2/3/2021
 |
| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
After our last two messages on deception, Greg asked me to consider whether the Lord would want us to continue sharing more about the deception that confronts every Christian, both individually and corporately. At that instant I was not sure what else I could say. But the Lord used my wife, Linda, to quickly correct me. We can never exhaust the depth or height or length or breadth of any scriptural topic. That is because the living word of God is inexhaustible. There is always more for us to learn and appropriate concerning our awesome and amazing God. To even contemplate that we have exhausted any specific aspect of the Lord and His word is, in itself, deception.
At the end of our previous message, I asked the question, "Why did the Lord give me all of the many experiences I have had which involved the deception the devil has brought against me?" That was a question the Holy Spirit brought to my mind just a few minutes before recording our previous message. I mentioned two possible reasons why the Lord has given me all of those experiences. The first reason has been to help me to sharpen discernment within my being. The second, and perhaps more important reason, was to be able to share my experiences with others to help other believers to avoid deception in certain areas.
About 24 years ago I taught a Computer Science course titled "Operating Systems" one summer at a local university. It was a general course about how system software, such as Windows 10, operates or functions. Many years prior I had worked in the "guts" of a computer mainframe operating system for many long years in private industry, so I had learned many aspects of such operating systems through experience. A young man, a student at American University in Washington, D.C., came to take that course. He was a very bright student and easily received A+ on my course. As he turned in his final exam paper, he thanked me for the course and said he really appreciated it. Then he said, "You know, none of my professors at American University have ever seen a computer mainframe, much less used one." I actually taught that same course at least five times during my tenure at that local university, including one time at the graduate level. Every time I taught that course, on the first day of class, I would always tell the students the following. "There are several things about computer operating systems that you will never read in any book. They are big, very complex, and they never get "debugged" (which means it is essentially impossible to get all of the software errors out)." As the instructor, I always had the freedom to select an appropriate textbook for any course. Of course, no book except the Bible is perfect. On the first day of class I also would say something like this: "Look on page 117, the first sentence in the second paragraph. That sentence is not true. How do I know? because I have been there and done that." The moral of the story is simple. The man with an experience is never at a disadvantage with a man who has a doctrine. Christianity is not a religion. It is an experiential relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
My wife set up a big get-together of all of our immediate family members on my 80th birthday. At one point, she asked all of those present to say a few words about me. One young man said that he looked forward to learning more things about the Lord through me. Well in the almost 10 years which have passed, he has not once asked me anything about the Lord or the word of God. That is not at all unusual. In these days every man does what is right in his own eyes. We Christians seem to be allergic to learning things through older Christians. In fact, we Christians seem reluctant to learn things through the experiences and words of the many solid men of God as recorded in scripture. That is called human nature. That is also called pride, which may well be that which the Lord hates more than anything else. Every new generation of Christians wants to re-invent the wheel. We tend to think that we know more than our parents, know more than the elders, and in some cases, we even think we know more about scripture than previous generations. That is called deception.
We Christians seem to be rather hard-headed or stubborn in our beliefs. We certainly do not like change. We read in scripture in several places or listen to experiences of other believers that happened in the past and we tend to say, "Uh-huh," and then go about our daily lives as if those events have no application to us. But how blessed we could be if we could just learn from all the light that has gone before us and continue to press onward.
As Jesus and the twelve ate the Passover meal just before Calvary, we read in
As I mentioned in our previous message the antidote to the lies, half-truths, and deceptions is the Truth, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me." However, because we have free will, our escape from deception also depends upon our choices and decisions. For example, I want to read two sets of verses from the Old Testament and one set of verses from the New Testament to illustrate how, through our choices, we can avoid being deceived. All three sets of verses have the exact same underlying cause or cure of deception, depending upon whether we obey the Lord.
Now let us consider the seriousness of unbelief as an open door to deception.
The symbol of the summer fruit denotes the ripeness of harvest ... the time of opportunity is gone. In Verses 4-7 of Amos 8, the Lord tells us why He will not pass by His chosen people any more. The reason? because His people were/are focused on what we can get. Selfishness ... a focus on self and what our natural senses tell us. Selfishness and unbelief are first cousins. What is the significance of summer fruit? Natural fruit can grow and flourish any time of the year, depending on the location. For example, oranges and grapefruit grow during winter time in Florida. As is many, if not most, scriptures, we must look at the spiritual meaning. The Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Ingathering, which is immediately preceded by the Day of Atonement, this year starts in mid-September. What happens just prior to that time of year? The gathering of summer fruit. Is it possible that the Lord is trying to tell us something from the basket of summer fruit with respect to His second coming?
Now, what is the opposite of unbelief? Is it not faith? Webster's dictionary defines unbelief as the absence of faith. Obviously, anyone could devote many messages to faith. The books of Romans and Hebrews contain many verses which speak of faith. Jesus also said some amazing things about faith. In Matthew 17:19-20, after Jesus healed the lunatic son of a man, we read,
I am not at all sure that Jesus desires for us to move a natural, physical mountain. Mountains in scripture speak of kingdoms. When Jesus healed the lunatic son, He removed a spiritual, demonic mountain from the boy.
Of course, every Christian knows that we live by the faith of the Son of God, not by our faith.
From personal experience, it is just as hard to pluck up a sycamine tree by the root as it is to move a mountain.
Lord, we believe. Help thou our unbelief. Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand who you are so that we might walk in your ways and always do your will. Amen.
At the end of our previous message, I asked the question, "Why did the Lord give me all of the many experiences I have had which involved the deception the devil has brought against me?" That was a question the Holy Spirit brought to my mind just a few minutes before recording our previous message. I mentioned two possible reasons why the Lord has given me all of those experiences. The first reason has been to help me to sharpen discernment within my being. The second, and perhaps more important reason, was to be able to share my experiences with others to help other believers to avoid deception in certain areas.
About 24 years ago I taught a Computer Science course titled "Operating Systems" one summer at a local university. It was a general course about how system software, such as Windows 10, operates or functions. Many years prior I had worked in the "guts" of a computer mainframe operating system for many long years in private industry, so I had learned many aspects of such operating systems through experience. A young man, a student at American University in Washington, D.C., came to take that course. He was a very bright student and easily received A+ on my course. As he turned in his final exam paper, he thanked me for the course and said he really appreciated it. Then he said, "You know, none of my professors at American University have ever seen a computer mainframe, much less used one." I actually taught that same course at least five times during my tenure at that local university, including one time at the graduate level. Every time I taught that course, on the first day of class, I would always tell the students the following. "There are several things about computer operating systems that you will never read in any book. They are big, very complex, and they never get "debugged" (which means it is essentially impossible to get all of the software errors out)." As the instructor, I always had the freedom to select an appropriate textbook for any course. Of course, no book except the Bible is perfect. On the first day of class I also would say something like this: "Look on page 117, the first sentence in the second paragraph. That sentence is not true. How do I know? because I have been there and done that." The moral of the story is simple. The man with an experience is never at a disadvantage with a man who has a doctrine. Christianity is not a religion. It is an experiential relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
My wife set up a big get-together of all of our immediate family members on my 80th birthday. At one point, she asked all of those present to say a few words about me. One young man said that he looked forward to learning more things about the Lord through me. Well in the almost 10 years which have passed, he has not once asked me anything about the Lord or the word of God. That is not at all unusual. In these days every man does what is right in his own eyes. We Christians seem to be allergic to learning things through older Christians. In fact, we Christians seem reluctant to learn things through the experiences and words of the many solid men of God as recorded in scripture. That is called human nature. That is also called pride, which may well be that which the Lord hates more than anything else. Every new generation of Christians wants to re-invent the wheel. We tend to think that we know more than our parents, know more than the elders, and in some cases, we even think we know more about scripture than previous generations. That is called deception.
We Christians seem to be rather hard-headed or stubborn in our beliefs. We certainly do not like change. We read in scripture in several places or listen to experiences of other believers that happened in the past and we tend to say, "Uh-huh," and then go about our daily lives as if those events have no application to us. But how blessed we could be if we could just learn from all the light that has gone before us and continue to press onward.
As Jesus and the twelve ate the Passover meal just before Calvary, we read in
Matthew 26:21-22, "And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I?"
Today in this Laodicean church age, we Christians tend to think, "Lord, it isn't me. It is those folks in that church over there."
My wife has always loved to work outside in the yard, taking good care of the trees, shrubs, and plants. She likes to get her hands dirty working outside in the yard. Many long years ago the Holy Spirit gave her an analogy on the best way to get and retain good grass. What she heard was that simply getting rid of weeds and bugs that hinder good grass is not sufficient. The best approach is to ensure that the roots of the grass are built up and made stronger through proper light, water, and good nutrients. If the roots of grass are strong, the weeds get choked out and have no chance to take over. That same truth applies in our walk with the Lord. In order to avoid deception, we must always concentrate, not on the negatives, but on the positives of God. In the process, the negatives have no room to invade.
We tend to give too much attention to the devil and his evil works. If we frequently think about how we might have cancer or Covid-19 or heart attacks or any such thing, that cannot be pleasing to the Lord. If we focus on exorcisms or getting rid of negatives of any kind, that is not pleasing to the Lord. Our focus must always be on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His supremacy in all things.
My wife has always loved to work outside in the yard, taking good care of the trees, shrubs, and plants. She likes to get her hands dirty working outside in the yard. Many long years ago the Holy Spirit gave her an analogy on the best way to get and retain good grass. What she heard was that simply getting rid of weeds and bugs that hinder good grass is not sufficient. The best approach is to ensure that the roots of the grass are built up and made stronger through proper light, water, and good nutrients. If the roots of grass are strong, the weeds get choked out and have no chance to take over. That same truth applies in our walk with the Lord. In order to avoid deception, we must always concentrate, not on the negatives, but on the positives of God. In the process, the negatives have no room to invade.
We tend to give too much attention to the devil and his evil works. If we frequently think about how we might have cancer or Covid-19 or heart attacks or any such thing, that cannot be pleasing to the Lord. If we focus on exorcisms or getting rid of negatives of any kind, that is not pleasing to the Lord. Our focus must always be on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His supremacy in all things.
Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
As I mentioned in our previous message the antidote to the lies, half-truths, and deceptions is the Truth, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me." However, because we have free will, our escape from deception also depends upon our choices and decisions. For example, I want to read two sets of verses from the Old Testament and one set of verses from the New Testament to illustrate how, through our choices, we can avoid being deceived. All three sets of verses have the exact same underlying cause or cure of deception, depending upon whether we obey the Lord.
Deuteronomy 11:18-25,
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him;23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath said unto you.
Exodus 15:26, "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee."
Now let us consider the seriousness of unbelief as an open door to deception.
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 reads,1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
[This verse is one of six different times in scripture that Paul says, "I would not that ye should be ignorant." Peter also said the same thing. Is it possible that the Lord is trying to tell us that we should not be ignorant? Of course, no one likes to be called "ignorant."
Acts 4:13, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."
The "they" who marvelled were priests and Sadducees. They perceived that Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant, which means they were not educated or trained in a worldly or natural manner; they had no professional knowledge, no college degrees, no natural government positions. But the word "ignorant" in this Verse 1 is a different Greek word, which implies ignorance of the will and ways of the Lord. When Paul says "all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea," he means that the abundant grace of God had appeared to all of them in the equivalent manner.]
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
[It has always been somewhat of a mystery to me how, even in the best of churches, like the New Testament house church of which we were a part from the late 1960's until the early 1980's, that some members of a local body, after hearing the exact same messages, react positively and grow in the faith, while others seem to lag behind. However, that is called human nature or humanism. All of the million or so Israelites who came out of Egypt received equal opportunities, but only two adults, Joshua and Caleb, actually entered the Promised Land. Verses 6 through 10 in 1 Corinthians 10 tell us why.]5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
[These verses refer back to Exodus 32 when the Lord called Moses up onto the mountain, and, unfortunately, the people of God, in Moses' absence, turned to idolatry. Idolatry warns us not to substitute things in the natural realm for that which should be spiritual. From John 6:
John 6:53-57, "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me."
What is wrong with eating and drinking in the natural realm? Nothing. We must at some point eat and drink or we will soon physically die, barring a miracle intervention by the Lord. Then the people rose up to play. Did they play baseball or tennis or some other game? No. The word "play" is the same word translated as "sporting" in Genesis 26:8. That is when Isaac lied by telling the men of Gerar, which was a town of the Philistines, that Rebekah was his sister. Isaac lied because he was afraid the men of Gerar would kill him and then play with or sport Rebekah, who was a beautiful woman. But Abimelech, the king the Philistines, saw Jacob "sporting" with his wife, Rebekah. God then moved on Abimelech to save Jacob and Rebekah.]
Back to 1 Corinthians 10,8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
[Now if we do not lust after evil things (Verse 6), if we do not commit idolatry with our eating and drinking and rise up to play (Verse 7), do not commit fornication (Verse 8), do not tempt Christ (Verse 9), and do not murmur (Verse 10), does that mean we are in good standing with the Lord? Not necessarily. That could be nothing but legalism or Judaism, following the letter of the law. Remember, the letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life. What is common about those five different ways to frustrate the grace of God? What is the root cause? Perhaps the root is human nature or humanism. However, I believe the more specific cause is unbelief. In the original texts, there are no Chapters per se. Chapters were inserted by the translators for convenience. Therefore, let us look at 1 Corinthians 9:27, the verse just prior to 1 Corinthians 10, where Paul says, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." That says it is possible to be a good preacher but still become a castaway, which means to be disqualified from the race set before us. How can we be disqualified? By doubt, fear, or unbelief. It is possible for any Christian to fall into a state of unbelief, which is a fertile ground for deception.]
Hebrews 3:7-19,7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.17 But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?18 And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 4:1-11,1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.4 For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:7 Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.10 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."]Back to 1 Corinthians 10 and Verse 11.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.[The word "examples" in Verse 6 and the word "ensamples" in Verse 11 are the exact same Greek word. Lord, help us all to learn from their examples.]12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
2 Timothy 3:1-8,1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
We are certainly living in the last of the last days. Of all the 20 characteristics of men in the last days that we just read, "lovers of their own selves" is listed first. From Exodus 20:1, the very first of the ten commandments is,
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
King self is the major god that besets us.
If ever there was a time to hear from the Lord, it is now. There will come a time, if it is not already here, when many in the church will not hear any more.
If ever there was a time to hear from the Lord, it is now. There will come a time, if it is not already here, when many in the church will not hear any more.
Paul, in Hebrews 5:10-11, says "Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing."
Jesus said, in Matthew 13:14-15, "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."
Amos 8:1 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
The symbol of the summer fruit denotes the ripeness of harvest ... the time of opportunity is gone. In Verses 4-7 of Amos 8, the Lord tells us why He will not pass by His chosen people any more. The reason? because His people were/are focused on what we can get. Selfishness ... a focus on self and what our natural senses tell us. Selfishness and unbelief are first cousins. What is the significance of summer fruit? Natural fruit can grow and flourish any time of the year, depending on the location. For example, oranges and grapefruit grow during winter time in Florida. As is many, if not most, scriptures, we must look at the spiritual meaning. The Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Ingathering, which is immediately preceded by the Day of Atonement, this year starts in mid-September. What happens just prior to that time of year? The gathering of summer fruit. Is it possible that the Lord is trying to tell us something from the basket of summer fruit with respect to His second coming?
Back to Amos 8 and Verse 11.11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
What is the conclusion of this matter of unbelief, which opens the door to deception?
Matthew 13:58, "And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."Romans 11:18-25,18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
[Because of unbelief, God's chosen people were broken off the tree of life. That principle is still true today, as the word says in Verse 22, which we will read shortly. What does "unbelief" mean? It means much more than simply believing that God exists.
James 2:19-20, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
Unbelief means much more than being born again and baptized with the Holy Ghost. It means much more than going to church every Sunday, leading a morally good life, and waiting to go to heaven one day. It means that
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that is proceeding out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).]
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Now, what is the opposite of unbelief? Is it not faith? Webster's dictionary defines unbelief as the absence of faith. Obviously, anyone could devote many messages to faith. The books of Romans and Hebrews contain many verses which speak of faith. Jesus also said some amazing things about faith. In Matthew 17:19-20, after Jesus healed the lunatic son of a man, we read,
"Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
I am not at all sure that Jesus desires for us to move a natural, physical mountain. Mountains in scripture speak of kingdoms. When Jesus healed the lunatic son, He removed a spiritual, demonic mountain from the boy.
Of course, every Christian knows that we live by the faith of the Son of God, not by our faith.
Luke 17:5-6, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you."
From personal experience, it is just as hard to pluck up a sycamine tree by the root as it is to move a mountain.
Lord, we believe. Help thou our unbelief. Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand who you are so that we might walk in your ways and always do your will. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment