The Truth Will Come Out

“An hypocrite with [his] mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.” (Pr 11:9 AV)

The meaning here is obvious.  Gossip from a hypocrite will ruin a person’s life.  At least temporarily.  In the end, the truth will come out and the just will be restored.  Here’s the thing.  If we do not wait it out, more damage can occur.  Not always.  Nor is it prudent to always wait it out.  But as a general principle, we should.  Second, it is unfortunate that gossip is so easily believed.  That is our nature.  We tend to want to think the worst of others rather than the best.  Shame on us.  But here is our application this morning.  To be delivered, the just must leave open the relationships that are temporarily damaged.  Otherwise, there is nothing for him or her to be delivered to.  We can be delivered from falsehood.  But if we overreact to the hypocrite’s gossip, those predisposed to believe it will never change their mind.  Those hurt by our reaction, even if found to be wrong in the end, may not wish to be restored.  Therefore, the one injured must learn to forgive and have patience.  He or she cannot hold a grudge.  Otherwise, as I said before, there is no one to be delivered to.

Looking for an example, I have too many of them.  But one will suffice.  I served in an area of the country where people talk of others – a lot!  The entire community has an opinion.  I remember being somewhat new and having to go to a funeral.  It was across a large river in a different county.  The deceased did not attend my church, nor did I ever meet him.  His sister or spouse was an attender.  I cannot remember what relation they were.  Out of respect for her, my wife and I traveled the twenty minutes across the river, into a new county, and around church folk that were not my own.  What an experience!  I dressed professionally as I was accustomed, but was not dressed as they typically were.  I had all black with a white shirt and tie.  Polished black shoes, a gray sport coat, and black slacks.  To say that I was a bit over-dressed would be accurate.  My wife and I arrived a bit toward the end of the viewing to avoid being a distraction.  We knew the longer we were there, the more uncomfortable people might feel.  I wasn’t from there.  I was dressed like someone from an entirely distinct part of the country.  I didn’t know anyone other than our attender.  I didn’t speak with the right accent.  The potential offense came when we stood in line to pass before the casket.  A group of people noted me and began speaking loud enough for me to hear, but soft enough to be appropriate.  One of them said, “That must be that new preacher from New York.  I’ll bet he’s here to tell us how to do things.”  That was one of the milder things I heard them say.  I could have taken offense.  But I did not.  After all, given time, they would learn I am really no different from them.

Being in the ministry, you learn this very quickly.  Grace is the much-needed gift!  Being a leader of any kind means undue criticism will fly your way.  You children, your students, your congregation, and maybe even your spouse, may have opinions that are not fully informed.  Sometimes, they cannot be.  There is information they are not entitled to, nor should they possess.  Knowing how to possess your spirit as others is critical is necessary.  Otherwise, survival in leadership becomes unrealistic.  We cannot control what others say.  Trying to defend ourselves may only make us appear guilty.  The key is to keep a forgiving and patient heart.  It time, they will learn to love you.  We take offense way too easy.  People are people.  And lest we think it is an ‘others’ problem, we do the same.  Unfortunately, we express our opinion of others too quickly.  In the process, we may cause some damage.  The forgiveness we hope our target will show toward us when we are proven wrong is the same forgiveness we need to express toward others.  Chill out.  It will be fine.  Just to the right thing before the LORD and He will deliver you.  The truth will come out.  Those persuaded who possess an open mind will change it.  Those who are bent on mean never will.  God has your six.  Let Him defend you.  You just keep that heart of grace and joy.  All will be well.

Patient Continuance

“Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:” (Ro 2:6-7 AV)

Just two words this morning.  Patient continuance.  The context is reward for one’s deeds.  The LORD knows what we do or fail to do.  For the lost, they are judged for all their evil works.  These evil works end in eternal damnation.  Something we all deserve.  However, those humble and wise enough to trust in God’s mercy by calling out to Christ as our Savior.  For those of us who did, rewards await for all those things we have done for the glory of God.  That is the context.  However, the two words that are especially important are ‘patient’ and ‘continuous’.  The Greek lists these two words as one.  It means, “in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”  The idea is not to sit idly like a rock, weathering the storm until it is removed.  Rather, the idea is like a mighty tree that weathers the storm, and continues to grow in spite of it.  It is said the measure of a man is what it takes to stop him.  This is the idea of patient continuance.

Whether it is stepping out on faith, walking in obedience, or enduring the hardships of life, patient continuance is required.  Many years ago, my grandfather invited my father and all of us children over to his house to pull out a stump.  There was a reason he needed five or six boys and my father.  That stump was not a small one.  This stump was about three feet across.  I know this because my father took pictures of some of us standing atop it.  With my father’s chain saw, shovels, an ax-hoe, and some rope, we got to work.  We looked at that stump and believed it would be a short job.  Boy, were we wrong.  Several times we quit on it only to have my father crack the whip.  Digging.  Chopping. Pulling.  More digging, chopping, and pulling.  We even go the bright idea to hook of quarter inch fiber rope to my father’s pickup truck.  Not worth the effort.  All that did was make one piece of rope into two.  It is a wonder none of us were seriously hurt.  We took shifts.  We chopped.  We dug.  We pulled.  It took the better part of the day, but we finally go it.  It took much to dig that stump out of the ground.  The effort to dig it out testified to the age and strength that now felled tree attained.  It must have been a rather large tree.  It must have grown for decades, if not centuries.  This tree saw many western N.Y. winters of feet of snow.  It saw times of draught.  It saw times of flood.  It saw much and withstood much.  Only the concerted efforts and dedication of a force greater than itself saw its end.  We never did see the top of the tree.  At least not that we remember.  What we do remember is a stump that wouldn’t move.

We will face adversity our entire lives.  It will not cease until our eternal graduation.  I wish I could promise the end of the rainbow without a storm, but I cannot.  Although I could make mention of some whom I have seen give up on the LORD because of some hardship that has come along, I fear to do so because the same is always possible for me.  I do not wonder what it would take to stop me.  I fear there might be an answer.  The LORD knows me better than I know myself and I know of the promise, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].” (1Co 10:13 AV)  The LORD will not allow anything to transpire which we cannot endure unto faithfulness, with Him at our side.  He will not allow anything in our lives that will sideline us.  If we do quit, it is because we quit on God.  He did not quit on us.  Patient continuance.  Be a Weeble.  Don’t fall down!

A Bit of Trembling May Be In Order

“The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth [between] the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The LORD [is] great in Zion; and he [is] high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name; [for] it [is] holy.” (Ps 99:1-3 AV)

In this Psalm, the fact that God is holy is mentioned several times.  It is not difficult to determine the theme of this Psalm.  That which spoke to me this morning is that first phrase.  According to Strong’s Numbers, the definition of ‘tremble’ is, “tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed.”  In general, the understanding is not one of joyful excitement.  Rather, to be disturbed at the mighty presence of God that one is disturbed.  There is no fear mentioned in the definition.  Although one might assume by the word quake that it is entirely possible, this understanding is intended.  All this to point out one simple truth.  The person and presence of God, if fully accepted and internalized, cannot help by produce a noticeable reaction in the heart of those who worship the LORD.

This reaction is not a manufactured one.  This reaction is not what is normally passed off as praise and worship.  If one were to look at the definition of the word ‘tremble’ again, it would be noted there is no dancing.  No hand waiving.  No laughing.  No stage show.  None of what modern Christendom would think worship should look like.  Again, we are not speaking of terror to the point of avoiding the LORD.  Otherwise, the Psalmist would not instruct them to praise the LORD.  To praise God’s great and terrible name, one must interact with Him.  If by ‘tremble’ the Psalmist meant to cower in fear, he would instruct them to run and hide from the terrible presence of God.  This is not the case.  Rather, there is a respect and reverence commanded in the presence of God.  To tremble suggests taking God far more seriously than we do.  To tremble is to realize just who it is that we pray to.  To tremble understands the infinite nature of the Creator and His absolute and perfect holiness.  To tremble means to come to the presence of God with the knowledge of just how unworthy one is to seek His attention.  To tremble means that once fully aware of the presence of almighty God, one is moved in an obvious way to show reverence to the one being addressed.

Orthodoxy was rejected in favor of modern worship styles because orthodoxy has a way of becoming too predictable, dry, and meaningless.  Orthodoxy becomes something we do and not an active expression of heartfelt worship.  Orthodoxy was rejected because the acts of worship became an end in itself.  This is what happened to Israel.  They physically followed the law, but their heart was far from God.  The pendulum swung too far the other direction.  Modern worship has humanized God to the point He is not feared.  There is no trembling.  There is no overwhelming respect for the Creator and King.  There is no silent prayer or humble genuflecting.  It is easy to reflect on the failure of modern churches, but our personal devotional time is just that.  Personal.  So, rather than become preoccupied with modern worship, we can ask the simple question of our own hearts.  Do I tremble at the presence of God?  Does sin cause me to fear the name of God?  Could I pray and seek the help of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8) in prayer so that when I do pray, I do so with the proper respect?  When I come to the house of God, can I come more prepared for worship than for entertainment?  God is beyond our understanding.  He is holy.  We should not treat Him as a common being.

Be Weary of Improvements

“And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the [one] wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.” (1Ki 6:27 AV)

A little while back, I made the comment that the cherubim of the tabernacle formed the mercy seat atop the Ark of the Covenant.  Then an individual cited this passage stating the cherubim were massive, reaching from one side of the Holy of Holies to the other.  It turns out these are not the same cherubim as the ones mention in the Torah.  There are four cherubim mentioned in the scriptures.  Lucifer was the fifth.  So, Solomon was technically correct in adding two more.  Ezekiel tells us there are four cherubim and thusly, Solomon is correct.  However, the ratio is off.  The two that form the mercy seat are only the size of the lid on the Ark of the Covenant.  The two added by Solomon are the size of the room.  Why does this make a difference?  As the Spirit led me to muse on the size ratio, I could not help but think the change of mind and attitude toward the Ark of the Covenant might have changed, seeing as it was dwarfed by the new Cherubim.  I cannot help but wonder if something as small as the work of his hands was the beginning of his compromising life.  Solomon allowed the pride of his work become the god he would eventually follow.

The work of the Ark of the Covenant had great significance.  The fact the two Cherubim atop the Ark formed the mercy seat and was intended to focus the person of Jehovah on the mercy He offers.  By dwarfing the mercy seat by the work of one’s own hands, Solomon changed the focus from what God offers to what man can do.  Solomon also increased dramatically the gold of the Temple.  The Holy of Holies was the only portion of the Tabernacle to be plated in gold.  It was the only structure of the Tabernacle that was of solid construction.  It was built with wood on all sides then plated with pure gold.  Solomon’s Temple was plated with gold on every interior surface.  One may wonder why the LORD wasn’t nearly as impressed with the Temple as Solomon or Israel.  One may wonder why the warning as it appears in 1Kings8.  It makes sense when we understand the improvements Solomon made to the Tabernacle.

If so led by God, there is nothing wrong with bigger and better.  The bigger and better, the more a ministry can accomplish for God.  No doubt the Temple and a much bigger impact on Israel’s neighbors than a tent made of animal skins.  Hence God’s warning.  Bigger and better became a source of pride that eventually led to the downfall of the nation.  We see this all the time.  When a ministry gets to where it must compromise in order to sustain the same level of ministry it enjoys, bigger and better becomes a source of pride and not a tool of influence.  Don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy bigger and better.  I enjoy a two-hundred voice choir who is professionally trained more than a eight to ten person choir that struggles to hold a note.  But the Mormon Tabernacle Choir doesn’t believe in the right Jesus Christ.  Maintaining a commitment to excellence is a struggle once the structure is too big to be self-sustaining.  This happens in many and varied ministries.  Schools can grow a church to a large congregation.  However, in time, that school may force the church to compromise in areas it never considered before.  Solomon added two more cherubim, much larger than the originals.  He added gold on the walls of the Holy Place, which was never in the original design.  His structure was many times over this size of the original Tabernacle.  Impressive?  You bet.  But it became a stumbling block to the nation in the long run.

Encouraging Words From an Understanding Father

“I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let [her] not go: keep her; for she [is] thy life.” (Pr 4:11-13 AV)

Solomon’s sweet words to his grown son.  Solomon was not a perfect father.  If he had to do it all over again, he would probably make some different decisions.  Starting with limiting himself to one wife would have been the first.  Towards the end of his life, he compromised because of his multiple wives and concubines.  My father was not perfect, neither am I.  I am sure my father did the best he could with the experience he had.  He taught us a lot of good.  The first being to fear God.  However, as I read this, I could not help by calling to mind what the above verse might mean if it was the LORD speaking it directly to His children.  He could have.  It was God who provided our earthly fathers, who in turn taught us wisdom.  More directly than that, it is God who teaches us wisdom by His word, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and life’s experiences.  Our failures tend to make us believe the LORD has been unsuccessful in teaching us the way of wisdom.  Our falls tend to lead us to believe that we have not been led in the paths of righteousness.  Yet, the word of God does not lie.

Tying one’s shoes is a skill not easily learned.  It is a prerequisite to entering kindergarten.  As much as we wanted to learn so we could go to school, it took some time to learn it.  Tying the bowline hitch is even more difficult.  To earn certain Boy Scout merit badges, one must master that knot.  There was a saying that went with it.  Up the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole.  However, if the loop to which the free end was thread through was not facing the right way, the knot would not form.  It would fall apart.  After much practice and frustration, the young man learns to tie his shoes.  After a few hours of practice and teaching it to others, the scout would have the bowline hitch mastered.  From that time forward, the young man or scout would hardly fail.  The young and the scout would tie those knots instinctively.  What he did, however, was define his worth by the failures.  Once he learned to master the knot, tying it successfully was never given a second thought.  Doing it right was instinctive and automatic.  Because tying these knots became second nature, the thought of how it could have been tied and failed never enters the mind.

The problem with defining life by our failures is it is too easy.  It is easy to see where we have failed.  It is easier to see how we fell into sin more so than to see when we did not.  Living above sin is not so easily seen because we are not looking at those successes.  We are not looking at the pits we avoided or missed altogether because we were on the right path.  It is hard to conceptualize where we might have been if the LORD did not save us, teach us, and transform us.  We can look at other poor souls and surmise that might have been us, but we will never know for certain.  When the LORD states that He has taught us wisdom and He has led us on the right paths, eyes of faith must accept that.  We may still fail the LORD.  We do.  There is no ‘may’ about it.  If we are constantly focused on the failures, we will get the wrong impression of God’s work in our lives.  The Bible tells us that we are His workmanship.  This means there is constant improvement.  As long as we yield to the master’s touch, we are better than we could have been.  We do learn even if we don’t recognize it.  We are not failures.  We are trophies of God’s grace.  Just because we fail does not make us failures.  That is the story of God’s grace.  I cannot help but to see the tenderness of God’s voice in the proverb above.  The words may have been from an earthly father to his child, but we can also assume these words are from our heavenly father to our discouraged and defeated soul.  God did lead you in the way of wisdom and the path of right.  Trust Him as you accept His words of affirmation and encouragement.

The Past Explains, But Does Not Excuse, The Present

“And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name [was] Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.” (2Sa 14:27 AV)

I am sure there are scoffers who love this verse.  In chapter 18, we learn that Absalom erected a pillar because he had no heir.  At the time of his death, he was childless.  I am sure there are plenty of voices that would declare God’s word has a mistake.  But alas, they would be wrong.  The Bible never tells us that Absalom was childless his entire life.  The Bible does tell us that at the time the pillar was erected, he was childless.  Therefore, any honest commentator would aptly point out Absalom’s children must have died young and, therefore, Absalom was moved to erect a pillar to his name.  There are plenty of honest Bible students who do just that.  But what does this have to do with our daily devotions?  I couldn’t help but wonder if the loss of his four children at an early age had anything to do with his rebellion against his father.  There is not evidence to that fact, but losing one’s family has to affect a person.  Significant loss can change a person.  This might also be a cause why he sought justice for his sister.  She may have been the only family he had.

I learned a tremendous lesson recently.  The LORD provided the means by which Lisa and I could visit my son in Brazil.  It was a glorious trip.  We met some fantastic people.  It is always a wonder to me how our relationship with Christ spans cultures and languages.  Having Christ as our common denominator is a miracle that I would suggest any and all who could go on a mission’s trip do so.  Anyway, we were talking one morning about man-problems.  I won’t belabor you with the details, but the crux of the matter was to what I attributed my concerns.  I always thought that my situation was not as unique as it might seem.  I attributed it to things of my past.  Things that I knew my son had never experienced.  Trauma of the past seemed to be the peg on which I hung most of my concerns.  Most of my shortcomings were seen through the lens of this hardship.  Then my son opened up and stated he suffered the same concerns.  This is where I was puzzled.  He said he felt the same things and thought the same thoughts.  Again, he did not suffer the experiences I had, so I was confused.  Now, he would admit that perhaps my feelings and thoughts were far more severe than his.  We shared these thoughts and feelings, but not to the same degree.  This was an eye-opener for me.  Before this conversation, I felt there was no escaping this trauma.  I thought for sure, I was destined to suffer until glory was my place.  Now, I know that what I suffered with was common among all men and even though my suffering in this area might have been magnified by my past, it wasn’t hopelessly so.

I shared all this because Absalom’s rebellion is common among all men.  To one degree or another, we are all rebels.  What made the difference is that Absalom’s trauma magnified his faults.  He allowed hardship and trouble to affect him to a degree that he lost his life.  We all suffer hard things.  No one is immune.  Although my sons did not have to suffer in ways I did, they still had hard times.  Some of those times I never suffered.  Two of my three sons were gravely ill while on a mission’s trips.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to be very sick yet thousands or tens of thousands of miles away from Mom and Dad.  My youngest was in a hard school for someone like him.  He moved away from friends in his senior year of high school and attended two separate high schools.  We all go through hard times.  It is how we allow them to affect us that mattered.  Absalom used the loss of his family and the abuse of his sister to motivate him to insurrection.  Others, like Moses and Abraham, used trauma to become stronger and closer to God.  Paul lists a plethora of abuses he suffered.  Yet, not one turned him against the LORD.  They all strengthened him and gave him increasing resolve to love the LORD, grow in Christlikeness, and serve Him faithfully until his death.  We will all suffer tragedy.  What we decide to do with it makes all the difference.

The Incredible Grace of God

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” (2Sa 12:13 AV)

Most people, upon hearing the account of David’s affair and murder of his lover’s husband, would be appalled.  While Uriah was away in battle, David had an affair with his wife.  Bathsheba was with child.  To try to cover it up, David had Uriah return from the battlefield and enticed him to go home and lie with his wife, Bathsheba.  He refused.  So, David had Joab put Uriah in the forefront of the battle and retire from him so the archer’s arrow would take his life.  Uriah wasn’t the only one to die that day.  There were others who were too close to the wall of the city under siege as well.  What David did was irresponsibly cause the death of good men because he couldn’t refrain himself.  What made matter worse is Nathan the prophet reminded David he already had plenty of wives and concubines to fulfill his physical needs.  There was no need to take Bathsheba.  As I wrote earlier, on reflection of what David did, many would be appalled.

However, if we are honest, we would have to admit we are no better.  Our sins might be different, but sin is still sin.  When compared against the glory of God, we are all totally and utterly wicked.  We have done things that others know nothing about.  God knows.  Mankind may not.  If they did, they would be equally appalled at our actions.  Praise the LORD our lives are not open books.  David’s actions could not be hid.  Nathan’s words from the LORD indicated that even the enemies of Israel knew about what David did.  It would be very difficult to hide.  Bathsheba was pregnant when Uriah came home.  Even if he did have relationship with his wife, the timing of the birth would have made it obvious it wasn’t his.  David took Bathsheba as his wife not to fool anyone concerning the pregnancy.  Rather, he took her because he got her pregnant.  Again, most would be appalled at the misuse of his position as king.  Let us remember our sins are no better.

Which brings me to my point.  As horrible as his sin and are sins are, God puts them away.  God is a God of mercy and grace.  I cannot wrap my head around this.  God has every right to cast us all in a devil’s hell.  We deserve it.  What made David’s sin even worse was his relationship with the LORD should have prevented it.  He did not commit adultery as a lost man.  He did not occasion the death of his lover’s husband and others because he did not know the LORD.  He did not try to cover it up because he was lost.  All these things happened while he walked with God.  We are no different.  We would like to think that once the Holy Spirit came to dwell within that we live perfect and without sin.  We would like to think because we read our bibles, pray, and seek God’s face that the flesh never gets the better of us.  Being saved in no guarantee against sin.  We still have the will capable of doing horrible things.  It is only by the grace of God we are not destroyed.  Praise be to God!  Thank God for His wonderful grace that will cast our sins away.  Hallelujah!  Praise God!

From His Own Lips

“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” (Ps 91:14 AV)

The last three verses of Psalm ninety-one are words spoken by God regarding the psalmist.  The psalmist seeks deliverance and goes to the only one who can help.  The LORD sees his heart and because the writer desires only the LORD and His help, He honors that heart.  A note of interest is the past tense action of the writer.  He has set his love on God.  He has known his name.  These are past tense actions.  That does not suggest these things were a onetime action that no longer exists.  Rather, there was a time when the writer turned from whatever it was he loved and identified with unto the God of Israel.  He may not have been consistent in his love and identification.  He may not have always loved the LORD as he should have.  He still struggled with sin, as we all do.  Yet, because he chose to love the LORD and identify with Him, the LORD delivered him time and again.

That first phrase is a humbling one because, by and large, we don’t feel like we truly have set our love upon the LORD.  Our old man is a problem.  He is dying a slow and agonizing death.  We struggle with the flesh.  We fight the world.  The devil and his minions are at our side, harassing us every chance we get.  We fail.  We confess.  We forsake.  We reconcile.  This patter continues our entire life.  So, to say the only way to love the LORD is to live perfectly sinless would mean the LORD could never say the above phrase about any of His saints.  That is why that first phrase is so encouraging to me.  Sometimes, we beat ourselves up far more than the LORD does.  He may chasten us.  We certainly need it and deserve it.  Many times, though, we are harder on ourselves than God is.  It is nice to be reminded of successes.  For the LORD to say that we have set our love upon Him is flattering, humbling, and a good check against the persecution of the devil.

When I think of the above phrase, I am reminded of children.  Especially our own.  I have three sons.  They are all grown now.  They have children of their own.  They did not always obey me.  In fact, there were times they rebelled more than they obeyed.  They didn’t always trust me.  There were times they had to figure it out on their own.  However, with all the challenges to my leadership, authority, and love, I never once doubted they set their love upon me.  They never sought to change their last name.  They always remembered who they were and what that meant.  As a dad, I never required perfection.  Why would I?  That is an impossible standard.  I never required complete and total compliance before I was willing to parent them.  Because they set their love upon me and were willing to identify with me as their father, no matter how successful or unsuccessful they were at the moment, they had my parental love and protection.  I cannot help by be very grateful this morning at the reminder from the LORD’s own mouth that I love Him!  To know that He is pleased with me even if I fail Him encourages me to try even harder.  Praise the LORD for His wonderful grace!