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| The Blessing of Tough Times - General Principles
050830 Tuesday, August 30, 2005 Daily Devotional• Part: 2
By: Brent Riggs
James 1:2-4 - My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (NKJV)
Tough times, trials, suffering, hardship, adversity. a very real part of life. And no amount of positive confession, denial, or wishing thinking can change that fact.
So we're left to try and understand God's viewpoint. Does He condone suffering? Does He allow it? Does He have a purpose in it? Is there any benefit to us? Are tough times in life just part of our existence, something we just grin-n-bear holding out for a better future in heaven?
I want start by laying some groundwork that will provide an overall framework for this entire series. Let's start with some general truth that applies across-the-board to adversity:
- We suffer because we live in a fallen world.
- We suffer because of the consequence of our own sin.
- The Bible contains ALL the answers we need concerning adversity.
Each of the reasons, responses and benefits that we will study in this series will be subsets of these three general principles. As we filter all of the ideas and details about hardships through these three basic truths, we will discover that the major theme concerning suffering and this life is:
It is mankind's own fault that life is hard
and God has mercifully turned it into a blessing.
Life is tough, that is a fact. And it is OUR fault, and that is also fact. But God in His loving kindness, His infinite wisdom, and His tender mercy has once again taken what we have messed up and has made the hardships of life a source of blessing.
We Suffer Because We Live a Fallen World
In Genesis 3 we find that mankind, through our perfect representative (Adam), chose to forgo faultless, holy fellowship with Creator God and exchanged it for an existence of self dependence and self will. Through our own choice we gave up Paradise for imprisonment in a cursed world of hardship.
We find in the opening verses that we decided we were smarter than God, and that He was keeping something from us that we deserved (ironic considering Adam and Eve lived in a state of perfection). And so we willingly choice to sin, to violate God's instructions, and elevate our own will over the Lord God's.
Let me pause here for a moment and explain why I keep saying "we" and "our". Many people claim "it's not MY fault that Adam sinned. I was never given a chance. How can God hold me accountable for Adam's sin?".
That opinion is either pure self-deception or ignorance. Consider this: Adam was the perfect man, created in a perfect environment, with a perfect unpolluted mind, living in a perfect world and enjoying direct, untainted fellowship with the Creator of the Universe. He was a perfect man in a perfect situation with perfect holiness. And yet, he still fell to the temptation of pride.
Now tell me, acknowledging Adam's circumstance, which one of us wants to stand up and say "I would not have fallen to the temptation". Just the very fact that a person could proclaim such a thing immediately proves the opposite.
In God's infinite and merciful wisdom, He gave man the perfect opportunity to live in sinless perfection. He created him perfectly, gave him everything he needed, and walked with him in continous empowering fellowship. He gave us the very best chance we could ever ask for. And yet Adam (we) fell. He was mankind's perfect representative, given the absolutely perfect, perfect, perfect chance to succeed at being sinless... and yet he fell. That is why Scripture is correct in stating:
Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned- (NKJV)
Suffering is a logical result of a sin cursed world. Continuing on in Genesis Chapter three we find starting in verse 16 that sorrow and pain was introduced, that conflict and self will would be a part of our personalities, that the very ground will suffer, our work suffers, and life in general will produce suffering.
So one overarching principle is that adversity and hardship is simply a natural and logical part of a creation that is cursed because of our own collective choice to sin.
We Suffer from the Consequence of Our Own Personal Sin
A lot of our personal suffering is due to our own personal sin. This may come in the form of consequences or in the form of discipline. It is easy for us to understand this principle when we think of our children but we conveniently play stupid when it comes to us sinning against God.
- If our child disobeys us (sin) and willfully touches a hot stove despite being warned and told not to (the Law), then the child gets burned (suffers). Life is now tough for him because of the consequence of his own personal choice to disobey.
- If the same child continues to make the same sinful choice we made decide as his parents to make his life tougher by administering discipline. This discipline will most certainly make him suffer even more, but we do it out of love to cause him to recognize his sin and change his behavior.
- So the child is now suffering because of consequences and because of discipline... both brought on by a self-willed choice to disobey (sin).
Easy to understand, right? Then why is it so hard for us to accept the same principle in our own lives when God deals with our sin? We are exponentially more childish, willful and sinful towards God than any child is towards their parent (in comparison).
Galatians 6:7 - Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (NKJV)
We very often suffer because of our own sinful choices.
The Bible Contains All the Answers for Tough Times
We live in a day and age when even conservative evangelical churches believe (at least in practice) that the Bible is only PART of the answer to life's problems. The Church has become infiltrated and inundated with the world's ideas of wisdom, counseling and therapy. This is in direct contrast to plain scripture that clearly indicates that all of life's problems and trials can be addressed by the word of God (emphasis mine):
2 Timothy 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. (NKJV)
2 Peter 1:2-4 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (NKJV)
Psalm 19:7-11 - The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. (NKJV)
Scripture clearly and emphatically teaches that it contains not only every answer we need, but it is the sole source true wisdom. Does this mean there are no useful books or profitable resources outside of the Bible? Not at all. But what it does mean is that those books and resources are only as good as the degree in which they explain, emphasize and clarify the foundational principles in the Bible.
In any area of counseling/discipling where man's "wisdom" contradicts God's word, or introduces concepts and ideas NOT FOUND in God's word, that counseling becomes at best suspect and at worst harmful. The answers in the Bible "that pertain to life and godliness" start from the same point of origin:
Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? (NKJV)
There is a reason I am emphasizing this point is because we have to quit making excuses for our sin if we are to ever understand suffering and adversity. We have been conditioned to blame our problems (and the resulting consequences) on anything and everything except the primary cause: sinful hearts.
We suffer because we live in a sinful world. We suffer because we are individually sinful. The Bible contains everything needed to deal with both. That is the foundation that we will begin with as we look over the next few days at how to respond to the tough times in life.
Lord God, help us to understand adversity from Your perspective. Grant us grace in our hour of trial, wisdom to know how to respond, and discernment to recognize the blessing you are trying to give us. In Jesus name, Amen.
Contemplation: Is your first response to tough times an all out effort to get out of it? Do you ask God "why me"? Have you ever considered, or believed that hardships are a blessing from God?
Application: Suffering and adversity are only as bad as the degree of our ignorance about what God has to say about it. Is it fun? NO! It is a blessing? Yes. Do you believe it?.
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
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| Hell Gets a Bad Rap
040719 Monday, July 19, 2004 Daily Devotional
Part: 1
View all the lessons in this series - View other series
Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (NKJV)
(Previous devotionals can be found at www.seriousfaith.com)
Hell is getting a bad rap. Okay, not hell itself, but the topic; or more specifically, whether or not it should be routinely discussed, studied or used in presenting the Gospel. Why do I say that?
Because it has become almost considered down right rude and archaic to 1) tell a sinner they are headed to hell at any moment, 2) discuss the reality of hell in the Church today. It's considered bad selling; "scaring people" or promoting a "negative" Gospel rather than a "positive" one. Satan has succeeded in reducing hell to silly imagery, desensitized vocabulary and snicker-producing ideas:
- Fire & brimstone (typically meant to describe and "old fashioned" type of preacher
- Hell is where Satan and the demons party with the sinners
- Satan has a red suit, pointy tail, horns and pitchfork
- Satan and demons are routinely banished and defeated by mortal men constantly in Hollywood movies giving us a very unBiblical view of what they really are
- Phrases like "what the hell" and "go to hell" desensitizes people about the reality of hell and causes them to think very casually about it
- Hell is an old fashioned religious idea
- Hell can't be real because a loving God wouldn't send people there
- If hell is real, it's ridiculous to think God would send you there for all eternity
- Only the really bad people go to hell; that's not me
- Hell is not real, its just a state of unhappiness, or is merely a euphemism for evil
- Hell is the complete annihilation of "evil" people
And on and on. Satan has done a masterful job at causing people (including Christians) to see anything but the hard core truth about hell.
It's considered laughable by the world to present hell as real.
It's considered a poor selling technique or "harsh" by the Church.
That's a pretty tough thing to say, but how many churches, evangelistic outreaches or teachers present WITH EQUAL BALANCE the realities of hell? Modern Christianity is dominated by a "Jesus will improve your life mentality"; a "Madison Avenue, accentuate the benefits, downplay the costs" sales & marketing type of Gospel.
At this point comes the most common comment I hear... "Oh, so you're supposed to SCARE people to heaven, huh?"; "You don't get people saved by offering them fire insurance!"; or "people want to hear about love not hell!". An objective observer would rightly conclude that the Gospel today is "Jesus loves you and will make everything better". Now don't get me wrong, that of course is completely true especially from an eternal perspective. The problem with that mentality is that it has turned the Gospel into a man-made effort to persuade or "sell" people on Jesus based solely on "features and benefits". Sales 101.
The Bible doesn't present a Gospel that is Sales 101
(features & benefits; downplay the cost).
The Gospel of Scripture is Truth 101
(the reality of hell; the solution of Jesus Christ)
But that is for another lesson this week. We are going to study about hell all this week. On Friday I am going to have in my devotional a project I have been working on for a couple of weeks - a "Brent Riggs translation" of the Jonathan Edwards classic message, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". As you can guess, yes, it's about hell. It is one of the most famous on the subject and produced the most extensive and intensive revival in American history. I look forward to sharing it with you.
Now, just in case you fall into that category of people who think lessons on hell, or a Gospel presentation that includes hell, is not useful, productive or Biblical, let me give you a taste of what we will cover this week:
- What does the Bible have to say about hell?
- It has eternal fire and torment
- You will remember and regret your chance to obey God
- You will thirst but never drink
- You will be in misery and pain
- You will always be angry, frustrated and desparate
- You will be alone
- You will feel the full weight of God's anger
- You will never, ever, ever leave
- Myths, heresies and false teaching about hell
- It is not temporary
- It is not annihilation
- It is not a bunch of "bad" people enjoying their sinful ways for all eternity
- It is not the demon hangout or playground
- It is not simply a description of evil
- Satan is not the ruler of hell
- Yes, a loving God will send you there
- Hell and the Gospel
- Why it is avoided today
- What is the effect of leaving hell out of the message
- The "Jesus will improve your life" Gospel
- Should it be included in evangelism
- How should it be communicated to sinners
- How should it be taught to Believers
- Why it is not "fire insurance
- Hell, one second away
I want to give you reasons each day to help you realize that sharing the wrath of God is just as important as sharing the love of God. You see, we believe that warning about hell is a scare tactic that produces emotional, false converts to Christ. Let me propose that more false converts exist because of the "Jesus will improve your life" Gospel, than will ever exist by "scaring" someone about hell.
Why? Because when life gets tough, Christians who were converted because Jesus was supposed to fix everything, bail out. The deal falls through. They were sold a product that doesn't work. But people who clearly and unmistakably came to Christ because they understood the consequences of rejecting Him, do not bail out when the storms hit. Does that mean that scary "hell talk" is the only real way to share the Gospel? NO, NO, NO and NO again!
We aren't responsible for the results of the Message... God is!
Our responsbility is to deliver the Message, the whole Message.
We are responsible to deliver the Joe Friday "just the facts, ma'am", balanced courtroom version of the Truth... "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth". We are to give a balanced, honest and full disclosure of what Jesus is all about: eternal life and blessing; or eternal death and the wrath of God.
We are not SALESMEN!
We are AMBASSADORS!
We're not selling a product, we are delivering a message. God has determined what that message is, and it is not up to us to re-work it into something a little easier to swallow. Heaven or hell. Life or death. Jesus or Satan. The whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
I've touched on several issues, concepts and points very lightly in this introduction today to give you a hint about what we will study this week. If you are a person who thinks that a study about hell is "unloving" or simply unpleasant and therefore to be avoided, I hope you will prayerfully reconsider. There is a lost and dying world all around you. Any lost person can die at ANY SECOND and be instantly in the flames of eternal hell. If that was true about you and you didn't know it, wouldn't you want someone to tell you?
Holy God, Hell is not a pleasant subject but it is most certainly reality. Thank you for saving us from hell by giving Your only Beloved Son. Open our eyes about the importance and need to speak the truth in love to those who are but one second from the eternal torment of hell. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Contemplation: Do you know about hell? When is the last time you warned a sinner about hell? Do you think it is necessary? Do you think that "using hell" when presenting the Gospel is "fire insurance"? Do you think people who are "scared" into accepting Christ aren't genuine? Is the answer to just share "the love of Jesus" and leave "fire and brimstone" out of it?
Application: Measure, contemplate and even write down your current beliefs and attitudes about hell. Go through this study this week and see if any of them change in any way. I propose to show you that sharing the truth about hell is just as important as sharing the truth about heaven and God's love.
James 1:22 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
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Modesty, Clothing & God - Part: 4 (Check out link at the bottom of the Bible study for a link to the previous parts of this series by Brent Riggs at seriousfaith.com)
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)
1 Peter 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (NKJV)
I receive many questions that pertain to modesty; which clothes are appropriate for Christians and what does God have to say about it all? Recently, my local church has re-addressed this issue as well, so I decided that this would be a good time to do a short series on the subject. While the comments and thoughts will be mine, I decided not to "re-invent the wheel" on this, and reference the bullet points below that our church is using. My list is somewhat modified from the original (and will continued to be modified as I write the series). You can find an excellent lesson on the original list (Dr. John Barnett) at http://www.dtbm.org/message_detail.asp?fileid=749.
- Our Clothing Was Invented By God To Cover Our Bodies
- Our Clothing Is To Prevent Confusion
- Our Clothing Sends a Message
- Our Clothing Should Help Us Avoid Sin
- Our Clothing Shoul Not Be a Tool of Manipulation
- Our Clothing Is To Show Separation From The World
- Our Clothing Is To Reflect God’s Ownership Of Our Bodies
- Our Clothing Must Not Encourage Lust Of The Flesh
- Our Clothing Is To Demonstrates Where We Are At Spiritually
Let's review... we've learned that modesty is a necessary solution to the natural shame humans should feel about nakedness. We've also learned that clothing provides a way to avoid gender confusion which in turn leads to confusion about our God-given roles as men and women. We've learned that our clothing sends a message about our attitudes towards God and holiness; and that our clothing should attract righteousness to us, not immorality. Our clothing should not manipulate other people in any way, whether through sexual allurement or "status". Our clothing should show that we are not attached to what the world holds as important; this becomes more critical as the world descends deeper into immorality and materialism. We learned at the close of our last lesson that our clothing should reflect who owns our bodies. If someone else truly owns us, then we are obligated to dress the way the Owner wishes even if it does not fit our own desires.
Modesty comes from a Godly heart, not a checklist.
Get the internal right, and the external will follow.
Let me re-emphasize that you won't find any checklists or sets of rules in this series. There are no rules that a rebellious heart cannot violate, stretch or find loopholes in. The issue of modesty starts in the heart. When the heart is right, the external behaviors and choices will follow.
Our Clothing Must Not Encourage Lust Of The Flesh
This is pretty much a running theme through all the points of this series. Given the sexually charged society we live in, it should probably be even more emphasized.
Lust is rampant in Western society. Clothing, male included, but especially female, has reached a ridiculous level of immodesty and provocativeness. Even clothes that actually cover skin are still primarily designed to accentuate and highlight the body.
This point is becoming particularly hard to communicate effectively today, especially to our younger folks. Like the proverbial frog being boiled to death in a slowly heated pan of water, our youth do not have a sense of the rising "heat" in today's fashions because it's all they have ever known. A trip to a junior high, a high school, a local shopping mall or any summer time activity is quite literally an opportunity for a "lust fest" should one desire to indulge in it.
Ridiculously short shorts, bare midriffs, vacuum-packed shirts and pants, plunging necklines.... it really is becoming a situation of "Sodom and Gomorrah" proportion. Again, even the clothes that actually cover up some skin are typically very tight, form-accentuating, and unmistakably designed to say "look here"... "now look here".
Today's church typically has a"safe distance" mentality
about morality, modesty and materialism.
Is the Church environment any better than the world when it comes to immodest clothing? Sometimes. Often not. We have a "safe distance" mentality about morality. What does that mean? Well consider the safe distance rule about driving...
When driving, you know how they teach the "two second rule" about following a "safe distance" behind the next car? You pick out a stationary object on or beside the road. As the car in front of you passes that object, you begin to count, "thousand one, thousand two". As long as you have not passed that same object before counting "two", then you are a "safe distance" behind the car in front of you.
It doesn't matter if you are going 10 miles an hour, or 90. The distance changes between you and the car in front of you; but it's all relative. They speed up, you speed up. They slow down, you slow down. As long as you keep your distance of "two seconds".
This works great for driving safely, but it's a catastrophic approach to morality or holiness. The world is going "90 mph" down the road of immorality. The typical Christian appears to be pretty "good" because they are a "safe distance" behind the world. But compared to God's Word, we are driving recklessly. (Thank you to Dr. John Barnett for teaching me this valuable illustration! www.dbtm.org)
We are not to compare ourselves to the world. We are called to keep a "safe distance" but to be "separated". We are not to judge our level of modesty and holiness against the world. A sheep looks soft and white when standing on dirty ground; but that same sheep appears filthy and dirty when standing in fresh, pure snow. God's Word is our "fresh pure snow" when it comes to determining what is modest and holy.
Staying a safe distance behind the world is not a Godly approach to modesty. We must find out God's standard regardless of what the world is doing.
Our Clothing Demonstrates Where You Are At Spiritually
"You can't judge a book by it's cover"... well isn't that a bunch of hogwash! Okay, I know what it's supposed to mean. It means you don't judge someone by the color of their skin, or by their level of physical beauty, or even by the quality of clothing they have on.
When it comes to modesty,
the cover says a LOT about the book.
When it comes to MODESTY, the "cover" says an awful lot about the book. I can tell a WHOLE lot about a book that has the word "Penthouse" and naked lady on the cover! In the same way, our clothing, and our attitude about modesty goes a LONG way in making a statement about where we are at spiritually. Our "cover" (clothing) says much about our "book" (heart). Our clothing and the corresponding modesty makes a statement and gives non-verbal indications about topics such as:
- Do I know God's Word?
- Do I take God seriously?
- Who owns my body?
- What is my attitude about sin?
- What is my attitude about purity?
- What is my attitude towards the opposite sex?
- What is my attitude about money?
- Am I in close fellowship with God?
- Do I take my Christian testimony seriously?
- Am I more like the world, or like Christ?
- Am I more attached to the world, or to God?
There is a lot than can be "judged" about our "cover", however, I'm not suggesting we start running around and "judging" or confronting every person's spiritual condition based on a tight blouse or a pair of low cut jeans. What I am suggesting is this:
- Individual Christians should start seriously considering and evaluating what they wear, and in light of God's Word, what statement is made publicly about our private spirituality
- Parents should quit ignoring/minimizing this issue and realize that clothing and modesty is a integral part, and statement, about the spiritual lives of children and parents alike
- Church leaders should should evaluate the need for teaching and instruction in this area; and evaluate the spiritual effect on your flocks that results from ignoring the plummeting standards of modesty in our culture today.
Whether collectively as the modern church, or as individual Christians, our clothing, and our modesty, make very powerful statements to a watching and dying world about our faith, our God and our commitment.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Do we need checklists? No. Do we need lists of rules and clothing guidelines? Not at a "group" level, though parents may find it helpful when teaching their children what is acceptable and what is not (and I have seen where "attire guidelines" have been useful and appropriate to determine what is acceptable for a person who represents a local church at a public function). My point remains: external constraints, while sometimes useful and appropriate, will not change a person's heart.
We don't need the "mod squad" (Modesty Police) running around like the Taliban in the Middle East beating people every time an elbow or ankle appears. What we do need are leaders, teachers and parents who see the seriousness of this issue and can properly and lovingly convey God's Word to those under their spiritual care.
As the world grows less modest, and ridiculously immoral, this issue will only rise in importance. It's not going to get better by ignoring it.
Lord, Help us to understand that modesty is an issue of the heart. Help us to know and understand the reason why You have made clothing and modesty a part of a holy life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Contemplation: Does any of your clothing encourage lust from the opposite sex? For you guys with muscles, do you show them off? Ladies, have you asked your Godly father, husband or another male whether your clothing is provocative to men? What does your clothing say about your level of Christian maturity? Does you clothing send out the message that you are serious about holiness?
Application: This is a matter of the heart. There are times when guidelines or clothing rules will help guide people of certain ages or situations, but generally speaking, a person's heart must get right about modesty before any real and lasting changes are made. Clothing and modesty are becoming ever more serious, and important as we move into these perilous immoral times.
James 1:22 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
Again, check out www.seriousfaith.com/series_details.asp?seriesid=34 | | |
| Does God Exist?
- Part 1 of a 10-part series
- see link at end of this entry to open all of the bible studies in this series.
Psalm 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.
Does God exist? This is one of the most asked, most wondered about and generally most poorly answered questions in all of history. Could you answer someone today if they asked you?
The most common answer is “well, you just have to believe by faith. You can’t really know for sure”. You’ve never seen God. You can’t touch God. You can’t “prove” God exists. So if you can’t “prove” it, then you can’t expect people to “blindly” believe in God. So everyone is left to "believe or not believe" that God exists; whatever you feel like without rhyme or reason.
Isa 44.6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.”
What if you could show that God exists as surely as you could prove, say, the fact that George Washington was President? What if you could demonstrate God exists 100 times more convincingly than the fact that Alexander the Great was a conqueror or that Egypt had Pharaohs?
- Was Napoleon Bonaparte a French dictator?
- Was Plato a philosopher?
- Was Abraham Lincoln president?
- Were you really born in the town you say?
- How can you prove wind exists?
- Are there atoms?
- Was there really a Holocaust?
- Does God exist?
Why does a person without hesitation believe there is a simple and irrefutable answer to the first seven questions? Anyone who would disagree with the obvious answer to those questions would be considered either deceived, deranged, stupid, or a liar.
How can you be so absolutely sure of the first seven answers? They can’t be scientifically proven.
The true nature of science is the ability to repeat and demonstrate something while observing and recording it. You cannot “scientifically prove” anything in history, any one-time occurrence, or anything else that cannot be reproduced at will. Most “scientific proof” today concerning our origins, creation, God, the Universe or a host of other “life” questions, is strictly theory presented as “science” to give it an air of authority.
Science deals with the tangible, repeatable
and observable. How are other things "proved"?
You have never seen or touched most of the subjects of those first seven questions. Some of them have never been seen by anyone ever. You can’t recreate and demonstrate them at will. Yet their existence is not questioned. Why?
Evidence
There is historical, legal, scientific, social and logical evidence to answer these questions. The answers are sensible and supported with convincing evidence, so we believe them without question.
The amazing thing is that there is exponentially MORE historical, scientific, social and logical evidence that God exists; and yet that fact is questioned or ignored by the majority of the world.
Romans 1. 20-21 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Why would seemingly reasonable people ignore the overwhelming evidence of God’s existence? Because examining the evidence requires us to make a decision about it. For the next few days, I will take you through some of the more simple and easy to understand types of evidence.
1 Peter 3.15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
The next time someone asks you “How do you know there is a God?”, you can be ready to give a defense for your belief in His existence.
Our God, give us a portion of wisdom and understanding so that we can boldly give evidence of Your existence. May we know You exist even more convincingly by how you change our hearts and lives today. Amen.
Contemplation:
Application:
James 1:22 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
If you are interested in the other daily devotions in this series, click on the link below and you will be taken to seriousfaith.com. Brent Riggs is the writer of this bible study. http://www.seriousfaith.com/series_details.asp?seriesid=7
View other Bible study series by Brent Riggs: http://www.seriousfaith.com/series.asp | | |
| You Must Have Forgotten - Part 1 of a 10-part series
- see link at end of this entry to open all of the bible studies in this series.
2 Peter 1:9-11 - For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
Ah, Peter. For us hard-headed, simple-minded folks, he's just what the Doctor ordered. He makes things so plain and straight to the point. In the first chapter of 2nd Peter, he starts out by letting us know that we don't have any excuses for not living a godly life:
2 Peter 1:2 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness... (NKJV)
As Christians, we have the divine power of Jesus Christ that gives us ALL (not part, or some) things that pertain to life and godliness. How? Through the knowledge of Him who called us... which is the essence of a great deal of our failures: lack of knowledge (Hosea 4.6). We don't lack knowledge however because of God not giving it. We lack godly knowledge due to our own sinful non-pursuit of it.
Peter then goes on to list the characteristics of the godly:
2 Peter 1:5-8 - But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
These qualities encompass the full measure of "all things that pertain to life and godliness". They will be the topic of the upcoming series of devotionals. Let's introduce the result before we begin to study the journey.
After listing these characteristics Peter tells us that if we possess them in increasing measure we will not fail to be useful to God. He says "for if these things are yours and abound"; or in other words if they are present in your life and visibly increasing.
God is not primarily concerned with the
AMOUNT of holiness in your life, but rather,
is it a consistently increasing amount?
Peter then bluntly states the opposite truth. If you don't have these qualities, you're like a spiritually blind person who has forgotten that they were saved from their old sinful way of life. Having forgotten about the cleansing you received, you wallow around in the mud of sin like you used to. This sets up a vicious negative cycle:
Being shortsighted and forgetful of your "sin cleansing" leads to more sin and lesser amounts of holiness which makes you more shortsighted and forgetful which leads to more sin...
And round and round it goes. See the trap? Peter is giving us a spiritual slap in the face saying "HEY!!! You were cleansed from that old sinful life. Wake up and start living like it!". Let's consider some thoughts about verses 9-11:
- Going back to your old sinful way of life is like the dog returning to consume its own vomit (2Pet 2.22)
- Being shortsighted effects your ability to see things from an eternal perspective; you start reacting with a short-term mentality which most always leads to bad decisions
- You will remain shortsighted and lacking of the aforementioned Godly qualities until you "remember" that you are saved from your old sinfulness
- It is possible for Christians to reach a state of spiritual blindness because the verse clearly states that this person was cleansed from his past sins; so don't dismiss this as only the behavior of the unsaved
Peter encourages us to be diligent so that we don't fall into a state of forgetfulness. He encapsulates the Christian life in the phrase "calling and election" which covers the spectrum of our salvation and sanctification. How do we do that? By developing "IN INCREASING MEASURE" the qualities listed in verses 5-7. He says to make our "calling and election SURE". He would not command us to do something that was impossible.
Can you be SURE about your salvation? According to Peter you can. How? By living in increasing Godliness. Is there one word that summarizes those traits? Yes: OBEDIENCE. The entire book of 1John confirms Peter's point.
Peter goes on to say that a person who does these "things" (the list of godly qualities) will never stumble. Stop the train. Did Peter say NEVER? Remember, only God can typically get away with using words like "never", "all" and "every". By divine inspiration, Peter says that "if you do these things you will never stumble". It's a future, ongoing, increasing "doing" of the things he lists in verses 5-7.
When you find yourself sinning (stumbling), stop and contemplate which of the listed godly traits you are missing, ignoring or neglecting. Re-engage that particular holy characteristic and the sin in question will stop. An answer to dealing with sin is to think:
"Wait a minute. I've been cleansed from this sin. I don't have to do it. Which holy quality is lacking in my life that is leading to this sin? Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness or love? Which one?"
If Peter tells us that we can "forget" about being saved from our old sinful ways; then the implication is to remind ourselves frequently, "I have been cleansed from my old sinfulness, and I no longer live that old life." And there is a "rich" reward for those who live an increasingly godly life.
That increasing life of godliness will be where we pick up in the next daily devotion.
Almighty God, You have given us everything we need to live a life of Godliness. We pray that You would remind us every time we forget that we have been cleansed from our old sin. We pray you would correct our spiritual vision everytime we become shortsighted. In Jesus name, Amen.
Contemplation: How sure are you of your salvation? What does "increasing measure" mean? What does Peter mean by "never" stumble?
Application: Of course we will always continue to stumble but it should be with DECREASING frequency while our Godliness is INCREASING. Peter states we will NEVER stumble if we "do these things". So each time we do stumble, one of these "things" is not being done. Ask God for wisdom and discernment to recognize the lacking quality behind your sin, and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you when you start to "forget" that you have been cleansed from sin.
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
If you are interested in the other daily devotions in this series, click on the link below and you will be taken to seriousfaith.com. Brent Riggs is the writer of this bible study. http://www.seriousfaith.com/series_details.asp?seriesid=15
Check out "I Am Free" by Ross Parsley - best worship CD I've heard in two years. Check it out at: http://www.newlifechurch.org/worship/
Our church is using three tracks off this wonderful CD for Easter Sunday morning.
Questions? Thoughts on the Bible study or "I Am Free" CD? Leave me a comment and I'll reply soon.
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