Monthly Archives: October 2008

Proverbs 8:1-5

1Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the children of man.
5 simple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, learn sense.

Wisdom is not in hard to find places. God has not hidden it away so that it cannot be found. It is here, and here, and here. The problem is not that wisdom is elusive. The problem is that we do not seek it very well. We assume to be in possession of it. Also, note that wisdom is found in the gates. The gate is the place where the elders and leaders of the city sit to make important decisions. God gives them wisdom to pass on to those they lead. We should not think that wisdom is only found in some direct form, from God. God gives to the church, pastors and teachers for the teaching of the church. The church should insist that they use their wisdom to benefit the church. They are responsible for passing it on. From God to the teachers to the church. It is not miraculous in the way we normally think of miracle. It is not spectacular. But it is how God works. Pastors/elders are to be men who garner wisdom from the Word of God and pass it accurately onto those whom God has given them to pastor. And let us not forget also that Jesus Christ is the often personified as the Wisdom of God.

Luke 24:13-27 -
13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Jesus on the road to Emmaus, calls the disciples foolish and slow of heart because they cannot discern the death and resurrection of Jesus out of the Old Testament(Luke 24:25). How well can most Christians today do that? How much more study and reading and learning is necessary? And we have many more resources than those two disciples did. We are without excuse for our ignorance of the Scriptures. Miles to go before we sleep. Lord, forgive us our dullness and willingness to be involved in so much useless stuff for so long and so willing to let the more important things go by the boards.

Luke 10:1-12. 1

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5″When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8″When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11′Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Jesus sends out the seventy(two) with several instructions – 1)pray for workers – prayer is essential to the work getting done. Jesus does not recruit, train, … He says Pray for workers. If prayer is not our first response to the needs of the souls of the lost, then we are not going to win them to Christ. Also, the command is to pray for workers. Do not be overcome with the amount of work there is to do – pray for people to help in the work! 2) Go as lambs among the wolves. The One who sends us sends us into danger. It is not God’s purpose to have us serve Him pain free. Never be shocked at opposition (I Peter 4:12) but know that the great Sovereign of all things has sent you to win the lost and to endure the hatred and opposition of those who will not receive us. This is as much a part of our calling as giving the Gospel is and we should not think it will be otherwise. If you are looking for ease then you are not looking to serve Christ. 3) Take no provisions with you but depend upon the hospitality of others. It is here that we in North America start explaining how the circumstances are different now and this does not apply. It applies as much as “pray for workers” and “I am sending you out as lambs among the wolves”. Do not seek to have all your needs met before you go into the service of Christ. Do not be ashamed to depend on the good graces of others. Don’t waste your time on providing temporal needs at the expense of your Gospel work. This doesn’t mean beg on the streets. But it does mean get your priorities right. Trust God to provide your daily bread. This will necessarily mean that Christians serious about living and giving the Gospel will not fit in well in the world. Their chasing after all the wrong things will not be the mark of Christ’s emissaries.

Fascinating how the only instruction for prayer is in relation to the salvation of the lost, and not in relation to one’s safety in the face of opposition or in relation to sustenance in the face of not being permitted to provide for oneself. This does not mean that we are not to pray for such things, but it is a striking thing how Jesus does not mention to these men He is sending out on this mission that they should pray for anything but workers so that the work of evangelism would be completed.

Proverbs 3:7-8 (ESV) Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Faith and obedience are good for us. There is nothing so miserable as a Christian out of the will of God. Whence the stress, depression, pessimism, anxiety of so many believers? Sometimes, perhaps a great deal of the time – such things arise from a walk that is not close to God, that is participating in known sin and that is ignorant of the great blessings of obedience. This does not mean that when we obey everything goes as we want. It means that there is peace, joy, clearness of conscience in obedience, and that is healthy, no matter what our health is like.

II Peter 1:16-21. – 16For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on(G) the holy mountain. 19And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration talking to Moses and Elijah regarding His work of death and resurrection and then he tells us that we have a “more sure word” of prophecy – the Scriptures. The Scriptures are a more sure word than seeing Jesus talking face to face with Moses and Elijah. The hunt/wish/prayer for something “more” is foolhardy at best. God has already given us what is better than the very things we wish we had. The Word of God is better than a vision, a visitation from heaven, a dream, a voice etc. It is a great treasure of truth from God to His people. It is a marvelous privilege to be able to hear from God in His Word. Read the Book and marvel at its treasure. It is no wonder that countless thousands of Christians have died throughout the centuries for the sake of thie communication from God to us.