Faith Retained in Christ

Placing your faith in the wrong things can lead to devastating consequences.  All the time we hear about trusted people who were exposed as frauds, like an investor that secretly ran a Ponzi scheme and stole the money or the friendly neighbour later exposed as a molester.  It recently was huge news when a small group of people died aboard a submersible they believed would safely allow them to tour the wreck of the Titanic in the crushing depths.  Some place faith in themselves they ought to be reserved only for the almighty God.  Misplaced faith is a dangerous thing, and the disastrous evidence of this is all around.

I have witnessed this misplaced faith in people who look to a priest or minister for hope and assurance of salvation rather than Christ and His word.  People can give credence to feelings or experiences to confirm what is true and real instead of what God has plainly spoken in the scripture.  Today I read a quote from a Christian organisation that said, "...We will never stop believing in our young generation."  I cannot imagine Jesus ever saying such a thing.  Generations young or old are not worthy of our faith which ought to be placed in Jesus Christ alone because He is our Saviour and Redeemer; He is our Strength and living Hope.  It may be a common tactic to pump up a crowd or congregation by telling them how wonderful and worthy they are, yet this runs counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that points to Him as the only One worthy of faith and trust.

In a world full of flawed people, there is nothing easier than finding fault with others.  But it can be very difficult to honestly examine our own hearts and repent of our misplaced faith.  Considering this quote prompts me to see if I am guilty of misplaced faith or presenting a message that leads people away from faith in Jesus Christ alone.  If the Galatian church could be swayed from the Gospel to the beggarly elements of the Law and labour to put themselves under the curse Jesus redeemed them from, so can we (Gal. 4:19).  Judging ourselves righteously and responding with repentance and obedience to Jesus is something we can do before it is too late to change course.  Praise the LORD the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts of sin, teaches, guides and comforts us as we look to Jesus and trust in Him.

Having our faith built upon Jesus as revealed in scripture is a key factor in finishing our pilgrimage of faith strong.  The wisdom of the world (which is foolishness to God) is like a lion at the door waiting for an opportunity to pounce.  Worldly messages, tactics and emotional appeals can be convincing and  seem to provide results we are looking for.  A rock-solid biblical foundation and the lens of the Gospel help us establish a worldview that is resistant to the wisdom of the world and yields to the wisdom of God--and Jesus Who is our life and wisdom for us.  People place their faith in all sorts of things, but blessed are the people whose God is the LORD Jesus. 

God's Works Revealed In Us

"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ² And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" ³ Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."

John 9:1-3

As I was preparing the sermon for this week, I was drawn to consider this among many other passages of scripture.  Having been raised observing the Law of Moses, the disciples were well-versed on passages that warned of the consequences of sin--that God would bring disease and illness upon them for departing from obedience to His word.  It seemed obvious to the disciples, therefore, this man or his parents must have sinned in some fashion to deserve this permanent condition.  The answer of Jesus must have been surprising to them, and it is very good news for us as well.

The disciples had fallen into a common trap that they could by simple observation know the root cause of a problem--as if they were God.  Since Jesus is God and knew all about this man and his parents, He was able with authority to declare the truth:  neither the sin of the parents or the unborn child was the reason for his blindness.  It seems the religious leaders believed similarly to the disciples, for even after Jesus miraculously healed him they sneered, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  Jesus did not suggest the man blind from birth or his parents had lived their lives entirely without sin, yet it was not a particular sin that led to their son being born blind.  God had redemptive purposes in mind He would bring to pass in due time.

Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  Here is the marvellous grace of God shown in an unexpected way.  The disciples looked upon the man's blindness as a curse, yet it was the means God would redeem for the works of God to be revealed in him.  What some call a disability was the way Jesus used to bring spiritual insight to the man he would boldly proclaim to others:  he once was blind, but because of Jesus he could see.  On the momentous day this man received physical sight he was thrown out of the synagogue, yet with his eyes he saw in-person the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, and worshipped Him as LORD.  Getting kicked out the synagogue was overshadowed completely by being received into the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus.

Isn't it wonderful to consider the things which may prevent us from doing what others can physically do can be the vehicle for God to reveal His works in us?  We are often like the disciples, rushing to judgments based upon our assumptions without considering God's redemptive power, goodness and grace.  People with perfect eyesight can remain in the dark and blind to God's wonderful works He desires to reveal in us, and only with eyes of faith in Christ can we receive them gladly.  Having experienced redemption by the Gospel, we are now able to proclaim to others the goodness, mercy and faithfulness of God to us--even if our eyesight fails.

When Things Go Wrong

Have you ever had things go wrong?  It is likely there have been occasions today unexpected things happened you wish could have been avoided.  For instance, today I investigated why the printer was producing folded pages.  I could see paper dust residue inside the printer, so I figured it would be better to vacuum it out rather than make the dust airborne in the house with compressed air.  What I did not notice was a sizeable foam insert only after it was immediately sucked into the vacuum!  I was grateful I had just changed the bag so the part was easy to remove and replace into the printer--after sopping up ink it had absorbed that was all over my hands.  You know, things like that. :)

My mind flitted back to years ago when I had organised a pour of concrete at my house.  I put in the hard yards with my dad setting forms, laying down steel mesh, paid for the concrete and managed labour.  And then the night before the pour I came down with the flu or had food poisoning.  I was disappointed to be sick and wasn't able to contribute on the day like I planned on doing.  God was gracious in providing the skilled labour necessary to pour and finish the concrete, which are skills I do not possess anyway.  I can think of other times where things went wrong and there was no immediate good I could point to that came from it, even though I am convinced God caused it to work for good.

The wonderous thing is the almighty God I know and love has never had the experience of anything ever going wrong.  There has never been an occasion something unexpected and bad happened He was unaware of and incapable of redeeming.  Even saying something has "gone wrong" exposes our misguided expectations, our ignorance of knowing what was coming and what God is planning.  When Jesus was crucified on the cross, His disciples were dismayed and totally shattered even though He told them beforehand it would come to pass.  Peter later wrote to believers who suffered persecution for their faith in 1 Peter 4:12-13, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  By design God would bring unexpected fiery trials His people's way they were by faith in Him to welcome into their lives like offering hospitality to a stranger into their home, and in the midst of their present suffering they could rejoice in a glorious future with their risen LORD and Saviour Jesus.

In this world things will go wrong and sometimes very wrong.  This results in all sorts of troubles with added inconvenience, extra work, needing to reschedule appointments, increased expense, feelings of embarrassment, physical pain, going without something important, needing to organise rides or to humble ourselves and apologise.  The list of our unexpected problems and difficulties is truly endless.  When things go wrong for us, we can rest assured nothing has gone wrong for God.  Our unexpected calamity, boneheaded decision or weakness does not prevent Him from accomplishing His good plans and tests us in the meantime, to see if we will trust Him or not.  Our fleshly responses when things go wrong may provide some of the clearest, best insights into aspects of our character God desires us to repent of as sinful and be more like Him today and moving forward.

Our Bright Future

Lately I've been considering the world that existed before the flood, even when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden.  I have found it difficult to imagine a world different from what we experience today, an existence completely without the curse of sin that brought death and multiplied sorrow exponentially.  Life outside of Eden must have been a difficult adjustment for Adam and Eve, and it must have been difficult for Noah and his household as well to exit the ark into a world that hardly resembled what they previously knew.  Their relationship to animals changed as well, for the LORD put the fear of man upon living creatures.

One thing that is easier to comprehend (also ironic because it is unfathomable) is the ease of transition it will be for people who depart this world in physical death and will be received into eternal glory by God in heaven.  As our lives on earth will someday end, so the heavens and earth we see and experience now will also be brought to an end.  Revelation 21:1-4 says, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

It is hard to imagine a new heaven and new earth where God will dwell with His people free of the effects of sin's curse.  It is not hard to imagine how wonderful it will be to live with our glorious Saviour in a new world where death, sorrow, crying and pain have passed away and will be gone without a trace.  After his resurrection Jesus presented His hands marked by nails and His side pierced with a spear, yet there was not recollection of the pain He experienced, no tender scar tissue, no lamenting over His suffering or those who rejected the offer of salvation.  Our perfect God will make the eternal state perfect without flaw, leaving nothing to be desired, and all of our needs completely met in Him.

Since God has made this world that even soiled with sin man is loathe to leave and wants to preserve his fond memories forever, how much more lovely will it be in the place where only righteousness dwells?  In the eternal state our minds will never linger on the good that once was that seems presently absent, for it will always be good presently without respite.  The heavenly honeymoon stage will always be in the exciting present without weariness, boredom or thinking, "What's next?"  Praise God for the plans He has for us and the place Jesus is preparing for us.  These things we only see dimly pale in comparison to the knowledge of the God we know Who will Himself be with us forever. :)