“WHEREFORE SIGHEST THOU?”

Do problems abound in your life? Does it seem that your life is just one challenge after another? Take heart; the only people who don’t have troubles are in cemeteries. In reality, the life of a Christian would be for the worse if not for them.

Steve Goodier shared the following story: Maybe you have seen the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef. On one tour, the guide was asked an interesting question. “I notice that the lagoon side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful”, a traveler observed. “Why is this?”

The guide gave an interesting answer: “The coral around the lagoon side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival. It dies early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves, and storms-surges of power. It must fight for survival every day. As it is challenged and tested it changes and adapts. It grows healthy and strong, and it reproduces.” Then he added this telling note: “That’s the way it is with every living organism.”

For Christians, physical demands increase bodily strength. Mental and emotional stress produce tough-mindedness and resilience. Likewise, spiritual testing strengthens our faith (James 1:2-7). The benefit? We live by faith rather than by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Let us value God’s wisdom in providing the means whereby we can escape the corruption that is in the world by lust. It is called ‘adding’ to our faith (2 Peter 1:4-9).

“THE HYMNS WE SING”

 

“WHY DID MY SAVIOR COME TO EARTH?” In answer, let us consider two passages. The first comes from a conversation between Jesus and Pilate. In John 18:37, Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” The second comes from the words Jesus spoke to the twelve, in John 15:22: “If I had not come and SPOKEN unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

Read again closely, these two passages, for therein you find the answer to the question. Jesus had a purpose in coming to earth. It was an assigned responsibility (John 12:49). Do you understand His purpose for being sent into the world? If He had not, humanity would yet be ignorant of their sins (John 3:19-21).

Do you see from John 15:22 the significance of the ‘spoken’ word? It is God’s power to save (Rom. 1:16). It brings an awareness of how great a sacrifice Jesus made (John 15:13). “O, love beyond human expression…when Jesus was dying for me!” “And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s love; died He for me, who caused His pain.”

Why did Jesus come? To explain how to love: “Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16). “Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you” (John 15:14).

“THANKSGIVING”

Many of the psalms are declarations of thanksgiving. From them, we find that God’s faithfulness to His word was the reason and purpose for thanksgiving (Num. 23:19; Rom. 11:29). This is still true for Christians.  

GOD’S JUST-NESS— God’s just-ness is seen in His faithfulness to His promises. What God has said He will do, will be done—always. Our thanksgiving should be given with an undivided motive. Psa. 9:1 – I will give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works.” God gave His best for us. Ought we not give “of our best to the Master”? In this way, we “show forth” His works. David expressed God’s work as follows: “God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” (Psa. 74:12).

 

While thanksgivings are expressed in prayer, they are better expressed through teaching others of God’s saving grace. Our denominational neighbors boast of their ‘salvation experiences’; do we? Have you been saved by ‘grace through faith’? A great testimony and a powerful teaching tool is by sharing your own salvation experience. It will open doors of opportunity to teach others of Christ salvation by grace through faith. It will not only be personal, but a tribute to others who called upon the name of the Lord in the Bible.

 

The harmony between God’s faithfulness to honor His promises and our expressing of thanks by “showing forth His works” is, again, beautifully stated by David: “Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his way aright will I show the salvation of God.” (Psa. 50:23).

“HAPPINESS OR BLESSEDNESS?

The word ‘blessed’ (found in many psalms and the beatitudes) means ‘happy’. But happiness does not necessarily equate to blessedness in the Bible. Satisfying the lusts of the flesh has pleasure (Heb. 11:25), yet such brings a penalty of death (Rom. 6:23).

To be blessed is to have God’s favor. God finds favor on those who walk by faith. Notice the example of (cf. Noah – Gen. 6:8; 7:1; Heb. 11:7). Noah exercised his faith in obedience to the will of God. For this reason, Noah was blessed of God, and therefore ‘happy’. God blesses all who submit to His will. He is their God, and they are His own (1 Kings 8:53; 1 Peter 2:9). When God is exalted by His own, He then exalts His own. This is a fulfillment of what He promised from eternity, being accomplished by Jesus, in His example of submission (Phil. 2:8-9).

There is an inseparable connection between blessedness and obedience taught in scripture. “Blessed are they that are perfect in the way, who walk in the law of Jehovah.” (Psa. 119:1). Again, we read, “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.  In thy name do they rejoice all the day; and in thy righteousness are they exalted.” (Psa. 89:15-16). The ultimate blessing in being exalted by God is seen in His forgiveness (Psa. 32:2).

However, blessedness comes with responsibility. The responsibility of loyalty to God who blesses. Our faith in God will be tested for loyalty (James 1:2-4). Let us follow Jesus, even if it means separation from family and friends who seek happiness in the pleasures of sin (Mark 10:26-30).

“THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION”

The Bible declares that sin is committed in one of the following ways:

 ~ Rom. 14:23 – acting without faith

 ~ James 4:17 – recognizing the necessity of obedience but refusing to obey

 ~ 1 John 3:4 – transgressing God’s law

 ~ 1 John 5:17 – committing unrighteousness

The only conclusion that these statements imply is that sin is disobedience to God’s commands, either by going beyond or falling short regarding what God has required of man. Since sin is defined as disobedience to God’s commands, forgiveness for sin necessarily involves obedience to God’s commands. If not, why not?

God’s commands are a blessing to man (Deut. 6:24-25). They give us understanding of our plight because of our sin (John 15:22-24), and they promise eternal life to those who will receive them (John 12:50). God’s commands are also the criteria by which the sheep and goats will be separated at Judgment (Matt. 25:31-46).

The enmity of Gen. 3:15 between the seed of the woman and the seed of Satan resulted over a “thus saith the Lord”. This enmity (hatred) is not mutual, but from those who refuse to acknowledge Christ’s authority to command their lives toward those who do. The distinction between preaching truth versus error is seen in the relevance of commands and obedience as they relate to man’s faith and God’s grace.

You are guilty of sin, not because you inherited Adam’s disobedience (sin), but because of your own disobedience. You will receive an inheritance by obeying the form of obedience patterned after the one who bore your sin—Jesus. (Rom. 6:3-5; 17-18). Righteousness is imputed to the obedient. (2 Cor. 5:19; James 2:23).

“AWARENESS OF BIBLE STUDY”

The full benefit of Bible study is stated in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

There is simply no other way to obtain the knowledge of God’s will, than by a commitment to Bible study. The Hebrew writer closed with the exhortation to, “bear with the word of exhortation” (Heb. 13:22). The apostle Paul told Timothy, “…when thou comest, bring with thee the books, but especially the parchments” (2 Tim. 4:13).

Kevin Rhodes observed: Finding time to study your Bible is not about whittling away a little bit at a time from everything else you are doing; it begins when we make a commitment to study our Bibles, follow through on it, and then let other, less important things go undone, until we finally realize that we do not really miss them at all.

For whatever reason, Christians grow tired of personal Bible study and come to expect a sermon here and there and a couple of Bible classes each week to provide sufficient nourishment spiritually to get them through life. However, this itself shows how shortsighted we can become. Shortcuts in Bible study lead to short circuits in life. Our goal should never be simply to get through life; it should be to get to heaven.

Bible study will draw you away from the things of the world. That is exactly its purpose: to separate us from the things of the world which draw us away from God. Bible study is addictive. That is by God’s design. (cf. Heb. 10:22-24).

“AWARE SERVANTS”

The concept of awareness suggests, among other things, cognizance. As this relates to discipleship, awareness is having spiritual wisdom—the ability to discern God’s will, and to foresee danger. The Bible speaks of having eyes to see, which is not only knowing God’s will, but also recognizing how to prepare our hearts to do God’s will.

Jesus often made mention of the need for eyes that see and ears that hear. Jesus was speaking of the need for perception and understanding of His word. Matt. 13:15 – “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.” The absence of spiritual wisdom was the underlying reason for which Jesus was crucified. (1 Cor. 2:6-8).

Spiritual awareness involves the exercise of our senses to discern good from evil (Heb. 5:14). Spiritual awareness involves foresight. For example, we might have the wisdom and knowledge to get ourselves out of a hole, but do we know how to recognize the hole and avoid falling in? That’s foresight. Satan’s traps are disguised. “A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.” (Prov. 22:3).

It is always wise to leave an environment ripe for temptation. This requires both awareness and resolve. These environments are always hard to turn from. Lust will always conquer a person who has not crucified himself to the world (Gal. 5:24; 6:14). The saying that “where there’s a will there’s a way” applies to the fulfillment of lust as well as to overcoming lust.