“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?”
EDITOR'S LETTER
Image source: Patrice Bouchard, Unsplash.
Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” He said this after He told His disciples not to fear those who kill the body.
This illustration gives a wonderful picture of our Lord’s care and knowledge of His creation. Sparrows are common, ordinary birds. In most people’s opinion, they are not as colourful, beautiful or tuneful as many other birds. Quite possibly there have been sparrows on your property and you have taken no notice of them whatsoever. On the other hand, a fantail or kingfisher may instantly grab your attention if they enter your property when you are outside.
The fact that Jesus said two sparrows are sold for a copper coin shows that they are not highly valued by people. Despite this they are not ignored by God. He controls the events of their lives so that one cannot fall to the ground without it being part of His will. The life and death of a humble sparrow is in God’s hand.
After speaking about the way God cares for sparrows, Jesus went on to tell His disciples not to fear because they are of more value than many sparrows. This truth ought to give you great encouragement. If Jesus knows and controls the everyday matters in the life of sparrows, surely you can trust Him to work things together for good in your life. Just to highlight the intimate knowledge and concern He has for you, Jesus said that He knows and controls the number of hairs on your head. Think of that for a moment. Not one hair falls from your head without it being part of God’s will.
With all this in mind, you have no valid reason to fear or worry if you are one of God’s people. God loves you and intimately cares for you. Nothing can happen in your life unless it is part of His will and good pleasure for you. Therefore, follow the words Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” God is a good God in whom you can confidently place your trust. This is the blessed result, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Denying God’s Law
“John, show this man the door, and keep your eye on him until he is well clear of every item in the hallway.”
Rowland Hill was an odd English preacher. He preached the gospel faithfully, but he often did and said things that were quite unusual.
In his congregation there were a number of people who believed that God’s commands had been done away with and that the Christian did not have to obey them. These people deeply troubled Mr. Hill. On one occasion one of these people visited Mr. Hill to tell him that he was too legal and he was wrong to preach that Christians should obey God’s law.
“Do you, Sir, believe that the Ten Commandments are a rule of a Christian’s life?” asked Mr. Hill.
“Definitely not.” replied the visitor.
Mr. Hill immediately rang the bell calling his servant. He said quietly, “John, show this man the door, and keep your eye on him until he is well clear of every item in the hallway.”
On another occasion a man applied to become a member of Rev. Hill’s church. He was asked about his Christian experience and why he wanted to become a member. He replied that he had a dream that made him think about the Lord and his need of the gospel and how he ought to hear sermons. When he had finished his explanation, Mr. Hill replied, “We do not wish to despise a good man’s dreams by any means; but we will tell you what we think of your dream, after we have seen how you act when you are awake.”
Some people think that they are Christians because they have some dream about God and heaven. The Bible condemns trusting in dreams. Jeremiah 23:25, 26, says, “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart.” We must test everything we believe with the word of God. As the prophet Isaiah said, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
(From “Strange Events in the Lonely Cabin” By R. Cameron-Smith)
Purposes of Prophecy
The Old Testament is full of prophecies spoken by men chosen by God. People often think of prophecy as only foretelling the future, but there is much more to it than that. God’s prophecies have purposes far beyond simply revealing what would happen in the future. I will take you to several verses in the Bible to show you a few purposes for which God gave messages to people.
First of all, I must make it clear that biblical prophecies were never the ideas of the prophet, but always revealed to the prophets by God. 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
The prophets spoke to the people of Israel and Judah at times when the people were worshipping idols instead of worshipping the Lord God. One purpose of prophecy was to reveal the future so that when events came to pass, people might realise the truthfulness of God’s words and ascribe them to the power of God and not to their lifeless idols. Isaiah made this clear in Isaiah 48:5, “Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my carved image and my moulded image have commanded them.’” Fulfilled prophecy showed Israel, and us, that God is sovereign over all things. His plans will come to pass and no one can prevent them. This also gives us hope that God’s prophecies regarding our future will all be fulfilled in His good time.
Image source: Tachina Lee, Unsplash.
Prophecy was also given to call people to repent and return to the Lord. The prophet Isaiah issued this call, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6, 7). The previous verses in the chapter lay the foundation for this call to return to the Lord. The people were chasing after things that could not satisfy them, so Isaiah directed them to the Lord who would have mercy on them and abundantly pardon their sins.
Jonah’s prophecy to the people of Nineveh threatened judgement from God, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). Upon hearing this, the people acted more faithfully than the Israelites generally did because they called upon God and repented from their sins. As a result, God did not bring the threatened disaster upon them.
God’s prophecies often focused on how people should live in order to glorify Him. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah spoke the word of the Lord to Judah and rebuked them for their sins and false ideas regarding worship. At the same time, he revealed how they ought to live. God is concerned about how people live. This is how the false prophets differed from those who truly spoke the words of the Lord. False prophets only spoke things that would make them popular in the eyes of those to whom they spoke (for example 1 Kings 22:6-13). They never rebuked sin or called people to repent (Jeremiah 23:22).
One thing that is often ignored regarding prophecy is the number of times it revealed God’s character to His people. There are so many examples I could give, but I will just point out a few to you. Isaiah 44:6, “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’” There are so many things in that verse alone. God is King, Redeemer, Lord of all, eternal and the only God. God’s immutability is declared in Malachi 3: 6, “For I am the LORD, I do not change.” Nahum declared many truths about God at the beginning of his prophecy to the Ninevites, “God is jealous, and the LORD avenges… The LORD is slow to anger and great in power… The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble” (Nahum 1:2, 3, 7).
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’”
Of course, I cannot forget the thread that continues through prophecy in the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi – a constant pointing to Jesus, the Son of God, who would come as the Messiah to save His people from their sins. God first spoke of this in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Over time, there were more and clearer prophecies regarding the Messiah who would come, including in Isaiah 53 which speaks of the sufferings He would endure to save His people from their sins.
Take heart and comfort from the prophecies of the Bible. The Lord reigns. All things are in His control. You can place your life in His hands because He is greater than all and loves all those who belong to Him.
Sleep
Image source: Mpho Mojapelo, Unsplash.
Sleep is necessary and God uses it to refresh and restore people in preparation for a new day. Many people struggle to sleep. Sometimes it is ongoing because of a particular illness, while at other times it is temporary. Worrying about tomorrow causes many people to lose sleep.
The Bible has a lot to say about sleep. Psalm 127:2 says, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.” Why stay awake worrying or fail to get sufficient sleep because you think you must do more work in order to meet your needs and the needs of your family? Trust in God. God provides for His people and gives them rest and sleep. What an encouragement this is.
David faced many troubles in life, but he knew the benefit of sleep. When fleeing from his son Absalom, who was seeking to take the throne from him, David wrote this: “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me” (Psalm 3:5). Many people would not be able to sleep in such circumstances, but David committed the situation into God’s hands then went to sleep. Notice the result: he woke up again because the Lord sustained and protected him during the night. David’s confidence in his God is seen in Psalm 4:8 where he said, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
There is great encouragement in Psalm 121 where it says that God never sleeps. Although you are instructed to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1), that is not something you ought to imitate. God is God and does not need sleep. He is always awake to govern the world according to His will and to watch over His people. A Christian who was in the midst of a storm at sea said to his fellow travellers one night, “The Bible says that God never sleeps, so there is no need for me to stay awake too.”
The Bible also has a warning about sleep in Proverbs 20:13, “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread.” While sleep is good, too much is harmful and will keep you from doing many things you ought to be doing.
Finally, back to one of the causes for loss of sleep. Here is what the Bible says regarding that: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own troubles” (Matthew 6:34). Trust in God and all will be well.
“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Laws of the Land
Image source: Katie Moum, Unsplash.
Laws regarding the practice of religion were common in England in centuries gone by when the church had great influence in people’s lives. Popes regarded themselves as head of the church and when King Henry VIII broke away from Roman Catholicism in the sixteenth century, he set up the Church of England and proclaimed himself head of the church.
The Act for the Advancement of True Religion 1543 sounds like a good law. However, it was not. This Act restricted the reading of the Bible. Only appointed ministers in the church and people who were rich or in high positions of authority were allowed to read it. The vast majority of people were forbidden by law to read the Bible. The Act also allowed moral plays to be performed if they promoted virtue and condemned wickedness in ways that did not contradict the king’s interpretation of Scripture. The king saw himself, as the Roman Catholic popes saw themselves, as the only one who interpreted the Bible correctly. All who disagreed with him had a false interpretation of Scripture. That is why he considered it harmful for ordinary people to read the Bible.
A later law in 1689 granted greater freedom to Christians who were not part of the Church of England (known as Dissenters). For many years it had been illegal for them to gather for worship. Men such as John Bunyan, a Baptist pastor, were put in prison because they preached in their churches. The Toleration Act gave legal rights for other Protestant denominations to gather for worship in church buildings, but not in private homes. They were still not permitted to hold a political office or attend universities. Roman Catholics, Jews, nontrinitarians and atheists were not permitted to gather under this Act.
A rather different law was passed in Massachusetts, one of the North American colonies to which Dissenters from England had fled in 1630. The Puritans settled there with the intention of setting up a society based on the law of God. People who did not hold and practise their beliefs were expelled from the colony. As time passed, many of the people became worldly and left church before the sermons were completed. To counter this, a law was passed in 1675 requiring church doors to be locked during church services – not to keep people out, but to keep people in.
There are important lessons to learn from this history. Be thankful for the freedom to gather to worship. Don’t just be thankful, but seek to make use of every opportunity to worship God from your heart in the church. Be thankful for people who risked their lives, and were even executed, for translating the Bible into English. Show your gratitude by being diligent to read the Bible and hear it preached.
We hope you enjoyed the excerpts from this month’s volume of The Christian Informer.
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