Scriptures and Power of God

In my morning Bible reading, a statement by Jesus arrested my attention.  The passage listed occasions when those who doubted and hated Jesus sought to entrap Him in His words.  The Herodians, Pharisees, and Sadducees were groups who attempted to make Jesus look ignorant with their moral dilemmas and hypothetical debates, but they could not stump Jesus.  In response to the Sadducees, who only exposed their ignorance by taking their best shot at Jesus, the KJV rendering of Matthew 22:29 reads, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."  It is ironic how the Sadducees would have claimed extensive knowledge of the scriptures, but Jesus whom they desired to expose as ignorant expressed this of them.  Their lack of belief in things spiritual left them severely hamstrung.  Their doubts left them wanting in both knowledge of the scriptures and experience of God's power.

What struck me as I read the words of Jesus is how the knowledge of the scripture exposes a man to the power of God.  The Bible begins with the matter-of-fact explanation concerning God creating the heavens, earth, and all that is in them in mere days.  God's miraculous power was known by the Egyptians and the Israelites when He visited great plagues upon the land of Egypt.  God delivered His people through the Red Sea, destroyed their enemies, and sustained them in the wilderness.  He provided food daily, supplied water from a rock, and miraculously healed those who were bitten by venemous snakes.  He caused the ground to open up and swallow people whole, and made the walls of Jericho to fall down when the people obeyed God.  Through judges, prophets, kings, and ultimately Jesus Christ, God's power was revealed to all.  It knowing the scripture we can know God's power, and when we are born again through the Gospel the revelation of God's power becomes personally tangible as He transforms us from within and empowers us for God's service.

No matter how I turn the statement of Christ around it shines forth brilliantly like a precious gem.  It can be said of all men we do err; we do make mistakes.  The cause of much of our sin is because we have not brought scripture nor the power of God to bear on our current situation.  It is a matter of perspective.  We have all sinned, but when we are born again we do not need to sin any longer.  God has given us the scriptures to guide us and imbued us with power from on high through the Holy Spirit.  I can say without exception when I sin it is because I have disobeyed the truth of scripture and have refused the power of God.  Often we are deluded by our assumptions, imagining our situation is most peculiar and difficult.  But the righteous, God-fearing perspective obtained through knowledge of the scriptures and walking in the power of God sets us straight.  God's people perish by a lack of knowledge, but even knowledge has its limits.  It is a starting point, not the end.

Our lives are lived worthily when we keep both the scriptures and the power of God in full view.  We Christians tend to lean one way or the other.  When we lose sight of either we will err.  We make a grave mistake when we hold to scripture whilst denying the power of God, or seek after a miraculous display of God's power without the guide of scripture.  It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit we can discern the scripture, and only by the scripture can we test the spirits to see if they are of God.  I am so grateful for Jesus and for His priceless wisdom.  He always knows exactly what I need and how to perfectly communicate truth when I am willing to listen and obey.

Playing God

"Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

Proverbs 24:29

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," the Golden Rule says.  This approach is contrary to the natural response of our flesh.  We prefer to take a stand upon our rights or a concept of fairness we agree with and hold others to that standard.  Doing unto others just as they have done to us requires us to judge not only their actions, but their motive.  When we are hurt by others we can be suspicious that was their intent all along, so we then seek how we can injure them.

Even as vengeance is the sovereign territory of God, so is the rendering to each man according to his works.  Should we do what Solomon forbids in this passage, we hastily clamber onto God's judgment seat.  It is one thing for a little child to innocently desire to sit in daddy's chair, but it is another thing altogether when we fueled by malice and revenge seek to bring down a gavel in judgment to punish others for their perceived wrongs.  David wrote in Psalm 62:11-12, "God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. ¹² Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work."

Jesus said upon His return He will reward men according to their works (Matt. 16:27).  It is not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to His mercy He has saved us (Titus 3:5).  God has saved us unto good works, and we begin doing the good works of God by believing He whom the Father has sent:  Jesus Christ.  He will reward and judge as well.  Jesus said in Revelation 22:12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."  Books will be opened, and those whose names are not found in the Book of Life will receive their wages of eternal damnation.  Can we add anything to that hell?

Let us not say we will do to others as they have done to us when they have sinned against us.  Let us do unto others as Christ has done for us with a heart of love, compassion, and mercy.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  The Bible says with what judgment we judge we will be judged, and if we are severe with others the Living God will be severe with us.  There is a high cost for playing God, a price only fools judge wise to pay.

Lucky or Loved?

I've heard Australia called the "Lucky Country."  People use this cliche in a in a positive sense, apparently much to the dismay of Donald Horne who penned The Lucky Country, a book about Australia in 1964 written as a "wake up call to an unimaginative nation, an indictment of a country mired in mediocrity and manacled to its past."  It sounds a bit harsh not having read the book myself, but there's nothing quite like a good dose of Australian irony.  In my opinion Australia is a blessed country in a multitude of ways.  Because I believe we live in a world governed by God who has provided our natural resources, this beautiful and fruitful land, freedoms, our necessities, and even luxuries, we ought to credit Him where it is due.

Every so often I hear the phrase, "unlucky in love."  I wonder:  if people could have their choice of luck or love, what would they choose?  My grandfather has often said in jest, "I'd rather be lucky than good."  What is the lure of luck, anyway?  Is it a revelation we secretly desire something for nothing?  Or is it because we value a faceless, powerless entity who cannot protest called "bad luck" when we fail?  In thinking this over, I have decided I would rather be loved than lucky.  It would be better to live as a person loved by God than to have what men call good luck perpetually.  Luck is an empty promise which never delivers.  I do not consider The Beatles to be experts on such matters, but had they sung "All you need is luck" it would have sounded a bit hollow.

Today in church we sang a song by Brenton Brown called "Our God is Mercy."  It contains biblical wisdom the world and even Christians might recoil from:  "You're blessed if you've been torn apart; you're blessed if you've a broken heart, for hope is waiting at the door: salvation's near."  How can pain be a blessing?  For a Christian, the pain of God's correction is proof of His love.  Christians are reminded in scripture not to despise the chastening of the LORD, for in so doing He is treating us as beloved sons - even as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.  Some might ask, how can being torn apart in any way be construed as love?  Most men must be deathly ill before they will seek the care of a physician, and men must be in a severe state before they will humble themselves in desperation before a holy God.  It is in being torn apart a man can discover healing and wholeness he never experienced before.  All the "blessings" in the world are curses if they turn our affections from God.  How good for us are hard times when they prompt us to seek the LORD!  Only then will we know salvation and the love of God, and luck hasn't saved a person yet.

Leaving All and Rising Up

"After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." ²⁸ So he left all, rose up, and followed Him."

Luke 5:27-28

Careful observation of the scripture is critical for deeper understanding.  I do not profess to know secret knowledge or hidden mysteries, but even for the avid student of the Bible many plain truths lie undisturbed on the surface.  Before we figure we know the meaning of a passage, we must first examine what it says.  The order of the words unveils truth and personal application.  In reading Luke 5 this week I came upon something I had never noticed before, and it is profound.

The scene is simple enough:  Levi was sitting in his office on the clock.  He was a Jew employed by the Romans as a tax collector, and he had paid for the privilege.  The opportunity to be a "publicani" of a region was bid on for a set time and was paid in advance to the government.  Jesus walked up to the man and simply said, "Follow me."  It was a straightforward command but not one obeyed without consequences.  Verse 28 tells us, "So he left all, rose up, and followed Him."  The order of the words seems quite strange.  How could Levi leave all before he even stood up?  It would be easy to transpose  the phrases of the passage and give it little thought.  Is the order significant?  It certainly is!

When Jesus approached Levi and commanded him to follow Him, it was not an offer which could be negotiated.  An immediate decision was required, yes or no.  The order of verse 28 is significant because before Levi even stood to his feet, he had already left all behind:  his right to collect taxes, the significant financial investment and the interest on it, his position of authority, chance of future advancement, and remaining in good standing with the Roman authorities.  A problem common for those who attempt to answer the call to discipleship is they joyfully rise to follow Jesus without first deciding to leave all.  The decision to follow Christ can only be performed once we have decided to deny ourselves, our dreams, ambitions, the future of ease we long for.  Trying to put on the new man without first putting off the old man is an exercise filled with frustration and futility.  We must first purpose to leave all and then we can rise up and follow Christ as Saviour and enter into the joy of the LORD.

As long as we are in two minds about answering the call to Christ, we will never be free to do so.  So much of our Christian existence is a wrestling match between the flesh and the Spirit.  We are chained by worldly thinking and cares and therefore without the freedom to rise up to follow Christ.  The call to follow Jesus is one of self-denial, picking up our cross daily, and following Jesus.  Those who seek to save their lives will lose them, but those who lose their lives for Christ's sake will find them and be rewarded with life eternal.  You do not need to quit your job, end a relationship, move to a foreign mission field, give that money, or sell your house to follow Jesus.  But you must decide you are willing to do so joyfully at Christ's command.  Otherwise you will leave a bit of your heart behind and will never be able to truly say to your LORD and King, "I surrender all."  And if Christ cannot have all of us, we cannot have any part in Him.