How Awesome to See

How Awesome to See

Stepping onto the scale I check my weight. Sitting on the beach I observe the rising and falling of the tide. Staring up at the night sky I observe the moon and stars as they journey on their set paths through time and space. Strolling through the woods I witness a nut falling from a tree. Gravity is real. 

Although Sir Isaac Newton made many extraordinary contributions to mathematics and science, perhaps he is best known for his development of theories explaining gravitational forces. In a story retold many times, an apple falling from a tree is most likely what inspired Newton’s contemplations and resulting theories explaining gravity. 

To understand and accurately explain the unseen realities that result in observable phenomenon takes tremendous insight. Great minds in mathematics and science can help us to understand the laws of nature. 

I have never seen gravity. But I constantly see it working. Gravity is real.

Not surprisingly, the sovereign Lord of the universe, who established the laws of nature, attests to the reality of them in His Holy Word. In Isaiah 34:4, God is using His prophet Isaiah to foretell the pouring out of God’s wrath on earth prior to the future reconciliation of all things. At the end of this verse, God is stating that the fulfillment of this prophecy is as certain as gravity – like fruit falling from a tree (see also Revelation chapter 6, specifically vs 13). 

• Isaiah 34:4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.

I have never seen God. But I constantly see Him working. God is real!

To accept the truth about the unseen reality of the one and only loving and sovereign God that created the universe takes great faith. The Word of God and His Holy Spirit enable us to understand His laws and His nature. 

Jesus (God in the flesh) knew that it would be difficult for ‘those who have not seen’ Him to believe in Him.

• John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

And many who did see Him still didn’t believe in who He was.

• John 6:35-36 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

In the book of Hebrews, we find a concise definition of faith:

• Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

And Paul provides valuable insights about the nature and importance of our faith:

• Romans 8:24-25 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
• 2 Corinthians 4:18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

When Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of the world, He forced our hands. If we are willing to see Him, He has made a way for us to know Him. If we are only willing to see what is before our fleshly eyes, we will remain blind to truth about Him.

• John 9:39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

How awesome to see:

God’s Hand Move

His abundant protection, provision and patience have been an ever-present reality in my life – even during the dark days before I knew Him.

• Ezra 8:31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.

God’s Character Displayed

His perfect love is revealed in all He does and allows – even when we don’t understand the why or the how.

• Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

God’s Spirit Fill

His miraculous power is manifested through His Spirit that lives in His children – even though, in and of ourselves, we are weak and prone to sin.

• Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

God’s Word Go Forth

His absolute truth is marching on; saving souls and changing lives – even as the world grows increasingly intolerant and hostile toward Him, His message, and His children.

• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God’s Purposes Revealed 

His motives are pure, His intentions are just, and His compassions never fail – even as we struggle to comprehend His justice and how all things work together for our good.

• Isaiah 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:

God’s Plans Succeed

His ending to the story of creation, life, death, and eternal judgement is certain – even if many reject Him and His sovereign rule over all creation.

• Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

God’s Will Be Done

His desire is for all to know and love Him – even while many deny, reject, and hate Him.

• 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God’s Creation Reconciled

His creation will be restored, and His children will be perfected – even though we don’t deserve it, He has graciously made a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

• 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Can you accept the reality of something you can’t see?

Do you feel God drawing you?

Now is the time to surrender to the love of God.

Now is the time to admit your need for Him.

God is real!

How Awesome to See

The Truth About Jesus!

Prayer

Thank You Lord for revealing Yourself in so many ways. Please open the eyes of the blind so that they may see You and know You. I pray that You will bring rest to the weary, peace to the troubled, love to the hurting, and salvation to the lost. May Your love and truth be the gravity that draws those who need you. I pray these things in the name of my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Aiming to Please

Aiming to Please

It is a good thing when people enjoy coming to church. Joining together for fellowship, encouragement, support, worship, learning, and giving should be a tremendous blessing in the life of a believer. We rejoice in our reconciled relationship with God through Christ Jesus!

But our time in the church and our lives as followers of Christ must go beyond weekly handshakes, hugs and high-fives. The Word of God not only gives us hope and truth, it also challenges the depths of who we really are, our thoughts, and our motives. The Holy Spirit of God not only empowers and teaches those He indwells, He also convicts (convinces/admonishes) the people in the world about sin, righteousness and judgment.

• Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
• Romans 5:11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
• John 16:8-11 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Every living person needs a healthy diet of God’s Word. In addition to the truths that taste great and go down easy, we also need those truths that challenge our palates, take a great dealing of chewing, and may still be hard to digest. We need the entire counsel of absolute truth found in the Bible. Why is this so important? Because every living person must deal with their depraved human nature and the consequences this sin nature produces in their lives.

• Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
• Matthew 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Those Who Have Surrendered to Christ as Savior and Lord

Those who have surrendered their entire lives to Christ have been delivered from slavery to sin. With the Holy Spirit of God living in them, they have the power to overcome sin. Through faith in Christ, they have been fully reconciled to God. But, because of their sinful nature, all believers have an ongoing battle raging within – the Spirit verses the flesh. And this side of heaven, all believers will fall short of a sinless life.

If the teachings of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit are ignored or rejected by a Christian, the absolute truth about the ongoing battle between the flesh and the spirit in a believer (especially when combined with the clear Biblical teaching that Christians must continually seek personal righteousness in daily living through ongoing cleansing from sin) can be frustrating, boring, or even viewed as inapplicable to those who follow Christ.

• Romans 6:17-18 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
• 1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
• Romans 7:18-19 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice
• Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Those Who Have Rejected Christ as Savior and Lord

Those who don’t follow Jesus are defenseless against the enticements and lies that cause people to sin against God. Apart from God, the truth of His Word, and the power of His Spirit, no honorable intentions or desire to ‘live a good life’ can reconcile a person to God or enable them to live a life pleasing to God. As difficult as it may be to understand/accept, those who haven’t been reconciled to God are living in direct opposition to Him; they have rejected His offer of reconciliation through faith in Jesus and will therefore face God’s wrath.

Without the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit teaching an unbeliever, the absolute truth about the requirement for salvation through faith in Christ for eternal life in Heaven (especially when combined with the clear Biblical teaching that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Way to peace with God) can be ridiculous, offensive, or even inflammatory to those who don’t follow Christ.

• John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
• Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
• 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Aiming to Please

Because the truths of God’s Word may be frustrating, ridiculous, offensive, boring, inflammatory, viewed as inapplicable, etc., to those hearing it, sometimes a person may only share the happy/feel good aspects of Christianity, and avoid discussing certain teachings of the Christian faith. Another approach might be to appeal to the emotions and/or intellect instead of just letting the truth of the Word and the power of the Spirit work in a person’s heart and mind. This might occur due to:

• Immaturity – One who has a lack of knowledge, wisdom or experience.
• Insecurity – One who is afraid of rejection, retaliation or mistakes.
• Imitation – One who is pretending to be something they aren’t.

The Word of God is meant to inform, liberate and transform the human race. But, whether done intentionally or not, when the truth of the Bible is diluted, distorted, diminished, denied or disregarded, hearts and minds remain in bondage to the deceptions, inaccuracies, lusts, and imaginations of Satan, the world and the flesh.

If for any reason a person sharing God’s Word is aiming to please the hearer, they will likely end up avoiding topics that may cause offence to the hearer, excluding important truths that need to be shared, and/or apologizing for/misrepresenting God’s requirements and standards. Telling someone what you think they want to hear, or hope that they are willing to accept, will likely result in shallow discussions that won’t address the hearer’s need for absolute truth. Sometimes, a half-truth is more dangerous than the absence of truth. A half-truth can be more difficult to recognize than an outright lie. 

Here are two examples where the Apostle Paul deals directly with these issues.

• Galatians 1:9-10 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 5 For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness.

We should be aiming to please God

by our willingness to share His truth.

Here are a few simple but practical pointers for sharing the truth of God’s Word.

• Speak the truth in love.
• Be kind, patient, respectful and humble as you share God’s Word.
• Always be ready.
• You don’t have to be an expert about the Bible to share its fundamental truths. However, you should be reading your Bible regularly to grow in your faith and knowledge, and to help prepare you to share what the Bible says.
• Confront without being confrontational.
• Don’t apologize for what God’s Word says/means, but don’t be mean about it.
• Don’t reproach those who reproach you.
• Don’t take insults or attacks personally, any attacks directed at you because of God’s Word are actually directed at God.
• Don’t argue or bully.
• You can’t force someone to listen or believe – only the Holy Spirit of God can reveal the truth of His Word and change someone’s heart. Don’t force it.
• Pray.
• Pray before, during and after you share.

Prayer

Loving Father, please empower and enable Your children to effectively deliver the truth of Your Word to those who need to hear it (to those who know You and those who don’t). Guide us so that we never alter, omit or dilute Your truth. May Your will be done, may Your name be glorified. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.