Faith and Science

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. - Hebrews 11:3  

Man has an innate desire for knowledge and understanding. In his quest to attain such knowledge, he created something we call science. Science comes from the Latin word scientia, which means knowledge. Merriam-Webster defines it as “the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.” Knowledge then is defined as “the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association.

Man has been practicing the art of science since around 3500 years before Christ came. There is probably no greater quest in science than the quest to explain where all this came from. We Christians refer to this as the creation. Every single thing that exists within our entire universe had to come from somewhere. Logically, it would make sense that there must be a “science” to it. There must be a fact or condition of knowing how the creation got here. There must be knowledge distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.

Yet, in the 5500 some years man has used science to try and explain how everything came into existence, the truth is that he has yet to prove anything. Yes, we have theories. But we do not have knowledge, there are no proven facts that explain the beginning. So far, science has failed us in that area.

Then we have us Christians. And even those who believed in God before the time of Jesus. Hebrews 11:3 is our science. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

That has just as much factual proof as does the Big Bang Theory. Or any other of man’s scientific efforts to prove where it all began.

I am a very logical person. I’m not the smartest. But I do believe in logic. I have yet to meet or hear anyone speak who can logically explain the universe without admitting that the only logical explanation has to include the concept of something being eternal. Logic completely defies any though that includes the theory that something came from nothing. Yet in our finite, human mind, eternity seems illogical. It’s a bit of a paradox, I think.

Enter the Bible. The Bible says that God is eternal, and He always existed and always will. The Bible says he spoke everything into creation. Interestingly, the Bible never tries to explain how God could be eternal or where He came from. It just says that He is. In the Old Testament, God simply refers to Himself as “I AM.” When Moses asked who he should tell the people sent him, God said, “Tell them I AM has sent me to you.” God has no interest in proving Himself.

It takes faith to believe that. I believe it. Logically, I shouldn’t. I am one of the most untrusting and skeptical people you will ever meet. I question everything. I challenge things people say all the time. I have always tried to prove or disprove what people say. Yet, when I read the Bible and God says I AM, I simply believe that. Since that doesn’t line up with my own logic, I can only believe this; my faith is from God.

Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Hebrews 12:2 says that “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

My logical nature is overridden by the author and perfecter of my faith. I did not drum up this faith. God has given it to me.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - Ephesians 2:8  

So, I know where we came from and how we got here.

By faith I understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

That’s all I need. How about you? If you took the time to read all this, even if you doubt at this time, God has a message for you.

For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-13  

Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. - Isaiah 55:6  

Have you? Will you?

The Dangers of Drifting Away

This is the text of my Bible study for today.

Hebrews 2:1-4

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

The first chapter of Hebrews declares the excellencies of Christ. In today’s reading comes a warning and this is the warning; in light of Christ and who He is, we need to pay closer attention to what we have heard. This means what the Bible tells us and specifically what the Gospel says, has a great importance to it. It has eternal consequences.

Hebrews was technically written to the Jews, but its truths are just as important to us today. We need to pay closer attention. If we don’t, we are in danger of drifting away from it. As Christians, it is easy to drift away from the life we know we are called to live. We can neglect the commands. We can even forget the promises and the inheritance we have gained through our adoption into the family of God, and then fear and worry creep in. When that happens, we lose the confidence and the faith in the promise of Jesus. So, yes, we ought to pay closer attention to what we have heard because God was the first to declare it to us. We can also read the Bible and we can read what the apostles and early men of the church attest to.

But the warning here in Hebrews is speaking more so to the unsaved. While there are those who aggressively reject the Gospel, there are many more who simply neglect it, even though they have heard it, they admit it is a good thing, but they simply let themselves drift away from it.

There is a story about a man who fell asleep while in his boat on the Niagara River. He knew the river ended in the great falls. He never intended to float that for before turning back. But as he slept, the boat drifted all the way to the falls and suddenly it was too late. He went over the falls and died. He didn’t die because of what he did, he died because of what he didn’t do. His death was a result of drifting.

So many people say that they know they ought to do something about their salvation. They say that one day, they will. But like the man in the boat, they fall asleep and drift all the way until its too late. Please, take heed of the truth.

As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.  For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. - 2 Corinthians 6:1-2  

Now is the day to receive God’s grace. Pay attention to what you have heard, that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Don’t neglect such a great salvation.

Open up your Bible. Read of the excellencies of Christ. Learn of Him.

Most of us remember the story of the man who asked, “Sir, what must I do to be saved?” But the answer to the question of, “What must I do to not be saved?” is simply this; do nothing.  

Don’t do nothing. Don’t just drift your way to eternal damnation and separation from God. Hear the answer to “What must I do to be saved.”

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."

Pay close attention to what you have heard. Don’t neglect such a great salvation. Do it today, before it’s too late. Do it today because it will change your whole life and your eternity.

7 Excellencies of Jesus That Show Us His Glory

Studying the Book of Hebrews for the next month or so and it starts off with a powerful picture of Jesus and the excellence of who He is and what He does.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

We see that there are seven declarations of His excellency to be found in this reading.

First, we see that Jesus is God’s heir, having been appointed the “heir of all things.” This reminds us that every single thing that exists, is the possession of Jesus. Colossians 1:16 tells us that “all things were created through Him and for Him.” None of our possessions, not even our children, are actually ours and they are not given to us for our own purposes, but to bring glory to God.

There is, however, great news in this for the future of all who have placed their faith in Christ. Romans 8:16-17 tells us that, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

The second declaration of Christ’s excellency is that He is the one through whom God made the world. The text says that “through whom also he created the world.” John 1:3 testifies to this as well, saying “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Nothing exists that Jesus didn’t speak into existence.  

Thirdly, we see that Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God.” To be the radiance of God’s glory means that the light of God is shining brightly through Him. Hebrews begins by telling us that “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” In the Old Testament days, it was only though the prophets by which God revealed Himself. But when Jesus came, we can all see His light and get a glimpse of the Glory of God through Jesus. The world we live in is a very dark place, but the light of Christ has brought hope to all of us. 2 Corinthians 4:6 reminds us of this, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Next we see that in Christ’s very being, is the excellency of God and who He is. The text says that” He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” We’ve all heard the saying “Like father, like son.” When we look at Jesus, we see the exact representation of God, the Father. Colossians 1:15 tells us that, “He is the image of the invisible God.” Though we cannot see God, through Jesus and the revelation of him through the Bible, we can know Him and worship Him by seeing the excellency of Jesus, for Jesus is the “exact imprint [representation] of His nature.”

The fifth excellency of Christ seen in this reading, is that of His administration or His work in governing the universe. Jesus “upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Not only did Jesus create this world, he keeps it running in perfect harmony. Science attests to the balance required to keep us alive. One of the plethora of things in the universe that must be, for life to exist and be sustained, is the sun and its heat. If we were just a tad bit closer to the sun, its intense heat would burn us up. If we drifted a little bit away, we would all freeze to death. Jesus is sustaining it all and he does it just as He created it, by the “word of His power.” Jesus only needs to speak, and He can create, sustain, and resurrect all life. This provides us with great comfort and is the reason, we needn’t put as much concern into the global warming thing, but instead ought to focus on living for Jesus and submitting ourselves to Him.

The sixth point of His excellency is found in His sacrifice. Jesus made the “purification for sin.” This is what separates the Old Testament from the new and the old covenant and the new covenant. Unlike the repeated sacrifices of the priests of the old covenant, which had to continuously be offered, Jesus finished it all with the one sacrifice, His blood shed on the cross. Hebrews 7:27 explains that, “He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” John 19:30 tells us that “when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" We can live in new life and in restored fellowship with God because Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice.

The seventh and final excellency we see of Jesus is of His exaltation. The text tells us that “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. First of all, it is important to note that there were no seats for the priests in the tabernacle or the temple, for their work was never done. But Jesus has finished it. He sits at the right hand, which is the side that represents power. This means Jesus can rest from the work of redemption, for he settled that on the cross. But it also the place where He sits right next to our father in Heaven and intercedes for us as Romans 8:34 declares. Jesus is right now, speaking to His Father, on your behalf. Yes, you personally.

These seven aspects of the excellency of Christ give us so much hope. They are foundations for our faith. They show us why we can trust, not only our eternal destination to Him, but even our lives as we live them out on this earth.

The Book of Hebrews is a book that declares the preeminence of Christ. As we read it, we find ourselves humbled as we learn of Him and we grow closer to Him in a personal relationship. The Christian is not involved in a religion, as the world thinks we are. The Christian is in a love relationship with Jesus and we are His bride. Let us honor and worship Him for simply who He is, the radiance of the Glory of God.

A question came up in my small group about something God says to Israel in Isaiah 43:4, which reads, "Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.

The question is this: Why would God say they (Israel) are honored?

As Christians we all should be able to understand why God, deserves our honor. But why Israel? What was so special about them they God would declare them “honored?”

If we look closely at Isaiah 43, we find that it begins with the word “but” so, that tells us this section is in response to the previous section of Isaiah. Looking back to the beginning of Isaiah 42, we find God reminding Israel that they are His servant people through which His Word was entrusted and since the Book of Isaiah is a messianic prophecy of Christ, it is Israel by which the Gospel will be initiated and sent out to the world. Paul reminds us of this in Romans 3:1-2 saying this, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?  Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

Israel was entrusted with oracles of God. That is how much he thought of them. So, here in Isaiah, God is reminding Israel how precious they are to Him and also reminding them of His protection over them and reminding them that they need “fear not”, because he has in the past and will in the future deliver them from harm.

Look at the verses just before 43:4

Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.  "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.

 

Now based on God’s deep love and choice of Israel, they can rest in faith that God is their protector and deliverer. Now, we get to verses 4 & 5.

 

Isaiah 43:4-5
"Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.  "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west.”

 

God would state this again in Isaiah 49:5
And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength)

 

Why can they live without fear? Because they are precious to them. They are honored by Him. They are loved by Him. He will be with them. And God says that “I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.” Is this not a picture of what God has done for us in sending Jesus to be our payment and substitution for our sins?

 

So, the question as to why God honors them? Simply because He chose them. One needn’t look all that hard at the history of the Jewish nation and it is easy to see that they failed God many times. Even Abraham, the forefather of all Israel, exhibited some horrible behaviors throughout his life, even lying about Sarah being his wife to save his own cowardly skin and he did so placing her at great risk. Israel constantly fell back into idolatry and even as Moses was getting the commandments from God, they were crying out for Aaron to make them gods to follow which lead to the making of the golden calf. Clearly Israel was not something special and holy that God felt compelled to reach out to.

 

The spiritual application here to us is that we, as the church, the bride of Christ has also been chosen to be His. Not because of anything we did, do, or will do, but simply out of His sovereign choice, we have been placed in a position of honor by the exchange of Christ’s righteousness for our unrighteousness as we read of in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

Like Israel, we fail God often. But like Israel, we can live without fear. We can know that we are so loved by God that he has bestowed upon us the honor that only Jesus deserves. Again, it isn’t our goodness that deserves this honor, it is God’s love, through His grace and mercy, and by which through His sovereign choice of both the nation Israel and His church, we are so precious in His eyes.  

 

The prophecies of Isaiah, speak as much to us as they did to the Jews. God has displayed His awesome love, His mercy, and His grace through His sovereign choice, not based on anything we are.

 

The honor bestowed upon all of is a result of the finished work of Christ on the cross. And even in the Old Testament is that wonderful truth of the Gospel found. As Isaiah prophesied so many years ago, God gave another for all of us. That was Jesus. In Him we are honored by God. So much that we have this great hope, “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 2 Thessalonians 2:14

The Christmas Story in One Verse

As one who sometimes struggles with assurance of his own salvation, I find great comfort in the fact that I love God’s Word and that love is one sign that salvation is true in your life. I take it literally, except when the nuances of language clearly delineate it as speaking in metaphors and symbols. I believe it is true in its entirety, rejecting any ideas of the world that the stories are myths and fables. I believe it speaks with the full authority of God Himself, having been written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. I believe it is sufficient in itself and that it provides all the knowledge and wisdom of how to live this life, that it does not need man’s help in instructing us about the human heart, soul, and spirit.  I also believe it is a treasure trove of truth that in this life we will never exhaust its fruit and that it must be mined like a mine of precious jewels. These are but a sampling of why I love God’s Word.

Yesterday, being Sunday, was yet another opportunity to gather with brothers and sisters in Christ to hear it preached. And it was one of those sermons I always love. It was sermon that our pastor preached on one passage, one specific verse, and I am always fascinated by these sermons because they always show the depth of the scriptures, that you can spend forty-five minutes expositing and drawing out so much with just one verse.

Being the Sunday before Christmas, it was a Christmas message. Pastor Micah went a different direction than others have in the past. He chose this one verse.

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Not the typical scripture for preaching the Christmas story, yet it really does capture the essence of Christmas and why it’s important.

Is there a more accurate statement that describes what happened on the day Jesus was born? The first chapter of John is a vital one because in it we find the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Jesus is the Word. Because He is the Word, we know He is eternal. Because He is eternal, we can know that the truth of His deity is true. Because He is God, then the Gospel makes sense. Christmas is about God coming down to earth and doing so as a man so that He could do what we cannot; live a perfect and sinless life. This made Jesus the one and only possible sacrifice for sin. This is why He is called the lamb of God.

Jesus came down to us and when He came as a babe in a manger, it was so much more than just that part of the story. He came as this verse says, full of grace and full of truth. Both are equally important in our lives. The truth of His sinless nature and why He came must not be allowed to pass by us. We are not like Jesus. We are the opposite. He came as a sinless man; we are sin-filled. Because he came as truth we are revealed as lost sinners and as those who cannot save ourselves. But because He also came full of grace, we have hope. When we receive the Christmas story as it is in truth, we can receive His gift; the gift of salvation and rebirth into His kingdom.

The depths of theology that one can dig into out of this verse are vast and deep. They tell the real story of Christmas. I suggest each of you take that journey. Find out for yourselves the wonders of the Christmas story by committing to a life-long journey that looks deeply into the joy of salvation through the reading and the study of God’s Word. Find a church in which the leadership is committed to making disciples through the saving and transformative power of God’s Word.

There is a gift for you this Christmas. Receive that gift. The gift of Jesus. The Word, that became flesh. The Word that dwelt among us. See the glory of this Jesus. Hear the truth He brought. Receive the grace he offers. He is full of grace and of truth. We need both.

This is the story of Christmas. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Merry Christmas

Is Jesus Your King?

One of the greatest stumbling blocks in the lives of the American Christian is found in the concept of Kings and Kingdoms. America was founded on rebellion, particularly rebellion against the king. Yet, to call ourselves Christians, demands that we relinquish our prideful desire to be independent and to humble ourselves in submission to a king, that king being Jesus.

We had a guest preacher come to our church yesterday and preach on Psalm 2. Take a moment and read that Psalm.

Psalm 2:1-12
 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?  The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,  "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"  He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.  Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,  "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."  "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.  'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.  'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"  Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth.  Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

You might want to read that through several times because it runs quite contrary to the typical description we often hear preachers use in describing Jesus. And there is no question that what we are reading here in this psalm is a pre-incarnation picture of Jesus.

As we heard yesterday in our sermon, Jesus is not your “buddy”, He is your King. That Jesus loves you is a wonderful truth, and in His work on the cross we have been adopted into God’s family. But we have far too often made Jesus out to just be someone we can treat like we do our best friend. Yes, we have been adopted into His family and we can have an intimate relationship with Him now, but we can never lose sight of who He is and Psalm 2 is a stark reminder of the dangers of not humbling ourselves in reverent submission to His Kingship.

Look at a few quick points we hear from the psalmist.

Verses 1-3 tell us that the world’s leaders plot against God and call on us to break away from God and His Word. We are certainly seeing that today. Just look at America and its rejection of God’s moral law. And the people are more eager that ever in our history to change laws that give approval to things that God and His Word call sin.

But listen to what God’s Word in this Psalm says about those who plot against Him.

Psalm 2:4
He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.

As they think they are breaking free from God’s sovereignty and power, God is laughing at them.

The day is coming when the world leaders and those who follow them, are going to hear from God.

Psalm 2:5
 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury…

Jesus came the first time with salvation, not to judge the world, but to warn us that we must repent and follow Him. But the second time He comes, and oh yes, He is coming, He will come to judge. He will be coming with wrath.

Psalm 2:7-9
 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.  'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.  'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"

God has given His Son, Jesus, the nations. And to those who have sought to be free of God’s fetters and cords, Jesus will break them with a rod of iron and shatter them like earthenware.

That ought to change how we see Jesus and how we preach to the lost. There is a judgment coming to those who refuse to bow before the King.

What do we do? What do we say to them?

Psalm 2:10-12
 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth.  Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

We must warn them of the imminent danger of the return of Christ. We must “Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.  Do homage to the Son.”

As far those who are willing to place themselves under a King, the sovereign King of Kings? How blessed are we, for we have our refuge in Him.

This is serious business. There are only two choices in this life. Have Satan be your king and follow him. Or let Christ be your King and submit yourself to His Kingdom.

Be careful what you choose.

The bad news: His wrath may soon be kindled.

The good news: How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

I pray you take refuge in the King.

The Obedience of Faith

I began studying the letter Paul wrote the Colossian Church yesterday. Though my first reading and subsequent study, dealt only with the first eight verses, which would be considered merely the greeting of the letter, I have already learned something new and vital to my understanding of the life of a Christian in respect to faith.

My newfound knowledge came in the area of the word faith.  In verse three, Paul is telling the Colossians how he thanks God for them, whenever he prays for them. He then explains why he thanks God for them, saying in verse four, it is “because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.”

In my study I learned that the Greek word used for faith is pistis, which is derived from the Greek word peithō. A deeper study of the Greek word peithō tells us that one of the meanings it carries is to obey. So, when we define faith, we find that it involves a belief that the object of our faith is something that we can have so much confidence in, that we are compelled to obey its source. And what is the primary source of our faith? It is Jesus who we place our faith in. Thus, our faith, as defined in the scriptures, demands our obedience to the object of our faith. In simple terms, we are to have such a strong confidence in Jesus, that we are led to believe that what He says to us, is true and we can rest confidently in obedience to Him. We are to obey what Jesus has said to us.

The very reason that Paul opens his letter by telling the church at Colossae that he thanks God for them, is because they are obedient to Christ’s call on their lives and that is demonstrated to all by their love for each other. Remember that in the New Testament, every single Christian is called a saint. When Paul says they love the saints, he is speaking of the love they have for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Every single person who has entered into the family of God by their faith in Jesus, is called to love their fellow saints in the faith. 1 John 3:14 gives us the litmus test for true faith in Christ saying that “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”

If we do not love our brothers and sisters in Christ, then our profession of faith is a farce and a lie. Unless that love exists, we are not Christians. This confirms the idea of faith demanding obedience to Jesus.

As I pondered this thought over the course of my day, the Holy Spirit began to work on me. By evening I had moved on to other thoughts and had as usual, went back to the everyday things of life. But at 3:00 a.m. this morning, I woke up with a bit of a headache. As someone who stumbles through with the struggles of what the shrinks call bi-polar manic depression, I often cannot sleep. What happens is my brain won’t turn off. It’s sort of a sensory overload, I guess, and it can be quite frustrating, as it just becomes impossible to rest.

So, here I am awake in the early hours of the morning. But rather than fight the battle to go back to sleep, this morning I could hear that quiet voice of God speaking. First of all, I took a few minutes in prayer just to praise and thank God for the blessings of my life. Then I simply let God speak and what I am hearing this morning is Jesus preaching the sermon we all know and call the Sermon on the Mount. As the Holy Spirit brought that sermon back to my mind, I began to ask myself questions. Questions that center on my faith. This morning I am sharing those questions with those of you reading this. The questions are to be answered in the context of faith, meaning that I am to obey my Lord, Jesus, for that is what saying I have placed my faith in Him means. It means I trust Him so much that I am willing to do the things He calls me to do. My prayer for each of you is that you will take some time to open your Bible and answer some of these questions in your own heart.

For me, this morning, my questions come straight from what we call the Beatitudes.

Am I poor in spirit? Do I mourn? Am I gentle? Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Am I merciful? Am I pure in heart? Am I a peacemaker? Have I been persecuted for the sake of righteousness? Have people insulted and persecuted me, saying false, evil things against me because of Jesus?

Those are powerful questions that honestly, bring strong conviction to my heart. I don’t think I can say yes to most of those questions, so in them I have a lot of soul searching to do.

The reward for living the life that Jesus describes there, which goes completely counter to the culture we live in, is that we will be blessed. Blessed here brings the connotation of happiness. Look at the rewards of such a life.

Matthew 5:3-12
 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.”

Even in the early morning, when my eyes are fuzzy and my brain tired, I can see clearly the power and blessings of an obedient life of faith.

How about you?

I hope and pray your faith and my faith will reveal itself to each other and, to the unsaved world, so that Christ will be glorified, and His love will be on display for all to see.

I’m tired now. But having spent time this morning in God’s Word, causes me to simply rest in Jesus. I hope you also will do the same.