Category Archives: Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Psalm 115:8)

Morning Thoughts,

Psalm 115:8, "They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them."

This morning, society is sadly shifting in many different and crumbling ways.  Due to the constant press of the world against the church, these crumbling and devalued mindsets sometimes infringe on the thinking of good-minded people.  One of the thoughts of the world today is that of tolerance and acceptance for things that someone does not agree with.  For example, people are being told that they must accept and tolerate things that bother their conscience.  This constant "preaching" of tolerance and acceptance has led to a misguided mindset that we must be more tolerant and accepting of ideas in a church setting.  Therefore, basic principles of doctrine are not as steadfastly adhered to as they once were and should be now.  This past weekend on a trip to another state, I saw a church sign that said, "Doctrine divides, we accept all."  While passing by, I could not even discern what type of church it was (denomination), and perhaps it did not even claim one.

Disintegrating thoughts on the importance of doctrine lead to more than just an error in that doctrine.  Like a faulty foundation on a house, crumbling doctrinal ideals will affect the structure on top of the foundation.  Have you ever heard someone espouse something akin to, "Doctrine is some deep, theological teaching.  It's something that preachers fight about, but is not really important or relevant for the rest of us."  These people's intentions may not be ill-meaning, but the espoused concept poses great danger to many realms outside of the doctrine.  What someone believes about God, what He has done, how He works, and how He interacts with us, will play a great role in how their life flows from those beliefs.

The Psalmist in the context of our study verse has laid a great contrast between God and the idols of this world.  In one of the grandest declarations of God's sovereignty, he states that our God does "whatsoever he hath pleased." (Verse 3) The contrast to that power, rule, authority, and sovereignty is that their gods are powerless: hands that do not feel, feet that do not walk, mouths that do not speak, ears that do not hear, eyes that do not see, and noses that do not smell. (Verses 4-7) No greater contrast could be found!  One has all power and might, while the others have none.

After making such a contrast, the Psalmist then states in our verse that the worshippers of these idols are like the idols themselves.  Those that trust in vain gods are just like they are.  What exactly does that mean?  From the context, we conclude that those that worship false gods are powerless with body parts (hands, noses, eyes, ears, etc.) that do not perform the expected function.  Their belief system robs them of any power, strength, or ability that one would expect them to have.  One might say, "But preacher, we all worship the same God."  Some might even say, "We all follow the same Jesus."  Do we?  Does our view of God measure up to verse 3?  If our belief system impeaches the power, rule, and authority of the God that Psalmist so sweetly declared, then we follow vain idols of our own imagination.

What conclusion does that reach?  The simple conclusion is that false ideas about God and our continuance in them affects our lives in ways other than a simple belief.  What we believe does affect our lives!  Our belief mirrors the God (or god) that we claim.  The doctrinal belief system has a substantial impact on the effectiveness of the practical structure.  Using the Psalmist's example, if our gods have no power to help or save, then how could we reasonably think that we can do all things through the strength and help of our god?  Paul says that he (and encourages us too) can do all things through the strength of Christ (Philippians 4:13), but can we really embrace the thought with the comfort and assurance of reliability if we believe that Christ "tried" to save and did not "really save?"  The simple point is that we cannot draw strength from a god that intrinsically has no strength of his own.

Let us consider two commonly held Christian worldviews about God and His Son Jesus Christ, and see what attitude that produces in people.  The first commonly held Christian worldview is that of the classic Arminian dogma that states that God wants us to accept Him and be His children.  In this scenario, the "god" is one that wants to save but leaves the power of salvation to the person.  Also, this "god" has done nothing for free.  Therefore, if one who worships such a being is "like unto them" from the language of the study verse, what kind of lifestyle would we expect to see?  We would expect that such an individual would be generally unwilling to do anything for free or strive to go over and above what is required.

Sadly, in the "works based" society in which we live, the ideas of doctrinal Arminianism have bred lifestyles in many that match the "nothing is free" attitude.  Contrast that mindset against a proponent of free grace; the proponent of free grace will strive to freely give as he has freely received.  Since the power to save fully came by the One that is worshipped, the free grace follower knows that sufficient strength has been imparted to deal with life's struggles and face the despairs of life.

Another prevailing mindset in Christian worldview espouses the idea that God diabolically controls every event of life, pitting good and evil against each other to bring some "greater good" out of things.  Quite often, proponents of this idea say that God has two wills to affect this in the world in which we live.  The "secret vs. declared will of God" is posited as some logical construct to explain the belief system.  However, the center of such an idea is two-faced falsehood.  Should God declare that He hates sinfulness but yet secretly bring it about and fashion it (use it) to some greater good, then God has "played both sides of the fence" and does not look at evil and sin really any differently than He does goodness and righteousness.

Those who claim this belief about God will have absolutely no reason whatsoever to deal equitably and honestly in their daily lives.  After all, their god does the same thing regularly.  If the god does it, one can presume that his followers will as well.  Therefore, whether the two-faced god of the Absoluters or the business-minded god of the Arminians, one can expect to find either untruthful double dealers or shrewd deal makers in those that follow them. 

However, if we believe that God has control, does what pleases Him, and has accomplished that whereunto He is pleased (Verse 3 again), then how should the lives of such believers look?  If we are like unto Him, then we show forth the power of His salvation in our lives.  Our righteousness does not affect our salvation, but rather, it shows that He has given us life by His power. (II Peter 1:3-4) We are displaying that His power dwells in us solely by His grace and mercy.  If we believe He is honest about what He does and why He does it (I.e. He does not directly or indirectly lie), then our lives will be marked by a lifestyle that is above board and earnestly seeking on a regular basis to be honest and plainly transparent individuals.  Since our God is a God of justice coupled with mercy and grace, then we as His followers should prize justice but also follow a path of mercy and compassion when we can.

How important is doctrine?  Due to the way it touches other aspects of our lives, it is vitally important.  How important is it that we stand firm on principles that other things build upon?  It is vitally important so that aspects of our lives are not compromised.  When people look at our lives, our lives should declare for them what our doctrine is.  May our lives be marked by the power of His might in a walk of newness of life.  May our compassion and mercy shine forth regularly, with a high prize being placed upon justice and equity in our dealings.  May our lives look like the God that we declare as ours, who today sits in heaven and hath done whatsoever pleases Him.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

 

Morning Thoughts (Matthew 16:12)

Morning Thoughts,

Matthew 16:12, "Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

This morning, two concepts that perpetuate themselves never cease to amaze me: 1. how relative the Bible stays day after day and year after year, and 2. how much man tries to discount the Bible and talk about how "how out of date" it is.  Polar opposite concepts, yet they continue to this day.  When reading the Bible, friends we are approaching a Book that is still just as fresh and vital today as it has ever been.  The old stories of real people, what they thought, and what they said then are still important now.  To repeat an adage from theatre, "Same story, different players."  How often do we see the same failures of the Bible repeated today?  How often do we also see the same blessings realized today?  More importantly, how often do we see the enduring and unchanging nature of God and His promises today as they were faithfully recorded then?  On this 400th anniversary year of our English Bible translation (King James), may we appreciate its value for us today and delight in the inspired word of God's continued relevance in our lives.

Our study verse concludes a dialogue between Christ and His disciples.  As the story unfolds, Christ warns them of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  They assume He is chastising them for failing to pack some bread to eat on their journey.  He discerns their thoughts and reasoning with each other and quickly reminds them of two miraculous occasions in the recent past: feeding of the 5,000 and feeding of the 4,000.  His point drives home for them the idea that He is able to sufficiently provide for them and even abundantly more so.  They are then brought to the realization in our verse of what the Lord really meant by His warning.  His warning did not revolve around natural matters (literal bread), but rather revolved around spiritual warfare (ideas that attack the truth).

As a younger Bible student, I used to wonder how people in the Bible could think and act the way they do.  For example, I would wonder how the children of Israel remained so steadfastly stiffnecked in the face of all of God's rich care and providence to them.  Then, as an older Bible student, I realized that I was equally – if not more – guilty for failing to honour God and thank Him for His rich care and providence in my life.  Scripture affirms this should be our lesson. (I Corinthians 10:1-13) Equally often as a younger student of the Bible, I would wonder how the Pharisees and Sadducees could act so brazenly in the face of Christ and the power of His miracles.  Truly, some of them did so out of a hard and stony heart with a goat's nature that had not ability or desire to come to Christ. (John 10:25) However, some of God's children (among the Pharisees and Sadducees) did so for other reasons. (John 12:42-43)

Again, as an older student of the Bible, I realized that I was prone to act like a Pharisee or Sadducee in my daily walk and behavior.  Therefore, Christ's warning against their leaven/doctrine/way of thinking still applied today as a warning for me as much as it did for them in those days.  Truly, we do not have bands of men who are known by the moniker of "Pharisee" or "Sadducee."  Yet, their doctrine and thinking is still alive and well.  If we are to succeed in performing the avoidance of that way of thinking – per Christ's warning – it behooves us to know what it is and how we can end up there.  Therefore, let us try to briefly examine those points to see how we can succeed in being aware of the mindset and walking from and not to it.

A Sadducee denied many powerful spiritual things.  He denied the resurrection.  He denied the existence of angels and spirits. (Acts 23:8) A Pharisee denied that he was subject to the same kinds of problems that others had.  His life was a life of mastery (by his own doing), and others should aspire to be more like him rather than vice versa. (Luke 18:10-14) Their doctrine can be playfully seen in some cute twisting of their titles: the Sadducee denies the resurrection, which is why he is so "sad you see," and the Pharisee thinks he is better than everyone else, which is why he is so "fair I see."

People today have never seemingly been quicker to deny powerful miracles or extraordinary deliverances.  When amazing stories of providence come across the news waves, denial of God's gracious hand is quickly offered with preference to things like "luck" or "chance."  In a world of increasing cynicism, people deny any extraordinary benefit to attending church regularly, if at all.  Nothing truly special happens there anyway, or so they think.  The Bible is not an extraordinary book, and thoughts on the "after-life" – most do not talk about heaven and hell anymore but refer to life after death as either non-existent or something nebulous that no one can really tell or talk about – range from hugely cynical to mere hyperbole.

Also, due to the increased technology and other advances of medicine, etc. man today also believes himself to be part of the "smartest generation."  As an aside, one of my favorite tactics to destroy this house of cards is to ask, "Do you have any idea what men like Einstein, Newton, or others would have been capable of doing with supercomputers and the technology of today?"  It is a fallacy to believe that we are the smartest because of these things, for the great men of yesteryear (even in a natural way), might have doubled or tripled our output (and in my opinion likely would have) with the means that we have today.  Man today is not wiser and better than he ever has been, though he actively promotes the thought that he is.

The combination of the dismissal of supernatural blessings and self-perceived superiority of modern man declares for us that the doctrine of these two old sects is still alive and prospering today.  Therefore, we conclude that Christ's warning for His disciples then is still quite relevant for us today.  Knowing not only what these two ideologies believe and that they still play a dominant role in current, everyday thinking, how does a disciple of Christ succeed in warding off these detriments and avoiding these pitfalls?  Is it as easy as simply saying, "I refuse to believe what I hear in the world."?  Is it as plain as saying, "I will think of myself as poor, undeserving, and look forward to the resurrection."?

The answer is simply no it is not nearly that easy.  Too often times, these ideologies plague us before we realize that they are upon us.  If a Sadducee is sad due to a denial of supernatural power and blessings, we can very easily be a victim of that mindset when we are troubled and sad (despondent and without hope) in this old world.  Truly, the pains and sorrows of life do come.  Sorrow and travail of soul does manifest itself in our sin-laden walk.  However, being the victim of a pity party or actively living like one has no hope is exactly what falling prey to the doctrine (leaven) of the Sadducees brings about.  If a Pharisee is fair due to an undue amount of stock being placed in self, we can very easily be lifted up with pride or self-worth when we see things going well in our lives and seem to not be in need.  Periods of prosperity come from time to time.  Happy seasons do arrive sometimes like the seasons of the year.  However, we are victims of the doctrine of the Pharisees when we discount our need of God and do not thank Him for His rich mercy and grace upon us.

The disciples were victims to both doctrines in our lesson.  They forgot the rich power of God manifested in their recent travels from Christ feeding the multitude twice.  That great scene should have provided for them every reason to continually acknowledge the power of God and His supernatural ability to bring things to pass that we cannot comprehend.  They also worried about His perception of them from something they had not done (and perhaps wanted to conceal).  We will be lacking at times in our service to God.  We will fall short of His great mark that He set.  However, we should not spend our time around Him thinking, "What are we going to do?  How do we explain this one?"  Rather, we should come to Him often, freely confessing our failings, begging His forgiveness, and humbly asking Him what He would have us do.  When sorrow and/or comfortable pride reign in our daily lives, let us refocus our sight on His marvellous power and wonderful works.  May we take true comfort in the power of His might and seek to honour Him and His work by humbling ourselves under His mighty hand.  Truly, the rich Book still contains a gold mine of relevance for us, and may our lives heed it well.

In Hope,

Bro Philip