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Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Matthew 18:20 – “Presence in Judgment”)

Morning Thoughts,

This text is by request.

“Presence in Judgment”

Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

This morning, many things in our culture become accepted simply through repetition of use.  This type of acceptance is how many legends and urban myths become commonly accepted without thinking.  As the classic line of an old John Ford/John Wayne movie says, “When the fact becomes legend, print the legend.”  Sadly, this type of acceptance can  also affect our Biblical study as well.  How many times has someone said, “I think this because that’s what I’ve heard my pastor say” or “My mama and daddy believed this, so I do too”?  Though we should have great respect for our natural parents and the undershepherds that God has placed here, we should not accept something as fact simply by its frequency of usage.  The truth will stand on its own whether accepted or not.  That is the glory of truth: it needs no prop.

Our study verse is one that has developed a commonly accepted meaning from frequency of usage.  I was asked about this verse recently, and then asked to write about it accordingly.  The common application for this verse is not erroneous, but it is not the intent of the language.  People will often reference this verse to encourage a small congregation not to lose heart or give up.  The thought expressed is generally, “We have more than 2 or 3 here today, so we should trust He’ll be with us.”  The Lord can bless with many or few, but this text does not need to be molded in this fashion to validate the concept: the Bible is replete with examples of Him blessing just a few.  Our study verse actually teaches us something profound that has gotten mostly lost in the shuffle of the politically correct culture that we live in.

The context of this verse deals primarily with offenses.  When something becomes a “Matthew 18 situation” wherein someone offends another, the Lord has authorized steps to take.  One thing to remember about “offenses” or “offended” the way the Bible talks about it is not like we commonly use the word “offend” today.  Today, the word offend can be as simple as hurting someone else’s feelings.  However, we need to remember when reading the Bible that the word is much deeper in application and intent than that.  It literally can be rendered “to cause to stumble” or “to entice to sin.”  To be offended in the Biblical sense is to see someone living in such a way that encourages others to likewise go contrary to God’s dictates.

So, the process in this context starts when someone has offended us by their sinful attitude, erroneous beliefs, or something that would cause others to be led away in a similar error.  The first step is to go by ourselves, and perhaps it need not go further as the brother who has offended sees his error and repents from it.  If it is so, we have gained our brother back.  If this step proves unsuccessful, then we are to go again with 1 or 2 more.  Again, if this step proves successful, then can rejoice at having gained our brother back.  However, if success is still not found, we are to take the case to the church.  If he will not hear the church, then you must step away and not have fellowship with him in his error.

This being the context for our study verse, notice some specific language in verse 16 and verses 18-19.  We see the concept of “2 or 3” coming up again and again.  Verse 16 shows why we should take one or two with us on the second visit.  There is a general principle of Scripture that 2 or 3 witnesses are sufficient for a point to be made or judgment rendered.  As a side note, sometimes a preacher will try to grab all 128 proof texts for his point or subject when all he needs is two or three witnesses.  As an old cliché states, “More isn’t always better.  Sometimes it’s just more.”  Christ says that proper judgment can be established in this way.  It was thus established under the Mosaic code, and it should be employed in our dealings and judgments today.

Verses 18-19 show just how powerful these 2 or 3 witnesses can be.  If people are following in the ways of the Lord, He promises to honour and bless our efforts and decisions.  Wait!  He who knows everything says He will honour our decisions?  Wow!  What we bind or loose in judgment, heaven will thus honour as well.  Does this mean that He will honour something that is not right?  No, verse 19 clears that up.  When we enter this process prayerfully, seeking His face for our every direction, He is basically promising us that our conclusion and end will be in accord with His pleasure.  What a blessing!  Our end result will be in keeping with God’s will.

All of this flows right into our study verse.  The idea of having 2 or 3 witnesses and the Lord honouring judgment when we prayerfully seek His guidance are ideas found again in our verse.  Who are the 2 or 3?  They are the witnesses in this lesson of offenses.  What is meeting in His name?  When we prayerfully seek His guidance about the proper course and the decision to go forward in the process.  What is the promise?  If we honour Him, He will honour us. (I Samuel 2:30) Many times we say, “Well I just don’t know if the Lord will bless or not.”  While we should not ever claim to know the full mind of God, He has promised to bless those that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Therefore, it we are doing it God’s way, we should expect His presence with us in making judgments in this life.  That is the blessed promise of this verse and lesson.

Friends, I do not overly cringe when I hear this text used in its common fashion as the thought is a good one (the Lord does bless little flocks).  However, the power of this lesson sometimes is overwhelming when I think about it.  To know that if we follow this step by step procedure He will bless and honour us is quite awesome and humbling to consider.  Also it shows us how much stock we should put in our brethren’s thoughts when they are seeking to do it God’s way.  As a minister from my youth used to say, “If I stand in a place that is in opposition to 100 people in the world, I’m probably standing where I should as the world is no friend to God.  However, if I stand in a place that is in opposition to 100 people in the church, I should really evaluate what I’m doing.”  Though all of us make mistakes, we should be keen on our brethren’s thoughts when they are prayerfully seeking to go in the Lord’s direction.  This mindset of valuing our brethren’s decorum will prevent offenses from coming and also help us repent of our offenses when they are made known to us.

In Hope,
Bro Philip

Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Jeremiah 31:37 – “Infinite vs Finite”)

Morning Thoughts,

“Infinite vs Finite”

Jeremiah 31:37, “Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.”

This morning, mankind is constantly making erroneous conclusions based on what they observe from data.  For example, if a public opinion poll favors a particular decision, then it must be correct.  Public opinion is rarely correct.  One of the most important things for a man to realize is that he is finite and fallible, thereby unequipped to make concrete statements from his own understanding.  To think we have a handle on the breadth, length, and full scope of something based on data is the height of egotistical insanity. (II Corinthians 8:2)

The study verse above represents one of those moments when I read it and said, “How did I never see that before?”  Working in the scientific community, I hear a great deal of talk about the “infinite universe.”  The conversation can be pared down to a simple observation and conclusion, “The more data we see and evidence that we research, we are seeing that the universe goes on farther than we can observe.  Therefore, it must be infinite.”  The same argument goes for stars as they are discovering there are more stars out there than they previously thought.  Therefore, they conclude that the amount of stars must be infinite from their conclusion of the data that they see.

For quite some time, I have always objected to the “infinite universe” and “infinite stars” theories, as it flies in the face of God’s being: His creation cannot be the same in scope as He is.  The Creator being infinite establishes something (His creation), but creation has metes and bounds.  His creation does not equal Him in any respect.  However, this verse just calmly and clearly states the obvious fact that creation itself is larger than we can discover.  The data may certainly show that we cannot reach the “edge of the universe” but the conclusion is that we are too small to discover the reaches of a finite creation.  Furthermore, this puts us in our place not to think too highly of ourselves.  The creation is small in God’s eyes and hands (read the latter portions of Isaiah 40), and we are tiny dots in the midst of that which God can comprehend in the span of His hand.

God, in this passage, is instructing in rich tones that love and covenant that He has with His people.  Paul will reiterate much of this in the Hebrew letter to show that God’s covenant with Israel of old pointed to something far more glorious in His elect family.  The promises that God makes in this lesson are both intellectually enriching but also spiritually comforting.  He promises the ordinances of sun and moon as tokens of His covenant. (Verses 35-36) He proclaims the unsearchableness of the heavens and earth’s foundations as similar tokens to His people.  Whenever someone like Jules Verne comes up with the idea of going to the center of the earth, the story of science fiction is exactly that: fiction!

When great natural minds look at the expansiveness of this creation and say, “We now know we can’t find it all out.” you and I need to rejoice!  Every time the sun comes up in the morning or the moon at night, we need to rejoice.  When man cannot even discover the vast depths of the single orb that we inhabit, we need to rejoice.  All of these insurmountable natural things may make us feel small, but they should renew to us just how great, powerful, and faithful He is to us!  When I hear about another galaxy with a few billion stars that they did not know existed before, I chuckle thinking, “And I guess a few more billion children of God stay unknown to all but the Master too.”

Friends, when I look at the grand expanse in the curtain of God’s sky, I am in awe of the majestic wonder of it all.   Just seeing it in relation to my smallness makes me wonder even more how great God must be.  However, one thing that these majestic brushstrokes of creation show us is the absolute certainty of God’s covenant with us.  Every morning with the sun’s appearance, we have evidence that God loves us, and His covenant is sure.  When we stare upwards into the heavens wondering where the end of it is, we see again that God’s covenant to us cannot be undone.  Look outside friends.  As you do, pause to thank Him for not just His covenant but giving us these tokens as well that would have comfort and peace during our days here knowing that one day we will live with Him.

In Hope,
Bro Philip