He Spoke With Authority

And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? - Luke 4:22

Last week we were talking about miracles as part of the revelation as opposed to meeting a need.  It strikes me as I write that Jesus did not turn stones into bread to satisfy His own hunger when it was suggested by the devil because it was not revelatory.  The devil knew who He was.  Perhaps it is good that we not try to prove ourselves to the Accuser, whatever form he takes.  Anyway, what was true of the works of Jesus is true as well of His words.  He comes to bring the Gospel, in His Incarnation, His signs, and His words.  The prophets, Isaiah in particular, spoke of the One who would bear good news to His people.  Jesus had gone to Nazareth and was in the synagogue there on the Sabbath where He read from the scroll what we know as Isaiah 61:1-2: 

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;

When He finished reading, ... he began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.  "Gracious words" can also be "words of grace".  Jesus spoke eloquently, but, far beyond eloquence, His words carried with them the power of salvation.  If they were received, those words would impart grace to the hearer. 

However, despite the wonder created in the hearts of His auditors that day, they almost immediately began to react against this onslaught of grace.  They remembered the boy raised in the house of Joseph the carpenter.  They remembered Jesus Himself working and sweating like all common men.  Those residents of Nazareth were unable to reconcile the image of the one who had walked among them as a child and a young man for so many years with Him proclaiming Himself the prophesied messenger.  Soon, they had worked themselves into such a frenzy that they attempted to murder Jesus solely for telling them the truth about Himself.

I was reading on the blog of Vox Day (Theodore Beale)  -- which I do not necessarily recommend, about his debate over a couple of books with one Philip Sandifer.  Sandifer is an atheist who, in discussing the existence, power, and authority of God, says:

I have no concern whatsoever that his authority is legitimate, however. It is not, at least over what I understand to be me, Philip Sandifer. The self that I am solipsistically invested in has an independent consciousness from your god. I am but a sinner, cast out into a material world and fundamentally separated from your god. But where you view my sin as my imprisonment in a lowly, materialist prison, I view it as my freedom from the tyrant you choose to serve.

Jesus spoke with authority.  This is offensive to people like Sandifer who would, even if they believed a Creator existed, deny that the One who created them had any right to tell them what reality looks like (i.e., give the Law).  These poor folks are convinced they are so intelligent they can "understand their experience in the world" apart from God.

(Seriously, man, I've been there — still got the shovel.  You ain't even figured out how stupid you are yet.)

John Milton knew this dude: 

Here at least
we shall be free; the Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
to reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.

Forget Not

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. -- Proverbs 3:5-6

It is a familiar couple of verses, ones that we have all read and heard, perhaps quoted or added to some young person's birthday card.  If I am not careful, though, this wise spiritual counsel will be overlooked, consigned to the shelf where I keep all the things I know too well.  Can a thing be so central that it is forgotten? 

What I need is not always what I want.  Certainly what I want is not always what is best.  As I have noted before, I don't have much trouble obeying God so long as His will and mine are in agreement.  The old nature, like the proverbial broken clock, will point the right way now and then.  Or, as my brother once said, I'm easy to get along with if you let me have my way. 

We have probably all had the experience of wanting something that we thought would be the only thing we would ever want only find little satisfaction when we finally acquired it.  It is almost a law of human nature that everything we do get, no matter how wonderful it seemed when it was not ours, loses some of its allure and attraction once we possess it.  I have found that is one of the best features of surprise and unsought gifts we receive.  Something I had no idea I ever wanted can become one of my most prized possessions. 

Most all of us Pentecostals have a special understanding of Romans 8:26-27, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."  It can be hard to know how to pray in every situation.  Yet a believer doesn't have to be Pentecostal or Charismatic to yield to the Spirit of God, to say with the Lord, "Nevertheless, Thy will be done."  It's so easy a Primitive Baptist can do it. 

As I have matured - a little - I have come to realize that socks and drawers and t-shirts are actually pretty good things to get for Christmas or one's birthday.  The latest electronic gadget may be fascinating for a day or two, and it may be handy on occasion, but underwear, like the mercies of God, should be new every morning.  Or at least clean every morning.  It is nice to have new socks to replace the ones I've worn holes in or to pull out a t-shirt that isn't stretched, threadbare and stained. 

God gives us wisdom so we can act righteously, sensibly, and courageously when we are under pressure.  Sometimes He gives us relationships that are one-sided, where we are doing a lot of giving, serving, supporting, and encouraging because the more we give out, the more He can pour in.  We find ourselves in places that hurt so much we want to fall apart, but we need to stand, so He gives us strength. 

We say, "Trust God.  Have faith in God."  It sounds trite and not terribly helpful, but it is the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel.  Do you think it is possible to forget what I want for a while and be happy with what God gives me?  I don't know, but I want to find out.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, ... who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103:1-5).

Down and Out in Egypt

Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. -- Psalms 105:38

I admit that I am a rather perverse Christian.  I always smile when I read this verse.  It has often been the case in my life that people have been glad to be rid of me, probably not so much for dread as for annoyance.  The basis of the psalmist’s chant is Exodus 12:33, The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, We shall all be dead.  Plague after plague and destruction wrought by God had left the Egyptians fatigued, terrorized, beaten and baffled. 

The world has been, here in the West, remarkably tolerant of the Church in some of its manifestations.   There is, these days, though, a rising and more blatant animosity being expressed, not only by the militant atheists but society in general.  I am not worried by this. 

As individual believers, the times of stress and turmoil that we face can be the times when we experience the most rapid and genuine growth and fruitfulness. So, it can be, too, with the Church as a whole.  Persecution brings purification, and, sometimes the Body of Christ is in need of that, though we certainly don’t enjoy or welcome it.

There isn’t much that I would call “official” persecution going on here in the United States apart from the incursions of the fabulous gay –marriage gestapo against bakers and photographers.  The growing cultural opposition and antagonism to any public expressions of Christian faith, values, and piety, however, indicate that a watershed may be approaching.  More and more people find the idea of free speech on the part of anyone outside the Borg offensive.  Not content with ignoring and deriding us, they might prefer to have us silenced.

I am old enough to have attended school when the teacher led us in prayer, when Bibles were commonly found and even read from in the classroom, and we stood together to say the Pledge of Allegiance.  I doubt that any of those things were harmful to any child.  Being a child, when these activities ceased, I did not give much thought to it.  I am such an opponent of public schools and the dastardly teachers’ unions that I would oppose sending children to those indoctrination centers even if they allowed prayers.  In fact, it may not be too long before they do sanction prayer – five times a day, facing Mecca.

When the Israelites left Egypt, the biblical account states that they spoiled the Egyptians, taking much in the way of jewelry, gold and silver from their former masters.  The Lord was able to move the hearts of the Egyptians and make those arrangements because it all belongs to Him.  I believe that He will, amid the coming turbulence, give gifts to the Church, perhaps material riches, but certainly wisdom, insight, understanding, skills and talents that are necessary for the furtherance of the kingdom.  This will be the case all around the world, even in the heart of Muslim nations and oppressive socialist regimes.    

The pendulum swings; the wheel turns.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Me Or My Lying Eyes

And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. -- Matthew 13:58

I don’t have much time today, so I’ll talk about this briefly and maybe come back to it.  I think it is an important concept and worthy of thought. 

The purpose of a miracle is not simply to give someone the help that they need.  Obviously giving sight to the blind is of benefit to the blind man, but miraculous works are a part of the revelation.  As such, they call on those who witness them to both glorify God and receive what is being revealed about God through the miracle.  Ridderbos (whom I mentioned last week) says a miracle necessitates a decision. 

It’s just like the witness of Scripture or of nature.  We decide whether or not to accept what we see – not just as a fact, but as a witness of God’s Glory and Person.  We can even, like the people of Nazareth, make that decision up front.  We can close our minds to the possibility of receiving a revelation, and close ourselves off to the possibility of witnessing the miraculous. 

Yes, miracles are more likely to take place among the primitive and the ignorant.  The sophisticated take that as an indication that the more primitive are easily deceived when perhaps it is, instead, an indication that they haven’t closed their minds to God. By refusing to even allow for the possibility of the miraculous, I exalt my own opinions, beliefs, and preferences over the truth I could see if I would.

I think this also tells us something about the unforgivable sin which the Lord said was blaspheming the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was casting out demons, and the religious leadership argued that He was doing so by the power of Beelzebub.  Those who opposed Jesus refused to accept the witness of the miraculous right before their eyes.  Worse, they said that the Lord’s power was itself of demonic origins.  So, it makes sense that this sin would be unforgivable.  If I close my eyes to what the Holy Spirit is showing me or if I say that what is happening is not His work or revelation, how could I possibly be forgiven?  I’m rejecting the Cross and refusing to take the only path to forgiveness that exists.   

Days of Reckoning

For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. -- Luke 21:35

The context here is the not-too-future destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.  The Lord warns us to be watchful lest we become too distracted by the worries as well as the pleasures of life.  That’s an important understanding.  But alone, the verse says something more general. 

All of us “who dwell on the face of the whole earth” will face a day of judgment and reckoning.  It may be as part of some great and noted movement of history – wars, revolutions, reformations, invasions, natural catastrophes of disease or destruction – something that will be written down and remembered.  It can also happen on a very quiet, mostly unnoted, personal level. 

Every day there are thousands upon thousands of people who find their lives turned upside-down.  Unless it happens to us or to someone close to us, we won’t even be aware of it.  It may be the ultimate day of the Lord as we step through the veil into eternity to answer for our stewardship and our lives.  It can also be something like Saul of Tarsus experienced on his way to Damascus.  It may be an unexpected loss or setback or threat in any area of life. 

There are all kinds of reckonings, and all of us, regardless of our place in history or society, regardless of our families, our resources or abilities will have days of reckoning come upon us.  The best we can hope for are two such cataclysms.  The one I have already mentioned.  Death is inevitable and unavoidable.  My standard answer to people who remark about the dangers of riding a motorcycle is that the mortality rate for bikers is 100%.  The funny thing is that it is also 100% for non-bikers. 

The second is not altogether dissimilar: 

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:11, KJV)

This, too, is a crisis, a calamity of will.  To come to the Cross is to recognize our own death in the vicarious sacrifice of Christ.  If we will come to this crossroad and take the right way, when that which comes upon all comes upon us – whatever it might be, up to and including the laying aside of our physical body, it will not find us unprepared. 

Jesus Had A Living Will

And the LORD said to Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel. -- Numbers 18:20

This has always been the hardest thing for me.  I am fine with mysticism until breakfast.  Work has to be done.  People have to be fed.  I'll do my praying before I go to bed.  Living "by faith" can look a lot like laziness, indolence, and indifference.  I believe that I have to be responsible, sensible and practical.  I love the word "canny".  I'm going to write up my obituary one of these days, and I'm going to put that in it:  he was a canny old hillbilly.  In fact, that may be my entire obituary right there. 

Most of us, when we get on in years, start thinking about the kind of inheritance we will leave to our children and grandchildren.  I am sorry that my generation has done such a lousy job preserving the culture and liberty that we enjoyed growing up.  There is not much I can do for the nation as a whole, but I will try to pass on the values and the traditions that marked the America I remember.   

Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD (Psalms 102:18).  I want the grandkids to know that our hope and strength is in Christ alone and not in material possessions or government programs, that safety and security and prosperity are never to be bought at the price of liberty, and that, nevertheless, we can live free anywhere under any conditions if we choose to abide in Him.  

I will try to build an inheritance of something other than a few notes drawn on the Federal Reserve.  I hope to leave behind some things of genuine material value,  like a place out of the wind and rain, space to raise a cow or two, some fruit trees and vines, dirt that will grow corn and beans and potatoes, maybe a little silver and gold, and .22 ammunition.  Books.  Lots of knives. 

I have no way of knowing, though, what tomorrow will bring.  I may lose every tangible possession that I have.  The one thing that I can't lose is the Truth.  Far more important than passing on houses or lands, gold or guns to the generations to come is passing on our "portion" in the Lord.  What is our hearts is what we need to make sure is given to those who will follow us, and the best way to do that is to invest it now in those that are around us.  The more of Christ we give away, the more we have to give and the more there will be for those "yet to be created". 

I cannot change my pragmatic nature, but I can take time each day to turn away from the demands of my physical existence, to look to the Lord, and to acknowledge Him as the One to whom I belong and as the Pearl of Great Price -- my only true possession.  All other things will slip from my grasp, will elude me in the end, as sand, as dust, as the wind that blows where it will.  Treasure in heaven is eternal and sure.

Cattle Prods Might Work, Too

And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. -- John 2:15

I've been going to church pretty regularly for the last few months.  This is, in part, to keep me from becoming a hermit.  As someone way over on the introvert side of the continuum, stress and pain drive me to isolation.  The Raccoon family has been and continues to be my principal outlet.  Still, interacting with people face to face is a skill set that it took me years to learn and develop so I can sort of pass for relatively normal most of the time, and, like a musician, I have to continue to practice.  Attending church forces me smile, shake hands, speak pleasantries, and hold brief conversations with strangers.  Some of them are even stranger than I am.

I like the pastor.  He is a very nice man, and I think he does a good job of presenting a balanced, truthful message.  He is not going to downplay the Cross or the Blood.  He challenges and exposes without frightening people too much. 

Nevertheless, if I have a complaint about traditional, exoteric religion, it's that it can be "pablumatic".  Those of us who have been around a while have memorized the eye chart and can rattle off the received answers with hardly a glance at the question.  The truth is that Jesus is disruptive, e.g.: 

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). 

And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also (Acts 17:6).

So there was a division among the people over him (John 7:43).

Authentic Christianity is probably going to make us somewhat uncomfortable on occasion.  Yes, there is peace and joy, contentment and fulfillment in Christ.  However, if we are not, from time to time, driven to question our assumptions, if we don't get beyond ourselves now and then, it may be because we are too quick to back away from what the Lord is calling us to do. 

I'm back to the point we've discussed before that the truth comes across at many levels.  We have different gifts and varying capacities.  Some of us respond best to reason, some to emotion, and some to a two-by-four to the head or a boot to the rear end.  God understands this much better than politicians, for example.  He doesn't try to make one size fit all.  Each of us can find what he or she needs to respond to the call if we will only pay attention.