When God Suspends the Rules - Part 4
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
This is Part 4 of our messages on "When God suspends the rules". In this message we will share with you a few times when God suspended the rules for Mary Magdalene, Paul, and Jesus, as a man on earth.
Mary Magdalene had a very deep love for Jesus. To Mary, looking for Jesus was an all-consuming, intense passion. She epitomized that old hymn, "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go," which was written more than 100 years ago by a blind Scottish minister, George Matheson. Some of the words of that hymn are:
That verse does not say we have received "a" gift. We have received "the" gift, which is Christ Himself. We are to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Everything we have ever received must be returned back to Jesus so that God may be all in all. We all can rest securely in God's eternal love, regardless of the human difficulty or suffering we may be experiencing.
Mary Magdalene appears at the crucifixion of Jesus and at His resurrection in all four gospels, but apart from that we read about her only in Luke.
Mary Magdalene could never forget what Jesus had done for her. His love had rescued her, and her love for Him ran so deep that it could never die. No one ever loved Jesus as much as Mary did. Mary had sinned much and Mary loved much, and love was all she had to bring, but that is so precious to the heart of God ... a love for Him! It is no wonder that Mary Magdalene was the first person to come to the tomb that Sunday morning. To make the trip to the tomb on the Sabbath, which was our Saturday, would have been to break the law.
The traditional belief that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and then resurrected on Easter Sunday morning is incorrect. Jesus was laid in the tomb and remained there for three days and three nights. Today, we measure a day from midnight to midnight. From Genesis, chapter 1, scripture says "the evening and the morning was a day." The evening started at our 6 p.m. The original Sabbath was from our Friday at 6 p.m. until our Saturday at 6 p.m. Jesus was resurrected sometime after sundown Saturday and early Sunday morning when the women arrived to apply the spices and ointments, but found His body missing. However, the most important fact is that He was resurrected. He was dead, but now He lives. This gives us faith, comfort, and hope for our own future and for the futures of those we love.
This passage of Scripture is truly amazing! When God suspended the rules for Mary Magdalene, that was an awesome event!
Those verses speak of three different types of Christians ... Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene.When Mary came to the sepulchre and saw the stone had been rolled away, she ran to tell Peter and John. Verse 2 implies that Peter, even though he had denied the Lord before His crucifixion, was still considered the leader of the apostles. Note in verse 2 that she said, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him." Who was "they"? And who was "we"? Mary must have thought that the "they" were the ones who had crucified Jesus. Matthew 28:1 tells us that the "we" was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the wife of Cleophas. At that point in time, Mary Magdalene had no idea that Jesus had been resurrected from the tomb. Her mind was still fixed on the earthly Jesus as she had known Him.
Peter ran to the sepulchre but John ran faster and arrived at the sepulchre before Peter. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and who loved Jesus, outran Peter. John stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in (verse 5). John represents the pastoral aspects of Christ. He was eager to see new things but he was not impulsive, like Peter, to act without thinking. He needed someone else to be the leader. He was the more cautious, traditional type. However, after John also went into the tomb, when he saw the napkin that had been around the head of Jesus not lying with the linen clothes but wrapped together in a place by itself, he received a revelation from the Holy Ghost. John recognized that if there had been a grave robbery, then the napkin would have been in disarray. He was the first one to believe in the resurrection even though none of them knew the scripture that He must rise again from the dead (verse 9).
In verse 10, "Then the disciples [Peter and John] went away again unto their own home." Peter probably said, "Well I don't know what happened, but Jesus is not there, so we might as well go fishing. Let's get back to business as usual." John agreed, but he probably shared with Peter the revelation he had received that the body of Jesus had not been stolen, but Jesus had been resurrected.
However, Mary would not go away! She stood without at the sepulchre weeping. Mary never went into the sepulchre as did Peter and John. But she was still looking for Jesus, and she was weeping.
To Mary Magdalene belongs the glory of being the first person to see the risen Christ. When Mary looked into the empty tomb, she had a more intense look for Jesus than did Peter or John. That is the kind of looking which is described in John, chapter 20. To Mary, looking for Jesus was an all-consuming passion. Because of her intense, fervent desire to see Jesus, and her great weeping and longing for that Man of Galilee who had loved her so much, God suspended the rules. But this time of God suspending the rules was perhaps the most precious of all such events recorded in the Bible.
Note carefully, in verse 17, that Jesus told Mary, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father ..." If you read the Scripture carefully, Mary Magdalene was the ONLY person to see Jesus after His resurrection but BEFORE His first ascension.
The resurrected Jesus was so moved by Mary Magdalene's intense looking for Him and her weeping that He postponed His ascension into Heaven for one woman! What is He willing to do for you and me?
To the intense, God will show Himself intensely! Are we looking for Jesus? Is the most important desire in our life to see Him? Do we weep and ache because we long so intensely for Him? If so, God may suspend the rules for US!
Paul
Paul was a very intense man. He was intense before the Lord apprehended him, except his intensity was directed in the wrong direction, based on his background and the traditions of men. After his apprehension, Paul was perhaps an even more intense man, but then for the Lord. Like Moses, Paul was ready to be accursed from Christ for the sake of his brethren. No man has greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. Paul was fully prepared to do just that. In the final analysis, that is exactly what he did.
As one example of many when God suspended the rules with Paul, let us look at the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, which tells of the time that Paul and Silas went to Philippi to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God.
There are at least five messages in those verses. First, in verses 16-18, is the need for discernment. The damsel in verse 17 certainly spoke the truth, but the source was wrong. An interesting question is why did it take Paul many days before he discerned the spirit of divination?
Second, after finally discerning the spirit of divination (verse 18), Paul cast the spirit out. Deliverance is more than just knowing to say the right words, as the seven sons of Sceva found out in Acts 19:14. Note that the spirit came out the same hour.
Third, note that the real controversy, in verse 19, between Paul and Silas and the masters of the damsel was money. So it is today. If the money supply of many Christian leaders is touched, a nerve is struck. Many years ago a true prophet of the Lord told me about an experience he had when he was invited to speak at a three-day conference. The man who invited him to speak was looked at by many as being a true apostle, who in turn recognized the true prophet. However, the prophet spoke one session about the correct way for a Christian to handle money. The prophet said that when he did, he saw fear literally take over the apostle's face, which became as white as a sheet! The reason was that the apostle felt threatened that people would cut down on his money supply. Unfortunately, many of us believers do not have a right approach to issues involving money. That is probably caused by the very strong tradition of men. Today it is considered "normal" to sell the word of God in many forms to other Christians. It is also considered normal to do business with other Christians in the same manner as with those in the world. These practices grieve the Lord!
But the most important word in the passage from Acts 16 is found in verses 19-34. The masters of the damsel brought a charge before the magistrates against Paul and Silas that they were troubling the city by teaching customs which were not lawful for Romans to receive or observe. That was a false charge. The real issue was money. At that point in time, Paul and Silas had spoken only to the women by the river side. The magistrates committed another error in that they believed the charges without ever asking Paul and Silas if those things were true. I have seen too many mature men of God make that same error. We need to be very careful not to repeat some charge we have heard against a brother without going to the accused to ask their side of the story.
Nevertheless, the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded Paul and Silas to be beaten with many stripes (verses 22-23). Paul and Silas were then cast into the inner prison, where there was no light, and their feet were made fast in the stocks. The inner prison and stocks were used not only for extra security but also for torture. Note that Paul and Silas never received a trial. They were simply pronounced guilty of the charges with no defense on their part. Paul and Silas never said, "Wait a minute, you haven't heard our side of the story!" They never called on a legion of angels to come to their rescue. They never said, "Lord, smite these evil men." They never said, "You can't beat us because we are Romans and to beat a Roman is illegal." They never opened their mouth in self-defense because they trusted the Lord to defend them. That same principle should apply to every believer today.
And at midnight ... (verse 25). At midnight! Midnight is the darkest time of the night. Midnight is the lowest point in our life. Midnight is the time that the enemy comes and whispers in our ear that we are going to die or that some other terrible thing is going to happen to us. Midnight is the time the enemy tells us that we will never see the light of the next day. Midnight is the time that the accuser of the brethren comes to us to tell us that we did something wrong or else we would not be in jail. Midnight is the time that the enemy speaks lies to try to destroy our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Try to picture the situation that midnight in the Philippian prison. It is pitch black, no light whatsoever. Paul and Silas cannot see each other. They can hardly see their hand in front of their face. They are bleeding from the many stripes. They are bruised and hurting and they cannot even move their feet. At midnight, Paul says, "Silas, are you there?" Silas responds, "I am here. Paul, are you hurting?" Paul answers, "You bet I am hurting. I can't even move and I am still bleeding." Silas says, "Paul, what are we going to do? Are we going to complain? Are we going to ask the Lord for vengeance on our false accusers?" Paul responds, "Never! Let's just pray and sing praises to our God!" So they start praising the Lord, thankful that they are still alive. The rest of the prisoners hear them praising the Lord and they say, "What are these crazy men doing? And who are they singing to? They are delirious! They must have lost too much blood. They are hallucinating!" But Paul and Silas continue to sing praise unto God. Their praises reach heaven and the Lord hears them. He calls an angel and says, "I am pleased with the praises of Paul and Silas. Go down to Philippi and set my men free from that prison."
Jesus possessed, was, and is, the sum total of every characteristic for God to suspend the rules. He is more than the sum of the parts because He is God! Jesus came to do the will of His Father (John 6:38). Jesus only did those things that He saw His Father do; and He only said things that He had seen with His Father (John 8:38). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Jesus said that the zeal of Father's house had eaten him up (Psalm 69:9). Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). He is our peace and our joy (Ephesians 2:14 and Romans 14:17). This list is endless!
However, in this message we speak of Jesus as the man, Christ Jesus. Of course, Jesus is the Son of God and He is God the Son. Let no one question His Deity! But He was, and still is, also a man.
That is a mystery which we do not understand! Nevertheless, we speak only about the earthly ministry of Jesus as a man. Jesus, as God, some two thousand years ago laid down His glory that He might come to earth as a man. He did that to be able to identify with us as men in every respect, except one. Because He was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Ghost and was not born from the seed of a natural man, He never had the sin nature that we were born with. However, was it possible for Jesus, as a man, to commit sins? Was it possible for Jesus, as a man, to disobey the Father? We believe that the answer is, "Yes," because Jesus, as a man, had His own will. He was not a machine, devoid of emotions, mind, and will. But Jesus elected to deny His own will and to obey the will of the Father at all times. Therefore, He never committed any sins. Glory be to His wonderful name!
As God, Jesus had to learn nothing! As man, He had to learn obedience. He was made perfect through suffering, including His temptation in the wilderness, His ordeal on the cross of Calvary, and His separation from His Father just before He died when He said, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). He identified with us on the deepest level of anguish, and so became qualified to pay the price for our sinful imperfection and to become our compassionate, great High Priest. Jesus was never morally or spiritually imperfect, but His incarnation was completed or made perfect when He experienced suffering as a man.
Although He was and is the eternal Son of God, it was necessary for Him as the incarnate Son to learn obedience ... not that He was ever disobedient, but that He was called on to obey to an extent He had never before experienced. For example, from
The temptations He faced were real and the battle for victory was difficult, but where Adam failed and fell, Jesus revisited, resisted, and prevailed. His humanity was therefore completed or "made perfect" (Hebrews 5:9) through suffering, and on the basis of this perfection He became the author of eternal salvation.
We, in our finite minds, could never select the most important or most significant time when God suspended the rules with Jesus during His earthly ministry. How can the finite understand the infinite? We will mention only one miracle, which pertains to resurrection truth.
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The name Lazarus means God is my help, and is the same name as Eleazar. Lazarus is the subject of perhaps the greatest and most startling miracle of the gospel story. He was the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany. Lazarus' name never occurs in Scripture until the appointed time comes when he is to be sick, to die, and to be raised from the dead for the glory of God. The voice of Lazarus is never heard. Lazarus sought obscurity; he liked to be overlooked. He was content to be a nobody with nothing to say or do. His greatest character asset was that he was the friend of Jesus; he loved Jesus and Jesus loved him, so God suspended the rules for Lazarus by raising him from the dead.
In John, Chapter 11, Lazarus died. When Jesus heard that, He said, in
Jesus moved as the Father directed, not as people (like Mary and Martha) wished. This is a warning for us. Many times we would like Jesus to do things our way, but we must allow Him to do them in His own way, in His own time.
Twelve hours of the day is enough time to do the work which God has given us to do. We must use our time to the fullest. The unrest, the stress, and the hurry of life, is so often simply because we are trying to catch up on work which should have been done before. The night is the time when evil enters. A man has only so much time to make his peace with God through Christ. If he does not do so, then judgment must follow. The gospel brings out two notes ... the glory of being on time, and the tragedy of being too late. Jesus said, in
Only God can raise the spiritual dead. Only the power of the Holy Ghost can quicken our mortal bodies. Jesus said,
It was not possible that Jesus should be holden of death! Life overcomes death. God is the Creator of life. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. In Christ Jesus, there is life, and the life is the light of men. Darkness can never dispel light! It is just the opposite! Light always dispels darkness. In Him is no darkness at all!
Mary Magdalene had a very deep love for Jesus. To Mary, looking for Jesus was an all-consuming, intense passion. She epitomized that old hymn, "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go," which was written more than 100 years ago by a blind Scottish minister, George Matheson. Some of the words of that hymn are:
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul on Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
that in Thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.
O Love, that will not let me go.
Oh Joy, that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee.
I trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain.
That morn shall tearless be.
1 Peter 4:10, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
That verse does not say we have received "a" gift. We have received "the" gift, which is Christ Himself. We are to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Everything we have ever received must be returned back to Jesus so that God may be all in all. We all can rest securely in God's eternal love, regardless of the human difficulty or suffering we may be experiencing.
Mary Magdalene appears at the crucifixion of Jesus and at His resurrection in all four gospels, but apart from that we read about her only in Luke.
Luke 8:2-3, "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto Him of their substance."
John 19:25, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene."
Mary Magdalene could never forget what Jesus had done for her. His love had rescued her, and her love for Him ran so deep that it could never die. No one ever loved Jesus as much as Mary did. Mary had sinned much and Mary loved much, and love was all she had to bring, but that is so precious to the heart of God ... a love for Him! It is no wonder that Mary Magdalene was the first person to come to the tomb that Sunday morning. To make the trip to the tomb on the Sabbath, which was our Saturday, would have been to break the law.
The traditional belief that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and then resurrected on Easter Sunday morning is incorrect. Jesus was laid in the tomb and remained there for three days and three nights. Today, we measure a day from midnight to midnight. From Genesis, chapter 1, scripture says "the evening and the morning was a day." The evening started at our 6 p.m. The original Sabbath was from our Friday at 6 p.m. until our Saturday at 6 p.m. Jesus was resurrected sometime after sundown Saturday and early Sunday morning when the women arrived to apply the spices and ointments, but found His body missing. However, the most important fact is that He was resurrected. He was dead, but now He lives. This gives us faith, comfort, and hope for our own future and for the futures of those we love.
John 20:1-17, "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeing the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou has laid Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
This passage of Scripture is truly amazing! When God suspended the rules for Mary Magdalene, that was an awesome event!
Those verses speak of three different types of Christians ... Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene.When Mary came to the sepulchre and saw the stone had been rolled away, she ran to tell Peter and John. Verse 2 implies that Peter, even though he had denied the Lord before His crucifixion, was still considered the leader of the apostles. Note in verse 2 that she said, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him." Who was "they"? And who was "we"? Mary must have thought that the "they" were the ones who had crucified Jesus. Matthew 28:1 tells us that the "we" was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the wife of Cleophas. At that point in time, Mary Magdalene had no idea that Jesus had been resurrected from the tomb. Her mind was still fixed on the earthly Jesus as she had known Him.
Peter ran to the sepulchre but John ran faster and arrived at the sepulchre before Peter. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and who loved Jesus, outran Peter. John stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in (verse 5). John represents the pastoral aspects of Christ. He was eager to see new things but he was not impulsive, like Peter, to act without thinking. He needed someone else to be the leader. He was the more cautious, traditional type. However, after John also went into the tomb, when he saw the napkin that had been around the head of Jesus not lying with the linen clothes but wrapped together in a place by itself, he received a revelation from the Holy Ghost. John recognized that if there had been a grave robbery, then the napkin would have been in disarray. He was the first one to believe in the resurrection even though none of them knew the scripture that He must rise again from the dead (verse 9).
In verse 10, "Then the disciples [Peter and John] went away again unto their own home." Peter probably said, "Well I don't know what happened, but Jesus is not there, so we might as well go fishing. Let's get back to business as usual." John agreed, but he probably shared with Peter the revelation he had received that the body of Jesus had not been stolen, but Jesus had been resurrected.
However, Mary would not go away! She stood without at the sepulchre weeping. Mary never went into the sepulchre as did Peter and John. But she was still looking for Jesus, and she was weeping.
Hebrews 9:28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
To Mary Magdalene belongs the glory of being the first person to see the risen Christ. When Mary looked into the empty tomb, she had a more intense look for Jesus than did Peter or John. That is the kind of looking which is described in John, chapter 20. To Mary, looking for Jesus was an all-consuming passion. Because of her intense, fervent desire to see Jesus, and her great weeping and longing for that Man of Galilee who had loved her so much, God suspended the rules. But this time of God suspending the rules was perhaps the most precious of all such events recorded in the Bible.
Note carefully, in verse 17, that Jesus told Mary, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father ..." If you read the Scripture carefully, Mary Magdalene was the ONLY person to see Jesus after His resurrection but BEFORE His first ascension.
The resurrected Jesus was so moved by Mary Magdalene's intense looking for Him and her weeping that He postponed His ascension into Heaven for one woman! What is He willing to do for you and me?
To the intense, God will show Himself intensely! Are we looking for Jesus? Is the most important desire in our life to see Him? Do we weep and ache because we long so intensely for Him? If so, God may suspend the rules for US!
Paul
Paul was a very intense man. He was intense before the Lord apprehended him, except his intensity was directed in the wrong direction, based on his background and the traditions of men. After his apprehension, Paul was perhaps an even more intense man, but then for the Lord. Like Moses, Paul was ready to be accursed from Christ for the sake of his brethren. No man has greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. Paul was fully prepared to do just that. In the final analysis, that is exactly what he did.
As one example of many when God suspended the rules with Paul, let us look at the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, which tells of the time that Paul and Silas went to Philippi to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Acts 16:16-34, "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the market place unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house."
There are at least five messages in those verses. First, in verses 16-18, is the need for discernment. The damsel in verse 17 certainly spoke the truth, but the source was wrong. An interesting question is why did it take Paul many days before he discerned the spirit of divination?
Second, after finally discerning the spirit of divination (verse 18), Paul cast the spirit out. Deliverance is more than just knowing to say the right words, as the seven sons of Sceva found out in Acts 19:14. Note that the spirit came out the same hour.
Third, note that the real controversy, in verse 19, between Paul and Silas and the masters of the damsel was money. So it is today. If the money supply of many Christian leaders is touched, a nerve is struck. Many years ago a true prophet of the Lord told me about an experience he had when he was invited to speak at a three-day conference. The man who invited him to speak was looked at by many as being a true apostle, who in turn recognized the true prophet. However, the prophet spoke one session about the correct way for a Christian to handle money. The prophet said that when he did, he saw fear literally take over the apostle's face, which became as white as a sheet! The reason was that the apostle felt threatened that people would cut down on his money supply. Unfortunately, many of us believers do not have a right approach to issues involving money. That is probably caused by the very strong tradition of men. Today it is considered "normal" to sell the word of God in many forms to other Christians. It is also considered normal to do business with other Christians in the same manner as with those in the world. These practices grieve the Lord!
But the most important word in the passage from Acts 16 is found in verses 19-34. The masters of the damsel brought a charge before the magistrates against Paul and Silas that they were troubling the city by teaching customs which were not lawful for Romans to receive or observe. That was a false charge. The real issue was money. At that point in time, Paul and Silas had spoken only to the women by the river side. The magistrates committed another error in that they believed the charges without ever asking Paul and Silas if those things were true. I have seen too many mature men of God make that same error. We need to be very careful not to repeat some charge we have heard against a brother without going to the accused to ask their side of the story.
Nevertheless, the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded Paul and Silas to be beaten with many stripes (verses 22-23). Paul and Silas were then cast into the inner prison, where there was no light, and their feet were made fast in the stocks. The inner prison and stocks were used not only for extra security but also for torture. Note that Paul and Silas never received a trial. They were simply pronounced guilty of the charges with no defense on their part. Paul and Silas never said, "Wait a minute, you haven't heard our side of the story!" They never called on a legion of angels to come to their rescue. They never said, "Lord, smite these evil men." They never said, "You can't beat us because we are Romans and to beat a Roman is illegal." They never opened their mouth in self-defense because they trusted the Lord to defend them. That same principle should apply to every believer today.
And at midnight ... (verse 25). At midnight! Midnight is the darkest time of the night. Midnight is the lowest point in our life. Midnight is the time that the enemy comes and whispers in our ear that we are going to die or that some other terrible thing is going to happen to us. Midnight is the time the enemy tells us that we will never see the light of the next day. Midnight is the time that the accuser of the brethren comes to us to tell us that we did something wrong or else we would not be in jail. Midnight is the time that the enemy speaks lies to try to destroy our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Try to picture the situation that midnight in the Philippian prison. It is pitch black, no light whatsoever. Paul and Silas cannot see each other. They can hardly see their hand in front of their face. They are bleeding from the many stripes. They are bruised and hurting and they cannot even move their feet. At midnight, Paul says, "Silas, are you there?" Silas responds, "I am here. Paul, are you hurting?" Paul answers, "You bet I am hurting. I can't even move and I am still bleeding." Silas says, "Paul, what are we going to do? Are we going to complain? Are we going to ask the Lord for vengeance on our false accusers?" Paul responds, "Never! Let's just pray and sing praises to our God!" So they start praising the Lord, thankful that they are still alive. The rest of the prisoners hear them praising the Lord and they say, "What are these crazy men doing? And who are they singing to? They are delirious! They must have lost too much blood. They are hallucinating!" But Paul and Silas continue to sing praise unto God. Their praises reach heaven and the Lord hears them. He calls an angel and says, "I am pleased with the praises of Paul and Silas. Go down to Philippi and set my men free from that prison."
The angel goes to Philippi and causes an earthquake to shake the prison. The earthquake did not simply destroy the roof or they would have replaced it. (I remember the time that the Lord blew off the roof to a new gymnasium built by a large Assembly of God church, just a few miles from where we live. Assuming it was the work of the enemy, that church put the roof back on, but then the Lord blew the roof off a second time. They never got the message.) Neither did the earthquake destroy the walls of the prison because they could have rebuilt the walls. But the earthquake shook the very foundations of the prison and the prison doors were opened and every one's bands were loosed.
Scripture does not tell us the specific effects on the other prisoners. But you can be certain that some of those prisoners were greatly moved when they saw that the God that Paul and Silas prayed to and sang praises to had caused the earthquake and their deliverance from the inner prison. Scripture DOES record the effect on the Philippian jailor. He and all of his house came to know the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Paul was a man who had persecuted the early Church. He had been the man who stood by at the stoning of Stephen with the clothes of the witnesses at his feet. Why did God suspend the rules with Paul? Why did Paul receive so many revelations that he had to be given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble? Why was Paul caught up to the third heaven where he saw and heard things that were unlawful to utter? because Paul was a chosen vessel by God ... chosen to write so much of the word of God ... chosen to suffer for the name of Jesus ... chosen because of his great intensity that the Lord might be glorified in all things.
Jesus
Jesus represents the ultimate example of when God suspended the rules! In eternity past, God knew that Adam and Eve would fail and fall. It was not an afterthought when the Godhead decided to send Jesus to the earth in the form of a man. This was not Plan B, in case the first plan through Adam were to fail. The first time that God suspended the rules with Jesus was when Jesus voluntarily came to the earth in the form of a man. The purpose of His incarnation was to redeem mankind ... to re-visit, if you like, what should have happened in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, but was thwarted when they succumbed to the wiles of the adversary. What a wonderful, amazing, and awesome plan of redemption that God had!
And how glorious and awesome it was when Jesus agreed to set aside His full Deity, with all of His glory and power, to come to earth in the form of a man in order to point the way to the Father, to be tempted in every manner that any man could be tempted, to suffer like no other man had ever suffered, to be despised and rejected of men, and to die a death of horrible agony on the cross.
Scripture does not tell us the specific effects on the other prisoners. But you can be certain that some of those prisoners were greatly moved when they saw that the God that Paul and Silas prayed to and sang praises to had caused the earthquake and their deliverance from the inner prison. Scripture DOES record the effect on the Philippian jailor. He and all of his house came to know the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Paul was a man who had persecuted the early Church. He had been the man who stood by at the stoning of Stephen with the clothes of the witnesses at his feet. Why did God suspend the rules with Paul? Why did Paul receive so many revelations that he had to be given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble? Why was Paul caught up to the third heaven where he saw and heard things that were unlawful to utter? because Paul was a chosen vessel by God ... chosen to write so much of the word of God ... chosen to suffer for the name of Jesus ... chosen because of his great intensity that the Lord might be glorified in all things.
Jesus
Jesus represents the ultimate example of when God suspended the rules! In eternity past, God knew that Adam and Eve would fail and fall. It was not an afterthought when the Godhead decided to send Jesus to the earth in the form of a man. This was not Plan B, in case the first plan through Adam were to fail. The first time that God suspended the rules with Jesus was when Jesus voluntarily came to the earth in the form of a man. The purpose of His incarnation was to redeem mankind ... to re-visit, if you like, what should have happened in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, but was thwarted when they succumbed to the wiles of the adversary. What a wonderful, amazing, and awesome plan of redemption that God had!
And how glorious and awesome it was when Jesus agreed to set aside His full Deity, with all of His glory and power, to come to earth in the form of a man in order to point the way to the Father, to be tempted in every manner that any man could be tempted, to suffer like no other man had ever suffered, to be despised and rejected of men, and to die a death of horrible agony on the cross.
Isaiah 53:2b-5, "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed."
Jesus possessed, was, and is, the sum total of every characteristic for God to suspend the rules. He is more than the sum of the parts because He is God! Jesus came to do the will of His Father (John 6:38). Jesus only did those things that He saw His Father do; and He only said things that He had seen with His Father (John 8:38). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Jesus said that the zeal of Father's house had eaten him up (Psalm 69:9). Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). He is our peace and our joy (Ephesians 2:14 and Romans 14:17). This list is endless!
However, in this message we speak of Jesus as the man, Christ Jesus. Of course, Jesus is the Son of God and He is God the Son. Let no one question His Deity! But He was, and still is, also a man.
1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
That is a mystery which we do not understand! Nevertheless, we speak only about the earthly ministry of Jesus as a man. Jesus, as God, some two thousand years ago laid down His glory that He might come to earth as a man. He did that to be able to identify with us as men in every respect, except one. Because He was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Ghost and was not born from the seed of a natural man, He never had the sin nature that we were born with. However, was it possible for Jesus, as a man, to commit sins? Was it possible for Jesus, as a man, to disobey the Father? We believe that the answer is, "Yes," because Jesus, as a man, had His own will. He was not a machine, devoid of emotions, mind, and will. But Jesus elected to deny His own will and to obey the will of the Father at all times. Therefore, He never committed any sins. Glory be to His wonderful name!
2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
Hebrews 5:8-9, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."
As God, Jesus had to learn nothing! As man, He had to learn obedience. He was made perfect through suffering, including His temptation in the wilderness, His ordeal on the cross of Calvary, and His separation from His Father just before He died when He said, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). He identified with us on the deepest level of anguish, and so became qualified to pay the price for our sinful imperfection and to become our compassionate, great High Priest. Jesus was never morally or spiritually imperfect, but His incarnation was completed or made perfect when He experienced suffering as a man.
Although He was and is the eternal Son of God, it was necessary for Him as the incarnate Son to learn obedience ... not that He was ever disobedient, but that He was called on to obey to an extent He had never before experienced. For example, from
Luke 2:51-52, "And He [Jesus] went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."
Hebrews 4:15, "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
The temptations He faced were real and the battle for victory was difficult, but where Adam failed and fell, Jesus revisited, resisted, and prevailed. His humanity was therefore completed or "made perfect" (Hebrews 5:9) through suffering, and on the basis of this perfection He became the author of eternal salvation.
We, in our finite minds, could never select the most important or most significant time when God suspended the rules with Jesus during His earthly ministry. How can the finite understand the infinite? We will mention only one miracle, which pertains to resurrection truth.
John 21:25, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The name Lazarus means God is my help, and is the same name as Eleazar. Lazarus is the subject of perhaps the greatest and most startling miracle of the gospel story. He was the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany. Lazarus' name never occurs in Scripture until the appointed time comes when he is to be sick, to die, and to be raised from the dead for the glory of God. The voice of Lazarus is never heard. Lazarus sought obscurity; he liked to be overlooked. He was content to be a nobody with nothing to say or do. His greatest character asset was that he was the friend of Jesus; he loved Jesus and Jesus loved him, so God suspended the rules for Lazarus by raising him from the dead.
In John, Chapter 11, Lazarus died. When Jesus heard that, He said, in
John 11:4, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
There are many times in the Gospel of John that Jesus talks of His glory in connection with the Cross. In addition to that last verse, John tells us in John 7:39 that the Spirit had not yet come because Jesus was not yet glorified; that is, because Jesus had not yet died upon the cross and been resurrected by the power of God. When the Greeks came to Him, Jesus said, "The hour is come, when the Son of Man should be glorified" (John 12:23). It was of the cross that He spoke when He went on to say, in John 12:24, that "unless a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." In John 12:16 John says that the disciples remembered these things after Jesus had been glorified. So when Jesus said, in John 11:4, that the sickness of Lazarus would glorify Him, He was saying that He knew perfectly well that to go to Bethany was to take a step which would end in the cross ... and indeed it did. Jesus knew the cost of helping man, and Jesus was well prepared to pay that price. Likewise, we can have no greater glory than suffering for Christ. Paul prayed that he might know the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). We can be sure that he who takes up his cross and follows Jesus will in the end receive the glory and a crown. For Jesus the only way to glory was through the cross. So must it ever be with those who follow Him.
John 11:6, "When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was."
Jesus moved as the Father directed, not as people (like Mary and Martha) wished. This is a warning for us. Many times we would like Jesus to do things our way, but we must allow Him to do them in His own way, in His own time.
John 11:7-10, "Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto Him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone Thee; and goest Thou thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him."
Twelve hours of the day is enough time to do the work which God has given us to do. We must use our time to the fullest. The unrest, the stress, and the hurry of life, is so often simply because we are trying to catch up on work which should have been done before. The night is the time when evil enters. A man has only so much time to make his peace with God through Christ. If he does not do so, then judgment must follow. The gospel brings out two notes ... the glory of being on time, and the tragedy of being too late. Jesus said, in
John 9:4, "I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."
Everyone is familiar with what happened next. Note that neither Martha nor Mary ever asked Jesus to come to Bethany to help Lazarus. They knew that because Jesus loved Lazarus, it was sufficient just to tell Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Jesus went to where Lazarus was, but by that time Lazarus had been in the grave four days already (John 11:17). Jesus then said, in
John 11:41b-44, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me. And I knew that Thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent me. And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."
Only God can raise the spiritual dead. Only the power of the Holy Ghost can quicken our mortal bodies. Jesus said,
"I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).
But we are co-laborers with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). Therefore, we have our part ... our responsibility.
After a man is born again, leaders have a solemn responsibility to remove the graveclothes which still bind his hands and feet. This speaks of teaching him the difference between the holy and the profane, and causing him to discern between the unclean and the clean (Ezekiel 44:23). It speaks of removing all of the many bondages caused by the traditions of men, but more importantly to cause him to be able to discern for himself the things that differ. Little children grow up and need to be able to discern things for themselves.
Our second responsibility is to remove the napkin from his face. To remove the napkin that binds the face allows the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the mouth to speak. This speaks of elevating his spiritual vision of Christ, teaching him to hear the voice of the Lord for himself, and teaching him how and when to speak as the oracles of God. Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go." You do it! These are works which we are called to do. That same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead dwells in us! The Lord will never call us to do anything but what He has empowered us to do.
But wait! God suspended the rules one more time with Jesus when He raised Him from the dead! This was by far the most important and the most significant time when God suspended the rules.
After a man is born again, leaders have a solemn responsibility to remove the graveclothes which still bind his hands and feet. This speaks of teaching him the difference between the holy and the profane, and causing him to discern between the unclean and the clean (Ezekiel 44:23). It speaks of removing all of the many bondages caused by the traditions of men, but more importantly to cause him to be able to discern for himself the things that differ. Little children grow up and need to be able to discern things for themselves.
Our second responsibility is to remove the napkin from his face. To remove the napkin that binds the face allows the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the mouth to speak. This speaks of elevating his spiritual vision of Christ, teaching him to hear the voice of the Lord for himself, and teaching him how and when to speak as the oracles of God. Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go." You do it! These are works which we are called to do. That same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead dwells in us! The Lord will never call us to do anything but what He has empowered us to do.
But wait! God suspended the rules one more time with Jesus when He raised Him from the dead! This was by far the most important and the most significant time when God suspended the rules.
Ephesians 1:19-21, "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come."
Acts 2:22-24, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."
It was not possible that Jesus should be holden of death! Life overcomes death. God is the Creator of life. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. In Christ Jesus, there is life, and the life is the light of men. Darkness can never dispel light! It is just the opposite! Light always dispels darkness. In Him is no darkness at all!
1 Corinthians 15:54-57, "So when this corruptible shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The plan of God from eternity past was not simply that Jesus should come to earth as a man and die on the cross for our sins. The most glorious master stroke culminated in the resurrection of Jesus! His resurrection is what makes it possible for us to enter into His presence by faith. When He died on the cross, we died with Him. When He arose from the dead, by the power of the Holy Ghost, we arose with Him, evermore to enjoy His presence! As sin had reigned unto death by one man, Adam, even so now grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord!
1 Corinthians 15:21-22, "For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
What Jesus has done for us is enough to keep us on our knees forever! What a debt of gratitude we owe to that Man of Galilee! Therefore, from Hebrews 12:2-4, we should always be
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin."
Why did God suspend the rules in every case which involved Jesus as a man? Was it because Jesus was and is God? Not exactly, although that is certainly true; but there is more for our admonishment. We believe it was because the man Christ Jesus was always completely obedient to His Father. He completely fulfilled the law as no other man could or did. He became obedient even unto death so that we through Him might have eternal life. Jesus ALWAYS did those things, and ONLY those things, that He saw with His Father. He never acted upon His own will, although He certainly, as a man, had the same type of will that we have. Jesus said, "Not my will but Thy will be done." Further, He only said those things that he heard from His Father. The Father said of the Son, in Matthew 3:17, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
In conclusion, we have shared in these four messages some specific examples of "when God suspends the rules." However, what is the general, overall reason why God, at times, suspends the rules? for the same reason that God allows many miracles, healings, and deliverances to occur throughout all of time. That general reason is recorded more than 60 times in the book of Ezekiel ... that all men might know that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Hebrew word for "know" means to know by experience that He is the great I AM, for He is God, and nothing is impossible with God.
May we all strive to walk with the Lord every day and be pleasing to Him in His sight. Amen and amen.
In conclusion, we have shared in these four messages some specific examples of "when God suspends the rules." However, what is the general, overall reason why God, at times, suspends the rules? for the same reason that God allows many miracles, healings, and deliverances to occur throughout all of time. That general reason is recorded more than 60 times in the book of Ezekiel ... that all men might know that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Hebrew word for "know" means to know by experience that He is the great I AM, for He is God, and nothing is impossible with God.
May we all strive to walk with the Lord every day and be pleasing to Him in His sight. Amen and amen.
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