Wednesday: Rejecting the Source of Life
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 27th of November 2024
Some of the saddest accounts in all of Scripture occur in the Gospel of John. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. . . . [The Light] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:5,10-11, NKJV). The “I AM” was rejected by many of His own people.
No wonder Paul later warns, “Do not cast away your confidence” (Hebrews 10:35, NKJV). As we have seen again and again, Christ was rejected because people did not accept His Word.
Image © Kim Justinen at Goodsalt.com
“The contemporary humanistic way of thinking begins with doubt. People question everything in order to determine what is truth. That which survives the fire of cross-examination they accept as rock-solid knowledge, something on which to place one’s faith. Some apply the same method to the Bible, calling everything into question from a scientific, historical, psychological, philosophical, archaeological, or geological perspective in order to determine what is truth in the Bible. The very method itself starts with and builds upon doubt in the veracity of Scripture. Christ asked, ‘When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8).”—E. Edward Zinke and Roland Hegstad, The Certainty of the Second Coming (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000), p. 96.
Read Numbers 13:23-33. What made the difference between the two reports the spies brought back about Canaan?
The sin of the Hebrews when they were at Kadesh Barnea was to doubt the Word of God. God had asked them to go up and take the land. Twelve spies were sent to Canaan to spy out the land. They came back with two reports. The majority gave a negative report. There are giants in the land, walled cities, weapons we have never seen before, and well-trained armies. By contrast, we have been slaves in the land of Egypt with little military experience. Ten spies voted no, based upon the overwhelming evidence from a human standpoint. Two spies voted yes based upon their faith in the overwhelming power of the Word of God.
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How do we avoid making the same kind of mistake made here? And yet, how do we also avoid presumption, doing something foolish but believing that we are doing God’s will and, therefore, cannot fail? |
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Australian country roads are potholed. Most of them have square edges and you can do your tyres a serious mischief if you hit one of them at 100 kilometre per hour is a small car. I used to have a Toyota Troopy - a rugged 4WD designed for rough roads and even it gave a bit of a shudder if you hit one. The worst part about the potholes is that where there are trees, they cast shadows on the road and it is almost impossible for you to tell the difference between potholes and shadows. If you want to save your car, you need to watch carefully while you drive.
Our faith journey is a bit like an Australian country road. It is not all plain driving on a smooth well-lit road. There are dark shadows that affect our vision and the potholes of doubt are always there to cripple our drive. Jesus could have had the driving metaphor in mind when he said:
In fact, the bible uses the phrase "watch and pray" eight times.
All of us have doubts at times and those doubts are most troubling when we are going through the shadows of pain, death, marriage breakups, family quarrels and so on.
Many years ago, I crossed the Nullabor on my way to Western Australia for my first job. I had a 20-year-old FX Holden (Australians will know what I am talking about) In those days the Nullabor was about 400 miles (this was before kilometres) of rough unsealed road. The potholes were so big that a VW could disappear into one. There were only about two places on the road where you could buy petrol. Halfway across the Nullabor, the starter motor quit. This meant that every time we stopped and switched off the engine we had to find another motorist to give us a push to get going again. The great thing about this trip was that we didn't have to ask. Other drivers would stop and ask if we needed help and would willingly give us a push to get going again. Such is the camaraderie of outback drivers.
In our spiritual journey, it is important for us to have a community of believers who, whatever our circumstances, are willing to get their hands dirty and give one another a push to get going again. If we are compassionate towards one another, the potholes of doubt are less likely to do us serious mischief.
This was the problem Israel faced, they had spiritual amnesia. They forgot how the Lord delivered them out of Egypt, drowned Pharoah's army in the Red Sea, fed them with Manna, brought water from a rock.
But of course we never forget the way that the Lord has delivered us, protected us, guided and provided for us, do we? When we forget we have a natural tendency to fear. Fear wants to cancel out our faith. However, fear is canceled by faith. God hasn't given us the spirit of fear. The enemy often uses fear to paralyze us because he knows how effective it is against us.
In my times of anxiety in my past life, I had to remember the goodness of God, and the faithfulness of His Word. This is what delivered me from all my fears. When I am tempted to fear I unsheath the Sword of the Word, claiming the promises of God, and lift up the Shield of Faith, to fight back the dark forces and quench the fiery darts. The power is there but I have to fight the good fight of faith. God gave victory to David over Goliath. It wasn't David's victory, it was God's victory realized through David's action based on faith.
The Lord has led us too far to leave us. In fact He has promised to never leave us. May we never go a.w.o.l. and leave Him. Remember what He has done for each of us and be encouraged to know that
He's still there and He hasn't changed. Remember the Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Shalom!
This reminds me of a saying I heard: "Fear knocked & Faith met him at the door". (Faith overcomes Fear), which reminds me of an acronym:
F - False
E - Evidence
A - Appearing
R - Real
Like the two spies in the story their faith to God can save us from mistakes. Because of our faithfulness God really will never abandoned someone who put trust in Him. As stated by Maurice, we should be watch and pray always in our journey (Matthew 26:41) means, with our constant communication with the Lord Jesus Christ we scape from temptations. We are a group of Adventist here in foreign land, working for earnings. My sister is so faithful too when in terms of Sabbath keeping. Like the 2 spies above, her faith to God remains. My sister never go work on the seventh-day ( Saturday) as God command to this people. Since she came Rome, until now she works hard in ordinary days but never neglect the Sabbath to keep it holy and worship. Many of her friends offer with higher salary to work on Sabbath but my sister Reb never tempted for work, instead she says "I rather go to church without money on Saturday, God will provides my needs". Many of her friends, asking her, for so many years you are working and yet you rest on Saturdays, how did you manage to get a condominium unit , your can survive too to raise your children's alone. Your house in the province was devastated by super typhoon, your sister and brother was sick and died but you can manage to provides them monetarily. Yet you don't works on Sabbath Day. My sister so faithfulness on Sabbath bring her comfort with the Lord. Her husband who neglected his family after 15 years... now returned to her with his pension from his retirement works they shares together ❤️ .
God is faithful, when we show our faithfulness to Him. As a questions above how we avoid to go wrong/ mistakes... keep our faithfulness/ trust in the Lord Jesus Christ 🙏.
The tragic story of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, is one of the saddest missed spiritual opportunities in the Bible. His actions serve as a warning and a lesson about missed spiritual opportunities, even for those who are physically close to Jesus. How could Judas be so close to Jesus and yet be lost? External proximity without internal transformation does not guarantee salvation. Judas had the privilege of hearing Jesus’ teachings, witnessing His miracles, and experiencing His love, but he failed to allow these experiences to transform his heart. While Judas’ betrayal fulfilled prophecy (Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:12-13), he was still responsible for his actions. Jesus lamented Judas’ choice, saying, "It would have been better for him if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24).
The grim picture recorded in the book of John of people rejecting their true friend and Saviour Jesus Christ is a clear reflection of who we are in our natural fallen state. What can we not do if left on our own instincts? Praise be to God for is His mercies which are new every morning. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23 – ESV). The rejection reflects humanity’s fallen condition, where people prefer their own ways rather than submitting to God's will. The Bible highlights the role of spiritual forces in blinding people to the truth of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan works to keep humanity in darkness and resistant to God’s light.
Why does this sad reality persist? Sinful tendencies cause people to resist God's call, as surrendering to Christ often requires a radical change in priorities, behaviours, and loyalties. Many rejects Jesus due to fear of societal rejection, loss of status, or personal cost, as was evident with some religious leaders who secretly believed but did not confess Him openly (John 12:42-43). By the grace of God, we need to cry out not to miss this opportunity of salvation which is only found in Jesus Christ. We must admit at all times of our shortcomings and the need for God’s revelation to guide us. We should ask God to open our eyes and heart to His truth (Psalm 119:18).
Judas’ story warns us against spiritual complacency. Even those who appear to have been in the faith for long, can harbour inner resistance to God. Small compromises, like Judas’ greed, can lead to greater sins. It's essential to address sin before it takes root and grows. True discipleship involves more than following Jesus outwardly. It requires faith, surrender, and obedience to His teachings (John 8:31-32). Paul exhorts us to examine ourselves to ensure that we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). This will help us to identify areas where sin might be taking hold.
Read Numbers 13:23-33. What made the difference between the two reports the spies brought back about Canaan?
A simple answer to this is that they were not able to fully trust the God who just a few weeks ago had delivered them from the bondage in the land of Egypt and took them through the Red Sea.
The difference between the ten and the two is faith. The two had a deepened relationship with God and based on experiences in the past understood how powerful He is/was. They were confident that with Him they could conquer the land.
10 people were looking at themselves and comparing themselves with others, comparing themselves with the giants (Num. 13:31).
2 people were looking at God and comparing God with others (John 6:68 NLT), comparing God with the giants.
Jesus warns us about caring about human approval. It's a big sign that there is doubt inside me if I care about people's opinions over God's. Jesus says that those who endure to the end will only care about God's approval and God's view of things (Matt. 10:22, 28; John 5:41-44; 2:24-25).
The last sentence of yesterday's (Tuesday's) lesson was very important, to me: "We start with the foundation of faith, and then from there we grow in understanding and grace." Understanding is the reward of faith (2 Kings 6:17). Believing is seeing, not seeing is believing. God says, "Believe me and then I will show you"...not "I'll show you and then you'll believe me." Faith is the foundation from which to view facts. We see that the 12 spies all saw the same facts, but Caleb and Joshua saw things with a heart that trusted God and His promises. They had the courage to stand against the fast-moving current of unbelief and doubt (Rom. 3:3-4). They were ready to "at once" (Numbers 13:30) trust and obey.
Whereas, the other 10 spies didn't even mention God in their report. Doubt loses sight of God completely and then the facts and circumstances are blurred and twisted. Their report was a deadly combination of truth, lies and exaggerations.
A good clue to whether we are acting from faith or from unbelief - are we panicking or are we filled with a calm confidence and peace in God's Word?
Love your comments sister!
May God continue to richly bless you, my Sister! Happy Sabbath!
When we face the storms of life, are we stressed that we don't know the next move we can take? The ten spies evaluating what they found in the land they spied, they concluded that it was impossible for them to take over the land. They were looking at their abilities. The 2 spies saw the same thing but they believed that they were on God's mission not theirs. They knew that with God there is nothing impossible. Why can't we let God take over when we are faced with storms/fears. God has infinite was He can solve these. Remember the chorus "He is able....:
How do we avoid making the same kind of mistake made here? And yet, how do we also avoid presumption, doing something foolish but believing that we are doing God’s will and, therefore, cannot fail?
Clive Staples Lewis identifies the problem of the question today.
"Now obviously all this—taking upon oneself to hate those whom one thinks God’s enemies, avoiding the society of those one thinks wicked, judging our neighbours, thinking oneself ‘too good’ for some of them (not in the snobbish way, which is a trivial sin in comparison, but in the deepest meaning of the words ‘too good’)—is an extremely dangerous, almost a fatal, game. It leads straight to ‘Pharisaism’ in the sense which Our Lord’s own teaching has given to that word." Reflections on the Psalms, page 77.
So how to learn from these mistskes
1. Set our goal on Christ will, His righteousness not others faults. And keep that goal a step before us.
Psalms 16:8-9.
2. Read some of the counsel of Ellen G. White. Here is just one example of the plathora of counsel from Ellen G. White.
"You have watched the rising sun, and the gradual break of day over earth and sky. Little by little the dawn increases, till the sun appears; then the light grows constantly stronger and clearer until the full glory of noontide is reached. This is a beautiful illustration of what God desires to do for His children in perfecting their Christian experience. As we walk day by day in the light He sends us, in willing obedience to all His requirements, our experience grows and broadens until we reach the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus." Homeward Bound 215.4
3. Compare yourself to Christ, by this one act, you will avoid judging your neighbors, if you take hold of the God given will to be made willing.
4. Turn to Christ daily with Bible promises. Quote them to God. My wife and I write them down and read them to God and after a while we can recite some to God, thanking Him, blessing Him, and believing Him that He will fulfill His promises. An example of a Bible promise that helps us avoid our C.S.Lewis identified problem is:
2 Peter 1:8 ESV
[8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The qualities that help us capture this promise is found in 2 Peter 1:5-7.
5. Up life people rather than judge. Another quality that is found in a promise. Isaiah 35:3,4.
Happy Thanksgiving. My favorite out of Tim's article on Thanksgiving is Psalm 100.
We see when we believe..I love that.
May God increase my faith,amen.
Can we who know that only the Holy Spirit can reveal God’s Truth to us judge those who could not ‘receive Him’; judging them as if they knew Him and then rejected Him? I do not think so! As one who has accepted Jesus Christ as the living ‘Word of God the Father’, the only response would be pity - for they are unable to ‘see’ the Light in its full splendor and ‘do not know what they are doing’ – Luke 23:34.
People who reject His Word do so because they cannot perceive within themselves the life-saving value of His Word toward the betterment of their present life and the one God’s Grace offers for the future – life eternal; they are lost in their tresspasses and sin. Can we truly say that they ‘reject’ Him – ‘reject’ something they cannot understand?
Again and again, when encountering the 'unsaved', we need to come to terms with that we are saved by Grace through faith, that we have not earned our state of 'living in the Light’, but have received and accepted it in spite of the prior darkness within and around us as the gift of Grace and Mercy from our Creator God – our heavenly Father.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen – Heb.11:1. The world cannot generate this special, from heaven sent Faith in us; it is the work of the Holy Spirit - God's gift given to mankind for our Salvation. We need to humbly pray for His Grace and Mercy to continue granting it to those still walking in darkness awaiting His heavenly Light to shine on them.
Romans 1:20 sums it up pretty succinctly. They are without excuse. Yet we don't have any right to judge because we were no better than they. Titus 3:3-11
The issue with the 10 unbelieving spies was that they believed conquering the land depended solely on their own efforts. They overlooked the fact that their role was to cooperate with God by trusting that as long as they fulfilled their part, God would fulfill His, ensuring victory. Despite having ample evidence of this divine partnership—such as the plagues in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and water miraculously provided from a rock—they chose to ignore these signs and failed to trust in God's power.