Window Shoppers

As Christmas draws near, there is no shortage of people bustling through the shops.  I suspect a vast majority of people are only at the shops because they have an express purpose to buys food or gifts they need before Christmas.  For some the shops is a time to socialise, eat, window shop, and enjoy the air conditioning, but that has no appeal for me at all.  Perhaps I show my age in that I am glad to wake up early and sacrifice a little sleep to do my shopping away from the crowds.  It is hard for me to imagine there are some people who will go to the shops during the busiest times of day and days of the year to enjoy a coffee, people watch, or window shop.

I remember talking to a woman at church years ago who freely admitted without apology that she brought her family to church because they didn't have air conditioning at home.  I found this admission startling.  It opened my eyes to understand there is a variety of reasons people come to church, even as there are different purposes for people spending hours at the shops.  At church this Sunday I asked the question:  "Why do you come to church?"  Do you go to church primarily to receive or to give?  Unless we attend church with the express purpose of giving to others balanced with receiving from God and others in the Body as well, it's likely we will accomplish neither.

If people go to the church and the shops for the air conditioning, perhaps people window shop at church too.  A window shopper is active to go to the shops, find a parking space, and walk around.  But the window shopper is not there to buy anything.  Perhaps short on money and without any commitment to spend, the window shopper is content with merely seeing new items on display or what is on special.  They want to taste free samples, but they have no intent to buy the products.  Their knowledge grows of new devices and products, as does their fantastic wish-lists.  The truth is, the window shopper displays a poverty of new possessions or gifts, exhibiting a fruitless use of time.  The window shopper, because he observes but does not buy, does not leave the shops with a item for personal use or a gift for others.

There is nothing wrong with window shopping, but there is a serious issue when a Christian takes this approach to their church fellowship.  There is a potential many who attend church are more curious about gaining knowledge or seeing what is on offer than committing to follow Jesus Christ at any cost.  They are very interested in learning about spiritual gifts or hearing someone speak in tongues with an interpretation or a experiencing healing.  But interest or curiosity does not mean that there is any desire or warmth of heart towards being baptised with the Holy Spirit or using spiritual gifts for the edification of the church and the benefit of others.  They merely attend for new knowledge or experiences, social interaction, a coffee, maybe even some air conditioning.  Friends, shops do not exist to supply you with knowledge leading to covetousness, and God did not establish the church to appease your curiosity.  The church exists to glorify Jesus Christ, make disciples, and edify the Body of Christ.  It is all about complete commitment to inner transformation, not merely the transfer of information.

Following Jesus results in being changed - not a fantasy that we might change.  Even as you must be willing to pay the price listed on an item to legally take it home with you, so we must be willing to meet God's conditions supplied according to His grace.  It is the servant who shows himself faithful and obedient to whom God gives greater responsibility, not the one who only turns up when the master is around.  Those who approach Bible study, spiritual gifts, or their role in the Body of Christ like browsing window shoppers who need no assistance - "No need for help, I'm only looking" - deny the power of the Holy Spirit and the edification of others God has supplied in the local church to supply strength, encourage, and accountability.

Commit to spend and be spent for God, dear Christian.  A window shopper is at best a half-hearted shopper, one who is content with longing when he ought to commit to buying and start saving.  Even when we have wandered from the LORD and feared full commitment of our life to Him, He will gladly receive us when we return to Him with our whole hearts.  Deuteronomy 4:29-31 says, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice ³¹ (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them."  Don't be content to know God is a merciful God, but receive of His mercies which endure forever.  Obedience is often God's requirement before we can receive His mercy and goodness.  Make a full commitment today to obtain God's will at any price, and you will receive the blessing from the LORD.

Seeing Sin As It Is

"And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death."

Exodus 21:17

I live in Australia, a nation where the death penalty has been abolished.  1967 marked the last time anyone was executed for a crime.  There is no shortage of opinions or rationale concerning pros or cons of the death penalty.  But whatever your opinion, I would be willing to wager the preceding verse seems a bit excessive to you.  "C'mon," you might protest.  "That is the most ridiculous thing ever, to face execution for any crime - much less for cursing your father or mother."  In my culture, the suggestion mere words are a capital offense is beyond bizarre.  This view only proves our need for God's Law.  Otherwise we would never even imagine the scope of our sin, how heinous it is before a holy, righteous God, and our desperate need for grace.

Don't allow the subject matter to trip you up.  My point in writing this is not to say we must implement the death penalty for the foul mouthed, but to show how our standards of righteousness and judgment is light years away from reality.  The fact is, deep down we don't see sin as that bad.  Proverbs 20:6 says, "Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?"  Understand that the God who created the heavens and earth out of nothing with His voice is righteous, holy, and just.  Every punishment according to His judgment is absolutely just.  Being an imperfect man or woman, you likely don't agree.  If God is righteous, holy, and just, if God's punishments always "fit the crime" (which they do), it is not God who has His wires crossed on this one:  it is us.  Man likes to play god on the basis of feelings or his own opinion, but man is no god at all.  Either we are right and God is wrong, or God is right and we must bow the knee to His truth.

Since God is absolutely perfect in every way, this verse should be a stark warning of the grave danger of sin which appears innocuous.  It is we who are unjust.  It is not that God has a distorted view of justice, but we have a twisted view of sin.  Sin is more evil, wretched, and terrible than any man ever imagined.  This punishment is merely a foreshadowing of what the unrepentant sinner will face in the eternal flames of hell.  To curse your father and mother was a verbal demonstration of an ungrateful heart which rejected God's established authority.  Leviticus 20:9 affirms, "For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him."  Hopefully these verses drive home the point of the horrible, destructive consequences of sin.  These verses should shock and shake us to our core, how sin is worse than we ever imagined.

Praise the LORD that He is just.  Yet He is also merciful and gracious, not willing that any should perish.  He sent His son Jesus Christ to provide atonement for lost sinners with His own blood on the cross.  Should God judge you against such a strong standard of holiness, how would you fare?  No man could endure this judgment, for there is none good, no not one.  If cursing the imperfect parents who helped bring you into the world is a capital offense, how severe will the penalty be for cursing and rejecting the God who breathed into you a living soul and sent His own Son to save you?  To trample the precious blood of Jesus underfoot through unbelief is more than reckless.  Rejecting and denying Christ has eternal consequences.  May God open all the eyes of men to see their own wretchedness that we might seek refuge, forgiveness, and salvation in Jesus Christ!  There is hope for you, even if you have cursed your parents or done worse still!  Jesus said in John 5:24, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

The Brightest Light

"For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life..."

 Proverbs 6:23

I believe the Law of Moses today largely has a bad rap.  The Old Covenant of the Law is seen by some as bad or unnecessary because the New Covenant given by grace is better and built on better promises (Heb. 8:6).  The pendulum has swung so far in opposition to "Law" that the purpose and righteousness of the Law has largely been forgotten, ignored, or lost.  I also believe one of the reasons for this is an emphasis on the New Testament resulting in a neglect of reading and study of the Old Testament.  They are both the inspired Word of God and should be read, studied, believed, and personally applied.

There is a unbiblical concept in the church that because we are "no longer under the Law" the Law has served its purpose and has no real significance for believers or unbelievers today.  The Bible says the Law is important and valuable for both groups.  A fundamental truth is every human born in whom God has breathed a living soul is under the Law.  The lives of all men will be measured according to the righteous, unalterable standard of the Law on the Day of Judgment.  Romans 3:19 says, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."  I wish to God that every soul in the church knew this as Paul did!  The commandment is a lamp, and the law a light.  It reproves, corrects, and displays the brilliant perfection of God.  When measured against such a immaculate standard, the thoughts, deeds, and hearts of men look foul indeed.

If you were asked to say what you would compare the Law of Moses to, what would you say?  I would be willing to bet many of the comparisons would be drawn from the New Testament.  You might say it is like a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Gal. 3:24-25).  But I suggest you would tend to call it a grievous burden.  Perhaps you associate the Law with legalism or a return to bondage.  If you fed entirely on the New Testament, I can see why you would say this.  However, the Bible says the commandment is a lamp and the law a light.  When Paul railed on the Galatians for their foolishness in returning to the Law, it was more their departure from grace and the true Gospel which was the central issue.  They forsook the living water of the Spirit and chose water dipped from their own cisterns dug with their own hands.  To forsake the saving grace of the Gospel for the Law which can only condemn was folly indeed.  But this fact does not mean the Law is a restrictive fetter, useless, burdensome, or bad in any way.  Read the whole Bible and see what it says about the Law!

The Law is good, compared to a lamp and a light.  Light came when God spoke.  The unformed world was formless and void when Christ's voice boomed:  "Let there be light!" and there was light.  In a dark room, a lamp that illuminates is a good thing.  We are all born into a world of darkness, and our hearts are black as the void of an empty universe.  It is the Law and the light of the conscience which causes a person to realise he is a sinner, having transgressed the righteous commands of a Holy God.  Falling on his knees in repentance and hope in Christ, it is as if the sun rises on such a soul.  It is Jesus who breaks our chains and brings us out of the dungeon in which we were condemned, awaiting eternal wrath and punishment according to God's Law.  Christians are brought into the light of the Son of God.  In the light of the sun, a small oil lamp would be of little significance indeed.  The lamp of the commandment and light of the Law was most necessary and remains good - albeit overwhelmed by the power of the sun in the sky.  Should we find ourselves in a dark place, Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Jesus is the Light of the World, the One who has fulfilled the Law and shines ever brighter!

Jesus said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  Jesus had many negative things to say of legalists who taught as the Law of God the traditions of men.  There are no shortage of people who forsake the light of the sun to tend their lamps in darkened rooms, choosing like the foolish Galatians to forsake the grace and true Gospel in their return to the Law.  The Law was like a lamp, in that the flickering flame could be manipulated to exalt men rather than glorify God.  The Law was incapable of changing the hearts of men.  To seek transformation through behaviour modification is futile.  We need the Holy Spirit to regenerate us and come upon us so we might be led by Christ in all things.  If we are in Christ, we have all the light we need.  Yet we also need the Word of God, don't we?  That's the primary way God speaks to His children.  We also can benefit from the light of the Law.  For those with eyes to see, God has demonstrated His righteousness, love, grace, goodness, and mercy in His commands.

Since we have such great a Light in Jesus Christ, let us never forsake Him and return to the lamp of the Law for salvation.  At the same time may we value, study, and allow God to shine His light into our hearts through the light of His commands and Law.  Those who follow Jesus shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.  Let us not leave or forsake this Light!

God Corrects

The behaviour and choices of children are not always clear indicators of their parent's efforts or quality.  Because no one is perfect, there is not one perfect parent.  Despite our experience and apparent successes, we all have room to grow.  God is a perfect Father, yet the wanderings and rebellious nature of His children should not be attributed to His neglect or character flaws.  The fact I am not perfect and my children are not perfect do not provide license for apathy, but should encourage me to further imitate my Father's perfect example - despite my flaws and folly.

One consistent aspect of God's character is He chastens and disciplines those whom He loves, even as a father corrects a son in whom he delights.  God has given everyone a conscience, and a troubled conscience is a good indicator of something in our life which is not at peace with God.  I remembered recently how David's heart on multiple occasions "smote him" for something he did wrong.  He didn't feel conflicted or bad before he did something, but it was after the event that strong conviction came.  His heart smote him after he cut Saul's robe, and also after he numbered the people.  One instance was before his reign, and the second was towards the end.  Correction and an obedient response to conviction is something Christians need throughout our walks with Jesus.  A heart made sensitive through the Holy Spirit will experience this conviction.  It is not the feeling of remorse that matters, but our obedient response to God's correction which is key.

David was a man after God's own heart, but this was no guarantee David always followed God's example. Our conscience prompts us to consider our thoughts or actions, admit we have been wrong, and align ourselves in obedience with God in the future.  1 Kings 1:5-6 reveals the tragic consequence of the lack of correction on those we love:  "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king"; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶ (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, "Why have you done so?" He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.)"  Adonijah was David's son, and he loved him very much.  The same self-exaltation seen in the usurping Absalom was evident in his younger brother, Adonijah.  The passage explained David never questioned or rebuked Adonijah in his whole life!  It was the proud heart of Adonijah which would lead to his destruction, for David's inaction did not force Adonijah to do such wickedness.  Would rebuke as a child have saved Adonijah as an adult?  Only God knows.

What we can know is God corrects His children.  His Word probes and searches our hearts and minds.  The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  Jesus calls out to us, and bids all to love one another as He loves us.  We are more like Adonijah than we would like to think.  We justify ourselves with worldly opinions and selfish rationale, even as Adonijah gathered up an entourage to run before Him.  Unlike David, God makes it His business to ask us:  "Where are you?  What have you done?'  When Adam sinned by eating from the forbidden tree, after Cain killed his brother Abel, God spoke in this fashion.  He asked questions which zeroed in on motive.  Honestly answering the question "Why have you done so?" is one of the best practical ways to avoid future sin.  This way we do not make our focus with a particular behaviour itself, but the sinful motives of the heart which prompted the behaviour.  Sin hidden in our heart reveals itself in an infinite amount of ways, heads of a wicked hydra which will grow again.  For this reason we must examine our motives, repent, and lay our will down humbly before our God.

Proverbs 3:11-12 says, "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; ¹² for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  Have you heard God ask you lately, "Why have you done so?"  Don't ignore the question.  God does not correct us because He hates us, but out of His love, grace, and mercy.  Respond to His correction obediently.  Let us not be as Adonijah, who exalted himself.  Humble yourself before the LORD and He will lift you up!