Keep Going Deeper!

Years ago a mate of mine led my wife Laura and me on a trek through the National Pass at Wentworth Falls.  This morning I decided I would rise early and have a special morning with Jesus, worshiping and reading the Bible (with a Thermos of coffee!) at the base of the falls.  It was a moving experience.  With the access available to Christians by faith in Christ through the Holy Spirit to the Father, we do not need to rise from our beds to gave the presence of God with and in us.  But it is a profitable and glorious practice to set aside time to sit still before God when it costs something.  Jesus went away for solitary times with the Father, and we do well to follow His example.

At the top of the falls, I was delighted by the crisp air and beautiful scenery.  The volume of water was not as much as I have seen before, but the water happily rushed along.  It was in my mind to head straight for the bottom of the valley, down the "Slacker Stairs."  I do not know the history of the title in context, for it is not for the faint of heart or for those with feeble knees!  Down, down, down I went, waiting for the breathtaking moment when the lower pool of the falls came into view.  I was not disappointed.  It was gorgeous, and the time spent singing, reading, and praying with the LORD was more precious still.

As I trudged back up the steep incline, I passed several groups of tourists.  It was not so long ago I was a tourist in a foreign land, but now I am a citizen!  If I could speak the language of the travelers I would say, "Don't stop at the top - make sure you go all the way to the bottom.  You are in for a real treat!"  People smiled and gasped in amazement at the top of the falls, and others seemed a bit underwhelmed from the lookout points near the carpark with cameras in hand.  Imagine traveling from a faraway country, I thought, and staying in the carpark.  Imagine being content with pictures at the top of the falls because you are unwilling to climb down because of the climb back up.  Some people don't have the time built into their tour schedule to go down to the bottom, and for some it would be unsafe due to physical limitations.  But if you could go deeper into the canyon, the views would blow you away.

I believe many people know and love God, but they are fine with the vistas from the lookout near the carpark and to hear the waterfall in the distance.  Others are content to expend a bit of energy and see the falls from the top, even cooling their tired feet in the clean streams.  But then there are others who have discovered the beauty and grandeur of going deeper still.  Forty years of my life has passed, and I have been happy with a level of commitment of faith and sacrifice unto God which could be much deeper.  It took a friend who cared enough to drive me to Wentworth Falls and took me on the National Pass, but now I have gone beyond where we went before.  The same is true of discipleship and following Jesus.  We need people in the church willing to invest their lives in others, demonstrating a life of faith and love in Christ, so others can learn and go deeper on their own.

Keep going no matter the cost, follower of Jesus Christ!  You are in for a real treat in this life if you press on, and eternity will be even more glorious still.

Literal Unbelief

God says what He means, and means what He says.  There is no "fine print" with God, hidden caveats and conditions from which He benefits through the ignorance of men.  The truth is, most people do not believe what God says - even when He speaks literally with clarity.

Take the children of Israel, for example.  God put words into the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, warning His people of certain destruction at the hands of the Babylonians.  In Ezekiel chapter 20, God laid forth the facts concerning their rebellion and disobedience.  He went through the history of the people, how they carried with them idols from the land of Egypt and continued to blaspheme His holy name.  God spoke of the future, how they would know He was the LORD when He brought them back from captivity.  Despite the clarity of God's words, Ezekiel lamented by the response of the people in Ezekiel 20:49:  "Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, 'Does he not speak parables?'"  What Ezekiel said didn't fit with the people's understanding of God, so they thought he must be speaking figuratively.

It is tragic when God speaks and His own people assume He is speaking in parables or riddles.  Would you believe this happens today?  There are some who think the first dozen chapters of the Bible are little more than symbolic language.  Because some view science and scripture at odds, they lay aside the literal account of the creation of the earth by God as figurative.  They claim to believe God and love God, but they assume He must be speaking in parables because they cannot see "days" fitting when some scientists affirm millions and billions of years must have passed.  God has spoken, but men find reasons not to believe.  This reminds me of John 12:42-43 which reads, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  People who believe the Bible is the literal word of God are afraid to admit it, because it could ostracise them from people they admire.  To risk a career, advancement, or a reputation over a proclamation of belief doesn't seem worth it.  And God's verdict?  Such love the praise of men more than the praise of God, and that should be most troubling to a rational mind which remembers the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-33, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

The crazy thing about unbelief is when God speaks the truth men assume He speaks in parables, and when Jesus spoke figuratively they were offended because they took His words literally!  Jesus said in John 6:47-55, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." ⁵² The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" ⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed."  After hearing this saying, many who followed Jesus departed and followed Him no longer.  Many followed Jesus for a season and were interested in filling their bellies with bread, but they were offended at the suggestion to eat Christ's body and drinking His blood - not kosher!  Having established the Law Jesus was not an advocate for cannibalism, but spoke figuratively of partaking of Christ's body and blood by faith, symbolism maintained in Communion.

Both literal and figurative speech are stumbling blocks to those who refuse to trust in Jesus Christ and receive Him as LORD and Saviour.  Jesus Himself is a stone rejected by the builders who has become the Chief Cornerstone.  After people left Jesus, He turned to His disciples and asked, "Are you going to leave too?"  He would not have stopped them.  He desires fellowship only with those who freely choose to remain faithful to Him, unmoved by the protests of the world.  John 6:68-69 says, "But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Do you believe the word of God?  Or do you assume the Bible must be speaking figuratively because it opposes your current belief?  The Bible ought to always be taken literally unless the scripture itself suggests otherwise.  Using scripture to interpret scripture whilst deferring to literal language is good and right, for God will not contradict Himself.  Interpreting scripture by any other means strips the life right out of it, and fabricates a monstrosity out of the wickedness and hypocrisy found in our own hearts.  Our lives depend on the literal Word of God, Christians, so hold it fast and boldly proclaim it.  All other footing is sinking sand which leads to destruction.

Jesus and Outcasts

John 9 tells of a man born blind who was healed by Jesus.  Jesus saw the man's blind condition, spat on the ground, made mud with His saliva, and rubbed it on the man's eyes.  He instructed the man to go and wash in the Pool Siloam.  The man obedient went and washed and came away seeing - without having laid eyes on the Man who healed him!

Amazingly, the story grows even more interesting.  The religious leaders debated and argued that the man supposedly healed was a doppelganger, and it was not until they had talked with the parents of the man before they admitted it was the same man they knew previously who was born blind.  Despite the affirmation of the miracle, they still hated and refused to believe Jesus was the Son of God, the promised Jewish Messiah.  They grilled the man and his parents, having decided they would throw anyone out of Synagogue who claimed Jesus was the Christ - a cultural and spiritual death sentence in their culture.  Again and again they asked the man:  "What did He do to you?  How did He cause you to see?"  They could not argue with the simplicity of the man's testimony:  "I don't know if He is is sinner or not, but one thing I know:  I was blind, and now I see."  The rulers were quickly fed up with this ignorant man's insolence and threw him out.

In one day the man born blind had mud and spit rubbed on his eyes by a stranger, washed and could see, then went to Synagogue and was thrown out.  Talk about rags to riches to rags again!  He could now see what he was missing, and was no doubt saddened by this turn of events.  He was now excommunicated, shunned, and isolated from his community he treasured, even from his own parents.  But he was not left in this quandary for long.  John 9:35-38 says, "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" ³⁶ He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" ³⁷ And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." ³⁸ Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him."

Jesus heard the man had been cast out, and sought him until he was found.  Jesus delights to reveal Himself to outcasts so they might believe in Him.  He is worthy to be worshiped in and outside the Synagogue, for He is the promised Messiah sent by God to seek and save the lost.  Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, healed the lame, raised the dead, and forgave people of sins.  The self-righteous Pharisees affirmed only God can do this (Mark 2:1-12)!  What love and grace, that Jesus would seek out the one who was cast out and likely downcast.  Those on the "outside looking in" can have a clear view of Jesus Christ and fellowship with Him.  Sometimes when Jesus opens our eyes it leads to us being outcasts.  But we do not need to fear or despair, for Jesus will not leave or forsake us.  Men may reject us, but take to heart the promise Jesus made in John 6:37:  "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."  Even when it is impossible for us to recognise Jesus, He will reveal Himself when we ask Him in faith.

Looking For the Mercy of Jesus

There was a song I remember from childhood which began with the exhortation found in 1 John 3:1:  "Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God."  Being adopted by God as His own child is special because it means He has chosen us.  My son Abel is being graded for cricket this weekend, and will be placed upon a team.  His technique, skills, and overall fitness will decide whether he is on the upper or lower end of the selection.  It's amazing to think that God chose us while we were yet sinners and are only a helpless liability - the kind of ones who aren't picked as much as hang around until the end.  Yet God has set His love upon us sinners, and demonstrated it by sending His own Son Jesus Christ to suffer and die so we might live through faith in Him.

When I played Little League way back when, it was almost a guarantee the son of the coach would play a vast majority of the innings in the field, have plenty of "at bats," and have opportunities to play the "best" positions.  By virtue of being a coach, it is likely (from my experience) his  child had been coached and supplied with knowledge, equipment, and years of practice to fill coveted roles suitably.  Put it this way:  either the son of the coach was an upper echelon player, or he was treated as one!  While there are no doubt exceptions to my experience, I share this as a point of contrast concerning how God accepts all who come to Him in faith.  God sought us out when we were lost, dead in sins, and facing God's justice for crimes committed against Him.  He paid the price so we could be forgiven and set free, and then invites us to be part of His family and live with Him forever in heaven!  How great and good is God!

This morning in prayer, Jude 1:20-21 was brought to mind:  "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  Such a display of love through Christ Jesus ought to build our faith in Him.  Those who love and trust Him will pray to God, abiding in the love of God.  Our eyes can daily seek out instances of "the mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ."  Hasn't God been merciful, showing us loving-kindness when we deserved hell?  I still deserve hell, but God loves me still.  Micah 6:8 says, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"  This is no drudgery or restrictive duty, but a joyous privilege:  to do what pleases God, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our Saviour.

There is no "riding the pine" with our Saviour (that means being on the bench, out of the game).  God has chosen us, set His love upon us, and given us His mercy so we can be "in the game" through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We can all be all God intended us to be when He created us in our mother's wombs and prepared good works beforehand for us to enter into (Eph. 2:8-10).  We need not fall short of our potential Satan would love to rob us of, for God works in us both to will and do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).  Hasn't God been merciful to you?  Remember to thank Him today and share your joy with others so He will be praised and exalted.