Though There Be Opposition…

Hidden Influences in the Life of Paul and in Yours

The church had scarcely begun before it was challenged by its enemies. The closing verses of Acts 2 speak of the growth of the church and those who were being added to it every day. It would have been a remarkable time to have witnessed the enthusiasm of those early Christians. The opening verses of the next chapter tell of the results of Peter and John healing of the lame man at the temple. The city was amazed and “all the people ran together” (3:11) to the see these two apostles. Peter’s sermon that day changed those who assembled.

Then, for the first time, opposition arose as the temple guards and the Sadducees came to arrest Peter and John and put them in custody. However, they could do no more than threaten them and release them “because of all the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done” (4:21).

This opposition did not stop. The church continued to grow and multitudes from the cities surrounding Jerusalem were taught (5:17). The opposition became even greater and, the highest Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, brought greater punishment against the church. It imprisoned all the apostles. When Peter and the apostles addressed the council “. . . they were furious and plotted to kill them” (5:33). It is at this point we first meet Gamaliel who had great impact on the church.

Gamaliel, a highly respected member of the Sanhedrin, addressed the council. He urged them to be cautious with these words of wisdom. “If this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it” (5:38-39). There is so much truth in what he said.

What significance does all this have? Consider the fact that though Paul was born in the area we know as Turkey he was reared in Jerusalem and was taught by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Those who taught us have a tremendous impact on us throughout all of our lives. It is possibly, perhaps likely, that Paul heard these very words spoken by his teacher. Gamaliel was a Pharisee who taught strict allegiance to the law, and Paul became one who was “zealous toward God” (22:3). It is obvious that Gamaliel influenced Paul. Gamaliel said to the council, “Take heed to yourselves what you intend to do,” and Paul said to Timothy, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:16).

Our lives, like Paul’s, are touched by all those around us. We are shaped by people and circumstances every day we live. God was able to use all of the events mentioned above to bring glory to His name. Who has influenced your life? What circumstances have molded you? Rejoice that God is able to use all of these to help us become like Him. Rejoice. Our amazing God sits on His throne and works all things for our good!

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Dealing with the Guilt of Sin

Romans 4:6-8

The guilt of sin…we all experience it and we all deal with it. Because it weighs on our conscience and determines our course in life, physically and eternally, we seek to a remedy that will allow us to be justified and ease our hearts and minds. For most people the solution is ultimately insufficient because we desire to be justified while at the same time wanting to live in accordance with the flesh. We want to “have our cake and eat it too.” So men…

  1.  Ignore the sin in hopes that time will ease our guilt. But time is not sufficient for the task; so we flounder in a state of despair.
  2. Seek justification in human wisdom and morality. But mankind, who does not have the ability to reason away the shame of sin (Jeremiah 10:23; Isaiah 55:7-9)
  3. Try to alter or reinterpret God’s Word to ease the culpability of transgression. But it is God’s Word that will judge us in the end (John 12:48). And so men have always been warned by God not to choose this path (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19). Certainly those who do will not find the comfort they desire, although for a time they might have a false sense of security, for ultimately to twist the word of God is to contribute to one’s own destruction (2 Peter 3:16).

There is only one prescription powerful enough to get rid of guilt? And only God can write it! In Romans 4:6-8 we read that the blessed man is the one to whom God does not reckon sin. Since we have all sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23; 5:12) we all have earned a guilty sentence. No man can undo what he has done and time, human reasoning, and not even a misunderstanding of God’s Word will acquit us.

King David was guilty of terrible sins (adultery, murder, lying) and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness and an eased conscience. We, too, can have this elation when we…

  1.  Quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned.
  2. Admit our guilt to God and act in faithfulness to His will.
  3. Let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us.

“This can be difficult when a sin has taken root in our life over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others. We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin.”

If you are not a Christian the only place you can find the peace that passes all understanding and is able to keep our hearts and minds is in Christ (Philippians 4:7). Repent of the sin in your life (Luke 13:3, 5), Confess your faith in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God (Romans 10:9), and be immersed with him in baptism to have your sins washed away (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Peter 3:21). And if you are a Christian it is important to repent of any ongoing sin in your life, confess it unto the Lord, and prayer for forgiveness (Revelation 2:5; 1 John 1:9; Acts 8:22).

You do not have to live with a guilty conscience one more day. Obey Him and be faithful! This life and the one to come are too wonderful to waste another moment not knowing the peace of Jesus Christ.

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We Have An Advocate

Have you ever had a dispute where no one took your side, or where no one was available to represent you on your behalf? Where no one would come forth to be your advocate? (An advocate is a person who pleads for or in behalf of another.) I think most of us have at least felt alone like this at some point in our lives. Under the Patriarchal and Jewish dispensations, when a man sinned against God there was no one to stand up on behalf of the transgressor. There was no one to be his advocate. And, there was no means of propitiation (appeasement toward God) on account of his sin.

The patriarch Job, while facing the testing of his faith and false accusations of his closest friends, expressed his distress at this fact in this way, “For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman [umpire – ASV] betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me: Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me…” (Job 9:32-35) A “daysman” is an umpire (ASV) or mediator who represents one before another. Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines the word mediator this way, “One who intervenes between two persons who are at variance, with a view to reconcile them. This word is not found in the Old Testament; but the idea it expresses is found in Job 9:33, in the word ‘daysman’ (q.v.), marg., ‘umpire.’” The prophet Eli also acknowledged this deficiency under the Law of Moses when he rebuked his sons’ behavior and said, “If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him…?” (1 Samuel 2:25). Under both of these dispensations, the only recourse the sinner was to make a substitutionary sacrifice of an animal to take the place of the sinner.

Under Christ, we do not have to feel as if we are alone, because we do have someone to entreat for us. We do have someone to act as a daysman between us and the God of Heaven. We have an Advocate! Jesus Christ, the Righteous! “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world…”(1 John 2:1-2) The Greek word here translated as “advocate” is taken from the same Greek word translated as “comforter” (KJV) or “helper” (NKJV) in John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7. The Greek word means, “’one who is summoned to the side of another’ to help him in a court of justice by defending him, ‘one who is summoned to plead a cause.’” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary). As our Advocate, Christ not only intercedes on our behalf before His Heavenly Father, but He comforts and helps us at the same time! And even more than that, (yeah much more!) He gave His own life for man as the ultimate propitiation for sin!

 

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A Man After God’s Own Heart

One certainly cannot underestimate the role of the heart in godly religion when he reads what God has revealed through the scriptures. The fact is that God even knows our hearts. When Solomon prayed in dedicating the temple, he made a parenthetical statement in First Kings 8:39: “…for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men.” Jeremiah stated, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer. 17:9-10). During the appointment of a successor to Judas Iscariot, the apostles prayed, “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men” (Acts 1:24). In addition, when Peter rebuked the sin of Simon of Samaria, he said, “…for thy heart is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21). Therefore, when God describes the great king of Israel, named David, as “a man after mine own heart” (cf. Acts 13:22; 1 Sam. 13:14; 16:6-13), we ought to pay close attention. Why does the Bible describe David in such a way? Notice several reasons.

His heart appreciated the love of God. The love of God demonstrated in his life had a great effect on his life. Thus, he would write, “Show thy marvelous loving kindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them” (Ps. 17:7). He appreciated the love of God. Do we appreciate the love of God in our lives (John 3:16; 1 John 4:19)?

His heart appreciated the goodness of God. We can see such demonstrated by the writings of his inspired heart as he wrote the following:

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way…O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing…I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good…Hear me, O Lord; for thy loving kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies…Praise ye the Lord. O, give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. [Ps. 25:7-8; 34:8-10; 54:6; 69:16; 106:1]

As David, do we appreciate the goodness of God? Do we realize that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17)?

His heart expressed the proper attitude toward committed sins. The fact is that all of us sin (Rom. 3:10, 23). There is no question about such. In fact, the grace of God does not overlook sin in anyone. As a result, what is our attitude toward sin when we commit such? When David sinned, he expressed such attitudes of heart as godly sorrow, remorse, confession, repentance and other such virtues (cf. Ps. 32:1-5; 51:1-19). It might be difficult to swallow, but the fact is that God is pleased when sin breaks our hearts!

His heart appreciated the mercy and forgiveness of God. Psalm 51 expresses such statements in beautiful, poetic language. Do we appreciate the mercy and forgiveness of God (cf. Matt. 18:21-35)? The mercy and forgiveness of God should create within us a merciful and forgiving spirit (Matt. 6:14-15). David is quite an example in forgiving Saul and Shimei, just to name a few. Therefore, if these qualities of heart made David special, we can apply these very same qualities to our lives and be Christians after God’s own heart!

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After Thanksgiving Sale

Many phrases inspire quick responsive behavior on the part of others.  “Fire!  Run!  Help!  Dinner!  Free Television!  Incoming!  Snake!”  Right alongside these declarations “ After Thanksgiving Sale ” must reside.  Each year, prior to Thanksgiving the advertisements come pouring out.  Shopping men and women dutifully take note, writing down all the particulars or saving the printed ads.  Many literally write down a schedule of where they need to be minute by minute and what they specifically need to obtain in each location of every store.  They know the prices, shapes, sizes, and colors of their objectives.  Their priorities are established.  It is not unusual to see long lines of people waiting early in the morning hours before stores open whether it is cold, dark, or rainy.  Not only do these folks come early, they stay late!  Busy throughout the day, they are driven like no other time in their life.

Let us consider another moment – Sunday morning.  Sunday morning is a time which the Church gathers as was the example in the early Church (Acts 20:7).  At that time, they sing hymns to God (Ephesians 5:19) and partook of communion as Jesus had commanded them to remember Him (I Corinthians 11:23-26).  The Christians encouraged one another by gathering at these assemblies (Hebrews 10-25) as they also gave cheerfully a collection to further the Word of God and aid needy saints (I Corinthians 16:2).  In the midst of this gathering, Christians also received the Word of God which was able to save their souls (James 1:21).  Sunday morning truly offers great treasure!  Praising God, glorifying God in obedience, remembering the savior of mankind, aiding others and enjoying their fellowship, and partaking of spiritual nourishment to make one complete (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  My daughter used to wake up as a little girl and declare “It’s day!”  She woke prepared to get going with the day.  How energized do you feel when you hear the phrase “It’s Sunday!”?

“It’s Sunday!”  or “ After Thanksgiving Sale! ” which of these phrases brings more organization, excitement, and involvement to the Christian?  Do they plan ahead their interaction on Sunday?  Do they have their Bibles, notepads, and pens prepared?  Are their lessons done ahead of time?  Is their frame of mind prepared to glorify God or be a spectator?    Do they engage in the singing with voices bright and reverence and cheer on their faces?  When the congregation is viewed, does it appear everyone is at nap time, a funeral, bored out of their mind, disinterested?  Does the Christian come early to be with his spiritual brothers and sisters?  Does he stay late or find opportunity throughout the day to engage in the work of God rain or shine?

Dear friends where is your heart?  Are you excited day by day as the coming of Jesus grows nearer (I Peter 1:13)?  Is this what drives your behavior above all other aspects of your life?  There are many phrases which may ignite your behavior such as “ After Thanksgiving Sale, Free Summer Sausage, and  75% off “, but may “it’s Sunday, let us pray, and study with me” be among the phrases that ignite your heart, soul, strength, and mind above all things.

Psalm 122:1 – I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

 

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