Our One Fixed Hope!

            I can’t forget words I heard the late black evangelist G. P. Holt declare in a sermon nearly 40 years ago as he preached about the gap between human understanding and God’s ability. He said, "I don’t see how a black cow eats green grass and gives white milk that makes yellow butter. But she does it, and I like it." Amen to all that, Brother Holt! How ridiculous is the notion that a finite human brain should be able to "see how" and fully understand all the ways and doings of an eternal, omniscient, omnipotent God. Centuries before Christ, a psalm attributed to David declared, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me" (Psalm 131:1). Why should we be surprised some of God’s ways are beyond complete human understanding? After all, the average adult human brain weighs in at about three pounds. Meanwhile, God is declared to be "mighty in power; His understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:5b). The prophet Jeremiah told God in a prayer in Jeremiah 32:17, ". . . .There is nothing too difficult for You." and when the angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary she would be pregnant with Jesus, she said, "How can this be, since I do not know a man" (that is, "since I am a virgin?") – and Gabriel answered, "With God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:34-37).

Think about another thing we struggle mightily to understand – "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). That verse comes in the middle of teaching about "suffering, groaning, pain, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword" (Romans 8:17-36) – some of which the apostle Paul makes clear we all encounter in life. Question is, where is God when we undergo any of that? Where is the good when we suffer? Our human predicament can be likened to a very nearsighted person inching along a complex mural painted on a long wall. We see enough to know it is a great work of art, but we cannot clearly see the entire thing. We see some of this and some of that, but cannot see how it all fits together. We do not, as it is said, "see the whole picture." But God does! Our challenge is to trust not only that God is good – but that He is good . . . all the time – even when life is not so good. John Greenleaf Whittier said in his poem, "The Eternal Goodness" – "Yet, in the maddening maze of things, And tossed by storms and floods, To one fixed hope my spirit clings; I know that God is good." Are you suffering? Christ did, too. But His cross and empty tomb declare this powerful message: God is good, and all will work out for our good if we keep faith with Him. Cling to that one fixed hope. 

  By: Dan Gulley, Smithville

Doom and Gloom, or Hope Beyond the Tomb!

Seinfeld was an American sitcom on NBC that ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998. The show has often been described as "a show about nothing," and if you watched it very many times you know that is indeed an accurate description! One episode has a scene where George Costanza (played by actor Jason Alexander) discusses the subject of hope with Jerry Seinfeld. George says: "I don’t want hope. Hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless. When you’re hopeless you don’t care. And when you don’t care, the indifference makes you attractive." Jerry replies, "So, hopelessness is the key?" And George replies, "It’s my only hope." 

Humor aside, hopelessness is not only not our only hope, hopelessness is (not to be overly simplistic) simply hopeless. To illustrate, consider this statement (from the brilliant but faithless British philosopher and atheist Bertrand Russell, who wrote in Why I Am Not a Christian) about how science presented us with a world that was "purposeless" and "void of meaning." He said, "That man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and beliefs are but the chance outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius are destined to extinction . . . that the whole temple of man’s achievement must inevitably be buried – all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built" (quoted by Lee Strobel in The Case For a Creator, p 25).

Russell was a brilliant man, but what his high-minded philosophy really boils down to is nothing more than a hopeless end. Compare that hopeless gloom and doom and "scaffold of unyielding despair" with these God- breathed words of faith and assurance from the pen of the apostle Paul in Romans 8:22-28 as he talks about the hope Christians have, even as they sometimes groan from the hurt and pain life brings to bear – "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. . . . And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

I can’t speak for you, but the "scaffold" of doubt and hopelessness and the "foundation of unyielding despair" are far too flimsy and frail to risk and rest my soul on. The hope Jesus Christ gives to defeat sin and the grave is the reason I am a Christian! Think about it.

By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Deu 25:1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.

What is just judgement? It is one which acquits the innocent and punishes the guilty. Solomon warns about unjust judgement: “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15).

Yet, it is not always the case in this world. Sometimes we see that the wicked men are excused and exonerated, and even protected while the just men are criticized and condemned, and even punished. For example, in 2013, a court ordered an Oregon bakery to pay a lesbian couple $135,000 for refusing to make a wedding cake for them. In 2015, a florist who declined to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding because of her Christian belief was fined $1,001 by a Washington court and will be held liable to pay the legal fees incurred by the gay couple, which could "devastate" her financially. Those are just two of the many cases in which the righteous were condemned while the wicked were justified. Well, God hates those who justify the wicked while condemning the just.

 

At the trial of Jesus, we see the righteous Son of God was condemned to be crucified while a murderer was released (Luke 23:18-21). Again, a case of justifying the wicked while condemning the righteous.

Paul wrote concerning love: “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13”6). Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. It takes no delight in sin. It does not condone sin, will not be a partner to anyone who does it, and will not commit it himself. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1).

Have you been guilty of justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous? Of course, you will say you have always been just. But, have you been guilty of taking side between two squabbling persons? Like siding with your friends or children even when they were wrong? We read of parents challenging a school principal because his son was punished in school. Does he think a school will punish a well-behaved kid? Have you been guilty of “siding” your child?

What if your friend was issued a parking ticket? Did you tell him that he should be honest and that he was wrong not to display a parking coupon? Or you joined him in ranting at the parking warden and commenting how nasty persons parking wardens are? If you did, you were justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous.

In the news yesterday was a man who went to his nine years old daughter’s school, interrupted the class while a teacher was teaching, pulled out a boy and slapped him on the face. The reason: his daughter had complained about this boy bullying her. Not only did the man continue to haul accusations at the victim but also proceeded to lecture the class on how it was wrong to bully others or behave like gangsters. Unbelievable! The big bully and gangster telling some young boys and girls not to bully other or behave like gangsters. Somebody please give him a mirror.

A mirror is what we all need. We know the doctrines but fail to practise them. We know we must be just and impartial. But we are not always just and impartial; we are respecters of persons. We take side when our friends have a quarrel with some others.

Our Lord says: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Let us be righteous when we judge.

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The subject of “miracles”

                                                                        FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

In last Wednesday’s Bible study we discussed the subject of “miracles” and whether they still exist.  To give you the shortened version of the summation of our study - no they don’t.  But, that doesn’t mean that there is any shortage of people in this world who believe that they do and that there exists plenty of people (deceivers) who prey upon that belief. 

I may have mentioned to you in the past that I’m a big fan of who I consider to be one of the world’s great humorists, Will Rogers.  He often said that all he needed for inspiration was to read the newspapers.  Today I would add to that radio and television.  He is also the one who declared that he did not belong to any organized political party, that he was a Democrat.  I would add to that all other political parties today.

And, I’ll agree with him that our news media is a veritable “goldmine” of information that cause me to ponder sometimes and then realize an opportunity present that could provide us with a spiritual lesson.  A teachable moment, if you will. Therefore, my efforts today come from that same rich source that inspired Will - the news media.

Why I mentioned at the start about our study of modern-day miracles is because my two inspirational illustrations come from that source.  And, allow me to preface my thoughts by saying again, there simply is no shortage of charlatans and other such deceivers in our midst.  Here’s just a couple of them that I found by reading the news.

I don’t if you happened across this article or not but, there is (or was) a woman “psychic” running for a congressional office from the state of Iowa.  (No disrespect meant here for any and all Iowans).  Well, it seems that she called a news conference to announce that she was having to drop out of the race due to (now get this) “unforseen circumstances.”  Just seems to me that her statement wouldn’t serve as much of an advertisement for her psychic prowess.

My second news media charlatan actually comes from a “flyer” or “handbill” left on peoples doors and car windshields a few years ago advertising a “Miracle Healing Crusade” soon to be held at one of our local parks.  It was to be officiated by a man described to be an “Evangelistic Faith Healer.”  I didn’t note the name of the “healer” but it was claimed that he could cure all sorts of ills and diseases.  It listed some of his healing accomplishments such as: a woman cured of a 53 year scoliosis disease, another woman of asthma and even hearing to a man deaf from birth.

In big bold capital letters across the handbill were these words: “ALL TOTALLY HEALED AFTER PRAYER!”  I mentioned that I didn’t note his name, however the flyer did have the “Faith Healer’s” picture on it.   Now remember “all healed” as I describe to you his picture.  He’s wearing big thick eyeglasses and his left eye is pointed off in a different direction from his right one.  Of course, the first thing I thought of is the proverb spoken by Christ Himself in Luke 4:23, “Physician, heal thyself.”

Well, the scriptures warn us that these sorts of things, these “false prophets” whom the Apostle Paul identifies as being “workers of Satan” that perform “lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9-10) will be in our world.  People such as “Miss Cleo” in Miami, Florida who runs a “psychic hot line” fortune-telling business where the average cost per call to her is about $60.00.  People pay her to tell their fortunes and predict their future.  At least this is what she claims to be able to do, but the state of Florida has charged her with criminally deceiving her followers.  (More news inspiration)

You know, all of this sort of deceit is what the Bible refers to as “divination.”  The definition of “divination” is the “uncovering of hidden knowledge by supernatural means.”  Hence, those who claim to be able to do this (IE: call it forth) are simply performing what Paul called “lying wonders.”  And know this, the Word of God has never condoned this practice for His people. 

When He gave Israel the Law of Moses, He expressly forbade them to have anything to do with sorcerers, wizards, consulters of familiar spirits, divinators etc (Deut. 18:9-12) and says that these practices are “abominations” to Him.  He further tells us in Rev. 21:8 that all of the practitioners of these things will share an eternal home with all the sinful in the “lake of fire and brimstone.” 

Well, why do you think God hates sorcerers, witches and those who practice divination?  The answer is, they are tricksters, deceivers.  By being such, they mislead people.  Or, as Paul put it in his letter to the Thessalonians, they operate “with all deceivableness of unrighteousness” and cause their followers to “perish.”  (Eternally).  (2 Thess. 2:9-10).  And, He says in the very next verse (11) that there will be plenty of them out there deluding people and those that follow them are “believing a lie.”  Also, according to 1 Sam. 15:23 divination is “rebellion” towards God.

Let me just tell you what “divination” is NOT.  It is not just a form of entertainment and many believe that.  Satan would like you to believe that.  Nor is it what some call “an alternate source of wisdom.”  Satan would like you to believe that too.  If you read James 1:5 you’ll see where the Christian’s source of wisdom lies - with His Word. 

Remember our definition of “divination?”  That it’s the “uncovering of hidden knowledge by supernatural means.”  Well, consider this: the Gospel isn’t hidden.  The world is missing nothing when comes to knowing what a person should do, how they should live and what kind of person they ought to be in order to be pleasing to God.

Historically, divination was done in ancient times for gaining money.  Nothing has changed.  It’s done today for the same reason.  But the reason it’s so abhorred and condemned by God is because the followers of it are, in effect, saying that God and what He says, is not sufficient.  That was the same reason it was a sin for ancient Israel and the same reason today.

It’s interesting (to me anyway) that the Greek word used in the New Testament for “sorceries” (divinations) is “PHARMAKEIA,” which relates to seduction and deception.  That’s the word used in Rev. 18:23.  Having said this, let me close with this thought.

All forms of sorcery, witchcraft and any form of divination is unreal.  It is an abomination in the eyes of God.  But - God is real.  Christ is real.  And God’s Word, given through His Son, Jesus Christ, is real.  It’s called the Gospel of Christ.  All else is simply “PHARMAKEIA.”

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey