Sin is Never Barren

One of lesser known works of C.S. Lewis is one of my favourites, titled The Pilgrim's Regress.  While Pilgrim in John Bunyan's original classic starts his quest for the Celestial City in the right direction, John in The Pilgrim's Regress begins his trek longing for and seeking what he knows not.  He looks for something to satisfy, a beautiful sight, a pleasurable feeling, anything to make life worth living.

For me a most memorable and insightful scene occurs when John went into the wood hoping to catch a glimpse of a beautiful island.  One day in the wood when he was thinking about what actual benefit the island or sweet music that came from it did him, he was surprised to hear a sweet voice speaking to him.  What is described next is nothing less than masterful genius of how sin (especially in the sexual realm) seduces and ensnares unsuspecting people without guilty victims realising the awful consequences.

"...Just as he was opening his eyes he heard a voice speaking to him.  It was quite close at hand, and very sweet, and not at all like the old voice of the wood.  When he looked round he saw what he had never expected, yet he was not surprised.  There in the grass beside him sat a laughing brown girl of about his own age, and she had no clothes on.  "It was me you wanted,' said the brown girl.  'I am better than your silly islands." And John rose and caught her, all in haste, and committed fornication with her in the wood.

After that John was always going to the wood.  He did not always have his pleasure of her in the body, though it often ended that way:  sometimes he would talk to her about himself, telling her lies about his courage and his cleverness.  All that he told her she remembered, so that on other days she could tell it over to him again.  Sometimes, even, he would go with her through the wood looking for the sea and the Island, but not often.  Meanwhile the year went on and the leaves began to fall in the wood and the skies were more often grey:  until now, as I dreamed, John had slept in the wood, and he woke up in the wood.  The sun was low and a blustering wind was stripping the leaves from the branches.  The girl was still there and the appearance of her was hateful to John:  and he saw that she knew this, and the more she knew it the more she stared at him, smiling.  He looked round and saw how small the wood was after all--a beggarly strip of trees between the road and a field that he knew well.  Nowhere in sight was there anything that he liked at all.

'I shall not come back here, ' said John.  'What I wanted is not here.  It wasn't you I wanted, you know.'

'Wasn't it?' said the brown girl.  'Then be off.  But you must take your family with you.'

With that she put up her hands to her mouth and called.  Instantly from behind every tree there slipped out a brown girl:  each of them was just like herself:  the little wood was full of them.

'What are these?'

'Our daughters,' said she.  'Did you not know you were a father?  Did you think I was barren, you fool?  And now, children,' she added, turning to the mob, 'go with your father.'

Suddenly John became very much afraid and leaped over the wall into the road.  There he ran home as fast as he could."  (The Pilgrim's Regress, by C. S. Lewis, Fount Paperbacks, 1990, pp. 40–41. )

John ran but could not hide from the little brown girls who haunted his every step; at every turn they were there.  He tried in vain to comfort himself over time because of the "rules" he had broken, but "when he crept away to bed, tired to death and raw in his soul, always he would be sure to find a brown girl waiting for him there:  and on such a night he had no spirit to resist her blandishments." (ibid. pg. 43)  Is this not an inspired description of one trapped in the futile pleasure/guilt cycle of sin with fearful, haunting consequences?  It is only by Jesus Christ and the Gospel wretched sinners are saved from the snare and condemnation of sin, and in God find the freedom, forgiveness and rest we truly long for.  Our sin is never barren but always produces death.  For those trapped in the wood, life becomes a living hell.  Oh, what joy to have fellowship with God freely offered us despite ourselves with the sure promise of heaven!

Putting God's Word into Practice

I have never been alive during a global pandemic before, and the impact on church gatherings has been felt.  When businesses and churches were locked down in Sydney for months last year it prompted us to begin live-streaming Sunday sermons.  As restrictions eased I entered discussions if we should continue live-streaming or if it encouraged people who were permitted to worship with a body of believers (with restrictions) to stay isolated in the comfort of their homes.  In the end it was decided any means of sharing the word of God and the Gospel was more profitable than seeking to exert control over the decisions of others.  Each one of us will give an account of himself before God, and to leave matters in His hands is best.

My experience largely lines up with people from other church fellowships I have spoken to, that there are people who regularly attended church before the pandemic who have not made it back.  We have also seen new people visit and attend our fellowship when their churches were not yet meeting.  In a church that practices expository teaching through the Bible from the pulpit, it has occurred to me the emphasis on teaching might convey it is the primary need or means of being "in fellowship."  This, of course, it not true.  Genuine fellowship occurs between people and God when they are born again by faith in Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit.  Believers comprise the church of which Jesus is the Head, and we gather together in His name.  Regular gathering with other Christians is assumed in scripture, for over and over Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth, "When you come together..." not "If you come together."

It is a real problem if people think teaching is all they need for fellowship and spiritual health, as if knowledge alone is enough.  A coach knows a lot about the sport he or she coaches, and they are coaching because for whatever reason they are no longer playing.  Knowing the truth doesn't mean we follow it ourselves.  I have spoken words of encouragement straight from the scripture to people who attended church who later attempted suicide.  This shows attending church, hearing and knowing the scriptures does not profit us unless we heed it!  James 1:22 guides us, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."  There are a lot of deceived people in the world, and those who are born again (and not of this world) should take care we are not numbered among them.  Hearing and not putting into practice what we have heard leads to self-deception, and this warning is for believers to take to heart.

This is the key:  we must put into practice what God has said.  Professional athletes are not beyond practicing.  I daresay these who rise to the pinnacle of success in their sport often practice the most and best!  None of us needed to work to earn salvation, for it is a work accomplished by Jesus.  He invites us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, to be the servant of all as we follow His example.  This means to practice more than church attendance, reading the Bible or praying:  it means taking action afterward accordingly to what we hear at church, what we read and what God impresses on our hearts.  If God speaks encouragement, let us receive it.  Should He correct us, let us admit we have been wrong about that and seek to do right.  It is when we put faith in Christ into practice we finally begin to grow.

Goliath Had Brothers

The historical record of David triumphing over Goliath the giant with a sling and stone is well known.  Goliath wasn't the only son of a giant in Gath, for the Bible tells us of four others.  I expect you would have trouble if asked to name them, since they only appear in 2 Samuel 21 and 1 Chronicles 20.  This would be a trick question as well, because one of them is unnamed.  His distinguishing mark (besides being a giant!) was he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.

The children of Israel rejoiced when David slew Goliath and his blasphemous boasting against the living God and His people was silenced forever.  But even after this notable victory conflicts with the Philistines--and giants of Gath--continued after David was unfit to go to battle.  2 Samuel 21:15-17 says, "When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. ¹⁶ Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."  Victory over Goliath by the power of God did not mean David was assured victory over Ishi-Benob alone.  David would have been presumptuous to say, "I defeated Goliath last time, so I'm the one to fight his brother." It was God who gave David the victory over Goliath, and he needed help from Abishai on this occasion.

Each of the giants of Gath had different preferences in battle:  Goliath used a sword and javelin, Ishi-Benob had a spear and new sword, and Lahmi used a spear that resembled a weaver's beam due to its great thickness.  We are not told what weapons Saph (Sippai in 1 Chron. 20:4) or the giant with superfluous digits used, only that they were defeated by various men of Israel.  A lesson from this is when a "giant" is defeated, another different one can rise up to oppose God's people.  A Christian has rejoiced in the victory over a particular sin like lust of the eyes only to have the pride of life impose itself upon his soul.  The faith in God required to face and vanquish Goliath was required for new giants who defied Israel, and each was a new test to face and endure by faith.  Each time a giant came up against Israel God raised up one to slay them, and God renews our minds and strengthens our hearts to endure.

The God who helped David defeat lion, bear and Philistine is our Good Shepherd who empowers us to face overwhelming foes more powerful than we.  As we make our pilgrimage there will be a never ending parade of challenges and obstacles to our walk with God, yet all can be overcome as we trust in Jesus Christ for wisdom, strength and courage to continue.  In a spiritual war there are many battles, and let us not imagine any conflict in our flesh is "one and done."  Though David was strengthened to fell Goliath with one shot and Jesus delivered the death blow to sin and death for Christians, we need God as much today as ever to follow Jesus in unwavering faith.  When we are weak and faint, God remains strong.

Needs Graciously Met

God created mankind with many needs and many of these we recognise:  we know we need oxygen to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, to sleep, work and shelter.  We learn by experience we have a limited space of time between feeling like we need to use the toilet to really needing to go.  Over time we discover our list of needs grows to needing to avoid foods that make us sick and medication we are allergic to.  Being born again by faith in Jesus opens our eyes to a whole new world of needs, that of forgiveness, redemption, acceptance and love we never realised before.

Even as there are things we know we need, we have a need all Christians need to realise:  to experience and endure trials.  Many people and even believers are confused with how a God who is supposedly good allows us to go through painful circumstances which obviously seem bad.  The world is full of things which are not God's will due to sin, like death and destruction, yet from the example of Jesus dying on Calvary we learn God has the power to use and redeem them for good.

James 1:2-4 states, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."  Knowledge of our loving God and His good intentions ought to impact our view of trials and turn a hopeless situation into one where we can experience the joy of the LORD.  If we would be honest, we would assert we have no desire or need for trials.  Our lack of faith and patience says otherwise!  Trials are God-ordained and designed tests to strengthen and condition our faith to endure for the long haul.

James 1:12 provides encouragement for all who are experiencing trials:  "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."  When we feel a trial is killing us it actually works toward us receiving a crown of life by grace through faith in Jesus.  God's love never fails, and His strength is without end.  Having designed the trial, God supplies the way to endure as it is written in 1 Corinthians 10:13:  "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

In trials do not lose heart because God is faithful to keep His promises.  A student who desires approval by a passing mark must first submit to sit the exam, and children of the living God realise He knows our needs and is able to supply them better than we ever could.  Our biggest need in life and for life is that of God, and in Him all our needs--even for trials--are graciously met.