8/19
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
Our knowledge of God is very limited. We know in part and we prophesy in part. Paul said, That I might know Him. How much knowledge do we have about what God has done, is doing, or will do for all of eternity? Very little! We have little knowledge of His eternal purpose. The workings of God, even from beginning of creation, extend far beyond our limited concepts and knowledge of Him. It will take an eternity for the Holy Spirit to lead us into all Truth.
It is not wise to question God or His word. When the Lord called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses gave five different excuses as to why he could not do that. After his fifth excuse, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. The fourth such excuse was,
Let us look at some similar verses in Isaiah.
Please note from Exodus 4:11 and Isaiah 45:7 that the LORD makes man's mouth, the LORD makes the dumb, deaf, and blind, the LORD makes the eyes of man to see, the LORD forms the light and creates darkness, and the LORD makes peace and creates evil. Much of that seems to conflict with our natural reasoning about the fact that God is love. Sometimes we get the wrong idea that all "good" things come from God and all "bad" things come either from the devil or because we have sinned in some way. That faulty logic springs out of our lack of understanding that what we call "good" is not necessarily what God calls "good."
Consider also the example of Job, who was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). Scripture is clear that Satan could not harm Job in any way without the permission of the Lord. But the Lord allowed all sorts of what we call "bad" things to happen in Job's life because the Lord had a higher purpose in mind. This is recorded in Job 42:5-6, when Job declared, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." That is the level of repentance that the Lord is looking for in each one of us.
Now let us look at a good example in John, Chapter 9. All of John, Chapter 9, is about the time when Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. All of us are familiar with that account. Jesus probably performed more miracles of this kind than of any other. Giving sight to the blind was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 35:5 and 42:7) as the first Messianic activity. The Scribes and Pharisees undoubtably knew that but when their Messiah came and did those very works, they refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah! Why? Perhaps for two reasons: (1) they were spiritually blind; and (2) they thought they had a "good" thing going and did not want to lose control of their man-made religion and kingdom.
Note that His disciples asked Jesus this question. The Scribes and Pharisees had indoctrinated the Jews thoroughly and completely in their man-made doctrines. Before the disciples began to follow the Lord, they had accepted as truth all that their religious leaders taught them from their childhood, and they based much of their life upon those teachings. Their leaders were feared and esteemed and used this advantage to keep the people in bondage. That bondage included practicing outward religious ceremonies, empty rituals, elaborate dress, and outward piety, all of which were void of the Spirit of God and of no profit to those who participated in them. They taught for doctrine commandments of men rather than those of God.
For that reason, Jesus was always contradicting what the disciples had presumed was truth. In the book of Matthew, five (5) times Jesus said, "Ye have heard ..." and twelve (12) times Jesus said, "But I say unto you ..." Human nature has never changed. Is it possible that scenario still exists in the church world today? Is it possible that the Lord, at times, still says to us, "Ye have heard ... but I say unto you?"
Back in our old New Testament house church days in the 1970's, we received a lot of teaching from a number of good men, including one man who most folks believed was an apostle. A number of different things that he taught seemed at the time to be correct scripturally. But within two years the Lord sovereignly revealed to me that a few things he taught were just not true. That is what I call progressive revelation.
Unfortunately some professing Christians today teach the same thing that the Scribes and Pharisees did 2000 years ago. Some today teach and even put in writing that if we are born with or have some infirmity then we must have some sin in our life. Such are false teachers. They are the real blind men. (See Jude 1:10-11 and John 9:39-41.)
Everyone who has read the Scriptures knows what happened after Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man. The Jews and Pharisees questioned the man four times and his parents once concerning how his eyesight was restored and by whom. The first time he responded that a "man called Jesus" had opened his eyes. Next he answered that Jesus is a prophet. His parents, when questioned, did not provide any further information because they feared the Jews would put them out of the synagogue (excommunicate them) if they confessed that Jesus was Christ. When the Pharisees continued to ask if and how Jesus had opened his eyes, he answered, "Whether He is a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." Christians like to argue about the meanings of many Scriptures, but no one can refute an experience like this former blind man went through. However, the Pharisees did not like his answers because they did not agree with their man-made doctrines. So they were very angry and "cast him out" or excommunicated him from the synagogue. What a blessing for that man!
Jesus not only restored his natural sight but made a way for the man to escape the religious bondage imposed by the Scribes and Pharisees! The Scribes and Pharisees had the spirit of the Nicolaitans, which means people conquerors, and speaks of two classes of people, the clergy and the laity. In Revelation 2, the Lord says that He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Further, the man received true spiritual sight and without question later became a disciple of Jesus.
This blind man was one of only two persons (the other person was the Samaritan woman, in John 4:26) that Jesus told directly that He was the Son of God (John 9:35-37). He alone, of all who were touched by Jesus while He was on earth, was able and without any fear, to boldly refute the religious leaders (John 9:24-34). Even the apostles, at that time, were not able to do that! What does that mean for us today? Although it was a great miracle when Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind, it is an even greater miracle to be born from above or born again spiritually ... to receive spiritual sight. All of us after the fall of Adam likewise are born spiritually blind. It also means that if we want to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, then we need a daily encounter with the Lord. We need to know Him experientially and not simply by reading things about Him. "The people who do know their God will be strong and do exploits" (Daniel 11:32).
In light of the works that were manifested in this blind man, what sufferings in my life and your life are ordained by God? We often are ignorant that the weaknesses in us have been ordained by God so that the works of God might be made manifest in us. We want God to work within our own knowledge and pitiful understanding. Do we thank God for our weakness and lack? Consider Paul's "thorn in the flesh."
Some have suggested that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" may have been his natural, weakened eyesight, caused by the brilliant light he saw when the Lord apprehended him. That sounds logical, particularly since very few, if any, men have received the spiritual sight and insight as did Paul. But we believe that none of us know what his thorn in the flesh actually was. Moreover, the important question concerns us, you and me, today.
The past must be put in its proper place in our heart. Until we forget the past that is done, that which is behind will cause our hands to hang down and our knees to be feeble until we turn to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Can we rejoice in our infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses? Can we pass through Baca, the valley of weeping and tribulation, despite our doubts and fears, and go from strength to strength as we trust in the Lord?
Before the Lord sovereignly apprehended me in 1967, I had three major failures in my life. In addition, I never had anyone to mentor me either naturally or in the spiritual realm and I never had any direction in my life. I flunked out of graduate school, I almost resigned from the Aviation Cadet program in the Air Force, and my wife two different times told me that she was going to divorce me. We had nine years of a bad marriage because I was basically doing my own thing and not communicating well with her. But the rather amazing thing is that after the Lord apprehended me, He fully restored and then some all of my failures. And the Lord Himself became my Mentor and made very clear to me the purpose for which He had created me.
Hindsight, I have always appreciated the many failures I went through because the Lord used those failures to develop a deep sense of gratitude for Him within my soul and spirit.
Can we agree with the prophet Habakkuk, who said,
It is not wise to question God or His word. When the Lord called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses gave five different excuses as to why he could not do that. After his fifth excuse, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. The fourth such excuse was,
10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. Exodus 4:10-12
Let us look at some similar verses in Isaiah.
5 1 am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Isaiah 45:5-7
Please note from Exodus 4:11 and Isaiah 45:7 that the LORD makes man's mouth, the LORD makes the dumb, deaf, and blind, the LORD makes the eyes of man to see, the LORD forms the light and creates darkness, and the LORD makes peace and creates evil. Much of that seems to conflict with our natural reasoning about the fact that God is love. Sometimes we get the wrong idea that all "good" things come from God and all "bad" things come either from the devil or because we have sinned in some way. That faulty logic springs out of our lack of understanding that what we call "good" is not necessarily what God calls "good."
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Consider also the example of Job, who was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). Scripture is clear that Satan could not harm Job in any way without the permission of the Lord. But the Lord allowed all sorts of what we call "bad" things to happen in Job's life because the Lord had a higher purpose in mind. This is recorded in Job 42:5-6, when Job declared, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." That is the level of repentance that the Lord is looking for in each one of us.
Now let us look at a good example in John, Chapter 9. All of John, Chapter 9, is about the time when Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. All of us are familiar with that account. Jesus probably performed more miracles of this kind than of any other. Giving sight to the blind was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 35:5 and 42:7) as the first Messianic activity. The Scribes and Pharisees undoubtably knew that but when their Messiah came and did those very works, they refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah! Why? Perhaps for two reasons: (1) they were spiritually blind; and (2) they thought they had a "good" thing going and did not want to lose control of their man-made religion and kingdom.
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. John 9:1-3
Note that His disciples asked Jesus this question. The Scribes and Pharisees had indoctrinated the Jews thoroughly and completely in their man-made doctrines. Before the disciples began to follow the Lord, they had accepted as truth all that their religious leaders taught them from their childhood, and they based much of their life upon those teachings. Their leaders were feared and esteemed and used this advantage to keep the people in bondage. That bondage included practicing outward religious ceremonies, empty rituals, elaborate dress, and outward piety, all of which were void of the Spirit of God and of no profit to those who participated in them. They taught for doctrine commandments of men rather than those of God.
For that reason, Jesus was always contradicting what the disciples had presumed was truth. In the book of Matthew, five (5) times Jesus said, "Ye have heard ..." and twelve (12) times Jesus said, "But I say unto you ..." Human nature has never changed. Is it possible that scenario still exists in the church world today? Is it possible that the Lord, at times, still says to us, "Ye have heard ... but I say unto you?"
Back in our old New Testament house church days in the 1970's, we received a lot of teaching from a number of good men, including one man who most folks believed was an apostle. A number of different things that he taught seemed at the time to be correct scripturally. But within two years the Lord sovereignly revealed to me that a few things he taught were just not true. That is what I call progressive revelation.
Unfortunately some professing Christians today teach the same thing that the Scribes and Pharisees did 2000 years ago. Some today teach and even put in writing that if we are born with or have some infirmity then we must have some sin in our life. Such are false teachers. They are the real blind men. (See Jude 1:10-11 and John 9:39-41.)
Everyone who has read the Scriptures knows what happened after Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man. The Jews and Pharisees questioned the man four times and his parents once concerning how his eyesight was restored and by whom. The first time he responded that a "man called Jesus" had opened his eyes. Next he answered that Jesus is a prophet. His parents, when questioned, did not provide any further information because they feared the Jews would put them out of the synagogue (excommunicate them) if they confessed that Jesus was Christ. When the Pharisees continued to ask if and how Jesus had opened his eyes, he answered, "Whether He is a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." Christians like to argue about the meanings of many Scriptures, but no one can refute an experience like this former blind man went through. However, the Pharisees did not like his answers because they did not agree with their man-made doctrines. So they were very angry and "cast him out" or excommunicated him from the synagogue. What a blessing for that man!
Jesus not only restored his natural sight but made a way for the man to escape the religious bondage imposed by the Scribes and Pharisees! The Scribes and Pharisees had the spirit of the Nicolaitans, which means people conquerors, and speaks of two classes of people, the clergy and the laity. In Revelation 2, the Lord says that He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Further, the man received true spiritual sight and without question later became a disciple of Jesus.
This blind man was one of only two persons (the other person was the Samaritan woman, in John 4:26) that Jesus told directly that He was the Son of God (John 9:35-37). He alone, of all who were touched by Jesus while He was on earth, was able and without any fear, to boldly refute the religious leaders (John 9:24-34). Even the apostles, at that time, were not able to do that! What does that mean for us today? Although it was a great miracle when Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind, it is an even greater miracle to be born from above or born again spiritually ... to receive spiritual sight. All of us after the fall of Adam likewise are born spiritually blind. It also means that if we want to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, then we need a daily encounter with the Lord. We need to know Him experientially and not simply by reading things about Him. "The people who do know their God will be strong and do exploits" (Daniel 11:32).
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
In light of the works that were manifested in this blind man, what sufferings in my life and your life are ordained by God? We often are ignorant that the weaknesses in us have been ordained by God so that the works of God might be made manifest in us. We want God to work within our own knowledge and pitiful understanding. Do we thank God for our weakness and lack? Consider Paul's "thorn in the flesh."
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.9 And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Some have suggested that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" may have been his natural, weakened eyesight, caused by the brilliant light he saw when the Lord apprehended him. That sounds logical, particularly since very few, if any, men have received the spiritual sight and insight as did Paul. But we believe that none of us know what his thorn in the flesh actually was. Moreover, the important question concerns us, you and me, today.
2 Corinthians 4:16-1816 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Philippians 3:12-1412 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The past must be put in its proper place in our heart. Until we forget the past that is done, that which is behind will cause our hands to hang down and our knees to be feeble until we turn to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Hosea 6:1-31 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.2 After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
Can we rejoice in our infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses? Can we pass through Baca, the valley of weeping and tribulation, despite our doubts and fears, and go from strength to strength as we trust in the Lord?
Before the Lord sovereignly apprehended me in 1967, I had three major failures in my life. In addition, I never had anyone to mentor me either naturally or in the spiritual realm and I never had any direction in my life. I flunked out of graduate school, I almost resigned from the Aviation Cadet program in the Air Force, and my wife two different times told me that she was going to divorce me. We had nine years of a bad marriage because I was basically doing my own thing and not communicating well with her. But the rather amazing thing is that after the Lord apprehended me, He fully restored and then some all of my failures. And the Lord Himself became my Mentor and made very clear to me the purpose for which He had created me.
Hindsight, I have always appreciated the many failures I went through because the Lord used those failures to develop a deep sense of gratitude for Him within my soul and spirit.
Can we agree with the prophet Habakkuk, who said,
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.19 The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:17-19
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