March 21
Num 32:1-33:39 | PS 64:1-10 | Prov 11:22 | Luke 4:31-5:11
How did our nation become so bad and irrelevant? How is it that we have crumbled so quickly and to the level that we have? The order of your lists might differ from mine, but sadly the truth is unmistakable. The tendency when confronted with this truth is to start pointing at everyone and everything. Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". In the introduction to the Keith Green song, "Oh, Lord You're beautiful", he said, "Lord, you have to do something with my heart. A lot of time has gone by since I met You. And it's starting to harden up...I want to have baby skin. It's starting to get old, wrinkled, and calloused. It's not because of anything I'm doing, it's because of a lot of things that I'm not doing...". So it is with us. There are those sins of commission. Those willful acts of disobedience that we purposely do. But there are those equally egregious sins of omission when we purposely choose to do nothing, when something should have been done. All too often we care more about our appearance rather than our reality. Hoping to fly below the radar, we can continue to point at others, all the while really doing nothing personally for good.
As they were about to enter the Promised Land, two and one-half of the tribes of Israel choose to settle on the other side of the Jordan, and not in the Promised Land. A debate ensues, and those tribes agree to engage in the battle, and only return after they are released from duty. Moses said in Numbers 32:23, "But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out." In our reading of Luke, we read in 4:31-34, "Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Capernaum was a fairly small fishing village, and this man was more than likely a regular attendee of the local synagogue. Week after week he flew below the radar. He was probably respected and in good standing in the community. Yet this man was demon possessed, and no one knew it. Peter was more than likely one of the guys. A respected fisherman from the community. Yet, when he finds himself on the same boat as Jesus we read in 5:8, "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”" In Psalm 64, David describes his enemies in 64:5-6, "They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will see them?” They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep."
All too often we live our lives as though no one sees. Even if you wind up fooling the whole world, you will never fool God. We read in Hebrews 4:13, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." God is just as grieved by the things that you are doing as the thing that you are not doing. Even if you think that you are getting away with it, your hidden sins will affect your conscience and your countenance. Many like to ignore the fact that one day, we will all stand before God, individually. There will be no one for you to point at then, for it will be just you and Him. Also, as opposed to everyone else, He is all-knowing and all-seeing, so nothing, and I mean nothing will fly below His radar. But before that time, when we stand before Him in judgment, there is still time to come clean and repent of our sinful ways, as we read in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If you don't like how your life, your family, your nation, or your world looks, put that pointing finger down and do something about it. God doesn't ask you to do everything, but perhaps we start with something. If you don't know where to start, my suggestion is start in prayer, and let Him direct your paths. But, when that direction comes, step forth in obedience, don't make excuses in disobedience.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: