Faith and Waiting Upon the Lord

A friend on facebook posed the following questions on her status update:

I asked myself after doing my study do we lack faith because we're too distracted and busy and just don't seek God anymore or don't spend enough time with Him? Why were there so many miraculous stories in the Bible but we dont see them today? Our world is not seeing God because we are not attempting anything that ONLY God can do. We have become a self sufficient and self dependent society and forget that God can do things far better.

This is how I replied:

I agree that worldly distractions (as well as faith in money) squelch faith. It says as much in Jesus' parable of the sower in Matthew 13 when the Word is choked by the thorns and that person is then unable to bear fruit. The root of the problem in this example is misplaced faith: pride (too busy for God) and self-reliance (a form of idolatry, ie., faith in self) trump faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified; who is the sum total remedy for our sinful condition before a Holy God.

When God has a hold of you as His child, His will is to grow your faith so that you will be completely humble and reliant on him. The most common thing that the Lord does to grow your faith in Him is to make you wait. Instant gratification is shallow (and the Lord knows this as evidenced by those of the rocky ground persuasion in that same parable) and so waiting becomes the vehicle that transforms those disciples into the good soil that bears fruit for the Kingdom of God.

All of the old testament heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11) didn't experience the miracle promised of God without going through the dark valley of a trial or the dry desert of waiting for it first. God made Abraham wait 25 years before the son of promise, Isaac, to arrive. If that wasn't enough, God then commanded Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac to the Lord. The amazing thing is that Abraham never balked at God's commandment to sacrifice Isaac because he had learned that God's Word is sure. God had grown his faith through the waiting and the fulfillment. Thus, Abraham proved his faith by reckoning that God would provide in spite of how grim it looked. I am constantly bewildered by Abraham's act of faith and this is the kind of faith that he wants to grow in me and you! Just be prepared to wait on it!

The church has been waiting for nearly 2000 years for Jesus Christ to return and we know that He will because God's Word is sure. There are many saints that have come before us that fell asleep in Christ waiting expectantly for the greatest miracle of all: Jesus Christ's 2nd advent. The best news is that no believer is going to miss it:

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 KJV

(14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

A Discussion on the Beatitudes

A friend of mine from church asked me the following question on the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew:

I have theology question for you. Right after Jesus preaches the beatitudes he says,

3"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

who is the "you" in these statements? The crowd, or those who are doing the beatitudes? 

I followed this up with a reply as follows:

I am certain that Jesus is speaking this entire sermon on the mount to his inner circle of believers – the disciples – the ones that left everything to follow Him.

Jesus purposely withdraws from the work of healing the multitudes to take a moment to teach His tiny flock about Kingdom things as evidenced in verse 5:1. I’m sure that the multitudes are taking in this teaching as well but they cannot receive it the same way as His disciples can. (Matthew 7:28-29)  The disciples are the good soil and this Word from Jesus is going to bear fruit with them because they were chosen and have put their faith in Him only. Anyone else (outside of faith in Christ) represents the other types of soil that Jesus warns His disciples about later in a different parable.

Now specifically about the “you” in the statements concerning being salt and light – disciples of Jesus Christ only. In context, Jesus was addressing His inner circle here but I am comfortable saying that this applies to any disciple of Jesus Christ between then and now.

I believe that Jesus leads off with the Beatitudes to describe the types of people (the good soil) that are ready (and able) to receive the Gospel. Read the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 then continue on.

Verses 3 through 10 (of the Beatitudes) are describing people who are distraught, broken, humble, thirsting for righteousness that they do not have of themselves, merciful and not selfish, have not hardened their heart, who long not just for peace but wanting to establish peace, and are willing to take a stand for righteousness. The law of God was designed to make His people into the (good soil) so that they could receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was designed to be a mirror and expose man for what he really is; a sinner. Brokenness over sin leads to repentance and then to salvation by Jesus Christ. Sinners who are not broken are the other types of soil and cannot receive the Gospel. The message from John the Baptist and then from Jesus was always “REPENT! The Kingdom of God is at hand!” It’s impossible for a man to repent if he is not broken by his own sin. Brokenness leads to God’s gracious salvation in Jesus Christ alone and then to healing and change.

The Beatitudes are describing the disciples; those who are broken and in need of a Savior and the promise is that all of that brokenness will lead them to the promised salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a gradual revelation that Jesus is giving these folks back then but we, in the 21st Century, have the testimony of the complete revelation. Jesus graciously gives the disciples a foretaste of the coming revelation of His work on the cross as atonement for sinful mankind in Matthew 5:18-20:

Matthew 5:18-20 KJV

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

I find it interesting in the "Sermon on the Mount" that Jesus tells the disciples that the law is going to stay intact until all is fulfilled but then tells them that those who are law breakers and teach others to break the law will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven? Aren’t law breakers worthy of being tossed into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth but here He is telling them they will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven? How can this be unless, of course, the law breaking is atoned for? Jesus gives a clue of the type of righteousness that it was going to take (ie., not of themselves but of Christ alone) to enter the Kingdom in verse 20. The disciples wouldn’t be able to fully understand this entire thing until after the day of Pentecost though. And there are many that walk around today that lack this understanding as well.

At the time of His earthly visitation, the law was only given to His chosen people. Now, after His glorification and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on ALL FLESH – as we read in Acts 2:17 (which is quoting Joel) – the law of God is written on the hearts of all flesh. Men are without excuse. Even sinful men know God’s law – in their sinful condition they are slaves to sin and are depraved and cannot stop without Jesus but it is guaranteed that deep inside of them they know the difference between right and wrong – good and evil – they just don’t obey it because they can’t. They just need to acknowledge to their creator that they need a savior to set them free from the bondage of sin and receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ but men continue to harden their hearts against the good even though their consciences tell them otherwise.

Romans 1:18-19 KJV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

I believe that there’s accountability for mankind to respond to the call of repentance and call on the name of the LORD for salvation as a result of this out pouring. It’s a Divine commandment to all men:

Acts 17:30 KJV

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

The Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

A friend of mine and I were discussing the doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit a few weeks ago.  This was a doctrine that made him pause at pursuing membership at my church.  The church that I am a member of lists the doctrine as such:

We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes each believing person into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation and that there is no second baptism of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).

I was reading through the book of Acts last month and I came upon Acts 19:2-6:

Acts 19:2-6 KJV

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (3) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. (4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. (5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

In this passage, Paul plainly asks these disciples by what were they baptized (washed) since they had not received the Holy Ghost and they admit that they were washed under John the Baptist's baptism for the repentance of sin. Paul concludes that they need to be baptized into Christ Jesus in order to receive the Holy Ghost. Upon hearing this Word from Paul, these disciples were baptized unto Christ Jesus and received the Holy Ghost. For these disciples, the Holy Ghost came as a second baptism because they were first baptized "unto John's baptism."

Jesus prophesied about the baptism of the Holy Ghost:

John 7:37-39 KJV

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Perhaps converts at the time of Jesus' earthly ministry (prior to His glorification) were in a unique time period where those that believed prior to His glorification had to experience the Holy Ghost as a second baptism? In fact, all of the disciples of Jesus in this brief period of time had experienced baptism (either by John the Baptist or by the disciples of Jesus [John 3:26 and John 4:1-2]) prior to Jesus' glorification. Therefore, I am persuaded to think that the 2nd baptism of the Holy Spirit is confined to that unique period of time.

All who become disciples of Jesus Christ (since the time of His glorification until present) are indeed baptized only unto Him and because He is glorified and sits at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit comes at the precise moment that someone believes in Him.

You can see this again in Scripture in Acts 8:14-16:

Acts 8:14-16 KJV

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: (15) Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (16) (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

I hope this encourages you to search deeper into this subject for yourself.