SPIRITUAL CHILDISHNESS

I believe this is the most important truth that God has pressed upon me in the past few years. I wrote a book that was never published, titled, SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE. I abandoned that book because God convicted me that part of my purpose in writing it was to say, “I am smart.” I am still plumbing the depth of that wickedness. In addition to and because of my pride, the focus of about half of that book was wrong. I would rather write something on Spiritual Childishness. I have been stirred again and again by the words of Jesus in Luke 10:21.

“In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”

I certainly don't understand enough about this concept to write a book. But I think I do see some really good things that relate to it.

First, in Spiritual Childishness we have The Humility of Understanding.
Like a child we come to spiritual things knowing we do not understand them. And God in grace reveals Himself to His children.

Then, Spiritual Childishness brings us to The Submissiveness of Understanding.
Most spiritual insight is blocked by our willingness to argue with God. When you come to something in Scripture that goes against what you think, the struggle to understand must be accompanied by an attitude that says, “If this really is what You are saying God, I will change my mind.”

Spiritual Childishness develops The Faith of Understanding.
Children automatically trust many things to their parents. The arrogance and fear of unbelief keep us from risking and resting in the arms of God.

Finally, Spiritual Childishness brings The Joy of Understanding.
Children often have a freedom to rejoice over many things. Fellowship with Christ brings us into the joy that overflows into our hearts from this verse.

I too rejoice in the Holy Spirit and thank You, Father, 

that You offer Your truth to little children.

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IT IS APPOINTED

Last week I wrote a blog on praying for healing. http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/2020/01/healing-faith.html. Healing is close to my heart. For, although I didn't mention it in that blog, I have terminal cancer. However, I have an unusual testimony concerning praying for my own healing. It seems that every time I have prayed for healing, Hebrews 9:27 comes to mind.

“It is appointed for man to die once.”

God has not exactly told me He will not heal me. But He has pretty clearly told me that I am not to pray for healing. I have wondered why God would tell me this. He has certainly not retracted His promises of prayer or even of healing. He has not restrained me from asking Him to heal others who are suffering. But in the past few weeks God has shown some light on this for me. What God has been telling me relates to Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians 12 where he said he prayed three times for the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh. The Lord told Paul His grace was enough for him. God has comforted me with Paul's words. But He has spoken to me in the past weeks through Luke 9:23-25.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

Christians are to live as people who are going to die.

This is a key to focusing on our purpose. Because of the urgency of time pressed on me I have been able to write 10 books. I would never have done that if God had not put this pressure on me. He had to remove some of my physical strength and energy to keep me from continuing to be busy with a hundred other things. They were not bad things. But they were not what God wanted me to focus on.

This is a key to courage. I need to be honest. God has had me write some things that have made people uncomfortable, including what I wrote about healing. I might as well admit that what I am writing here will make some of you uncomfortable. In these days of increasing devisiveness, I will surely have to upset more people with what He calls me to write. I want to do that with His love, gentleness, and wisdom. But I doubt if I will have to courage to be faithful, if I am not living and writing like someone who has already given up his life.

This is a key to peace that transcends understanding. Preoccupation with the wants and worries of life steals the peace of God from our hearts. But God instills His eternal peace in us as we begin to say with Paul in Galatians 2:20,

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

This is a key to God's glory being revealed in us. In John 12:27 Jesus said His heart was troubled and He asked if He should pray to be delivered from that hour. "But," He said, "for this purpose I have come to this hour. Glorify Your name." God can use illness and the most troubling of situations to bring glory to His name.

This is a key to ultimate hope. I need to fix my hope beyond success, beyond popularity, beyond my life on this earth. The fuller context of Hebrews 9:27 calls me to this hope.

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Hebrews 9:27-28

I am waiting for Him in His eternal purpose.

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BE CAREFUL HOW YOU HEAR

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU HEAR

In Luke 8:16 Jesus warned us to be careful how we hear. This is a rather stunning warning against only catching the surface meaning of what He has to say to you.

“Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Luke 8:18

I am not sure I have anything to say to those of you who are satisfied with whatever depth of spiritual truth that you have. But for those of you who hunger grow deeper spiritually I think I have some encouragement. Let me share with you four principles for hearing the voice of God better in Scripture.

• Read it slowly.

Everything I learned about reading in my younger days encouraged speed. That is wonderful training for many things in life. It is even a good thing for reading through the Bible, say in a year. But slowly reading God's word may be something every Christian should learn to practice. James 1:21 calls us to,"receive the implanted word of God." We need the Holy Spirit to plant His word deep in our hearts and minds.

• Memorize it.

Many of us have memorized Scripture verses from time to time. Most of us would admit that memorizing Scripture is a healthy practice. Last year I began memorizing in a way that I never have before. I read the same chapter of the Bible everyday for a week. And each day I commit a segment of the chapter to memory. It takes me a little over a week to memorize some chapters, others a little less. They generally balance out. I am amazed at the nearness to God that I sense while memorizing larger segments of His word. Of course, this whole process has to be bathed in prayer. As I pray for God to help me memorize, I also pray to see deeper into what He is teaching me.

• Review it.

Anyone who has memorized Scripture knows that you have to review it, to really have it memorized. I find this need greater with whole chapters. I review these chapters every day for about three weeks. Still, I could not quote most of these passages without reviewing them again. To memorize them I have to read each verse over and over again. I usually have to do the same in reviewing them. This becomes meditation which gives me deeper and deeper insights into God's word.

• Submit to it.

For God to plant His word deep in our lives, we need to submit our hearts to it. There are two facets to this. The first is general. I have to yield to the over all authority of God's word. I have to surrender to the understanding that God knows better than I. God has a better grip on reality than my theological system, than my culture, than my limited experience. Have you ever heard something from Scripture, and said, "I don't believe that!"? You need to approach Scripture with the attitude that God is right.

You also need to come to each passage with an attitude of submission to what God presses on you that day. I quoted earlier from James 1:21. That verse continues, "receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

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GREATER?

GREATER?

One of my favorite movies is Chariots of Fire. It tells the story of men competing in the 1924 Olympics. At one point in the movie the fiancee of Harold Abrahams, who would win the 100 meter race, asked why he was so possessed by his training. One of the other runners said, “Because he has the chance of being the fastest.” She counters, “But all of you are running in the Olympics.” He answers, he does not just have the chance of being a fastest man, but the fastest man who ever was.”

In Luke 7:28 Jesus spoke a much higher greatness. He said John the Baptist was the greatest man ever born.

“I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.”

But that is only half the verse. Jesus goes on to say you will be greater than John.

“Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Now to be honest, that is hard to understand, much less to believe. I told someone last week that God's standards of greatness must certainly be different from ours. How could any one of us, in fact the least of us, be greater than the prophesied forerunner of the Son of God? I still believe that is the case. There is more to this than I can grasp. But I have been thinking and praying about it. And I think I see ways that by the grace of God we are actually greater than John.

We have
A Higher Purpose
John was the forerunner who prepared the way for Jesus. But you and I have a higher calling than that. We are to tell people the good news of forgiveness and grace. We invite people into the embrace of our Lord. Paul said we reconcile people to God through Christ.

We have

A Greater Message

John's message was for people to repent to prepare their hearts for the coming Messiah. It was in a sense, a mandate. He told people what they had to do. We bring people the good news of what only God could do for them in the gospel.

We have
A Deeper Ministry
John told people to do what they could do to prepare for the Messiah. We lead people to receive Christ and be transformed by the power of God. In the transformation of the Holy Spirit we become more and more like Jesus until we are changed into His likeness, seeing Him face to face.

But make no mistake—none of this greatness can be accomplished by human effort. We are trusting God day by day for this grace in our lives. The Scripture says,

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

Romans 1:17N.I.V.

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JUSTIFYING GOD

JUSTIFYING GOD






Jesus’s statement about justifying God before men is among the quiet things in The Gospels. Yet this his is at the heart of what God does with our lives. Luke 7:29-30 says,

“When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”

How do we justify God? The common people and even tax collectors did it by radical, public, heart-broken repentance. This is apologetics, although with many of us it is more personal. Note several facets of justifying God that are highlighted in Luke chapter 7.

Justifying The Righteousness of God
You can actually read or hear people who accuse God of evil. We are living in a time when many people are dissatisfied with everything in their lives. They usually express their discontent with government, teachers, or anyone in authority. I believe this may reflect a deep seated resentment toward God Himself. It is the underlying notion that the problems we endure in a fallen world are God’s fault. From what I have read, this discontent seems to be a world-wide phenomenon. Although it may be worse in the west because discontent is greater where people have freedom and more material blessings.

And make no mistake; this infects people in our churches. John the Baptist himself was offended by what God was doing. He sent a delegation to Jesus asking if He were really the Christ. We know from Matthew's Gospel that John was in prison. So we can understand his disillusionment. But Luke, by the Holy Spirit, points out that John's disciples reported to him what Jesus was doing as the news of His raising a man from the dead was spread abroad. I wonder if John thought Jesus should have been bringing final judgment rather than raising the dead.

The very word “just”* indicates that the issue is the justice or righteousness of God. The people who repented at the preaching of John justified God. Confessing their sins publicly declared God’s righteousness.
* The Greek word is, δικαίoω, dikaioo, just or righteous.

Justifying The Wisdom of God
John may also have been questioning the wisdom of God. Have you ever thought God did or allowed something that went counter to His purposes? One of the brightest and godliest students in seminary with me died in an automobile accident shortly before we were to graduate. It was difficult not to feel like God had wasted all his education, talents, and spiritual gifts by allowing his life to be cut off so early.

We have to trust that God knows what He is doing even if we don’t understand. In the long run God will use us as a testimony of His wisdom. Jesus told a parable in this passage using the ministry of John and His ministry to point out that they were like children playing in the market who wouldn’t cooperate no matter what the others did. He concluded,

“Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Our faith declares the rightness of God to those whom we love. We can even trust God to make enough difference in us to touch the lives of people we don't even know. This even goes beyond our world. In Ephesians 3:10 Paul says he was entrusted with the gospel,

“So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Justifying The Grace of God
Most of all our faith in God demonstrates His grace in our lives. Scripture warns that things will be difficult in the last days. Whether we are coming into those harsh days or not, we need to be a witness in times that will be worse because of the cynicism and discontent of people around us.

Note the final word Jesus sent back to John the Baptist.

“Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Blessedness refers to what God does in our lives. A good attitude is something we need to pray for God to produce in us. And a godly attitude comes from saturating ourselves in His promises and spending time in fellowship of God.

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WOMAN, HERE IS YOUR SON

This week I am returning to my blogs on Quiet Things in The Gospels. I want to write about something that is difficult to understand. It is something Jesus said on the cross. A little over a year ago I was troubled by this passage and I memorised it. That is a crucial way to come to understand Scripture. To be honest, there are some things I still don't understand about these words. But again and again, God has ministered to me through this passage. I cannot read it without sensing God's embrace.It is found in John 19:25-27.

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

Let me briefly share some of my questions about this event. Children caring for their aging parents is a biblical principle. Jesus emphasized this in Mark 7 when He castigated the Pharisees for saying what they would have used to care for their parents was Corban, or given to God. Mary had other children. In Matthew 13:55 the people of His home town said,

“Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?”

It is true that the brothers of Jesus were not yet believers. But I suspect that Jesus knew they would become believers after His resurrection. His brother James was a leader in the Book of Acts. Both James and Jude were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write part of The New Testament. Why were they not charged to care for their mother? And does it not seem harsh for Jesus to call Mary, “woman” in this passage? This is not the only time he addressed her impersonally. At the wedding in Cana of Galilee He said, “Woman. . . I have told you my hour has not yet come.” I still don't have good answers for these. But I can point out some truths in this passage.

1. First Jesus is in charge.

He is Lord of our lives. And He will give you clear instructions to obey. I am aware that some may read what I write that abuse this concept. A well known minister of the gospel declared that God led him to the woman he left the mother of his children to marry. You can know God is not telling you to do evil. You will need to struggle in prayer over such directions. But if you are not motivated by sin, you can trust God to lead you in matters like this. You can discern His will.

2. The bond of the Spirit is more important than blood ties.

Remember that in Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said,

“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

I have known many people who had much closer bonds with Christian brothers and sisters than they did with their own families. In many cultures, to accept Christ means to be dead as far as your family is concerned. I believe this was as much of a ministry to John as it was to His mother. I imagine they grew to depend upon one another in many ways. I suspect they shared the embrace of the Son of God that they had experienced.

3. Sometimes, we need the Lord to speak roughly to us for our own sakes.

Mary needed Jesus to sever natural ties with her. And then she needed to be embraced by John in His name.

4. Possibly the most important lesson for me is that I am not in charge.

The Scriptures offend every culture and every person at some point. And it is fitting that I am uncomfortable here. When I decide I am the one to judge Scripture, I have ceased to submit to the judgment of God in His word.

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TAKING NOTES

Do you take notes when you listen to sermons? Many people do. And it is a spiritually healthy practice. For those of you who do, and for those who would like to start taking notes on sermons, let me suggest some guidelines.

• Soak Up The Pictures.

When your pastor tells a story about the Bluetick Coonhound that his grandfather had as a boy, don't try to write that down. That is good preaching. Jesus taught and preached with stories. In fact, you will remember that anyway. I used to ask people in our Wednesday night services what I preached Sunday. More often than not, someone would remember a story I told. Sometimes it was a joke that I told to keep their attention. 

• Set down the principles.

I don't recommend that you try to write down everything your pastor says in a sermon. If you try to do this you will probably miss the next crucial thing he has to say because you are trying to write out the last thing his said. But you need to make notes of principles that will transform your life. If your pastor has points, and most of us do try to write out his major points.

• Seal In The Prophecy.

We often have a very unbiblical notion of prophecy. When we hear or read the word, we think of something like crystal balls which come out of witchcraft. While biblical prophecy includes prediction, prophets in the Bible usually preached against sin. The word means to proclaim. When it is used in scripture, it refers to God speaking through someone. And you need to be aware that God will speak to you through a sermon. And while some preachers are more gifted than others, God is not limited by how good of a speaker he is.

I highly recommend that you get alone that same day to recap what God is saying to you. This may simply be a new truth. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says the things of God are "spiritually discerned." If you understand any spiritual truth, it is because the Spirit of God spoke personally to you.

This may not even be a new truth that He wants you to see. This morning in my quiet time God spoke to me through John 12:27,28. In it Jesus said,

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

God reminded me that there is a purpose to difficult things that I face. And I can pray for Him to be glorified through my failures, embarrassment, and heartache. But this is not a new truth to me. I pray over this passage every day. But it is important for me to hold on to it today.

I suggested that you do this alone. And I believe that is important. But you can also benefit by talking to someone else about what God may have been saying to you. My wife takes much better sermon notes than I. She often shares them with me. Last week our pastor preached on the Magi from Matthew. She mentioned that the oral tradition of the Kurds says they were the Magi. She told me that the translation of the Bible into their language was recently completed. By the time she was finished sharing with me, we were both stirred to pray for the Kurds to come seeking Jesus again.

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