2009-05-29
Good Morning God’s Treasures,
We continue with the comparison of MT 7: 1-2, 6 with other verses dealing with false teaching and false doctrine. MT 7: 1-2, 6, is at the heart of Christ’s teaching on judgment from the Sermon on the Mount. “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others…Do not give what is holy to dogs-they will only turn and attack you. Do not cast your pearls before swine-they will only trample them underfoot.” Today, we will look at 1 TIM 4: 1-3, 6, “The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons. Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars, whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron. Such people teach that it is wrong to marry and to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten, after a prayer of thanks, by those who are believers and have come to know the truth…If you give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, as you feed yourself spiritually on the words of faith and of the true teaching which you have followed.”
In the beginning phrase of the latter passage, we see this sad truth of people abandoning the faith happening before our eyes. We wouldn’t if all we did was to stay at home or associate only with other believers. But most of us have to work or go to school outside of that limited environment. It is then, that our eyes are opened to the very sad fact that more people are rejecting God, disinterested in the faith, and/or are under the influence of false teaching than are not. Materialism, idol-worship of movie stars, charismatic liars, and sports figures, greed for money and power, and a host of other goals impotent in bringing real happiness drive people to believe in false teaching. Scientology, cults, secularism, and one of the worst of all, New Age philosophy, are out there in abundance. These are only a few of the Satan-driven ideas that compete for young minds or older ones frustrated with the discipline necessary to be faithful servants of God. Sometimes, a person faced with painful emotional trauma will get angry with God and leave the faith, never realizing that God is not at fault and is the One Who can give them the most comfort in their time of sorrows. Weakness in the face of spiritual warfare is a common reason for turning one’s attention away from God. The bogus notion that we should erase God from our country’s history and from our schools/institutions certainly doesn’t help.
The result of false teaching is people unwilling to make commitments to another in marriage. That is why we see so many people living together without marriage, and 80% of these relationships break apart. It’s why people are having children out of wedlock in relationships that don’t last, leaving the spirits of these children broken and angry. Young people think it’s cool to take drugs, drink alcoholic beverages, smoke, wear revealing clothing, and a host of other vices that are indicative of the absence of the Lord Jesus in their hearts. The joy that comes from a fulfilling marriage, one that follows EPH 5: 21-25, is unknown to them. This passage speaks of submitting to each other and to God, of husbands treating their wives as Christ is told to approach the church and wives being able to trust their husbands and fully submit to them, as they submit to the Lord. This godly chain of behaviors and attitudes is foreign to people unwilling to make godly commitments.
Christ tells us, in JN 8: 32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” It may seem illogical, but knowing the truth, being disciplined in our faith in the One true God, actually does set us free. It’s the difference between being able to trust a person with whom you are interacting or not. God protects His own in very special ways. If two married people have a sexual relationship and both are disciplined believers, neither needs to worry about the introduction of sexually-transmitted diseases. That’s only one example of this freedom out of many. Another is that if two disciplined believers are completing a business deal, neither has to worry about being cheated.
Being spiritually freed is feeding on God’s word-“words of faith and the true teaching you have followed.” When controversies arise, God’s words give us direction on how to handle them [MT 5: 23-24 and MT 18: 15-17, for example]. When there has been the loss of a loved one, it comforts, often with giving God’s perspective [2 COR 4: 18 and 1 PET 1: 4, 6, for example]. In time of illness, God’s love can be seen [MAL 4: 2a and PS 6: 4, for example]. It gives direction [PS 37: 23-24 and PS 32: 8, for example]. When any kind of trouble happens, God gives us hope of His intervention to help [PS 37: 39 and PS 46:1, for example]. What is said here is only the hint of good things that come our way in founding and securing our judgment on the word of God. It’s instruction and aid in preparation for living a righteous, pious existence can’t be surpassed [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. No entity in the universe is as faithful as our God. So, I must leave you with some very famous words, words that really show the freedom we have when we accept the truth of our God’s words. PS 145: 18, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of all who have reverence for Him; He hears their cries and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him.”
PRAYER: O Lord, for a long time now, You have been letting us examine the Sermon on the Mount’s words on judgment. Now, through the Holy Spirit, You allow us to see Christ’s words in other places in the Bible on the backdrop of His teaching on judgment. The consistency of Your word is nothing short of phenomenal! It all comes down to one common denominator: faith in Jesus Christ and willingness to follow Your teaching. To know it, is to study Your word every day with a heart open to the Holy Spirit. Then and only then, can we see the faults in giving in to any other teaching. 1 PET 5: 8 and MT 7: 15, warnings about to devil, who “roams about like a hungry lion, looking to devour us” and “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” tell us that there will be some very charismatic leaders out there to which we will be exposed. The bottom line is that in the great love You have for us, You have clothed us in God’s full armor [EPH 6: 10-18] and equipped us to do spiritual warfare, as victors in Jesus Christ [EPH 1: 18-20]. You have reminded us that “the Spirit that is in us is more powerful than the spirit of those in the world” [1 JN 4: 4]. None of this means that You will always fight the battle for us, but it does mean that we will be by Your side with Your help when we are in the heat of the battle. You have also equipped us to remain steadfast in our faith, so that we can overcome the enemy and his agents. In wondering why You allow all this trouble in our lives, You make it clear to us that You will never give us a battle that will break our spirits, only strengthen our faith [1 COR 10: 13]. For those of us who grow impatient waiting for Your Kingdom, You comfort us by telling us “The Kingdom of God is now and is within you” in LK 17: 21. We praise and thank You, Dearest Abba, for being such a potent force for goodness in our lives. We love You for Who You are and what You do. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will continue in comparing MT 7: 1-2, 6 to another passage, 2 TIM 4: 2-4, as we delve into the ravages of false teaching on our lives. It is easy to say, “don’t put yourself in a compromising position.” The Scriptures gives us ways to actually obey that wisdom. Our discipline in reading and believing what God has to say, both in study of His word and in prayer, really make a difference in our lives. Our God really has the power to give us good judgment, wisdom, and discernment. It’s not always easy to recognize who is telling the truth, unless you already know the truth from the Scriptures. This must not be only an intellectual exercise, but must sink deep into our hearts in true faith. Once it’s in our hearts, then, it must extend to our hands. The Lord wants us to use the talents He gave us. PS 90: 17, “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” PS 19: 8 is good to remember. “The Lord’s instruction is right; it makes our heats glad. Hs commands shine brightly, and they give us light.” This is real freedom and good judgment. So, I close this week with saying, “Be happy and grow in Christ. Live in harmony and peace. May the God of love and peace be with you all.”
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn