Tried and True Commitment

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.  Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, “that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’; except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” (Genesis 14:17-24)

This remarkable passage tells the story of Abram’s return from the heroic rescue of his nephew Lot, after he and his men recovered everything that had been taken by four victorious and powerful kings.

Two men met Abram that day. The first one mentioned was the king of Sodom, the king of that horrifically wicked city. The second was Melchizedek, described as the king of Salem, and the priest of the Most High God. This is the only historical reference to him in the Bible, although he is referred to in Hebrews chapter 7 as proof that there is a priesthood far superior to the Levitical priesthood of the Old Covenant. Of course the author of Hebrews is referring to our Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal, unchangeable priesthood and intercession on behalf of those who are His (Hebrews 7:1-28; Psalms 110:4). The priesthood of Jesus Christ is infinitely superior to the priesthood under the law of Moses.

In this encounter Abraham would face a very powerful temptation. Many have said that the temptations of pride, money (mammon or wealth), and women (sex) are the temptations that are the greatest dangers for kingdom leaders; here, Abram faces the temptation of wealth. If he received the offer of possessions from the king of Sodom, he would have no doubt been one of the richest men in that part of the world. This was not just a temptation for Abram, it was also a test. Would he keep His oath that he had made to the Most High God? Would he wholly trust the God who owns everything to give him what he needed? Thankfully, Abram passed this test with flying colors.  

Abram had Divine help. Melchizedek had brought him bread and wine (symbols of communion), and had blessed him with a spiritual blessing. In response, Abram paid a tithe of everything to the priestly king. Armed with strength from God, Abram was able to keep his word and stand strong against temptation.

For Further Review

1.  Note that in Genesis 14 Melchizedek fulfilled the function of a priest, operated in the power of a prophet, and held the title of king. How do these positions compare with the offices and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ?

2.  First Abram was blessed by Melchizedek, then he went face to face with the king of Sodom. Why is the order of these two meetings important?

3.  How important is it to you to stand against temptation, or to pass a test from God? What is at stake in either case?

Spiritual Recovery

Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis 13:1-4)

Sometimes, true believers need to go into what might be called recovery mode … into a season of spiritual restoration which will lead to more fruitful days ahead. Recovery mode is usually made necessary because of our sins or errors in judgment.

When Abram finally returned to Canaan (“the South”), he was in such a condition. It had been a rough time for him in Egypt. Perhaps driven by fear, perhaps driven by feelings of necessity—Abram went into that land to make it his home. But God had not called him there, and the situation was made worse because he lacked confidence in the providence of God (and because his wife Sarai was a beautiful woman). Abram did not yet fully believe that God was in complete control of the affairs of his and his family’s lives, so he relied upon partial deception to steer clear of trouble.

Abram’s sins were ultimately exposed, and Pharaoh ordered him and his family to leave the country in shame. Therefore this man of God had nowhere to go but to the place God had initially called him. He went back to Canaan, eventually making his way to Bethel in the north, to the exact place where he had once lived.

It was at that very place that Abram called—once again—on the name of the Lord. There was the altar there, his previous place of worship. And so once more, Abram bowed in dependence upon the One who had called him.

There is a definite pattern in Abram’s story: first, he errs and gets into the kind of trouble that sin and unbelief always produce; second, he is brought face to face with his sin and faces the consequences; third, he goes back to the beginnings of his faith, to a memorable and pleasant time when it was well with his soul and spirit; and fourth, he worshiped and got his eyes fixed wholly upon God.

When we face such a recovery process, the Lord takes us through these same kinds of steps. It’s humbling to go through it, but necessary for spiritual growth. The branch that bears fruit must be pruned that it might produce even more fruit (John 15:2). The humble in God’s sight are lifted up by Him (James 4:10). We go down, He raises us up (Psalms 147:6).

What was true in Abram’s life, will also be true in ours. When God lifts us up, we will be back. When He produces more fruit, it will be evident to others. When He raises us up, we will be strong … once again … in Him.

For Further Review

1.  Can you think of a time when through your own sin or error in judgment, you found yourself in a difficult situation? How did the Lord help you come through that time?

2.  How important is it that we are honest about the paths we may have taken that got us into spiritual trouble? How does 1 John 1:8-10 help in answering this question?

3.  Proverbs 24:16a is an interesting passage and pertinent passage with regard to spiritual recovery. How does that verse encourage you toward spiritual health?

Delayed Obedience

And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. (Genesis 11:31-32)

Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)

Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. One of the three, Shem, has a genealogy that proceeds all the way to Abram (later, Abraham) and eventually to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-17).

 

Abram would become the friend of God, the progenitor of the nation of Israel, and the father of faith for Jews and Gentiles. Needless to say, Abram was a very important human being, with a colossal calling upon his life.

Because of God’s call upon his life, it was necessary for Abram to separate himself … he was commanded by God to remove himself from his immediate surroundings and culture (from Ur of the Chaldeans), and even from his own family. Nothing should get in the way of the LORD’s will for this man. Abram needed to belong wholly to the LORD. If Abram were not wholly His, he could not discover or fulfill God’s purposes. God would have to look elsewhere for a yielded vessel to use.

It is a curious thing, but important to notice, that Abram does not immediately obey the command to separate from his family and father’s house. Putting the Genesis history together with the history recorded in Acts 7:2-4, we discover that these promises and commands were given to Abram before he left the land of the Chaldeans. So when Abram waited for his father Terah to die before he left Haran, his obedience was a delayed obedience.

This delayed obedience could have cost Abram dearly, but because God is faithful, merciful, and gracious, His promises to this man remained intact. For God, delayed obedience is better than no obedience at all (see Matthew 21:28-31a).

For Further Review

1.  Have you discovered God’s call upon your life? If not, what will you need to do in order to discover it?

2.  How important is it to you that God has placed a call upon your life? What hindrances have you discovered that threaten to keep you from God’s best for your life?

3.  Is there anything that God has commanded you to do that you’ve not yet obeyed? Name it, admit it to God, and then ask Him for wisdom and strength that you might do it. For greater accountability, share these things with a mentor, relative, or friend.

The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Infallibility of the Bible (and why it matters)

Whenever I meet a pastor who claims to be a Christian, I want to know his answer to this question: where do you stand with regard to the Bible? Do you believe that the Bible is God’s Word? Do you believe He supernaturally moved upon human authors to express Himself to mankind? Are all of His words given to us through the Bible without error, as Jesus affirmed? Are those same words completely reliable and accurate in every matter they address?

If the pastor’s answer is “yes” to all of these questions, then he and I have enough common ground to begin experiencing fellowship. If not, I move on. One’s view of the Bible is a primary and essential component of our common faith.

The following article (from Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Costa Mesa, CA) explains why the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Bible matters. Please read it and digest its content and application.

http://defendinginerrancy.com/why-is-inerrancy-important/

After reading the article, I urge you to demand nothing less than this from your pastor or church. Ask the hard questions, ask specific questions … and if your pastor or church do not fully embrace the Bible completely as God’s Word, hold them accountable for it. The Lord will show you how to do that. Don’t let them get away with it.

Not only do pastors and churches have a responsibility before Almighty God to uphold the full inspiration of the Bible, they also have a responsibility to teach, preach, and live accordingly. We’ve heard the commercials coming from Carl’s Jr.: eat like you mean it. Now it’s time for pastors and churches (and the true believers in those churches) to live like you mean it. That is, pastors and churches have a solemn duty to teach, preach, and live like the Bible is God’s Word … fully inspired by Him, all 66 books, without error, and completly accurate in everything it asserts.

It’s time for true believers everywhere to rise up and demand nothing less from themselves and from those who are over them in the Lord. Remember, it’s not only the preachers and teachers who will answer to God one day, but also the hearers.

 

 

A Wicked World Ripe for Judgment

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:1-7)

Jesus taught about these days in His famous sermon we now call The Olivet Discourse.

“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)

According to Jesus, it was business as usual for the earth’s inhabitants. They were oblivious to the coming judgment of God, a judgment necessitated by their all-pervasive sin. Every single imagination in their hearts was wicked. The earth was wholly depraved, in every way. Life had become unlivable.

God was sorry and grieved over the matter; it hurt Him deeply. Therefore He made a just—and merciful decision to destroy the world with a flood. It was just because it was deserved; it was merciful because He would start over with Noah and his family. The line leading to Messiah Jesus would remain unbroken.

God’s ways are further revealed to us here: His Spirit would not always strive with man. Even though God is by nature merciful, gracious, and longsuffering (Exodus 34:6), there is a limit to His patience. When all light has been rejected and darkness eclipses the day, God turns on the light again by acting with justice.

We humans often mistake the patience of God for His tolerance of our sins. We think because He has not yet punished that He never will. Such a conclusion was not valid in the days of Noah, and it is not valid today.

For Further Review

1.  How is life today business as usual, as it was in Noah’s day? What are some of the comparisons between the two ages?

2.  Reflect on the truth that God’s Spirit will not always strive with man forever. What does this mean for non-Christians? Compare John 16:7-11 to help with your answer.

3.  How was God been patient with you pre-conversion? How about since you’ve come to Christ? Spend some time giving Him glory and thanks for who He is.

When Disciples are Treated Badly

Matthew 10:24-26 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. {25} It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! {26} Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

Disciples of Jesus are those who learn from Him. They also follow Him, and are willing to take up the cross and deny self in the process.

It should be obvious: disciples are not above or greater than their teachers. We are most certainly not above our Master and Lord Jesus. The best we can hope for is that we emulate Him and allow His life to live in us in such a way that the life we live looks like His life. This is our great goal: to be like Jesus.

Since disciples of Jesus are not above or greater than Him, it also stands to reason that we should not expect to be treated any better than He was treated. They blasphemed Him by calling Him “Beelzebub” (the lord of the flies … a Philistine deity).

If they blasphemed Jesus in such a horrible manner, we should not be surprised if the world speaks even more evil of us as His followers. We cannot expect to be given more respect than our Lord. This reality explains the persecution of believers all over the world, and also the marginalization of believers in the U.S. We have been pushed aside, considered irrelavent, even dangerous. But this is precisely what Jesus said would happen.

Our response: keep living the Christian life with passion and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Keep preaching Jesus.

And DO NOT FEAR THEM. Do not fear the world, or their opinion of us. Just keep trusting God, loving people, and being known for what we are for (Jesus and His Word), rather than for what we are against.

We know we don’t belong in the margins, but let’s not live as though we are in them.