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Mathew 10:16, Behold I send you but as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.   Jesus

 

Let me briefly explain what the verses before this were about.  Jesus was sending His followers out to the people of Israel to “preach saying ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  They were also to wage war against the forces of evil by “healing the sick, cleansing lepers, raising the dead, and casting out devils”.  This was to be a demonstration of God’s authority in the spiritual battle with the devil.  There is an understood idea about the kingdom of God (or heaven) coming into the world to assert His power, His glory, and His rights against Satan and his dominion in this world.  This demonstration of power continues with us today.

 

The context of the Matthew 10:6-15 makes clear that the preaching of the kingdom of heaven is to be accompanied by signs following – the power of God shown against sin, sickness, and Satan.  The kingdom of heaven and its power is to bring salvation, grace, and healing to God’s people.  Jesus sent the disciples to the Jews, the house of Israel because the message of the kingdom was for them first.  If they accepted Jesus as the Messiah they were looking for, the Gentile nations would be blessed through them.

 

The disciples were sent “as sheep in the midst of wolves”; that was a dangerous work!  In order for them to not be deceived or taken in by the evil in the world they were told to live in humility, gentleness and integrity among those to whom they ministered (From the notes in the David Jeremiah Study Bible). 

 

Sounds a lot like the world Believers live in today, doesn’t it?!  Believers are meant to be witnesses in a world today that wants to do nothing but remove God from everything.  Jesus and the Bible are now being called racist because of the view that marriage is between a man and a woman, because they believe abortion is murder, because they state homosexuality is an abomination, and because of so much more.  That type of thinking makes you, me, and every other Believer, racist in their minds, as well.

 

We are in this world, at this time, for a reason; we are to be witnesses to the glory and power of Jesus Christ.  But, as Jesus told His disciple in Matthew, He is telling us to expect persecution.  We can expect to be laughed at, ridiculed, and be brought before the authorities.  Does that cause you to be afraid?  Jesus tells us, as He did the disciples, to be pure, straightforward, sincere, like the dove. He said to be sincere in the way we express and apply wisdom.  That seems to express following the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything we do. 

Tomorrow we will look at what Jesus said about fear.

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Matthew 15:8-9, These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.   And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.  (A quote taken from Isiah 29:13)

 

 Jesus was referring to the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were guilty of legalism.  A legalist substitutes outward acts, rules or words for proper inner attitudes that comes through salvation through Jesus Christ.  People, today, continue to honor God with their lips and have hearts that are far from what God desires.  There is the appearance of righteous living outwardly, but inwardly there is no love for the Lord (from the notes in the Life in the Spirit Study Bible). 

 

According to Kyle Idleman, in his book Not a Fan, this describes most fans of the Lord.  “Fans” go to church and Sunday School but don’t have a heart for the things of God; they have knowledge of God but don’t really know God.  Why keep stressing this?  I continue to stress these things because I believe I am to do so.  God does not want anyone to be misled into believing because he/she does these things that their life is not in danger of being lost in judgment.  Jesus knew the heart of the Pharisees and religious teachers He faced – their heart was not right even though outward appearance said everything was good.  The Lord knows each of our hearts and any motive for keeping God’s commands or regulations that do not come from a living faith in Jesus Christ, the renewing power of the Holy Spirit and the sincere desire to obey and please God is legalism.

 

I do not want to be misunderstood today.  Studying God’s Word to know what it teaches is invaluable.  Every believer must be spending time in the Word of God.  But it is not just about knowledge; knowledge can be a false indicator of our walk with the Lord.  We can have wonderful knowledge and still be on the “broad way that leads to destruction”.  The knowledge we gain from studying His Word must be done in order for our relationship to Him to grow and for us to stay on Narrow way that leads to God’s kingdom and eternal life with Him”.

 

The challenge is for God to see us building our relationship with Him from a pure heart (Check Matthew 5:8 again!) and our desire to be obedient to Him and honor Him in all we do!  Idleman would say this is being intimate with God.  Is this not the desire of our God and Creator?!

 

 

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Psalm 34:11, Come you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

 

Yesterday, I wrote about the need to fear the Lord and what that meant.  The reality is too many do not!  First, the fear of the Lord comes with one’s relationship to Him.  In Kyle Idleman’s book Not a Fan, he writes that every individual must “define the relationship with an individual at some point to determine the level of commitment”.  He goes on to say that you and I need to define our relationship with Jesus Christ. He asked the following questions to help us do just that.  Is your relationship with Him exclusive (or are there other gods in your life)?  Is your relationship with Him a casual weekend thing or has it moved past that?  How would your relationship with Him be defined?  What exactly is your level of commitment?

 

Did you stop reading to consider these questions?  Perhaps that is a good place to start in order to gain an understanding of the fear of the Lord.  Let me ask another question.  How does one learn to fear the Lord?  Think of the number of years many people spend in “becoming educated” in their particular field of interest.  Think how long it takes for a doctor to become a doctor; I am quite thankful a college degree does not qualify an individual to do any sort of surgery!  I have not found any courses at any level of education that teach the fear of the Lord.  So how does it happen?  I have some thoughts regarding this.

 

In order to fear the Lord, one must find out as much as possible about Him.  To do that you need to open up only one book – the Bible.  The advantage of this book is that the professor is the One who wrote it by guiding men’s thoughts.  I enjoy reading fiction books by Clive Cussler.  He has written many books with the help of other writers.  The Bible is God’s Word to us given to men to write by the Holy Spirit.  When I read the book of Isaiah, the Holy Spirit would be the author we recognize and the man Isaiah would be the one helping with the writing.  When the Bible is read with more than a casual reading, it speaks to the one reading it to give a sense of who God is.  In my relationship to God, I want and need to know as much about Him as I can.  Everyday I am amazed at what I learn about Him. I have been reading and studying His Word since July, 1976; I am continually amazed at how new and fresh it is.  How can one not read it and be in awe of God?  How can one read it and not look forward to an eternity in His kingdom? 

 

I went to notes I had made long ago on this Psalm.  I think it was Warren Weirsbe I was using as the source for the notes.  Here is what I wrote.  “Those who fear the Lord need fear nothing else – this is the fear that drives out all fear.  To those who fear the Lord, He will provide all we need when we need it.”  In my notes I also have the following.  “David gathered the children to him to teach them the secret of real living.  To fear the Lord is to (1) Desire what is good (Verse 12), (2) speak what is true (verse 13), (3) desire what is right – abandon sin once and for all; work on it (verse 14) and Expect what is best.  Live by faith, trust the Lord to guide you, care for you, and to help you do the right thing (verses 15-16).

Fear God, not men.  Live for God’s approval, not the approval of men.  Open your Bible every day that your heart might may grow closer to our heavenly Father.  My heart’s desire for all who read this is you have a greater desire for Him, that your hunger and thirst for His kingdom and His righteousness is greater today than yesterday!

 

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2 Samuel 23:3, The God of Israel said, “The Rock of Israel spoke to me; He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”

 

Who will disagree with me when I say that there is no fear of God in the world today?  When I think of “the fear of God”, I usually refer to an awe, a wonder of God.  Hebrews 12: 28, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  Reverence and awe motivate me to serve Him and in doing so, all who serve Him in this way will receive His kingdom which can never be shaken.  Each day I stand in awe of Him who created all things, has the power to change anything He desires by speaking a word, and is in control of all that we see happening in the world today.  It is this “fear of God” that motivate me to stay on the narrow way to His kingdom and to look forward to eternal life.

 

As a Believer, you have no reason to be afraid of God.  The Bible tells us over and over that God loves us with an unconditional love, that “nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39).  “The fear of God” helps us to obey the teachings of His Word and causes us to give Him the praise and worship He deserves!

 

However, there are many who do not look at God in this way.  Instead, they continue to do to the Lord what those who persecuted and hung Him on the cross did; they mock Him, spit on Him, laugh at Him, and desire to kill Him over and over.  For these people “the fear of God” means something entirely different; right now, they are on the “way that is broad and leads to eternal destruction” (Jesus said there are many on this road). Unless they repent, they will spend eternity separated from God.   

 

The verse from Second Samuel caught my eye because it deals with how a man rules over people – he is to rule in the fear of God!  King David spoke these words (The opening words of this chapter state these were the last words of David.) to reflect on how the ideal king should rule.  His authority should be used with care and justice; it must be done in subjection to God’s authority.  David understood that this kind of king would be the Messiah.

 

Fast forward to today and turn to this President and the those making rules and laws for the people.  What do you see?  How do they stand in respect to “He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God”? 

 

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Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.

 

2 Timothy 3:1 -2, But know this, that in the last days perilous days will come; for men will be lovers of themselves, …

 

Are we living in perilous days?  My answer is a strong YES!  Open your Bible and read through the list of things that will be part of the worldly life.  Look around, listen to the news, read news headlines and you have to notice that evil in the world has accelerated and intensified.  We are now being told that Jesus and the Bible are racist because they defined marriage being between a man and a woman.  

 

 It is interesting to me that the long list describing moral collapse begins with the statement, “for men will be lovers of themselves”. Compare it to what Jesus said His followers must do if they desire to follow Him – they must deny themselves.  The denial of self is not as easy as one might think.  From birth we are taught to rise up and demand our needs be met.  A baby cries and he/she is immediately given the attention desired.  Yes, that is their means of communication.  However, if not dealt with self grows and the cry becomes a demand to get what is wanted not necessarily needed.  If this is not stopped the self-centered process is groomed and grows to the thought that “my” want is more important than anything else and “I” am going to satisfy it in any way necessary.  Think about how this desire to satisfy self can intensify when moral collapse begins.  I guess that is what we see today.

 

Jesus said to deny self.  That is only done when one “takes up his cross and follows Jesus”.  That is an everyday happening, not just when convenient.  It is the process of saying no to ourselves.  I know, we all want to be liked and respected by others.  But is that what the Lord Jesus really had in mind for us?  It seems that in reality we are to pick up His cross and put the needs of others before our own and to do it on a daily basis.  What is the cross of Jesus?  He died for each of us while we were sinners that we might have redemption with the Father in heaven through Him.  He gave His life willingly for us who did not deserve it.  We need to put the needs and interests of other before our own. 

 

It also refers to deny ourselves the sinful desires offered by the world.  That is a lifelong battle; it is living a life that keeps us on the narrow way to God’s kingdom and eternal life.  It involves the process of being in God’s Word so that we are not deceived by the deception found in the world today!  It means that we deny ourselves but do not deny our Savior and Lord.  Never forget that others are watching what you do and comparing it to what you say.  Our lives and our word should not indicate we are ashamed of living for Him.  Ridicule is going to come.  Even hatred toward you is going to come.  By denying yourself, you are saying what the world is doing is morally and spiritually evil – and the world won’t like it!

 

There are those around you who need to see you deny yourself and by taking up your cross you are following Jesus.  Make a difference for Jesus today and tomorrow!

 

 

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Matthew 24:4, And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”

(My emphasis!).

 

When I started writing this blog, I spent time talking about deception.  It is time to look more specifically at what deception looks like.  Jesus said this to His disciples; he is still giving this warning to His followers today.  Deception is a statement or act which misleads, hides the truth, promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true.  For example, the serpent was able to get Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil through a statement which was misleading.  The serpent implied the question, “Did God really say you would die?”  The question was meant to create doubt about truth.

 

Consider the seeds of doubt being planted in our minds today.  Today, more than ever, we are being told to trust the government because the government knows what is best for us.  “Trust us”; you do not need to work hard anymore because we, the government, will provide for you health care, the cost of your education, and, in the process, create a utopia!  We, the government, are going to provide care for your children, and continue to give you a stimulus check because we, the government, want you to be dependent upon us.  Sadly, it seems no one cares who has control over us as long as the free money gets deposited in our accounts.

 

DECEPTION!  We better wake up in this country and world because all this is giving power to the government and the government will not give it up. 

 

As long as I am at it, let me throw out an idea I heard in an interview last week.  You and I really do not know the real truth about this vaccine.  Did Bill Gates say or not say that the vaccine has the ability to change people’s DNA?  It depends on who you read.  But, let me say that fear of not being able to travel, or do anything without the vaccine is troubling.  Now, the “experts” are saying the covid is not as bad as they made it out to be.  But, look what the results have been.

 

I understand how easy it will be for our finances to be taken away from us.  Banks around the world are already wanting to go cashless and to put everyone’s financial ability on a chip.  How easy is it going to be to demand people to get a mark on their hand or forehead in order to buy and sell?  It is certainly going to be easy; by playing on one’s fears and creating confusion and doubt I see anything can be done.

 

Here is my point this morning:  Keep your eyes centered on Jesus and get into His Word.  Pray to discern what is happening and do not be distracted!  Believers must be diligent in their Christian walk to stay on the narrow way that leads to God’s kingdom and eternal life.  Things are not getting better; they are getting more challenging.  Remember, God is in control and He has not been caught by surprise by what is happening in this country and around the world.

 

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Matthew 9:9, As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, “Follow Me.”  So he arose and followed Him.  (Emphasis was added by me.)

 

I am sure I have referred to this book before; I sense a need to do so again.  While teaching at First Baptist Academy I had my Senior Bible Class read the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman.  I recommend that each of you find the book and read it!  In the book, Idleman defines a “fan of Jesus” as “an enthusiastic admirer, one who cheers for Him when things are going well, but who walks away when it’s a difficult season.  Idleman goes on to say that “the biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ.  They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”

 

Take a close look at what Jesus said to Matthew!  He said, “Follow Me.”  He did not say, “walk along and cheer Me on as I go through My time on earth.”  Jesus did not want His followers to admire Him; He taught that they must be devoted to Him.  I cannot think of an organized religion that is not based on a set of rules and works in order to get into heaven.  Christianity is based on a relationship with Jesus Christ; following “rules and works will follow the relationship. 

 

I had the wonderful opportunity to do some coaching during many years as an educator.  There have been many pats on the back and just as many not so kind fans who seemed to have a better idea than me.  Even in the NCAA Basketball tournament fans have sent death wishes to players on losing teams.  Fans are part of the game; players want to play before the crowd.  Being a part of the crowd is comfortable according to Idleman.    

 

After Jesus fed the thousands with a little boy’s fish and bread, He went to Capernaum with His disciples.  The crowd followed Him because they wanted Him to feed them; He declined to do so because the crowd, the “fans”, were only there for the food.  The point is He wanted them there because they were His “followers.”  When they did not get fed, they left.

 

So why write about this today?  The answer lies in each one us of taking an account of what we believe.  When it comes to following Jesus are you a part of the crowd, in the stands watching?

Are you a “fan” who is with Jesus while the times are good?  If so, I ask you to consider getting into the game and doing what Jesus said to Matthew.  Follow Him! 

 

The days we are in are troubling to me; they do not seem to be getting better.  I believe that each of us will have to decide, to declare whether we are a fan or a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The reality is that each of us is either a fan or a follower.   Which are you?

 

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John 16:23b-24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”  Jesus

 

I ended the last page of the blog in a strange way.  I told you that God wants to answer prayer and then asked this question. But, what about when the Father does not answer our prayer?  The question comes from the times I have prayed in the name of Jesus, prayed according to His will, and believed that He would answer for His glory.  In other words, I prayed exactly like the Bible says to pray to get prayers answered.  Isn’t that what the verse quoted above says?  Perhaps you have wondered about this as well.

 

As I said yesterday, I believe God loves Believers so much and wants us to pray about everything, even what might seem to be the smallest matter.  We are to ask, to seek, to knock and believe without any doubt that He hears our prayer.  With that in mind, we do not try to coerce Him into trying to do what we want.  Again, I’ve tried that and it does not work.  Instead, we trust Him to do what is best.  I read once that He answers our prayers in several ways.  He says yes right away and the results of our prayer is seen immediately.  Peter was sinking in the water when he took his eyes off Jesus and asked for immediate help.  Jesus reached down and pulled him out of his situation.  I have prayed for people and seen immediate relief for their health situation.  Through that, God was glorified.

 

Another way God might answer prayer is to delay the answer.  The reason for the delay would only be known by Him.  Perhaps the one praying needs to grow in some area through the delay.  Do you get angry at God and walk away from Him because of it or do you learn to trust Him, learning He is faithful or whatever the lesson might be?  Perhaps through our continued faithfulness others see the great trust you have in the Lord’s faithfulness.   Mary and Martha waited for several days for Jesus to come heal their brother Lazarus; but Jesus delayed and Lazarus died.  Yet, the greater glory came when Jesus called Lazarus to come out of the tomb.  Would healing Lazarus been a greater miracle than being called out of the tomb?  And, do not forget about Daniel waiting for 24 days because the angel Gabriel was detained due to spiritual battle in the heavenlies.

 

There is always the answer being “no”.  Does God tell us no when we follow all the right procedures the Bible and the great Bible teachers tell us will get God to answer our prayers.  Yes, He does!  You and I see only what is right before us.  God knows the immediate and long- range future and He knows what is best for you and what will best glorify Him.  Several years ago, I had been seeking an answer to many years of prayer when I finally asked God, “Are you going to do this or not?”  I was walking outside and had not even taken another step when I herd in my mind, “No!”  That was all there was and it was clear.

 

So, what do you do when God says no?  Keep walking with Him, trusting and believing He care about you.  If the answer is delayed, keep seeking, keep believing that God cares for you.  If your prayer is answered immediately give God the glory that He deserves.  Pray at all times in faith, believing that He hears and answers you.  He knows what the future holds and what is best for all of His followers. 

 

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John 16:23b-24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”  Jesus

 

Be careful!  Don’t ask for selfish things or things that build you up because praying this way does not work.  Okay, I’m guilty; I have tried it.  For those of you chuckling right now – are you chuckling because I tried or because you have tried as well?

 

Prayer is sometimes a mystery to me because I have not understood its power.  I have seen God move in a great way when I have prayed.  He has moved immediately at times and at other times seems to have completely ignored me.  I know the latter is not so because the Bible tells us that God cares deeply about our prayers.  In Daniel 9:23, Daniel prayed and the angel Gabriel was sent to him to interpret a vision.  He was told, At the beginning of your supplications, the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly loved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.”  But, in Daniel 10, Daniel prayed for 23 days before the angel was able to get to him with his answer.  In Daniel 10:12, the angel said to him, “Do not fear, Daniel. For from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come because of your words.” So why did it take twenty-four days for Gabriel to get there?  He was delayed by the demonic forces over Babylon and Michael, the chief of princes, was needed to come help him get to Daniel.  We are totally unaware of the spiritual battles going on in the heavenlies when we pray! 

 

The note in David Jeremiah’s Study Bible gives further help. “The power of prayer is in the name of Jesus Christ. Praying in His name is not a tagline at the end of one’s prayers; it means praying according to His will.  Keeping Jesus in focus keeps people from selfish prayers.  The result of a Christ-empowered prayer is that a person’s joy will be full.”  When we pray in the name of Jesus, our Mediator, we gain access to the Father.  The sacrifice of Jesus is recognized, we ask according to His righteousness; that is how prayer is answered.

 

There is no question about this – God hears our prayers, encourages us to pray about everything, to pray without ceasing!  I pray that our faith would grow deep in our love for God and to be unwavering.  I pray our focus be always on Jesus and not the problem.

 

But what about when the Father does not answer our prayer?

 

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Romans 3:21-26, But now God has shown us a different way of being right in His sight – not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.  We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  And we all can be saved in the same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.  For all have sinned; all fall short of God’ glorious standard.  Yet now God in His gracious kindness declares us not guilty.  He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us.  God has been entirely fair and just when He did not punish those who sinned in former times.  And He is entirely fair and just in this present time when He declares sinners to be right in His sight because they believe in Jesus.       (from the New Living Translation)

 

This is a longer portion of Scripture than normal.  This passage summarizes a very important portion of the Gospel of God in just a few words.  Now, go back and read it again before you continue reading this page of the blog. 

 

If you read Romans 3 to this point you will see Paul presents a really negative view of humanity’s sinfulness; the point being made that everyone needs the saving grace of God.  In the verses above, he presents the good news (the best news ever!) of God’s grace, forgiveness, and Christ’s redemption.  Reading the rest of Romans, Paul emphasizes justification by grace through faith, and the assurance we have, victory over sin.

 

In these verses, the righteousness of God is shown in His redemptive power.  When a person declares his sinfulness and gives it over to Christ, He declares us free from the power of evil and God puts us in a right relationship with Himself.  This is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ.

 

I want to emphasize truths concerning the death of Christ.  He died as an offering or sacrifice for all who would come to His saving grace.  Jesus suffered and died as a penalty for our sins, as our substitute.  His death on the cross satisfied God’s righteous nature and His moral order; this removed His wrath from each repentant sinner.  The integrity of God required that sin be punished and appeasement be made for our sake.  Through the blood of Christ, God’s holiness remained uncompromised and was able to justify His grace and love in salvation.  Christ’s death was victorious over the powers of sin, Satan, and liberated us from the demonic host that hold the human race in bondage.  Be sure to understand this is for all people who through faith accept Jesus Christ and His death for them.  (From the notes on these verse in The Life in the Spirit Study Bible).

 

It is so important for each of us to understand this teaching and not be confused!  This promise is for only those who believe in Jesus Christ.  It is the Good News of the Bible and to all who believe!  Fear God and stay in a right relationship with Him by walking on the narrow way that leads to His Kingdom and eternal life.  Walking through the narrow gate (Jesus} is only the beginning.  Staying on the narrow way and growing in knowledge and maturity in Him is a matter of sanctification (Like reading the blog each day could help.).  

 

 

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