The Worst Sin
EDITOR'S LETTER
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Luke 11:1 is a unique verse in the Bible. In it, we have the only recorded instance in the Bible of Jesus’ disciples asking Him to teach them how to do something.
They had heard Jesus preach and heard people marvel at the authority with which He spoke, but we don’t read of them ever asking Jesus to teach them to preach. They saw Jesus perform many miracles: heal the sick, cast out demons, multiply loaves and fish to feed thousands of people, calm storms, walk on water and even raise the dead. But we never read of the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to do those things.
Instead, one day after the disciples heard Jesus pray, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Why, then, would they ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? We are not directly told, but consideration of a few things regarding prayer will help to give an understanding.
Obviously, listening to Jesus pray moved the disciples in such a way that they desired to pray as He did. They found prayer difficult, as all people do, and probably marvelled at the way Jesus had such freedom and fervency in prayer. They wanted this.
Matthew 26:36-45 says that Peter, James and John could not even stay awake and pray for one hour. On the other hand, the disciples had seen the importance Jesus gave to prayer. He left them on many occasions to go to a quiet place on His own to pray to His Father. One of those is in Mark 1:35, where he left them a long time before the sun rose to pray. Luke 6:12 says that He “continued all night in prayer to God.”
Prayer is not easy. Even the most godly people speak about how difficult it is to pray. That is a good reason for asking God to help you pray. Romans 8:26 talks about the Holy Spirit helping people to pray.
Seek to learn from Jesus’ example and instructions regarding prayer. Go through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and observe carefully the times it speaks about Jesus praying. Take note of the occasions on which He prayed, the locations, the times and even the words He prayed. But don’t just study to be instructed in prayer. Apply that knowledge and pray. Make prayer a priority in your life, just as Jesus did while He was on earth.
How to Be Wise
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The subject of wisdom is a common one in the Bible. That is not surprising because wisdom is an indispensable aspect of Christian living. In fact, it is only as you know God that you can be truly wise. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Notice that wisdom does not come from a good education or from reading books. Wisdom comes from fearing God; from knowing Him and responding in faith, obedience and reverence to Him.
Solomon, who was the wisest man to live on earth, was the son of David – one of Israel’s great kings. He knew the importance of wisdom and desired it more than anything else. He also knew that true wisdom comes from God, so when the Lord appeared to him in a dream one night, Solomon asked God to give him “an understanding heart” so that he could rule wisely as king (1 Kings 3:5-12).
Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This book is full of wise sayings and the call to be wise and value wisdom. Solomon often began sections with, “My son,” as a father addressing his son. Although he gave instruction to seek wisdom and listen to his words, he knew that ultimately his son, and all others who read his words, could only become wise by seeking and fearing God.
Read Proverbs 2:1-6 and you will see Solomon giving a call to receive his words and diligently search for wisdom to understand the fear and knowledge of God. But he knew he could not make his son wise. Only God can do that. Verse 6 says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” James expressed the same truth, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
The apostle Paul addressed the issue of wise living in Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” It is important to live wisely because you are living in evil days. How can you be wise? Only by knowing God, understanding His will as you read His word, the Bible, and asking Him to give you wisdom, just as Solomon did.
“How can you be wise? Only by knowing God, understanding His will as you read His word... and asking Him to give you wisdom.”
Utter Foolishness
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The book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament is a book of prophecies which God gave to Jeremiah against the people of Judah. Judah was the part of Israel to the south that consisted of the two tribes that remained faithful to the family of King David after the nation of Israel split into two, following the death of David’s son, King Solomon.
“They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn for themselves cisterns- broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Sadly, the people of Judah forsook the godly ways of David. They rejected God and disobeyed His commandments. Even worse, they began to worship the idols of the neighbouring nations and trust in them instead of the Lord God, who made them and chose them to be His special people.
In Jeremiah 2:13, we have this message from God concerning Judah: “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn for themselves cisterns- broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Prior to this, God reminded them of the many good things He had done for Israel in the past. He brought them out of the land of Egypt, where they were terribly oppressed by the Egyptians whom they served as slaves. God led them through the wilderness, provided for them in that barren place, then gave them a good, rich land of their own (verses 6, 7). God also gave them His law, a perfect law, and promised to bless them if they obeyed His commandments.
There were a few good kings of Judah, but most of the kings were wicked. As God described in verse 5, “They have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters.” God described the extent of this rejection of Himself, and the foolishness of it, in verse 11. He began with a question, “Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods?” The answer to that question is no. Although the nations of the world have their false gods which can do nothing, they continue to worship them and do not change their gods.
Take India as an example. India has been a Hindu nation for centuries. Despite it being easier nowadays to gain knowledge of other gods and religions, India remains faithful in serving the Hindu gods, and is actually becoming more, not less, committed to their false gods.
“But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit.”
However, Judah did the opposite. God said, “But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit.” The people of Judah had the only true and all-glorious God who made heaven, earth and all things, and who had only done good for them. He had given them many wonderful promises of blessing if they obeyed Him, yet they forsook Him and began to worship the gods of the nations which could do nothing for them. In other words, they rejected their God who had done amazing things for them in the past and would do so in the future, and began to worship gods that could do nothing for them at all. Is this foolishness or what?
God gave an illustration in verse 13 to show what Judah had really done in forsaking God. God was to them “the fountain of living waters.” He was the one who could provide full satisfaction, both in a physical and a spiritual sense. In forsaking Him, they had left all this behind and made for themselves broken cisterns. They sought satisfaction in the gods and pleasures of the world. They thought this would free them from strict obedience to the commandments of God and make life better for them. How wrong they were! These things were not able to bring any lasting satisfaction to the people because they were like broken cisterns (storage wells for water) that allowed water to seep out.
“The world offers and promises good things to people, but in the end, it is unable to provide lasting satisfaction and hope.”
This is a good illustration of what a life without God is really like. The world offers and promises good things to people, but in the end, it is unable to provide lasting satisfaction and hope. It is useless to chase after the things of the world, because as Solomon said in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
When speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38, 39), who is given to all people who trust in Him, and who is the source of all blessings and the eternal life they receive.
Now let me ask you a question: Which option is better?
a) The world and all its attractions and pleasures, which can only satisfy you for a short time and end in death.
OR
b) The God of the Bible, who offers you forgiveness of your sins through the death of Jesus Christ for you, and the Holy Spirit to live in you and help, guide and provide for the true needs of your soul, with the end result being eternal life.
Only God can truly meet your eternal needs. Turn from the idols of this world and trust fully in the living God so that you may experience true everlasting life and peace.
The Worst Sin
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Unbelief is a terrible sin. It is a hardening of the heart against the revelation and mercy of God. Hard-hearted people deliberately reject God and His gospel. Charles Spurgeon described unbelief as “The A1 sin, the masterpiece of Satan, the chief work of the devil.” This is so true because Satan knows that a person whose heart is hardened in unbelief will never be saved from his sins, but will be damned to an eternity with him in hell.
To highlight just how evil the sin of unbelief is, Charles Spurgeon said this: “Believe me, if you could roll all sins into one mass – if you could take murder and blasphemy and lust, adultery and fornication, and everything that is vile, and unite them all into one vast globe of black corruption, they would not equal even then the sin of unbelief.”
No wonder the writer of Hebrews speaks so strongly against hardening your heart. He began in Hebrews 3:7, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,” and went on to describe how the Israelites hardened their hearts in the wilderness journey from Egypt to Canaan.
He warned against unbelief in verse 12, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God,” before again saying, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:15).
Why is this so important? Hebrews 3:19 relates the sad, but true consequence of the Israelites’ unbelief, “So we see that they could not enter in [to the Promised Land of Canaan] because of unbelief.”
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
But that was not the end. The call, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,” is repeated in Hebrews 4:7. This quotation from Psalm 95 is repeated three times in quick succession. Take note! It is important!
Jesus spoke about belief and unbelief in Him in John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” The result of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is glorious beyond description – everlasting life with the all-glorious, all-loving God. However, the result of unbelief is terrible. Nothing is worse than facing the wrath of God for eternity. Make sure you believe in Christ with all your heart.
What Really Matters
Proverbs 11:4 says, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” This verse looks ahead to the day of the Lord’s return when He will judge the world. Your riches or position in the world will mean nothing on that day. No amount of riches or power will be able to deliver you from God’s judgement.
“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness”
In the same manner, none of your righteousness will deliver you from death, even though the second part of the verse speaks about righteousness delivering from death. Isaiah 64:6 says that “our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Your righteousness cannot gain you any merit in the sight of God because it does not measure up to His standard of perfection. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”
Paul explains in Romans 4 that Abraham was not justified by his works of righteousness. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Abraham was righteous in God’s sight because he believed in Him by faith. That is why the words, “By faith,” are listed before all the godly people mentioned in Hebrews 11. These people were not accepted by God on the basis of their own works, but by their faith in God and the righteousness of God imputed to them.
Proverbs 11:6 explains this further, “The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.” An upright person is one who holds to moral principles of what is right. He does not live according to his fleshly lusts because God has changed heart. Paul explained this, saying, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But remember where his righteousness comes from. It is from God.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”
That is why it has power to deliver him from death. That is why the gospel message has such power; because it is based on the righteousness of Christ and not your own righteousness. It is based on looking to Jesus as the perfectly righteous Son of God, who died on the cross in your place and suffered the wrath of God for your sins to deliver you from death and to give you the gift of eternal life by His grace. This is why Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: because “it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16, 17).
We hope you enjoyed the excerpts from this month’s volume of The Christian Informer.
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