It's Hell Without Jesus

There is good reason to be wary of anyone who claims they will usher in a new world by their policies and ideology.  Like conquerors who built their homes on top of the cities they took and reduced to rubble, it is only a matter of time until the homes atop the tel are knocked down and made a ruin by new occupants.  Victory in battle or the ballot box may be thrilling, yet leadership that heads in a progressive direction--away from God and values that helped establish a country in the first place--precedes a downward spiral.  Those who claim by their leadership can create utopia for all assert the ability to do something only God can do.  God said in Isaiah 65:17 of a glorious future He will usher in:  "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."

The Bible teaches that when people or nations lose their way and become corrupt and lawless, it is not that they need to head in a new direction:  they need to return to the old good paths God has established and choose to walk in them.  Jeremiah 6:16 reads, "Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'"  One fault of man passed down from the very beginning by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was to follow in Satan's footsteps to desire to be God, to be free to do whatever we will, to speak the word and for it to be fulfilled.  The humanistic and atheistic ambitions to establish a utopian society have never been realised and cannot stand because God--who alone is able to create new heavens and earth and transform man from within into a new creature--has been cut out of the picture.  Mankind is incapable of creating or doing anything new; he is incapable of saving a nation or even himself!  Disregard of our spiritual need for a relationship with the living God leads to ruined minds, bodies, souls and societies.

Many have tried to usher in their ideal age with legislation, and when this falls short they resort to force and control.  When they fail, there is an easy excuse that the status quo was not sufficiently demolished or the foul roots of the previous establishment have undermined a most worthy plan.  Inability to reap the rewards of capitalist, communist or socialist agendas are blamed on the lack of sufficient money, political power, resources or commitment of the common man to prove their ideals sound in reality despite incredible human cost.  The blame often falls on people who become expendable.  The starvation under Mao's Great Leap Forward, the killing fields of Cambodia, propaganda that elevates leaders or the government to godlike status, these are not relics of a distant past:  the implementation of deceptive and authoritarian measures defiant of God and His word continue to this day.  Many aspiring leaders follow Absalom's way of promising justice for all by deceitful and unjust means.  Consider Absalom's approach in 2 Samuel 15:4-6:  "Moreover Absalom would say, "Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice."  ⁵ And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. ⁶ In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel."  Absalom was a murderer, thief, adulterer, deceiver and liar unworthy of honour or rule.  His rebellion did not last long, but the human toll was terrible.

The desire of people to be God shows our need as those created in God's image to humble ourselves and submit to God; our ambition to rule and for our word to stand shows the importance of heeding God's word and take our stand on it.  There is something in utopia that is attractive because it hints at the peace, prosperity and rest that is found in Jesus Christ alone--God who makes us new creations.  People who do not believe in God hope there is a heaven, and this desire to go to heaven comes from God who will create a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells because He sits on the throne.  We are all invited, but people are unwilling to enter in the Door (John 10:7-9) God has swung wide open to us by faith in Christ.  The concept of communal living and all working together for the common benefit hints at the unity people can have by faith in Jesus Christ, united by the Holy Spirit, and loving one another as Jesus loves us.  God's sovereignty, love and grace is conspicuously absent in the ideal world of many people, yet without God man's best efforts result in a hellscape of oppression, control, persecution, poverty, punishment and death.  The world has no idea how the presence of God and the love of Jesus Christ through the church and the wisdom of God's word have worked to protect, preserve and redeem nations to this day:  providing light in darkness, hope for the hopeless and salvation for sinners.

The conception of utopia falls woefully short of the plans God has revealed for all who love and trust Him, eternal life in the presence of our glorious Saviour forever.  Revelation 21:3-5 says, "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." ⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."  Jesus has overcome pride, sin and death, and He will make all things new forever--and this includes us.  No society on earth has ever boasted freedom from death, eternal damnation, sorrow, crying or pain, but this is the future God has in store for all people who trust in Him.  You can keep your wistful dreams of future utopia, for I have infinitely better in Jesus Christ today and always.

The New and Living Way

In family Bible reading, we have come to a series of psalms that provide brief overviews that testify of God's wondrous dealings and faithfulness to the children of Israel.  In facing present difficulties, how good it is to fix our eyes on God and consider His awesome and marvellous ways.  In a world that exuberantly shouts out the Fleetwood Mac refrain "You can go your own way!" and is intent on asserting and pleasing self, God has provided the only way to eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ.  This is a life free of bondage to sin, self and death entered into by denying self and following Jesus.

To the children of Israel who faced attacks from Assyria, would ultimately fall to Babylon and be brought into captivity for 70 years, in God there remained hope of a glorious future.  Through the prophet the LORD declared in Isaiah 43:15-19:  "I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King." ¹⁶ Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, ¹⁷ who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power (they shall lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): ¹⁸ "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

God's word hearkened back to His mighty power displayed during the exodus from Egypt when He made a way through the Red Sea to deliver His people from the Egyptian army that pursued them.  The "way" God made was much more than just a way out of trouble but the way of salvation by faith in God.  For the Hebrews, the God's way was entered into by faith and literally was a path to life, leading to fellowship and worship of God, and the destruction of their enemies.  To people who would be brought into captivity in Babylon, God would do a new thing, making a road back from captivity to Jerusalem and the land of promise.  As God miraculously caused water to flow from the rock in the wilderness, God would provide safe passage and supply all their needs in the desert.

Another way God fulfilled this word was heralded by John the Baptist who in the wilderness prepared the way for the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  In a spiritually dry and barren world, Jesus identified Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).  Jesus said whoever believes on Him will out of his belly flow rivers of Living Water, speaking of the Holy Spirit the Father would send.  Going our own way brought us to ruin, yet God has provided a new and living way to God through faith in Jesus--the One who bid all who are thirsty to come to Him and drink (John 7:37-38).  The Hebrews drank water from the rock in the wilderness and thirsted again, yet those who come to Jesus by faith--the living Way God has provided--will ask and receive the Holy Spirit who is a fountain that springs up within us into everlasting life (John 4:10-14).

Jesus Christ Magnified

As a kid at church, I always enjoyed hearing the testimonies of people who had come to Christ.  It was an opportunity to know a fellow Christian better, hear the way God revealed Himself to them, and how God was working in their life currently.  There were many testimonies I heard which had a large emphasis on a life before Christ and various sinful activities they pursued.  It was rare for someone to open the Bible and read verses God had used to change their minds, Scripture that lead to the realisation of their sinfulness and need for salvation.  Had God's word always been proclaimed in those testimonies perhaps they would have been exponentially more spiritually fruitful!

An intriguing situation occurred in the book of Acts when seven Jewish men (sons of Sceva a Jewish leader of the priests) worked as traveling exorcists and took it upon themselves to command demons to depart in the name of Jesus whom Paul preached.  Acts 19:15-16 reads, "And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" ¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."  The evil spirit knew Jesus the Son of God and Paul His servant, but these sons of Sceva had no part in Christ's kingdom:  they simply applied a formulaic approach based on their observations of Paul.  Without the protection and power of Jesus Christ, these imposter exorcists were overcome and beaten up by the demon possessed man.  Rather than the demon leaving the man he possessed, the hireling exorcists ran naked from the house--their weakness, folly and unbelief exposed for all to see.

When the story spread through Ephesus, Acts 19:17-20 explained the massive impact it had on the hearers:  "This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. ¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed."  Fear fell on all those who heard of what happened, and the name of the LORD Jesus was magnified who has authority and power over all spirits.  Not once was Jesus beaten up or unable to cast out a demon with His word alone, for He is truly the LORD of all.  What is amazing is how Jewish and Gentile Christians came confessing their deeds, for they had been involved in occultic practices that employed demonic power.  Not only did they testify publicly their deeds but they brought their books containing their incantations and burned them.

The failure of the sons of Sceva to drive out the demon resulted in Christians fearing God and purging the church of sin when people confessed, repented of their sin and burned their books once and for all in public.  The power of sin that was strong in secret was overcome in public view by the fear of God.  The confessing of sin and burning of the magic books showed how "the word of the LORD grew mightily and prevailed."  Reading and studying God's word is vital for the Christian, and when we submit ourselves to God's word through faith and obedience great strides can be made in personal purity and being a godly witness.  It seems while Christians kept their secret books and the Scripture the power of God's word remained dormant in their lives, but when they confessed their demonic dabbling and destroyed their books, God's word grew mightily and prevailed.  May it be through our lives and testimony the name of the LORD Jesus is magnified, and by our confession of sin and reformation the word of the LORD will grow mightily and prevail.

A Cantankerous Christian?

In the C.S. Lewis book God In the Dock, he was asked if there are any "unmistakable outward signs in a person surrendered to God, and if that person could be cantankerous?  "Cantankerous" is defined as, "bad tempered, tending to argue or complain."  C.S. Lewis made good points in his answer:

"Take the case of a sour old maid, who is a Christian, but cantankerous.  On the other hand, take some pleasant and popular fellow, but who has never been to Church.  Who knows how much more cantankerous the old maid might be if she were not a Christian, and how much more likeable the nice fellow might be if he were a Christian?  You can't judge Christianity simply by comparing the product in those two people:  you would need to know what kind of raw material Christ was working on in both cases.

As an illustration, let us take a case of industrialism.  Let us take two factories: 

    - Factory A with poor and inadequate plant, and

    - Factory B with first-class modern plant. 

You can't judge by the outside.  You must consider the plant and methods by which they are run, and considering the plant at Factory A, it may be a wonder it does anything at all; and considering the new machinery at Factory B, it may be a wonder it doesn't do better." (Lewis, C. S., and Walter Hooper. God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. page 49)

Judging others based upon appearances is sinful (John 7:24), and measuring ourselves by ourselves is unwise (2 Corinthians 10:12).  Only God knows the hearts of people and the "raw material" found there which requires much miraculous refinement.  Being saved by grace through faith is no excuse to neglect our own sanctification as Christians, for we should live to please God who gave all for us.  This involves us learning to submit to Christ's guidance, instruction and correction.  Reformation and refinement should not be something we look back as occurring primarily at our conversion but things that are taking place today because our fellowship with the holy God reveals our sin; we continue to fall short of God's glorious perfection.  It would be foolish to condemn Jesus Christ because of spiritually immature and sinning Christians, but it doesn't stop people from doing so.  Dear fellow believers, let's not provide easy excuses for people to ascribe folly to Christ our LORD because of our lack of love, grace, Christlikeness or cantankerousness--if that is indeed a word.