The World in the Hands of the Liar

Do you think you could find the wire that goes to your building? Every time we are in Asia, I still find this picture of the electricity wires for the buildings fascinating. It is a picture of complete confusion to figure that mess out.

This week, I spent some time looking at the places in Scripture that speak about our enemy, satan, and his tactics of confusion and how we can deal with the confusing tricks he uses.  

Remember that we live in a spiritual war, not a physical one. So when things in the midst of this pandemic are confusing and the senseless violence that is rocking our nation from all sides, let's not lose sight that the enemy is sowing the seeds of utter confusion in the lives of the broken in our country.

This is a SPIRITUAL WAR!

 The World in the Hands of the Liar

Deception & Wickedness Personified

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The World Lies in his power

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

He schemes and this is a Spiritual Battle, not physical

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

The enemy sows weeds (sons of evil one) among the World

Matthew 13:37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

He is a thief fighting against salvation

Luke 8:12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil 

comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

He desires 3 kinds of fruit against us – robbery, death, & destruction of real life

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

He sets a snare to capture people to do his will

2 Timothy 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

He is loud and desires to devour

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

A thief in regard to the seed of the Word

Mark 4:15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

He demands to sift and get us to doubt

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Aims that our heart filled with lies

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

He aims for the world to be in darkness and in his power

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place along those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

He aims at outwitting and hiding his plans

2 Corinthians 2:10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

He disguises Himself as a Angel of Light

2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

He had enough power to hinder Paul’s travels

1 Thessalonians 2:18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 

He is the ancient Deciever

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

            Caution to Sober and Awake, not to be Deceived

1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. 

James 1:15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 

Matthew 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Mark 13:33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

Mark 13:37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.

Luke 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

         Steps to Deal with him

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Living by Biblical Convictions

Though I am not one who likes to quote a lot of people, there are some quotes that have been made throughout history that have helped give a profound perspective in my own life. The words of man pale in comparison obviously to every Word from God, yet that is not to say some women and men have not written or said anything of substance that can aid us in contemplating the realities of life.      I would like to share a quote that I have found through the years that I go back to and read, for it frames some things from time to time to me in certain moments of my life.

One of the things every Christ-follower who desires to faithfully obey Jesus or a Christian leader may face are the perspectives & responses from parents, friends, spouses or other Christians who may take issue with how one lives for Jesus or a conviction they may hold. 

Such is the certainty of following Jesus, for He told us this would mark our lives at times. 

On April 23, 1910 in Paris, France, Teddy Roosevelt gave a speech that is still being quoted today, as it still resonates with many who aim to live life focused on making a difference with their life…

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

For my life as a youth pastor, a missionary in another culture, and a lead pastor through all these years, I have at times not been understood, but I have always tried to speak from a place of conviction based in my understanding of the written Scripture. For those who love Christ, we have all found that loving Jesus brings about the turning of a head when we may express a conviction about our faith and this will continue to be the case. There is no exception to this truth, for a reading of Scripture reveals to us men and women who lived by God-centered convictions and they were persecuted, mocked, misunderstood, ignored, seen as a bit off or even martyred. 

Though Roosevelt was not referring to faith or Christian ministry, yet I have found perspective in his words and you may as well by picturing the one in the arena (in a world that does not know Christ), whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood as they attempt to strive valiantly by living and speaking the Gospel-truth. The critics will always be around peering at our lives and pointing out things that are likely true about us, but as His sheep, we must know His voice and let it be the lone one we care about.

In these days of Covid-19, there has been much scrutiny toward the church, its leadership, and influence in the culture and we need to be ready for more that may come from government, the culture, and even within the Western church.

Personally, this aim to know Christ and make Him know has led me to know the great enthusiasms, devotions and triumphs of the Gospel-centered life. The Christ-centered life is definitely not for those who have cold and timid souls, but it is for those who have become convinced to live by the convictions found in knowing the Holy Writ of God as the revelation of Christ for us. 

I want to now share some perspectives on what it means to Live by Biblical Convictions from some passages I have been contemplating on during these days of such dramatic change.

The Convictions of the One in the Arena

Be a Christ-follower…

1. Who is Controlled, has Concluded, is Convinced, & has Convictions

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

·      Controlled by the Love of God - For the love of Christ controls us,

·      Concluded that Love is Revealed in the Cross - that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

·      Convinced that His Death Demands Death to our old life - that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

·      Convictions to Live for Him, not Ourselves – that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

These 4 really important things call you and I who claim His name to live for Him in every kind of way. We are not to demand our rights, nor are we to affirm what does not honor Him for we know we have been bought by the blood of Jesus. 

Q: Which, if any, of the pieces of those 4 principles are not aligned right in our lives?

Be a Christ-follower…

2. Who Sees Proclaiming the Gospel as Greater than our Life

Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Because Paul lived controlled by Christ, had concluded the Cross mattered, was convinced that he must die to self & lived with convictions to honor Christ in all ways – Paul did not see his life as so precious to hold onto it. He saw the telling of the Gospel as a greater joy than any life he could have constructed for Himself. 

Q: Which is more valuable to each of us – our life or the Gospel?

Be a Christ-follower…

3. Who Does not Shrink from Being Shaped by the Entire Counsel of God

Acts 20:27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 

Paul reminds them of his time with them when the church was founded in Ephesus, as his great aim among them was to make sure he held nothing back in his communication of the Gospel. What does he mean in this verse? Paul’s great longing was that as he pastored the Ephesian church, he wanted to hold nothing back in declaring to them the fullest instructions of everything God had already said and all that He wanted said to them. Why? The truth was the most loving thing that he could give them for in the Truth – they would know Him who is Truth and that relationship would set them free. 

This drives my life as I preach, wanting no one to ever miss out on the full knowledge of every Word, phrase, sentence, verse, chapter and book of the glorious revelation of Jesus. Every pastor I know who is guided by the mission of teaching the full counsel of God, has deep seated convictions about the church and the implications for the people he leads. He cannot do anything but declare them and make applications even though some may not understand the wrestlings of what comes with preaching Gospel convictions. 

This now leads to a fourth conviction…

Be a Christ-follower…

4. Who Loves & Guards the Sheep from Influences Without & Within the Church

Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you 

overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

It is only my opinion, but a passion in this area is lacking in and around the local church today. 

·      Leaders must guard their lives and the Flock

Why does the church need guarding? 

The fact that Paul speaks of the necessity of guarding the church means there are definitely some things that need to be a part of the church and for some things to be kept away from it. So, for the church to be guarded well, then the leaders have to know what to guard the church from and they need to have firm convictions on those matters based on an understanding of Scripture. 

Please notice this, the church needs guarding – All things are not to be allowed in the church.

From where is the church to be guarded?

            (1) Danger of Fierce wolves from outside the church 

This call from Paul is clearly a warning that says we are to be very aware of allowing anyone or anything that is too secular – in mindset, practice, philosophy or doctrine to take root in the church. It is why we point out the utter deficiencies of the world as any kind of answer for the church. We get enough of the world all week, it is therefore necessary for the world to be kept out of the church. Paul says be aware of the wolves who desire to devour the sheep.

            (2) Danger From those Within the Walls of the Church 

To protect the church, leaders must examine all things that are labeled Christian – books, movies, Christian music, denominations, doctrines & even churches to ensure a teaching could twist up a Gospel understanding that is true. From Paul, Peter & John -  we are warned to examine and test everything. This area is the greater danger and the NT proves this out, for Rome’s culture & secularism was not the greatest danger in the 1^st Century, it was the false belief, teaching, and doctrine that arose within the church that caused her to drift. 

This is why we must examine and be wise with everything that is called Christian and we should call it out when it is not and we should affirm when things are right with the church. Jesus gave us this example of examining churches in Revelation 2-3 where He affirmed the good & bad in the 7 churches & pointed out what needed to be addressed. Those churches serve us to understand the kind of churches that not only existed then, but they remain today. 5 of the 7 needed correction, not a good percentage!

·      Ephesus – enduring, did not tolerate evil and tested false apostles, but lost her first love

·      Smyrna – under great trial, poor, and a faithful church

·      Pergamum – held fast to his name, but some in the church embraced the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

·      Thyatira – a church marked by faith and endurance but tolerated a woman who encouraged sexual immorality.

·      Sardis – The church had a reputation of being alive, but it was dead.

·      Philadelphia – Marked by keeping the Word and not denying His name

·      Laodicea – the church was naked and lukewarm

Be a Christ-follower who…

5. Who Maintains a Love for Sound Teaching  

2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

A remnant will always be around & I believe it will always be marked by a passion for 

Gospel-centered sound teaching. They will also be known for rejecting teaching that enhances man-centered feeling & passions or the watering down of the Gospel.

In light of all of that, are we the ones in the crowd who point out the faults & weaknesses of those who are in the arena or are we the ones, who though we are not perfect, we know we are giving our lives to the most noble “cause” of all – the glory of Christ?

We must live by Biblical convictions.

   

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Covid-19 Days - Lesson 3 from Joseph

Don’t Water the Seeds that Lead to Bitterness

Genesis 37:12-36

As we have already established, Joseph grew up in a difficult family environment where jealousy, anger & rivalry surrounded him on all sides. Unfettered & unchallenged anger will always lead to family & relational issues that most often results in a “blow up” that does great damage in a family. This happens in our day over and over.

Such was the way of Joseph’s formative years and such would become his fate one day as he approaches his brothers one afternoon as they take care of the family flocks.

A reading of Genesis 37:12-17 finds Joseph leaving home, traveling to Shechem and eventually finding them in Dothan. While uneventful in these sentences, they are simply a significant precursor to the great turning event in his young life that will eventually lead him to learn to trust God in any and every situation one finds themselves in the midst of.

         Bitterness Unabated

Genesis 37:18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 

They had allowed themselves for far too long to allow their anger and jealously to remain without anyone of them bringing any kind of restraint upon what was in their hearts. Since they had grown comfortable with their hatred of their brother, it should be no surprise that this deep seated anger manifested itself in a plan to rid their lives of the dreamer.

The trouble with long lasting anger is that it “buys the lie” that freedom can only be found when the object of that anger is gone. The great trouble with this thinking is that it is all a lie, for the answer lies not in the object of our anger, but in the releasing of the anger and finding ourselves stepping out of the prison of bitterness.

If this does not happen, then the eventual fruit in a life is a marriage that dissolves, dependence upon substances, crime, a life of blaming others, or sexual or physical abuse. For the brothers, their deep anger could only find “supposed relief” in the murder of their brother. Again, at first they were totally comfortable with the idea. 

         Don’t Trust the Bitter

Genesis 37:21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 

Reuben steps in and rescues Joseph from certain death at the moment, for his plan would be to come back later and get Joseph and bring restore him to Jacob. The issue is that Reuben should have known that the bitter cannot be trusted to fully keep their word, for they are driven by a restlessness that is fed by only by more anger. It is at this point that Reuben steps away for some reason and in so doing, he leaves Joseph in the hands of his brothers. 

**Key verses 37:23-24**

Genesis 37:23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat...

This 3^rd key phase in Joseph’s life begins now when all he had known changes instantly as he is thrown into the pit. When these moments happen, the future will be dependent in many ways in how we respond to what has been done to us…will we become as those who abused us and “threw us in a pit”, or will we trust God as He is with us in the new difficulty that has become our present life. Joseph’s response to his “fresh pit life” sets the stage for God’s unfolding plan and the success of it.  For without this, we don’t read all we are about to see in the life of Joseph.

            Why This Story Matters Today

This point is why the story of Joseph is so relevant today and needs to be brought back into the church conversation. He models for us how to not let anger, bitterness, a bad family background lead to a life of being chained and bound by unforgiveness as those who abused us.       

When I speak with other minister friends of mine, it has come to be clear that one of the most dominant sins in the church that is hard to deal with is unforgiveness. It has become in both our American and Church culture one of the prominent sins we seem to okay living with.  

This mindset seems to come from our sense of entitlement that permeates so much around us and it has bled into our relationships where we feel that we have a right to hold onto the pain & nurse which only allows it to grow.  We should not let ourselves off the hook in this area. 

In case we were to think this thinking got cured by the New Testament – you see this philosophy in the older brother in the Prodigal Son story found in Luke 15.

We see it in our day in abuse, divorce & underlying rage that manifests itself at Wal-mart or McDonald’s. 

We have lost the practice of forgiving and embraced the posture of watering the seeds of our anger.

There is so much to learn from Joseph in this area.

God has a plan and we can choose to fight it, ignore it & not learn the lessons from circumstances that come our way.  In the moment, if we are not careful, down in the pit we will “choose poorly”, but we must “choose wisely”. 

Something very important took place down in that empty pit while his brothers were at the top eating, and in some ways I think the decision that was made had already been settled in Josephs heart.  I say this because there is no way that Joseph did not know where his brothers stood with him before this event happened. He had been learning to deal with their heartless love for some time before this event. 

Though the passage does not specificallyspeak of it, something got settled down in the dark, empty & waterless pit that can serve us well.  

            Three Decisions Joseph Made

(1) Did not blame God for the pit

For some Christ-followers, an event like this would lead them to wonder:

If God is so Sovereign, why did I end up here?

It is impossible to live in this world and not be hurt by someone else’s sin. People we love leave our lives, leaving us wondering about the love that was once confessed and shared. Some of us have been verbally, physically, or sexually abused or been damaged by someone’s drinking or drug abuse. Some of us have children who manipulate or may have rebelled and caused us deep pain. Some of us have been the victims of a crime.

This is reality of living in a broken world - sin affects us all.  If these moments come, we must not blame God for the pit and charge Him with wrong, for He is always good. 

Look at these 3 key texts in Psalm 119…

Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

Psalm 119:75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

(2) Did not blame his family in that moment for his troubles

He trusted God down in the pit, did not blame his family, even though his family put him in it, Joseph embraced God’s Sovereignty in that moment.  

There is something that happens in the darkness of life that can be so settled and firm, that you know you can get through it no matter what is going to come. I think Joseph sensed it – he was not alone. 

Think of it a moment – Joseph had to know as they threw Him down into the pit that what would come next from a human standpoint was not going to go real well – he trusted anyway.

Again, I think something was already settled in Joseph’s heart - that God is bigger than anything that comes your way and He must be trusted no matter what.  

(3) Chose not to Water the Seeds of Anger

A hurt not dealt with leads to…

• Prolonged anger leads to bitterness
• Bitterness lets unforgiveness grow 
• Unforgiveness results in a hard heart
• The hard heart seeks to inflict hurt on those who initially hurt us.

For the brothers…

their anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and hard hearts 

led them to desire to murder Joseph, 

but he chose to not to allow their actions to lead him to be like them.

Q:  How do we know he chose not to water the seeds of bitterness?

We know this for the rest of his life, his heart was ruled by trusting God. He is a very early picture of what James would later write…

James 1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

When we arrive at Genesis 39:2, Joseph is walking with God, God is with Him, he is successful and righteousness is thriving in his life. He is not walking in bitterness!

In the very end, Joseph will do these two things…

Genesis 45:4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.