APRIL 23, 2024

 “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things…and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (I Corinthians 1:27-29)

Paul had just declared that Christ was despised by both Jews and Gentiles. His Gospel was offensive to the traditional Jews, and it was foolishness to the sophisticated Greeks. But, this was no cause of stumbling for him, for what others counted as foolish or unworthy, he knew to be wisdom, and rejoiced because that which is foolishness to those that perish is to believers “the power and wisdom of God;”and also “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (Vs. 25) Lest this should be a cause of stumbling to any of the Corinthians, he goes on to show that it is the general way with God to select means which men despise, so “that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

In order to prove this, he asked them to consider their own calling, and they would see that “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (Vs. 26) He did not exclude all of the worldly-wise and powerful, and we are thankful that some of the mighty and noble of every generation have believed on Christ. It was Queen Victoria who remarked that she was saved by the letter “M,” noting that the Apostle said, “Not many,” but he did not say “Not any,” of the nobility are called.

It should be clear to all who are familiar with Scripture that it was never God’s intention to make the Gospel fashionable, so as to gather dignity for it by selecting the world’s elite to proclaim it; to gain for it recognition by choosing men of rank and station to embrace it. How it must grieve the Lord when celebrity endorsements are used to make His Gospel more appealing to the masses. When God calls one from a life of fame and fortune it is not to better promote the Gospel, it is to manifest His grace in them.

There is no doctrine so humbling as the doctrine of election. Paul here emphasizes God’s choice and call so that the disciples at Corinth might be quite content to be followers of the humble and despised cross-bearing Savior. Everything about the choosing and calling of sinners ought to humble us. First, consider the Elector. Who is it that made the choice? This is a legitimate question to ask, in light of how the message of grace is often presented. Some are saved, and some are not, and the reason involves “choice,” but whose choice affected the difference? Our text answers this question, not once, but three times: “God hath chosen the foolish things… God hath chosen the weak things…things which are despised hath God chosen….” Men go to hell because of their choices, but if any shall go to heaven, it is because “God hath chosen.” It is true that all of the saved must and do choose Christ, but God’s own choice is the cause. Our Lord said it plainly, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…” (John 15:16) “I have chosen you out of the world.” (John 15:19) This is a very humbling truth, but it is also most blessed.

God is the Elector, but what about the election? It seems to be a strange choice. To the natural human mind, the strangeness concerns those who are not chosen. (The worldly-wise, mighty, noble, etc.) Who they are runs directly contrary to human reason. The choice is very gracious, and it is also most encouraging. For those who cannot boast of pedigree, wealth, or superior intellect, or any of the things that serve to qualify people for high office, this is encouraging. You may be one of low degree, but our Lord welcomes such into His Church. The only disqualification is unbelief. To the jailor, Paul said,“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” It does not matter how foolish, weak, base, despised, or what a nothing, you might think yourself to be, none of these things are barriers to free and sovereign grace. God’s election is unconditional, and grace is free. “Being justified freely (without a cause) by his grace…” (Rom. 3:24)

What is the reason for God’s strange choices? We are told the immediate reason (Vs. 27, 28), and then the ultimate reason (Vs. 29). First, God would use foolish and weak vessels to confound the wise and the mighty; and things that are considered “nothings” to bring to naught things that were considered “somethings.” Second, the ultimate reason for God’s strange choices: “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” We can be sure that this is the chief reason why Christ’s doctrine was so hated by both Jews and Greeks; it allowed for not glorying in man. But, this is the reason why unworthy sinners like us find this Gospel so delightful.

APRIL 18, 2024

 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (Ephesians 6:17)

Ephesians 6:10–20 concludes Paul’s practical application of Christianity with a famous series of metaphors. Here, he describes the ”armor of God.” In this passage, Paul uses the allegory of a Roman soldier’s basic equipment to show how the components of Christianity work together as we strive to serve God. The soldier’s tools include a belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword, representing the truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God the Christian receives. Christians are also given prayer. Just as a soldier’s equipment is designed for earthly battle, a Christian’s equipment is meant for spiritual warfare.

Helmets are essential in battle. A helmet can protect against stones, hand weapons, projectiles, fists, impacts with the ground, or other attacks aimed at the head. Soldiers knew one hit to the head could mean disaster in battle. For this reason, the helmet does more to put a soldier at ease than almost any other armor. Paul associates the helmet in the armor of God with salvation. Salvation is ultimately the best protection against Satan since nothing, not even Satan, can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

In addition, Paul mentions “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” This is the first offensive weapon mentioned. The sword was used to kill and defeat enemies during the attack. The typical Roman sword was not a long, cumbersome weapon. Instead, they were short-bladed, easy to draw, and quick in combat. Paul uses the term “machairan” here, which refers explicitly to a short-bladed sword of this type.

In the same way, God’s Word helps us defeat our enemies during spiritual attacks. During Jesus’s temptations by Satan, Jesus used Scripture on all three occasions to overcome temptation. Those who study and know Scripture can best fight against temptation and prevent the Devil from knocking them off their posts.

The sword was an essential part of an ancient soldier’s armor. His other weapons were the bow, the spear, or the battle axe. But without a sword, no soldier would have regarded himself as well-armed. This sword is the truth that the Holy Spirit has revealed. It is what God has spoken. It‘s only by this that Satan can now be met. We can never hope for victory unless we are armed with truth.

Thus, we should study the Bible to understand the truth. We should have Scripture at command, as the Savior did, to meet the various forms of temptation, and we should not depend on our own reason or our own wisdom.

A single text of Scripture is better than all the philosophy the world contains to meet temptation. The tempter can reason and reason plausibly, too. But he cannot resist a direct and positive command of the Almighty.

APRIL 16, 2024

“And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.” (I Kings 20:11)

This was King Ahab’s response to a threatening message from the Syrian King Benhadad. These two kings were on the verge of going to war. It was the custom of combatants in those times to send stinging, insulting messages, exciting each other’s worst passions before they commenced the battle. Benhadad’s last message to Ahab was quite boastful: “The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of the Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.” Ahab countered with the words of our text: “Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.” Ahab was a wicked man, and certainly not known for his great wisdom, but here, in an attempt at sarcasm, he inadvertently uttered a proverb of the wise.

It is safe to say that most people find braggarts to be very off-putting, especially so when their boasting comes before the fact. Once, in defense of a certain self-aggrandizing baseball player, Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.” No, Yogi, it is still braggin’ and it is still obnoxious. My dad offered much better counsel to his basketball team: “You boys just play the game; if you do something worth talking about, other people will take care of that for you.” The legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry, must have been of the same mind, saying to his players, “When you make it into the endzone, act like you’ve been there before.” It is refreshing these days to see outstanding athletes who are willing to display their amazing skills, leaving it for others to extoll their greatness.

However insultingly intended, our text contains a great deal of common sense. This is one of those cases in which we can learn something very worthwhile from the mouth of a very wicked and foolish man. Though this may not be exactly what Jesus had in mind when He suggested that we might learn from children of darkness who are wiser in their generation, than the children of light, we do well to heed what Ahab here said.

The text is peculiarly adapted to those who are commencing the battle of the Christian life. The new believer is just girding on the harness. He or she does not yet realize the intense battles that are coming. It is easy to allow youthful zeal to underestimate the forces of the enemy, and the difficulties that lie ahead. We have known of newlyweds who talk about successful marriage as if they were coming upon their golden anniversary. Sometimes new parents consider themselves authorities on child rearing having not yet dealt with any of the inevitable struggles of parenthood. Young ministerial students arrive on campus already having all the answers before even attending a class. Young ministers enter the pastorate as if they have been in the harness for many decades, even though it has not a single dent in it.“Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.”

There is within those who newly put on their harness a tendency to boast. They are more apt to be proud and to think of their intentions as accomplishments. Human nature is both poor and proud. It is so poor that it is naked and miserable, and yet it is so proud that it will claim to be rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. The Pharisee, while he gorges on what he has robbed from widows, opens his mouth and cries, “God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men.” Let not any who gird on thewhole armour of God be so proud as to boast of anything. Let us remember that we are what we are by the grace of God and we have nothing, including this harness, that we did not receive.

Those who put on the harness have good reason to refrain from boasting. The very reason that we have been issued a harness should prevent any boasting. Without the helmet of salvation, how easily the fatal blow would be struck. Remove our breastplate of righteousness; our poor hearts would be wounded with mortal sins. If we weren’t properly shod, just one thorn would render us lame. Consider each piece of the armour, though it glistens like burnished silver, it affords no grounds for boasting, for it reminds us of how frail and weak we are. Let us therefore put on the whole armour of God, but let us wear it in the utmost humility.

Virus-free.www.avast.com

APRIL 11, 2024

 “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:34)

This was Jesus’ answer to a certain scribe who was the last in a string of scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees who were intent upon catching Him in His words, in an all-out effort to expose Him as a fraud. Jesus had just spoken to them a parable in which a householder had let his vineyard out to some evil husbandmen who plotted the death of his son in order that they might have the vineyard for themselves. The Jewish religious leaders correctly perceived that our Lord was talking about them. After word reached them that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-46), they called a meeting and concluded that if they did not get rid of Him, they would end up losing their place and nation. (John 11:47, 48) The parable of the wicked husbandmen made clear that He knew exactly what they were up to. They would have laid hold on Him then and there, but they feared the people. (Mark 12:12)

The only thing they felt they could do was to try to entangle Him in His talk, and thus, discredit Him in the eyes of the people. First, they sent a group made up of Pharisees and Herodians with a question about paying tribute to Caesar – whether it was lawful to do so. This He easily answered, and they marveled at Him. (Verses 13-17)

Next came some representatives of the sect of the Sadducees. They did not believe in the resurrection, so they took an example from the writings of Moses regarding a brother’s responsibility to marry a deceased brother’s wife to raise up seed to his brother. And what if the same scenario was repeated until seven brothers had taken the same woman to wife? Whose wife would she be in the resurrection? How embarrassing for the Sadducees to see how easily He solved the problem, while at the same time, exposing their ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of God. (Verses 24, 25) As a bonus, Jesus proved from Exodus 3:6 the absolute, undeniable truth of the resurrection. (Verses 26, 27) This is noteworthy because the Sadducees, who rejected much Old Testament Scripture as uninspired, did believe the Book of Moses to be God’s Word.

Finally, a scribe came with his question. But, having heard the former exchange between Christ and his interrogators, he “perceived that He had answered well.” He asked a good question, inquiring as to which commandment was the greatest of all. (Vs. 28) Jesus felt that the question was good and sincere, and He answered it in truth: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Verses 29-31) The scribe said to our Lord, and before all his fellow religious leaders who sent him to try and catch Jesus in His words, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth.” They must have been furious! What a traitor! They sent him to expose Jesus as a fraud, and what does he do but affirm that Jesus spoke the truth. This reminds us of the band of soldiers in John chapter seven who were sent by this same bunch to arrest Jesus. When they returned empty-handed, and the angry council demanded an account, they simply answered “Never man spoke as this man.”

Clearly, the scribe was moved by what he heard and by the One who spoke. As the man expressed his agreement, Jesus saw in him a spirit of true understanding, noting that he had answered discretely (with understanding). “Thou,” said Jesus, “art not far from the Kingdom of God.”

What did he lack? What must one who is so near to the Kingdom do? He must “press into it.” Luke says, “The Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” He would surely meet with opposition, so press, he must!

“I am resolved to enter the Kingdom.

Leaving the paths of sin,

Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me,

Still will I enter in.”

Virus-free.www.avast.com