They Saw His Miracles, Yet, They Crucified Him

Think of how many people in the first century had the opportunity to become children of God. For the four hundred years prior to the coming of John the Baptist, God had said nothing to anyone on the earth. The silence must have been deafening! Every man needs God, yet He said nothing to them. Then in the wilderness of Judea appeared a man dressed in the skin of camels. His voice cried out and the people knew that God had broken His silence. Men were about to be given the chance to be brought even closer to God.

The response was remarkable. “Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:5-6). When Jesus began His public teaching the impact was truly amazing. “The Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John” (John 4:2). The multitudes flocked to Him so that the only way one man of short stature could even get a glimpse of Him was to climb a tree, hoping Jesus would come that way.

When the Lord sent out the apostles and the seventy on their limited journey, even more could learn about Him in their own villages.  Could anyone ever say they had not heard?

Yet they crucified Him! They saw His miracles; they sat at His feet; they heard His words! But that time came in their lives when life’s circumstances changed and all they knew of Him meant nothing. They saw His miracles, yet they killed Him. We are so perplexed how this could ever happen.

It is still happening! Every sermon has those who hear about Him and turn away. They know the words being spoken are the words of truth, but they ignore them. Every church has been amazed when those who once were leaders in the church—elders, deacons, preachers, teachers—leave it all behind and go back to the world!  It is still happening.

The words of Solomon seem to sum it all up. “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new’? It has already been in ancient times before us” (Ecc. 1:9-10).  Truth does not change. The nature of man does not change. The way men respond to truth does not change!

What does that have to do with us? We must not forget how easily we could be like them. We must nurture and feed our faith every day. “Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall!”

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Checked Your Bucket List?

I am not sure about the origin of the expression “bucket list,” but I know the concept. It is a list of all the things one wants to experience before they “kick the bucket.” Sometimes the list is made in one’s youth and can be so imaginative. It might have items like visit the South Pole, skydive over the Grand Canyon, hitchhike around Europe, own a Ferrari, view an open heart surgery or a host of other things which are viewed as something one would never want to miss.

I have wondered what impact such a list would have on the life of a Christian if the list focused on his/her spiritual life. What items would you put on that list? What should you experience as a child of God to make sure that you do not miss the good life?  I am not talking about those extreme ideas which might never become a reality like spending a week atop Mt. Sinai, Swimming across the Sea of Galilee, exploring and finding Noah’s ark or helping rebuild Babylon. On a practical level, what do you think every Christian should do?

First on the list might be to make sure that one reads the entire Bible through, perhaps several times. Over the years I have been amazed at how many Christians have never done this. Can you imagine Moses coming down off Mt. Sinai with the words of God and people being too busy to read them? What could be more important than reading the words written by the finger of God? Yet, how different from one having the words of God, written by prophets’ hands under God’s supervision and being too busy to read them? Is this on your list? There is a final test, make sure you have read the textbook!

High on the list should be time devoted to prayer and meditation. If you don’t plan to pray privately, you likely will only pray in times of crisis! If you see a relationship between David and Daniel’s praying three times every day and their great spirituality, shouldn’t you put this on your list?

Imagine the impact it would have on the way you look at life if you put on your list that before you die you will lead someone to the Lord. Think of how greatly devoted Jesus was to sharing truth, then carefully look at what you plan to do with your life. He, too, had only one life to live and bringing others to God was at the center of His life. What about you? What do you really want to be sure you accomplish before you die.

You may not have a written list, but you probably have one. If given the chance to accomplish things on your secular list, you would do all you can to seize that opportunity. How devoted are you to your spiritual list?

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God is the Defender of Widows, Are You?

One remarkable truth that is often forgotten is just how much God loves those who are widows. While society may overlook them and their needs, God does not for they are mentioned about ninety times in the Bible. With the exception of the times they are part of a historical narrative or part of instructions about their marriages in keeping with the old law, almost every reference to them has evidence of God’s love for them.

Hear the words of David. “Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Psalm 68:3-5). Our God sits on His throne and sits there as a defender of widows!

Historically, widows have been the target of mistreatment by society. The Bible speaks of those who “afflict widows” (Ex. 22:22); of those who “perverts the justice due the… widow” (Deut. 27:19); …of the person who “does not good for the widow” (Job 24:21); of those “mistreated the fatherless and widows” (Ezek. 22:7); and of those who “devour widows’ houses” (Matt. 23:14). What widow is there who has not at least suffered in some of these ways? When society takes advantage of widows, God sees it, and He will not forget it even though it may be hidden from others!

Based on the fact that ten percent of the members at Palm Beach Lakes are widows, it is reasonable to assume that in every congregation there are those widows who can so easily be overlooked. What a blessed opportunity the church has to be the hands of God in helping them! I rejoice that so many of you are aware of these hurting sisters and are showing your love to them in so many ways.  If God rarely mentions them in the Bible without showing His concern for them, should not each of us show our concern for these who are loved so much by God?

Every Christian relative of widows has a God given responsibility toward them greater than the responsibility of the whole church (1 Tim. 5:3-8, 16). That person who neglects providing for a widowed relative “is worse than an infidel and has denied the faith” (1 Tim. 5:8). The seriousness of our devotion to God can be measured by our attitude toward widows.

Looking for something to do? Pay attention to the widows in this church. There is no way to measure how much a simple phone call means to the lonely. God will see this for He is the Defender of Widows!

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Why Would God Change a Man’s Name

There is only one man in the Bible who is described as the friend of God. He is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible, but the first sixty times he is mentioned, he is called by a name that does not represent the place God intended for him to occupy. His first name, Abram, means “a high father” or “an exalted father.” God did not see him that way so He gave him a new name, Abraham, which means “a father of the multitude” or “a father of many nations.”

The Jewish nation failed to see the significance of the name and made him the “exalted father” of the Jewish nation. They felt that they were above all people simply because of the fact they were his descendants. Such is the classic example of those who see themselves as a super race, one far above all others. The fact that they were chosen by God to accomplish His purpose was not evidence that they were “saved” any more than when He used Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish His purpose. The Jews were not truly children of God because of their birth.

This becomes abundantly obvious when one reads the New Testament. Those approved by God were not those who possessed the blood of Abraham but those who possessed the faith of Abraham. Paul spoke of the promise of God which was made to “those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Rom. 4:16). There it is. Abraham is not the “exalted father” of a particular race, but he is the father of those whose hearts are filled with the faith in the heart of this patriarch. Thus the next verse emphasizes this by saying, “As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations.”

So the one thing which truly matters is that we have the faith of Abraham. When God called “those things which do not exist as though they did,” Abraham embraced these non-existent things. God promised him that he would have a child and then waited for 25 years to fulfill that promise to Abraham. Paul said, “He staggered not at the promises of God” (Rom. 4:20, KJV). The later translations say, “He did not waver . . . but his faith was strengthened.” Instead of faith weakening and doubting, the opposite happened. Time only served to increase his faith.

Fellow Christian, how is your faith? Is it growing? Do you have more confidence in His promises now than years ago? May God help us to realize that since faith comes from hearing His word, we must feed our faith. May God help us to have the faith of the man who is the friend of God. Could anything be more important than this?

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What Does Your God Look Like?

How do you respond to tragedy? How do you determine moral issues like abortion, sexual perversion, divorce and honesty? How do you decide how to treat your enemies and those who mistreat you? It all depends on the concept you have of God. When you think of God, how do you view Him?

If we think of God as a myth, our view of life will be so different from those who believe He is a reality. The meaning of life is often seen as being limited to the brief time we live on this earth. Those who see Him as a myth often adopt a hedonistic philosophy expressed by the ancient Greeks as, “Let us eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” There is no hereafter and there are no laws governing them.

If we think of God as a reality who has little concern about mankind, then we will be filled with despair and helplessness when confronted by the events in our lives. There is no help from above and we are left alone to deal with adversity. We are forced to live a life of uncertainty and doubt and life has little meaning. He may exist, but there is no help!

If we think of God as a tyrant, then our lives will be governed by fear of failure. To please Him we must live a life of perfection, for while He may be just, His justice will never be tempered by mercy. The one-talent man, who hid the money entrusted to him, dreaded the return of his master and cowered in fear of having to give an account of the use of that money. There was no joy in his life, only fear of accountability.

However, if we think of God as one who is intimately connected with us and our lives, then our lives take on new meaning that others simply cannot understand. We have a peace which passes understanding and moral decisions are not determined by our own wisdom. We do not react impulsively when dealing with others who do us wrong, but our response was determined long before their evil action. We look at marriage so differently, for it is God’s gift to us from the One who ordained it and governs it. Our view of the unknown future, even death, cannot be comprehended by those who do not share this view of Him. He has His hand on the helm and we are sure that the best is yet to be and whatever comes can never kill our hope.

We must think of God as He really is and that understanding can never be gained without spending hours and hours inside the book He has given us. Read it. Read it often. Meditate on it. Determine that you will not just know facts about God, but that you know God! God is great! God is good! God is love! Know God and you will understand life!

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