What Did God Say?

We are so blessed to have the written words of God.  The scriptures can introduce man into a growing relationship with God and illuminate the path of righteousness.  In our world of memes, cliches, and catch-phrases, God's Word can be tweaked to suit our views and distort His meaning.  Satan sought to undermine the words of God from the very beginning with Eve, questioning what He had said.  Had Eve held to exactly what God said without suspiciously and selfishly wondering why He gave the command, she would have been on firm ground.

People have a way of influencing others.  It is not just the people "in authority" who have this power:  even friends and acquaintances can possess profound influence.  Take David for instance, a man who had been anointed as king.  When on the run from murderous king Saul, David had an opportunity to avenge himself.  King Saul entered a cave alone where David and his men were hiding.  It was a vulnerable moment for Saul, but equally dangerous for David because of the temptation set before him by his loyal men.  1 Samuel 24:4 says, "Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe."  I have searched the scriptures, but in no place has God ever said such a thing.  God had promised to deliver David from his enemies, yet never for the purpose of doing to others "as it seems good to you."  David wisely refused to obey the urging of his friends.

The followers of Jesus also did their best to influence Him - not that they were successful!  After Jesus told his disciples that He must suffer many things, be rejected, arrested, and crucified, Peter rebuked Him.  Mark 8:33 reads, "But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Jesus had decided to follow the will of the Father, not to live life according to the wisdom of men.  We too must exercise this same discernment afforded all Christians by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  God has provided His Word so we can test the spirits to see if they are of God.  Like our mouths taste food, so our ears weigh the words to see if they match what God has said.  False balances are an abomination to the LORD, and our words must be carefully weighed as well.  All claims of those who say they speak for God should agree with God's Word, for He will not contradict Himself.

The Great Timekeeper

I hold to a belief which is becoming increasingly rare in the world and the church:  the literal interpretation of the Genesis account that God created the heavens and the earth.  Beliefs concerning the origin of the world and the age of the earth are considered by many "not essential for salvation," and therefore many people figure it an issue of small importance.  Whether we take God at His word or not is always a massive issue, regardless if salvation is at stake.  Great errors have entered the church when people have strayed from the literal interpretation of scripture and inserted man's ideas.  The idea of Darwinian evolution and billions of years never came from the scripture.  I tell you truly:  if you cannot take literally the Genesis account of creation, you will also diverge from literal interpretations down the line when it suits you.  It is a slippery slope many have fallen down and found themselves unable to stand again.

As we read through Genesis 1 with Tribe (year 11 through young adults) at Calvary Chapel Sydney, it struck me that time began before the heavenly bodies were created.  Genesis 1:3-5 says, "Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."  It is fitting God would cause light to shine in the beginning, for in Him is no darkness.  God made a division between the Day and Night without the movement of heavenly bodies.  The last part of verse five is critical:  "So evening and morning were the first day."  I find it intriguing the Jews mark the beginning of a new day with the setting of the sun, in the evening.  This mention of evening and morning of the first day reveals time had begun.  Without the need of the Sun, Moon, or rotation of the earth, the 24-hour day was governed by God from the beginning.

This is an amazing truth.  For people who believe our ordered universe, galaxy, and planet just happened to come into being without design or the power of God, the common assumption would be time on earth is determined by the alignment of the heavenly bodies and the rotation of the earth.  I believe the scripture refutes this.  I submit to you that time is not dictated by heavenly bodies at all, but the God who created time gave them to us so we could mark time.  This is a monumental difference.  Into a void where there was no earth God caused the light to shine and immediately the clock began running, so to speak.  God separated the light from the darkness, divided the waters above and below in the earth's atmosphere, and divided the water from the dry land.  He caused the earth to bring forth seed bearing herbs and fruit trees, all after their own kind.  And yes, He did this in a matter of days because He is God.   It wasn't until the fourth day that God created the Sun, Moon, and stars.

Genesis 1:14-19 says, "Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. ¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day."  God is responsible for time, not the heavenly bodies.  God gave us the Sun and Moon to indicate signs, seasons, days, and years.  He also created the stars - more stars than can be numbered.  Leading astronomers in the Middle Ages reckoned there were over a thousand stars, but with the advent of the telescope that number was exponentially increased!  Psalm 147:4-5 says of my great God who made the stars, "He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. ⁵ Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."

This world will keep on spinning as long as the God who made it intends.  God made earth the central point of Creation, and made man created in His own image as the primary focus.  There were 21 generations from Adam to Abraham, 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David to the Jewish captivity in Babylon, and 14 generations from the captivity in Babylon to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:17, Luke 3:34-38).  These human markers are signposts of time indicating thousands, not millions of years have elapsed since God's voice boomed:  "Let there be light!"  Many generations have passed since Christ walked on this earth, yet there remains some to this day who have not bowed the knee to the tyranny of modern scientific interpretation which claims it knows better than God's Word.  What we see today is not so much a clash of science and religion, but contrasting views of worldly and biblical worldviews which impact how we interpret the same data.  Everyone agrees this world has a beginning and it must have an end.  The more Christians who stand on the firm foundation of God's Word without shame the better.  Let's decide to shine the light of God's Word on this world - even if they don't comprehend it.

Freedom for Slaves

Psalm 119 is known for being by far the longest chapter in the Bible, but it also ought to be recognised for its praise of God's Law and righteous precepts.  In nearly every single verse the psalmist magnifies God's laws, statutes, precepts, commandments, and testimonies.  It is ironic a common complaint about Christianity is all the restrictive rules and requirements, yet the psalmist saw things completely differently.  In God's Law the psalmist saw freedom, not a prison.  A man who follows his own heart is enslaved to his own lust, yet the man who seeks God's counsel to walk in His judgment finds himself free from the power of sin.

Psalm 119:45 says, "And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts."  Even under the covenant of Law it was a time of freedom for God's people.  In the United States Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers wrote all men were endowed by their Creator with "unalienable rights."  Some of those listed were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  It is God who has created man and is the source of all life, He is a Deliverer and Saviour, and how happy are those who trust in Him!  This pursuit of happiness is only satisfied as we seek God and walk in His ways.  Happiness cannot be permanently obtained for any earthly price, yet happy are the people whose God is the LORD (Ps. 144:15).  The man who receives Christ and gives himself to God has assurance of happiness the world cannot know.

Jesus came to earth to set the captives free from all bondage and deliver souls from death.  He said in John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  The world has hijacked "freedom" to mean "the right to do whatever you want."  Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you see fit without fear of correction or retribution.  We have seen the results of this sort of freedom:  it creates people who are tyrannized by their own flesh.  People can only be free when they willingly place themselves under the sovereign rule of God.  For the first time when we are born again through faith in Jesus we breathe the free air of the Holy Spirit, knowing we are no longer a slave to self, sin, Satan, or the opinions of others.  God's righteous judgments provide clarity of thought and light for every step.  Those enslaved to sin claim to be free but aren't going anywhere:  for all their freedoms, their chains remain.  Jesus is the only King who breaks all chains and sets captives free.

Jesus Can and Does

Things which are impossible with men are possible for God.  This is a theme repeated throughout the scriptures, and this message is served in a concentrated dose as the life of Christ is followed in the Gospels.  As I read Mark 5 this morning, I was struck with the three major interactions in the chapter:  the man possessed with demons, the woman with the flow of blood for 12 years, and the girl who died of illness.  All three of these people faced impossible situations.

Verse 3 said no man could bind the demon possessed man, even with chains.  The man was already bound with fierce demonic beings, and all hope of the man being cured was gone.  Even the attempts of the men of the city to subdue the man were futile.  Yet after a brief encounter with Jesus, the demons were cast out, the man was clothed, and sat down before Jesus in right mind.  Jesus bid him to go back to his family and tell others of the wonderful things He had done for him.  The free man boldly obeyed, and all who heard him were amazed.

Verses 25-26 speak of a woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years.  Despite spending all her money on treatments, her illness only grew worse.  When she heard Jesus was passing by she said to herself, "If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well."  She managed to reach Him in the crowd, and it was as she believed:  she felt the bleeding stop.  Jesus knew the healing had taken place and asked, "Who touched me?"  She fell down at His feet, confessed her illness, and she had been healed by touching the clothing of Christ before all the people.  He told her to go in peace, affirmed her faith had saved her, and she had been made whole.

Verse 35 tells us a man came to Jairus and reported the death of his daughter, the one he was leading Jesus to heal.  Why trouble the teacher any more? the man asked.  Her death made any hope for healing disappear.  But Jesus said, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  Even in the face of death, Jesus was filled with hope and the ability to save.  He put out the mourners who scorned Him, took the girl's hand in His own and said, "Little girl, I say to you arise."  Much to the astonishment of her parents, the girl sat up, spoke, and began to walk around.  Powerful demons, incurable illness, and even death are defeated by Jesus Christ.

A word from Jesus Christ is enough to create the world, drive out demons, and raise the dead.  The woman with the flow of blood touched Jesus and was healed, and Jesus held the hand of the dead girl and brought her back to life.  Jesus has the power to make what is impossible possible.  He brings hope to the hopeless.  He is not like a celebrity, who signs an autograph one day and shrugs off fans the next.  Jesus is the only King who had time for everyone, went with people who invited Him to their homes, cast out demons, healed the sick, and raised the dead.  He touched and was willing to be touched.  He gave of Himself wholly and His life of sacrifice was culminated on Calvary.  Will you bring your impossible situations to Jesus today?  Will you seek after Him with all your heart so you might touch only the hem of His garment in humble faith?  He invites us to come to Him with our unquenchable thirst, our hunger which cannot be satisfied, so that we might partake of Him and discover His abundant life.  Let us obey Jesus and testify of the great things He has done for us!