WISE AS SERPENTS...

Colossians 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

In Matthew 10 we have the account of Jesus sending out the Twelve disciples to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven had come.  He gives them their instructions and in these instructions is one that always used to make me scratch my head.  In Matthew 10:16 he says, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”  Wise as serpents and innocent as doves?  It almost strikes me as two opposite instructions.  First, be street smart about everything; alert and not easily deceived.  Second, don’t get involved in the street stuff; the sin and worldliness.

This morning in my reading I came across Colossians 2:8.  I never put these two passages together in my mind before but it seems as if Paul is encouraging the believers in the same way that Jesus charged his disciples.  “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world…”  Be wise as serpents, be alert, don’t be deceived.  “…And not according to Christ.”  Live your lives according to Christ in obedience and holiness.

I sit early in the morning and have coffee with guys from church and we have run up against this question many times.  How do we live our lives in this culture without being deceived and how do we continue faithfully demonstrating the love of Christ?  Our culture is pressing against our Christian faith all the time.  The pressure is to conform to the viewpoints and perspectives of the world.  Our schools are teaching a godless version of the origin of all things.  The environmental movement is pushing us toward worship of the earth rather than stewardship of it.  Government is threatening us with hate speech when we preach and teach a biblical view of sexuality and marriage.  More and more we are being groomed to accept the intrusion of the state into our lives while they promise they are only looking out for our good.  All of these things and many more are quietly intruding, slowly but surely leading even Christian people astray, away from the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Paul says these are human philosophies and empty deceits.  The rise from the elemental spirits of the world; i.e. the fallen human flesh.  Christians are tempted to compromise.  We are condemned because we will not accept a relativistic perspective on the philosophies of the world.  This is why we must be faithful students of the Bible.  This is why we can’t give in to those who say the Bible is no longer relevant.  This is why we must reject the popular idea that theology and doctrine are divisive and unnecessary in our churches.  If anything, we need theology and doctrine more than ever!  If we don’t hold fast to the teachings of Jesus we will surely fall into the quagmire of this world and lose hold of the truth.

SIMPLE WITNESS

John 9

Jesus and his disciples passed a blind man and the disciples sought to enter into a theological discussion with Jesus.  “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus refused either option and replied, “It was not that is man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”  In other words, God ordained that the man would be born blind so God would be glorified in his life.  Jesus applies mud to the man’s eyes and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam.  The man obeys and receives his sight.

Having nothing else to do, the seeing man returns home and his neighbors were completely befuddled.  They asked him how he received his sight and the man answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”

The neighbors figured something religious must have taken place so they took the seeing man to the Pharisees.  The religious leaders then inquired about his sight and the man replied, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

Doubting the story of the healing, the Jews called on the man’s parents who were intimidated and would only say that the man was indeed their son.  So the Pharisees recalled the healed man and tried to drag him into a theological debate with them.  “We know that this man is a sinner.” 

The man answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know.  One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

“What did he do to you?  How did he open your eyes?

“I have told you already, and you would not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become his disciples?”

The Pharisees get angry.  “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.  We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

“Why this is an amazing thing!  You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.  Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

The Jewish religious leaders cast the man out of the temple.  We would say, they excommunicated him.  Jesus found him, revealed to him that he was the Messiah, and the man believed and worshiped Jesus.

Notice just a few things.  The healed man simply told people what Jesus did for him.  He did not get involved in theology or philosophy.  He merely told what Jesus did for him.  Isn’t there a lesson for us in this?  People may want to argue with us but they can never disprove what Jesus did in our lives.  We simply tell what Jesus did for us and leave it at that.  No one can disprove that!

No fear.  The man knew what happened to him and nothing the authorities could do would change that.  Even though his parents were afraid, the man stood boldly and clung to the truth.  When God is on our side, of whom shall we be afraid?

Finally, faith and worship.  He believed Jesus.  He worshiped him.  Not complicated.  Simple!

MORE MAJESTIC THAN THE MOUNTAINS

Psalm 76:4  “Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains…”

I read this psalm this morning and this phrase of the psalmist, Asaph in this case, caused me pause.  In our vernacular, Asaph is saying, “Lord!  You are so awesome!  You are more awesome than the mountains!”  For some reason my first thought was, “Huh!  That’s kind of an odd thing to say!”  Then I began to reflect…

I live in the south part of California’s great San Joaquin Valley.  We are surrounded by mountains on three sides, South (Tehachapi Mountains), East (Sierra Nevadas), and West (Southern Coastal Range).  The problem is that we don’t get to see them very often.  Our skies are generally hazy or foggy or dirty and the mountains are obscured.  But some days I get out early and the sky is crystal clear and I feel like I can almost reach out and touch the mountains.  It is inspiring!  They are so beautiful that they fill my heart with joy.  Maybe that is what Asaph had in mind?  I can’t remember one time thinking, “God!  You are more beautiful than these mountains.”  That’s when I realized that something is wrong.

A number of years ago my wife and I went on vacation to Door County, Wisconsin (pictured above) with another couple from church.  The guy we were with, Chris, got his degree in Forestry and he was a well of information on the trees and geography we found there.  Chris was constantly pointing out how beautiful everything around us was.  At some point we started saying to each other, “God made that!  And God made that too!”  It turned out to be a fantastic trip because we were always reminding each other about the glories and beauties of the Lord.

My Grandfather Moorhead also contributed something like this to me.  I remember very well his habit of drawing my attention back to God.  I might admire the beauty or the majesty of something in nature and Grandpa would always say something like, “If you think that is beautiful, just think how beautiful God is!  He thought it up and then he created it!”

I think it’s time for me to draw stronger connections between the beautiful creation that surrounds me here in California and the One who made it.  It’s time for me to carefully and consciously give glory to God and take a moment to worship him because he is surely more majestic than the things he has made.  They are but a reflection of him.

One more thing.  This creation is fallen because of man’s sin.  St. Paul reminds us that all creation is groaning to be released from the bondage that has fallen upon it.  The mountains, the rivers, and the trees long for the appearing of the Son of God.  Oh my!  Think about how beautiful it will all be in the new heavens and the new earth!  It’s beyond imagination!

SAVE ME, O GOD!

Psalm 69:6   Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.

 

I came across Psalm 69 in my devotional reading recently and this verse has stuck in my head ever since.  The Hebrew psalter attributes the psalm to David.  There were a number of times in David’s life when he felt overwhelmed by his enemies.  The first four verses of the psalm describe a sense of almost desperation on his part.  He is overwhelmed.  He is weary.  He is surrounded by people who hate him and who do not serve God.  He does not depend on himself but waits for God even though he feels his strength fading.

Have we ever felt like this?  We probably all have to some degree.  I know people whose families cause them so much spiritual pain that they feel crushed by the opposition.  Others are swamped by difficulties and trials because of circumstances.  Ours are lives of struggle and troubles.

Then the psalmist confesses his own sin in verse five, “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.”  He does not think he is blameless.  He does not take a high position and act like he has done nothing wrong.  He is very aware of his sin and his failure and he knows it does no good to try to hide them from God because he sees everything.  It is good for us to have a realistic and honest view of our own sin and we cannot have an honest relationship with God unless we are willing to confess it.

Then we come to verse six and this is the one that really struck me.  The psalmist is aware that his life has an effect on the people of God around him.  It seems like he is aware that they are watching him.  Perhaps he sees himself as a leader who is setting the course for God’s people.  Aware of his own sinful failures, he cries out to God to hold him up lest ongoing failures drag down the people who look to him.  Maybe he knows that if he continues to fall short then his own failures will be thrown into the face of other believers and they will suffer shame and dishonor.

We know that the sins of all believers contribute to the burden of the body of Christ.  All of our sins hinder the work we have been called to do together.  But pastors and church leaders must recognize that they bear great responsibility because they are the ones from whom much is expected by the people of the world.  We must keep in mind that not only are the people in our fellowship looking to us for leadership but the critics of the church will gleefully celebrate our failures and use them to bring shame and dishonor against our brothers and sisters.  May we humbly stay before the face of God and live our lives transparently and authentically as witnesses to God’s truth!

ONE THING I ASK OF THE LORD

 

Psalm 27

This morning I was meditating on Psalm 27.  The psalmist compares the power of God and the protection God gives him to the attacks his enemies bring against him.  He speaks of the comforts God offers and shares the desires of his own heart.  We can read this psalm historically; i.e. we can see how David felt and acted when he was under attack.  We can also read this psalm instructionally; i.e. how God’s people can feel protected in the face of persecution.  This morning I read Psalm 27 spiritually; i.e. I have a spiritual Enemy who is constantly plotting against me, seeking to bring me down, and trying to keep me from rejoicing in my God.  As I meditated on the psalm I focused my attention on specific nouns and verbs.  I considered the words that relate to God’s actions toward me, his child and compared them to the words that describe my Enemy’s efforts against me.  Then I thought about how these truths work in my heart and bring about the kind of joy and celebration that honors God.  If you have time, open your Bible to Psalm 27 and follow along.

Verses 1-3.  God is Light, Salvation, Stronghold.  Since this is true I need not fear the Enemy.  My Enemy advances against me, seeks to devour, attacks, besieges, and makes war.  God makes them stumble and fall so I have no fear and I have reason to be confident in God.  He shines his light into the darkness that surrounds the Enemy so I can see my way.  He reaches down and surrounds me with his salvation so I cannot be harmed and then brings me into his stronghold where no enemy can reach me.  At one time the warfare that raged around me caused me to stumble and fall but now I see God’s light and the enemies are the ones who break themselves against the walls of his holy stronghold!  Confidence comes from feeling God’s strength and protection, not my own!

Verses 4-6.  In light of what God does for me I ask God for the following:  may I dwell, gaze, and seek.  These are words of relationship and communion.  It helps me to think of these things as they relate to human relationships.  When I began to love my wife I wanted to be with her, and look into her eyes, and seek a deeper love and commitment.  Most of my children have moved out of my house and I can hardly wait for the times they come to visit so I can be with them and enjoy them and build fresh relationships with them.  So it is with the God who loves me.  I want to be with him and stand in wonder of his glory and seek to know him better.

That kind of relationship changes my perspective on the times of trouble (v.5).  He keeps me safe, hides me, and sets me above danger.  When my grandson comes to visit, sometimes our dogs crowd around him and because he is so little and such a new walker I have to sweep him up in my arms so he won’t be overwhelmed and trampled.  I keep him above the fray of the excited dogs.  This is the picture I have of God lifting me above the destruction of the Enemy.  He keeps my head above the confusion and the danger of the Enemy’s attacks (v. 6).

All of this leads to worship (v. 6).  Sacrifice, shouts of joy, singing, and music.  Everything God does for me is meant to lead me to acts of worship that bring glory to him.  I want to be careful not to stop short of worship because that is why God redeemed me in the first place!

"BRING THEM TO ME"

When Andrew came to Jesus he said they had found only five loaves and two fish.  Jesus answered, “Bring them to me.”  We look to the Lord and say, “We have only a few people and a little money for the task!”  Our duty is, according to Jesus’ words, to bring what we have to him!

Our duty is to bring what we do have to Jesus and dedicate it to him.  Whatever we have, no matter how small, we bring it.  “Lord, whatever I have is yours for your use.  My money, my knowledge, my gifts, my time, my speech; I dedicate them all to you.”  Have we brought what we have to Jesus and dedicated it to him?  We are tempted to keep back some of our resources as a safety net to protect ourselves from emergencies.  We are tempted to use our resources to make something for our own comfort and use.  But what might he do in his great power if we brought everything we have to him?

Our duty is also to bring what we have in faith.  “Andrew, do you believe Jesus can feed more than 5,000 people with your loaves and fish?  In your hands they are nothing!  But in his hands they are a feast for a multitude!”  The man of faith believes God has given him enough for the task to which he has been called.  The man of faith believes and dedicates all he has to God and then he sees God multiply it.  It is not vast sums of money that do the job.  It is not organizations or management techniques or modern technology that accomplish it.  It is not marketing that does it.  What does the job?  It is the power of Christ in dedicated and faithful believers!

Our duty is to bring what we have to Christ in active service.  Should we bring all we have to Jesus and lay it at his feet and then sit down to wait and see what he does with it?  Jesus commanded the disciples to go and distribute the food to the crowd.  Once we have given our all to Christ he will give it back to us so we can use it to distribute to the multitudes around us.  All we are called to do is to use the gifts and resources with which Christ has gifted us to do something to advance his kingdom!  We don’t know how much food he will turn it into, we just start passing it!

The power of Christ makes what little we have to offer more than enough!  Each of the disciples recovered a full basket of leftovers.  There was more than enough and the leftovers were more than that with which they began!  We never need to fear that our resources will be exhausted when we spend them on the spiritually starving multitude.  Jesus will multiply our small amount and we will never run short of provisions.  In this way we will be able to care for the crowds!

"YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING..."

Let’s continue thinking about the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.  The disciples urged Jesus to send the people away so they could make their own provision of food and lodging.  But Jesus looked at them and said, “No, you give them something to eat.”  We look at this and realize that we, the church, have been called to feed and care for the multitudes around us.  Have we really taken the time to consider what that really means to us?

I’m sure the disciples thought, “But how can we possibly feed so many?  Just look at the multitudes!”  Philip looked at the situation with human eyes and accurately assessed the situation.  He simply saw that the task was humanly impossible.  He calculated how much money they would need to feed the crowd and realized it could not be done.  At least Andrew did his best and brought the boy’s little meal to Jesus.  He knew it wasn’t enough but he brought it anyway.  He looked at the situation with more spiritual eyes, with more faith.  He knew the need was immense but the eyes of faith look at the need and know that God is bigger.  Here is faith…taking the impossible to the only One who can change it.  When we look at the immensity of the unreached world we might feel like giving up like Philip.  But if the world is going to be reached for Christ it will only be through his church!  We are the only ones who can demonstrate the eyes of faith and even attempt the task!  Jesus said to his disciples, “Greater works will you do than these because I am going to my Father” (John 14:12).  Jesus spoke to thousands of people and we have the task of reaching out to multitudes more!  The magnitude of the task ought to motivate us rather than discourage us.  But we need to see the reality of our spiritual task.  It is to simply hold up our need to Jesus and wait!  This is the greatest faith we can show.  Anyone can have faith in God for big things.  Dreaming is there in all of us!  But real faith is holding up to God that which is impossible and holding it there for any amount of time; waiting, listening, watching, believing that he will do what is best!

Again the disciples may have thought, “But we have so little with which to do our task!”  All they had were five loaves and two small fish.  Our church is a small church.  We don’t have a lot of brilliant and talented people.  We don’t have a huge budget.  How can we possibly make an impact on our world?  We may not have much but what we do have we must bring to Christ just as Andrew brought the little lunch.  We bring whatever we have because talent and wealth will not accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Spirit of God can change a heart!

So like the disciples, we may find ourselves in danger of ignoring our assignment.  “Send them away!  Let them find their own food and lodging!”  “We have such a great task ahead of us!  We are just a small church!  Let the big churches do it!”  “Are there no missions agencies?  Are there no professional missionaries?  Let them do it!”  “Pastor, isn’t that what you are gifted to do?  You be our representative.  You go out and reach the people!”  But Jesus said, “You give them something to eat!”  It was God who made the food multiply, but the people who initially passed those baskets had to have the faith to start the first pass!

We must look at the task as if we are the only ones who can do it!  The Bible does not say that the Holy Spirit came down and filled the politicians and made them into the body of Christ.  It is not the job of the Congress to take care of the needs of the people.  The Holy Spirit did not come into organizations and assign them the responsibility of reaching the world.  He did not organize the wealthy into the body of Christ.  Just as Jesus Christ was the hope of the world so the church is the hope of the world!

We cannot minister to the needs of the multitudes unless we are willing to be among them and rub shoulders with them.  One cannot clothe the naked or feed the hungry or house the homeless without touching them.  We cannot help the beaten and the downtrodden unless we stop like the Good Samaritan did and not pass by on the other side.  Jesus stopped and touched the leper and we too must stop and touch the lost no matter how disagreeable it might be!  The salvation of the world is entrusted into the hands of the church and the church alone.  If we neglect our task then our profession of faith is meaningless! 

COMPASSION

We find the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 in all four gospels.  Jesus has returned to Galilee from Jerusalem and he was seeking solitude.  He and his disciples boarded a boat and sailed toward the east side of the Sea of Galilee but he was unable to escape the crowds who followed.  Jesus landed in a very remote location and went up a mountain with his disciples.  Then he looked and saw the multitudes coming toward him.  Matthew tells us that when he saw them he had compassion on them.  He healed the sick and taught them all day long.  When evening approached he turned to Philip and asked, “Where will we buy bread for this huge crowd?”  The disciples came to Jesus and said, “Send these people away to the surrounding villages so they can find food and lodging!”  Then Jesus said to them, “No, you give them something to eat!”  We know the rest of the story.  Andrew found a boy with some bread and fish and Jesus fed the crowds with them.

Just as Jesus lifted up his eyes and had compassion on the crowds, so we are to lift up our eyes to the multitudes and see their need.  It is too easy for us to shield our eyes from the needs of the many people who surround us.  We are so occupied with our families, our work, and our friends that we don’t have much time for the people who live around us.  If we never lift up our eyes we will never see our mission.  Jesus challenged the disciples to lift up their eyes and see fields that were “ripe for harvest.”  He challenges us to do the same.  The people right around us may not be physically hungry like the people to whom Jesus ministered but they are fainting from spiritual starvation.  They have given no thought to their own spiritual provision and they stand completely without spiritual food.  They do not avail themselves of the opportunities for spiritual nourishment in the Bible-teaching churches in our communities.  Some eat at churches every Sunday that feed them nothing but sweets so they are dying of malnutrition.  Others are starving because what they are fed has no nutritional value.  The rest are left to themselves and they are like infants who are unable to provide for themselves.  So who will feed them?  Will we?  Or will we keep our eyes lowered, thinking about our own needs and hope someone else will do it.