Turning To God

From my limited perspective in Australia, it seems the entire world stares horrified at the presidential race in the United States.  It is a nation which appears more fractured and divided than ever, and it is clear that no person - no matter how savvy or capable - will be able to bind or heal these wounds.  If I was tasked to describe each of the leading candidates with one word, positive possibilities do not immediately spring to mind.  These candidates should not be blamed for polarising America, for this race has only brought the septic boil which had already been festering to the surface.  Believing a person, political party, or even "the people" have the capacity to create positive change by effort alone without the aid of God is like a man thinking he is able to stop an earthquake with his hands.  The word "futile" comes to mind.

Should Christians vote as led by the Spirit?  Absolutely.  But we are to engage in political process recognising our hope is in God alone, not in government, politicians, or a majority vote.  Unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it (Ps. 127:1).  In Genesis 11 when all people banded together to build a tower to make a name for themselves in disobedience to God, He confounded their languages and immediately scattered them.  What God told the nation Israel in Jeremiah 18:6-10 is relevant for all nations for all time:  "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! ⁷ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, ⁸ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. ⁹ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, ¹⁰ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it."  Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty king of a world empire, but it was nothing for God to raise him up or cast him down (Daniel 2:20-22).  One would hope "a nation under God" would lay this to heart.

So what should be our response to the antics of politicians and their rabid supporters?  One temptation is to retreat from the fray and with grim faces stockpile food, supplies, and ammunition for the apocalypse.  Any such retreat would be a silly, shortsighted gesture.  When God spoke of the Day of the LORD, a day of severe future judgment, He gave His people commands we would do well to consider.  Joel 2:11-13 reads, "The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it? ¹² "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm."  Turning away from politics is of little consequence if we do not turn to the LORD!  It was foolish for people to think they could prevent or escape the judgment of God, and refusal to vote will not prevent a candidate you do not support from being voted into office.  One person alone has no control over the future.  But every man with a contrite, humble heart has an audience before the living God.  God's people are called to turn to Him first themselves.  Don't bother bringing a nation before God until you are first willing to humble yourself before Him for your own sin.  He invites all to return to Him with broken hearts over the condition of this fractured world and divided nations.  Are they not all as soft clay in His hand?  If we harden our hearts and put our confidence in men, we are truly without hope.

Our God is a great God, the One we should trust and seek in times of peace or conflict, in seasons of abundance or lack.  He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.  His mercies are new every morning for great is His faithfulness.  God chooses to use everyday people to accomplish His will, not just paid professionals and politicians.  The focus of the media and people seems to be fixed upon a few politicians, but God is looking somewhere else entirely in the second part of Isaiah 66:2:  "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word."  The world holds its breath to see who will be the next President of the United States, but believers can breathe easy though our hearts break over the sick condition of a nation who looks to a man or woman rather than God for hope and help.  We do not need to fear regardless who is elected to office, what laws are passed, or if current freedoms are outlawed by a totalitarian regime.  Let us turn to God with all our hearts, fear Him, and look to Him for our bright future.  He's the only One who can save us.

Remorse Isn't Repentance

God has placed in every person a conscience, a moral faculty which aids us in knowing right from wrong.  The fact we deem certain actions or behaviour immoral shows humans are moral beings.  Without breaking a law we can feel guilty about what we have said or done which is contrary to our own principles.  Though the conscience of everyone develops according to beliefs, even if we were governed by conscience alone all people embrace a system of right and wrong.  As important the knowledge of right and wrong is, knowledge of doing wrong is insufficient to put things right.  Feelings of guilt are not enough to atone for our sin, regardless of how prolonged or profound they might be.  Without repentance there can be no forgiveness, no matter how awful we feel.

One biblical example which comes to mind is Judas, the man who betrayed an innocent man named Jesus to His death.  He secretly sought out the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver.  From that time he waited for an opportunity to deliver Jesus to them.  After Judas led the Jewish leaders to Jesus to arrest him, even a man who had been possessed with Satan felt bad about what he had done.  Matthew 27:3-5 reads, "Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!" ⁵ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself."  It is evident Judas experienced a massive weight of guilt for betraying innocent blood.  He went to the temple, perhaps hoping the feelings of guilt would subside if he unloaded his sinful wages.  When they refused, he threw the silver at them.  Apparently offloading the silver did nothing to ease his suffering, for so consumed was Judas by guilt he committed suicide by hanging himself.

On the night Jesus was betrayed he said to all His disciples in Matthew 26:24, "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Jesus pronounced woe upon Judas, knowing he would not repent.  A smattering of details are scattered throughout the Gospels which show Judas followed Jesus in word but was not a genuine follower.  He certainly had a working conscience, for Judas called Jesus "Rabbi" when the other disciples called him "Lord" (Matthew 26:19-25)  He held a distinct position among the disciples as the treasurer but was a hypocrite and thief (John 12:4-6).  God is absolutely consistent:  all who humble themselves and repent of their sins will be forgiven - and this offer was extended to Judas as well.  Instead of repenting Judas was consumed in guilt and chose to violently end his own life, a fitting end for a man poisoned with sin.

Esau is another classic case of a man who rejected repentance.  When he was swindled out of his blessing by Jacob, he was upset and rightly so.  Yet instead of accepting blame for giving away his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew, Esau felt he had been wronged when it was his own fault.  He nursed a murderous grudge against his brother, and Jacob was not safe until he moved far away.  Hebrews 12:14-17 says, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears."  Esau felt really bad and shed many tears, but bad feelings did nothing to restore Esau's relationship with God or his brother.  Punishing himself with condemnation or the guilt of others against him did nothing to cleanse Esau of sin.

We can labour under the misunderstanding our bad feelings of guilt for wrongs are sufficient payment before man and God.  The Jesuits used to practice self-flagellation as pennance for their sins, and people do the same today with their feelings of guilt and self-loathing.  When our wrongs are brought to remembrance we may cry out, "Haven't I suffered enough?  When will my pain ever end?"  These bad feelings can bring us to despair and even turn to anger and resentment.  Continually beating ourselves up over our mistakes or condemning ourselves is never the path God intends.  The truth is, we are already condemned by sin.  Esau was condemned before he plotted to kill Jacob, and Judas was condemned before he betrayed Jesus.  We all must repent and be born again through the Gospel to be forgiven and receive atonement for our sin.  We must recognise Jesus has suffered for us, and we must own our wrongs without any self-pity.  It is necessary for us to own our sin, like when David was confronted with his sin with Bathsheba and Urijah.  Repentance should be accompanied with contrition and feelings of sorrow and by grace we experience restoration before a holy, just God.  Remorse or bad feelings aren't repentance but should be evident in our repenting.

Feelings of regret and remorse are useful in causing us to examine our hearts and lead us to repent before God.  Once we have truly owned and repented of a sin we are truly free.  We do not need to condemn or punish ourselves any more - as if Christ's blood is not effectual to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Those who repent are no longer slaves to sin, feeling the need to cover our tracks, justify ourselves, or play the hypocrite.  With a clear conscience before God and man we do not need to defend ourselves, for Christ has forgiven us and set us free.  David's sin was ever before him, but it didn't need to wound him any more.  God brought healing to his soul and restoration before the righteous Judge.  Psalm 51:6-8 reads, "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. ⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ⁸ Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice."  Remorse leads only to guilt, but repentance ultimately leads to rejoicing.

Astonishing Doctrine of Jesus

All Christians have the sober responsibility to rightly divide the Word of truth.  It is important we observe what the text plainly says before we rush to explain what it means.  It is also critical we do not parrot what we have heard but do our best to stay true to the text with our emphasis.  It is a common mistake to transfer assumptions based upon hearsay or our opinions into passages and provide the wrong impression.  One passage where this is commonly done is when Jesus on two occasions cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem.

People have used this passage to justify being angry when the passage never explicitly says Jesus was.  The harmonising scriptural accounts of the Gospels portray Jesus observing the illicit trade in the Temple, fashioning a scourge of small chords, and then driving out the animals and overturning tables.  Those who say Jesus must have been angry (maybe they would have!) might be the same people who assume a parent must be fueled with anger when administering discipline with a paddle to the seat of his/her disobedient child.  This is unfounded.  To say Jesus was angry when He drove out the money changers is conjecture which goes beyond the text.  Looking at Jesus through the lens of our flesh is a huge mistake.

The emphasis and revelation of the text is Jesus taught the people who were in the Temple, quoting from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.  As I read the account of Mark, I noticed the emphasis in a fresh way today I never had before.  The richness of the Bible expands the understanding of those who are willing and patient to observe.  One would have thought the actions of Jesus made the biggest impact, but it was His teaching.  As Jesus held His ground in the Temple and forbade people to carry wares through the courtyard, Mark 11:17-18 says, "Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" ¹⁸ And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching."

How clear is this?  Most Christians are blown away that Jesus would make a whip and drive sellers and their animals out of the Temple, but the scribes, chief priests, and people were amazed by His doctrine.  The text says the scribes and chief priests heard what He was saying.  They wanted to kill Him - not primarily because their hope of gain was gone - but because of His doctrine which implicated them.  Jesus first quoted from Isaiah 56, and after talking about His house as a house of prayer for all nations the passage said in Isaiah 56:10-11:  "His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. ¹¹ Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory."  Ouch.  No doubt the words of Jesus cut like a sword through the hearts of the scribes and priests, implicated as blind watchmen, dumb and greedy dogs who could not understand.  No wonder they were upset!

Jesus made a "den of thieves" reference spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.  Hear and feel the full force of His words in Jeremiah 7:1-11, a pronouncement from God against them:  "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, ² "Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!' " ³ Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. ⁴ Do not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.' ⁵ For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, ⁶ if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, ⁷ then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. ⁸ "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. ⁹ Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, ¹⁰ and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'? ¹¹ Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the LORD."  The scribes and priests oppressed the people for monetary gain, for money was their god.  These statements angered the rulers and amazed the people, for there stood a man who spoke as God.

Jesus, being God, had the authority to say such things.  To the scribes and priests these were fighting words.  They were infuriated and sought how they might destroy Him.  Jesus spoke the truth in love with a clear, strong voice and the rulers feared Him.  What Jesus did and said all has great significance, and let us be sure we put aside our own assumptions so we can observe and understand what the Bible says!

Seeing Jesus As Your Way

For many people, happiness and joy is always out of reach.  We hope changed circumstances in the future will make things better, but quite often when we arrive at our destination we face another set of problems.  Like a man looking for an oasis we stumble from mirage to mirage, exhausted and increasingly disillusioned.  We swallow our fantasies and grow sick when they never deliver what they promised us.  Man looks for relief, rest, contentment, fulfillment, and satisfaction, and yet to reach for them is grasping for the wind.

When I worked at a church in the United States, people would often come off the street asking for something.  People would ask for food, money for petrol, bus tokens, to use the phone, for a lift, to leave their car in our carpark overnight, for counselling, anything.  I remember one man in particular who asked for money to fix the transmission on his van.  During my initial conversation with him, it seemed like his broken transmission was the only thing which concerned him.  If only he had his transmission fixed, his life would be fixed to.  I came to find out the reason why the transmission was so important was because this individual was living in his van.  There were a lot of broken things in the man's life; the transmission happened to be his biggest priority at the moment.  When it was fixed, something immediately sprang up to fill the void.

We are all the same.  When the poisonous "If only..." thinking takes hold on our thinking, be warned.  "If only I was out of this relationship..." "If only I had this better job..." "If only people respected me..." "If only I could have a decent holiday..."  "If only" thinking never ends and is never satisfied!  It is reasonable for us to take note of physical pain and treat it medically, even as it is wise to maintain our vehicles so they are able to safely transport us.  But unless we learn to be content in God in our current situation - despite our pain or difficulties - we will not be content even when our dreams come true.  There will be something else waiting to rob you of your joy and contentment.  It is only when we recognise Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him is our only means of being made whole that we can experience true joy and peace which cannot be taken from us.

This truth is illustrated when a blind man called out to Jesus as He came to Jericho.  Jesus stopped and bid the man be called to him.  The man rushed over to Jesus, and Jesus asked him what he desired.  The man said, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."  Mark 10:52 reads, "Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road."  It is telling that after Jesus opened the man's eyes, he used them to follow Jesus, the One who had made him whole.  I believe with eyes of faith this man understood.  His eyes would likely grow dim with age and one day close permanently in death.  So often we are without contentment and ask God to change our circumstances.  In the instances when He does, our tendency is to immediately ask for the next thing instead of following Him today in joyful thanksgiving.  Perhaps God is gracious and good to allow difficult trials so we will realise we need Him and not just something from Him.  The blind man who Jesus made whole teaches all who are willing to see.  Jesus said "Go your way," and the man did:  Jesus was his way, truth, and life.