servant of all in obedience to His Father's will.  God has given to each of His children talents to use for the increase of His kingdom.  If we use our talents wisely and faithfully we will be greatly rewarded with heavenly rewards and responsibilities.  But if we are self-serving, bury our talents in the ground, wasting our life and resources, we are not servants of God at all.  Those in this life who used the grace and mercy of God to cloak their sloth and selfishness will be cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:24-30).

The way we order our lives now counts for eternity.  Unlike the lazy man whose way is as a impenetrable hedge of thorns, the "way of the upright is a highway."  We can choose to do things the world's way or God's way.  Through His Word, God gives us clear direction for living.  We are told how we can live a life which is fully pleasing unto God, for He has given Christians all things necessary for life and godliness.  Our lives can be free from the impediments of sin through the deliverance and cleansing blood of Jesus Christ by grace through faith.  The chains of sinful addiction are broken and the thorns of doubt and unbelief have been cleared away.  Following Jesus is not an easy path, but it is one already trail-blazed and cleared by our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Instead of faltering we can press forward with confidence in our God and His promises.  May our lives echo the words of Christ when He said in John 9:4-5, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Jesus is the Light, and may He shine brightly through us!