Unimaginable God

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.””
1 Corinthians 2:8-9 NLT

Worldly people, unbelievers in God, have no idea about God and His wisdom. A human being has no natural contact with the spiritual world, a super-natural place which we cannot see, touch, smell, taste or hear using our natural senses. And so anything a human being tries to work out about a mystical and elusive world beyond their senses is bound to fail. But a person rooted in a world driven by their senses bolstered by human reasoning and logic, comes up with a wisdom that falls far short of what God has made available. There is of course nothing wrong with human wisdom when properly utilised. That is why God has created humans with a brain that is amazing in its capabilities, but imaginative scientists and philosophers come up with much that pushes boundaries but inevitably finds limitations. Hardly a day goes past without some new discovery about our natural world, be it an atomic particle, or a new vaccine. Sadly, theories regarding the origins of the universe and the purpose of life itself change regularly and we find that human wisdom is woefully lacking, with significant limitations.

But what about God’s wisdom? Inaccessible although it is to mere unbelieving humans, we pilgrims are allowed a glimpse of the thoughts and plans of God. They are not available to people who fail to recognise Him and believe that He exists. But in those thoughts and plans we find God’s wisdom, and in His Word, the Bible, we find hints, glimpses, advice and assurances about this Heavenly world that we will one day find. Paul quoted a verse from Isaiah 64 in his Corinthian letter, which in the original reads, “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4). Paul’s memory came up with slightly different words, but the meaning is much the same. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is working for us and preparing a world, an environment, something and somewhere, but we cannot even start to imagine what it will be like. And even though the prophets of old were given tantalising hints of what was to come, no one can get anywhere near discovering what lies ahead. Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and even the old Apostle John all had thoughts and visions inspired by the Holy Spirit, but there is a problem. What they “saw” is so far beyond anything seen or imagined that we will find they are not even close to what God has for us in His plans. 

So human wisdom, thoughts, imaginations, and discoveries are silent when it comes to God’s spiritual world. Jesus said to His disciples, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3). We know that one day we will have a home where Jesus lives, because we know and believe that He is alive today, but what form that home will take we don’t know. Our imagination usually starts at the point of human knowledge but then ventures into unknown places. Places that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined”. The Holy Spirit revealed something to Isaiah about God, ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Human wisdom cannot bring us to the understanding that the Creator God loves His people and that He has prepared the glories of eternity to share with them. Our intellects will try and work it all out, but will come up painfully short. But we cannot trust in what God say He has for us without faith in Him. It is only by having faith in God, by believing the hints, glimpses and prophetic words contained in the Bible, that we will be able to be assured of our destination with our “unimaginable God”. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “ … it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). 

But can we pilgrims start to feel a little excitement starting to build in our spirits? Are we feeling a little like a small child promised a trip to the seaside, feeling the anticipation starting to appear in our minds, our imaginations? What will the sea and sand be like? Will it be sunny? And so on. And of course we mustn’t forget the cry from the back seat – “are we nearly there yet?” The wise old pastor and expositor, John MacArthur, died recently and he will now be finding out if what he preached was in fact the reality he is now experiencing. Such revelation will also become available to all of us one day. But we pilgrims at least know where we are heading, having been given a glimpse of what is ahead. Pity all those who don’t believe because they are heading for a nasty shock and a future about which they can do nothing. All those poor people who have relied only on their human wisdom and knowledge, and who have rejected the King of Glory.

Dear Heavenly Father. Our human minds can never work out what plans You have for us in the future. But we believe in You and in the Words of Your Son Jesus, with a faith that will never be rocked by world events. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

World Rulers

Posted on by korgrocker

“No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.”
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 NLT

How grateful we must be for God’s Secret Plan, the mystery of God, and the Message of the Cross. Through them all, they all came to fruition on the fateful “Good Friday” when Jesus lost His life in terrible circumstances. Why did God allow it to happen? Because it was all in His plan, established before the foundation of the world, the plan that would lead to “our ultimate glory”. We know that the plan, involving His secret wisdom, would make it possible for our sin to be forgiven by Christ’s death instead of our own and for us to be declared righteous based on Christ’s righteousness and not our own. Paul wrote, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory” (Romans 8:29-30). In fact, the saints in previous generations used to describe what would happen to them after they die, as being “elevated to Glory”, using a definition of Heaven to describe what will happen after they crossed the Great Divide. God’s plan for us wasn’t just about forgiveness of sins, important as that is, but it also involved giving each one of us Jesus’ righteousness and glory. And all planned and kept secret “before the world began”. 

Paul saw the irony of the situation and said that if the “rulers of this world” knew what they were doing, they would not have allowed Jesus to be crucified. The devil thought that by killing the Son of God he would win the final battle in his tussle with the God who evicted him from Heaven. But how wrong he was. He must have heard the times when Jesus predicted His death, with scriptures like John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life“. He must have read Psalm 22:16b, “ … They have pierced my hands and feet”. We know that the devil knew his Bible because he quoted from it during Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. But he of course knew nothing about God’s Secret Plan and the final outcome that would defeat death once and for all. No believer in Jesus, no-one who was a chosen child of God, will ever experience the finality of death at the end of their lives. Instead, as Jesus promised, they will live forever, ruling and reigning with Him.

But who were these “rulers of this world”? They divided into two camps, spiritual and natural, with one being influenced by the other. Paul wrote about the spiritual rulers in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places“. These were the rulers that Paul warned believers in Ephesus about, and by implication, believers who have lived ever since. As we know from Ephesians 6, Paul used the pieces of armour worn by the Roman soldiers sent to guard him in prison, as a template for the spiritual armour God has supplied for our defence. But these “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world” were behind the natural rulers, the Roman authorities and the Jewish scribes, lawyers, Pharisees and Sadducees. It is interesting to note that God’s plan was nearly thwarted by the Roman Governor, Pilate, when Jesus was brought before him. He had the power to release Jesus but instead he bottled it because of the baying mob before him. Pilate was in a difficult position and frightened witless by the situation before him. John played down Pilate’s reaction in John 19:8, stripping out the emotion, “When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever”. We know from another Gospel that his wife had warned him not to have anything to do with Jesus’ sentencing, and in John 19:10, we read, ““Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realise that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”” Jesus’ reply convinced him that He was innocent, and Pilate tried to release Him, but to no avail. God’s plan came to fruition and many people present at that time will find themselves having to give an account as to why they demanded the crucifixion of the very One who was sat on the throne before them, the One we know as the Saviour of the World. We don’t have time to review the role of Judas in all this, another pawn in God’s Secret Plan.

What about the “rulers of this world” today?  They are still trying to frustrate the Plan set up by God “before the world began”. Just in the UK, we find legislation passed to murder innocent pre-birth babies in a direct challenge to one of God’s laws. We find legislation passed to approve marriages between people of the same sex, again in contravention of God’s definition and requirements for Holy Matrimony. Do they not understand what they are doing?  God’s Plan has still some way to go because Jesus has not yet returned to rule and reign this world (Revelation 20:4). At this time the devil will be locked away for a thousand years and Jesus will govern this world along with the believers who have prevailed to the end. And at this time the “rulers of this world”, spiritual and natural, will have no say at all. Perfect government with Jesus the King.

So what do we pilgrims think of all this, and how do we live in these dark times, in our sad, mad and bad world? Paul set out our response to our leaders in Romans 13:1-2 and the verses following, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished“. Hard as it is for some to accept, there is a Higher Power at work in the world, and in our lives, and we must be obedient to our rulers. We may look on in dismay as they make an absolute hash of government, thrashing around apparently with no idea of what they are doing, lacking any sort of moral compass, and unaware that there is One in Heaven who can give them the correct guidance, if only they asked. But we remember it was God who allowed them to be there. Romans 13:4, “The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong“. It is extremely comforting to know that God is still the ultimate King and He is still occupying His throne. 

So we pilgrims pray for our rulers and authorities, for those who govern our lands. We pray for God’s people everywhere, especially those who are being persecuted for their faith. And we pray for ourselves and our families, that we will all be kept safe from the evil one. We remember that we live “under the shadow of [God’s] wings”. There is no better place to be.

Dear Heavenly and Glorious Father. We thank You that You hold the whole world in Your hands, and that nothing happens unless You have allowed it. We pray for opportunities to share Your Plan with those around us so that they too will come to know Jesus, the One crucified. And we praise and worship You today. Amen.

Before the World Began

Posted on by korgrocker

“No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.”
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 NLT

How is it possible that anything could be planned before Genesis 1? To think in this way though is to fail to realise who God is and His infinite capabilities. Mere humans are unable to get their minds around the fact that the Creator of the universe, God Himself, is not bounded by time and space. He has always been and will always be. Our scientists and philosophers also fail to appreciate that God exists, and so they dream up theory after theory about the origins of life and the universe, never considering, or deliberately avoiding, two basic questions – why is there not just nothing, not even an empty void, and where did all the matter that has formed the universe, and everything within it, come from. But unbelieving men and women will never be able to come up with a satisfactory answer, no matter how hard they try. Just by denying God will never mean that He doesn’t exist. Think about all those people in the Middle Ages (and even some today) who are convinced that the earth on which we live is flat. Just by denying the truth doesn’t make it go away. Genesis starts with four basic words –  “In the beginning, God …”, and that was the start of human knowledge. What was happening before the “beginning” is something we will never know in this life and I suspect we won’t care much about in the next because we will be fully occupied in the praise and worship of our glorious Creator.

The Old Testament says nothing about God’s mysterious plan devised “before the world began”, but it does contain over three hundred prophecies about the coming Messiah and His birth, death and resurrection. Psalm 22 even provides details of how He would die. But in the New Testament we find several references to when this mysterious and secret plan was put into place, before the foundation of the world. God knew what mankind would do and be like, and, because He is eternal, He could see the end from the beginning. Jesus made reference to the pre-creation relationship He had with His Father in His High Priestly prayer. John 17:5, 24, “Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. …  Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!” Peter was there when Jesus was praying and He would have remembered what Jesus said and we find another reference in 1 Peter 1:20, “God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake”. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:4-5, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure“. There is a more oblique reference in Revelation 13:8, “And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made”. Of course, as we know, Jesus wasn’t crucified “before the world began”, but In God’s timeless plan, His death was planned long before it happened.

Is the phrase “before the world began” of any importance or relevance to us pilgrims today? It may be a nice conversation topic (or stopper!) when we talk about Jesus to our unbelieving friends, but apart from that should we be concerned? To believers, God’s eternal presence, His omnipresence, is a part of His character, and therefore something we should take note of. Before God all human history and more besides is laid out like the Bayeux tapestry, and we have a brief glimpse of a small part of it in the Bible and in our history books. Even the smallest details is there before Him, something we know because we read in Luke 12:6-7 that God knows all the sparrows and the number of hairs (or lack of) on our heads, “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins ? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows“. As an aside, someone once pointed out that God doesn’t just know how many hairs we have, but He has each one numbered. Really? But we mustn’t be surprised because God is also omniscient (all knowing). 

To turn things around, what would we think about God if he wasn’t omnipresent. That would introduce a limitation to our limitless God, destroying much of our faith in the process. Our God is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Our world continues as mad and bad as it always has been since the Fall, but our eternal God is fully in control. Sin is allowed to take its course until the End of the Age, when God will finally bring His corrupted creation to an end, starting afresh with the new Heaven and Earth. But that is on the macro scale. There is also a micro impact, and that is with us pilgrims. Paul said “even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ”. Just imagine it. The omni-God thought about You and me with a love that is eternal, and he chose us. To add to that we read in Isaiah 49:16a, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. … “. There are other verses too that expose how much God loves us. So we mustn’t be surprised about how God is implementing His Secret Plan. Instead we just need to apply our faith and believe. Believe that God loves us. Believe that God made us and everything else in this world. Believe that God wants our highest good. Believe that through Jesus He has provided a cloak of righteousness in response to our repentant hearts. Believe that one day He will call us home to the new life, planned before the creation of the world.

Dear Heavenly Father. As we try and get our minds around what we know about Your Secret Plan, we bask in Your love and forgiveness, assured of our future in the wold to come. We thank You. Amen.

Mature Believers

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.”
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 NLT

Paul admitted that although he used plain speech when he first came to the new believers in Corinth, he spoke “words of wisdom” when around those he referred to as being “mature believers”. He explained further that the wisdom he used was not worldly wisdom but instead the wisdom connected to the “mystery of God”. Paul described the “mystery of God” as being ” God’s Secret Plan” that we looked at in more depth a few days ago. This plan of course was a secret for many years before Jesus came to this world. Apart from a few hints, the Jews had no idea when their Messiah would arrive, and their expectation of His mission was related in part to the political situation in which they lived. However, the Plan has still some way to go because it includes the Second Coming of Jesus. We have no idea when this will be, although we do know where it will happen and why (Acts 1:11 and Hebrews 9:28).

So why did Paul adapt the words he spoke according to his audience? One reason could have been that his listeners could either have been from a Jewish or Gentile origin. When speaking to Jews, Paul would have used the Hebrew language (Aramaic was the most common in those days) and his discussions would have included many references to Old Testament scriptures. At Ephesus, en-route to Jerusalem, Paul said, “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me” (Acts 20:22). But when Paul finally reached Jerusalem in the Acts 21 and 22 account, he was nearly killed by a Jewish mob who grabbed him, “yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles”” (Acts 22:28). A riot developed so the local commander of a Roman regiment ordered his men to restore order and “then the commander arrested [Paul] and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done” (Acts 21:33). Mayhem ensued so the soldiers took Paul to the fortress, apparently no easy task, as we read in Acts 21:5, “As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him”. But Paul persuaded the commander to allow him to address the crowd and “the commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic” (Acts 21:40). In the first two verses of the next chapter in Acts, we read, ““Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defence.” When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.” Then followed his testimony about his Damascus Road conversion. Paul’s words were full of a wisdom influenced by his Jewish upbringing, and because they were addressed to a Jewish audience. In Acts 23 we read the account of Paul brought before Sanhedrin, the High Council, using a wisdom aligned to his knowledge of the Jewish faith.

Regarding speaking to the Gentiles, we see the approach Paul used when addressing the “high council” of the city of Athens. He would have been speaking using the Greek language and we read, “So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22-23). Paul had done his homework and checked out what he could find from the local customs and culture. In both cases, Paul used his cultural knowledge to apply wisdom to the situations he found himself.

But what has all this to do with the “mystery of God”? Jesus could see what was coming for His disciples, soon to become the first Apostles. Matthew 10:16, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves”. Further down the Matthew 10 passage, we read, “When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you“. God’s mysterious plan exposed much about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and perhaps that influenced Paul’s words when he conversed with “mature believers”.

In Hebrews 5 we find some verses that identify the differences between new and mature believers. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). New believers, such as Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians, were those who needed to hear “the basic things about God’s Word”. We know that because in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul was addressing believers who had not yet grasped the basics of living in harmony with each other. 1 Corinthians 1:11-12, “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ””. Paul then went on to set out again the Message of the Cross to a quarrelling and factional congregation, who had lost sight of why Jesus had come.

Are we pilgrims now familiar with God’s “mysterious plan”? Would Paul have spoken to us with words of wisdom or would he have once again preached the message of salvation through the Cross to us? It’s a good question because we believers sometimes never seem to get beyond the basics of our faith. We come up against a challenge in our walk with God, and end up taking a wrong turn. But God is so patient, and He gently leads us around the mountain once again, bringing us back to the issue we find so difficult. But however and wherever we find ourselves in our walk along the Narrow Way, we know that God is there with us. He promised never to leave us and forsake us. Ever.

Dear Heavenly Father. We love you and worship You, deeply thankful for each day You grant us. We are especially grateful that You have involved us in Your “mysterious plan” and we pray for Your guidance and assistance in overcoming every obstacles that threatens us. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

The Power of God

Posted on by korgrocker

“For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:2-5 NLT

There are two powers at work in the lives of believers – their own power and the “power of God”. Of course, that puts us well above the prowess of worldly unbelieving people who only have access to their own power, about which they boast and apply worldly ways. But just imagine it once again; that power within us by the Holy Spirit is the “power of God” and it is insurmountable. Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think“. Unlike with our human own capabilities, there is no limit to the “power of God”.

Anyone reading the Old Testament will be aware of the “power of God”. Just consider God’s mighty acts as He extracted the Hebrew slaves from Pharaoh’s clutches. About how He fed upwards of two million people for forty years with a food totally complete with all the nutrition needed for life. That’s a lot of packed lunches! About how He stopped the rotation of the earth for a while (Joshua 10:13) so that Israel’s enemies could be defeated. About how he packed a boat with a pair of every living thing so that evil and wickedness could be destroyed with a flood. There are so many more details of God’s exploits, and no self-respecting Jew or Christian will ever deny the “power of God”. David was aware of God’s power and he wrote, “God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!” (Psalm 68:35). 

The Gospel of Mark records Jesus’ instructions to His disciples just prior to His ascension into Heaven. “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15). But Jesus wasn’t suggesting a powerless message, even if it was presented “using clever and persuasive speeches” as would have been the norm in the Corinthian culture. In Mark, Jesus went on to say “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed”. And the very last verse in Mark reads, “And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs“. So when Paul wrote that he preached a “plain” word, it was followed with some powerful miraculous signs that confirmed the truth of what he had said. 

This was also the case with the other early Apostles. A few days ago we considered the healing of the lame beggar in the gate of the Temple by Peter and John – Acts 3:6, “But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!””. Now that’s the “power of God” because there was no human power that could have achieved that, and there never has been any since, even with all the technological and medical achievements we expect today. But here’s the thing, the power of man would have made some crutches or artificial limbs, or if that wasn’t possible, the NHS would have provided a wheelchair tailor made for the beggar, and the state would have supplied benefits so that he didn’t have to beg. But the one thing that the power of man couldn’t do was recorded in Acts 3:7-8, “Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them“. Now that’s the “power of God”! And we also note that all this took place before the preaching of the Word, which followed soon afterwards because if we read further in the account, we notice that a crowd had gathered. There is of course no mystery in that. A miraculous sign such as the healing of the lame man that had just been observed would have had a dramatic impact in those days, as it would today. And we see the result over the page in Acts 4:4, “But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totalled about 5,000“. It was the “power of God” at work that saw three thousand men saved after Peter’s Pentecost speech (Acts 2:41) and a further two thousand after the healing of the lame man. Of course, it begs the question as to why such dramatic numbers are not achieved after the preaching of the Message of the Cross today, and it can only be because the wrong power is at work. The power of man can present a good “clever and persuasive” message, but it is only the “power of God” that will confirm the word with signs following.

The “power of God” is available to empower the lives of believers, something Isaiah was aware of. He wrote, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31). And this is true because we pilgrims have experienced that power in our own lives, as we go about our daily business. It lifts our heads, it raises our moods, it provides for our needs and so on.  The list is endless. And if we look back over our lives we see the “power of God” at work in one situation after another. God’s power is at work in the lives of His children, day after day, to the extent that we tend to get a bit blasé, taking Him for granted. But what about the exploits of God in miraculous signs and wonders? Should we not expect that as well? 

Some denominations and movements believe that God’s miracles died away with the early Apostles, but that is not my experience. My own daughter was healed of a life threatening illness and even the medics who treated her had to concede that this was a miracle, as was recorded on her medical notes. I believe the “power of God” is still present today for those who believe. There is the episode recorded in Mark 9 of the father who had a demon-possessed son. He said to Jesus, “Have mercy on us and help us, if You can”. We read Jesus’ reply in the next verse, ““What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”” (Mark 9:23-24). Perhaps we pilgrims need to believe what Jesus said, that “Anything is possible if a person believes”. 

We mustn’t listen to the enemy and anyone else, who deny that the “power of God” exists anymore. Instead we must continue to share the Gospel with those around us, always sensitive to the power within us, the Holy Spirit, who can and will do amazing things.

Dear Heavenly Father. Your power is limitless and we pray for more power in our lives, to do great things both in our lives and the lives of those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Weakness and Trembling

Posted on by korgrocker

“For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:2-5 NLT

What sort of man was Paul? We know from his dramatic Damascus Road conversion that he became one of the most, if not the most, successful evangelists that Christianity has ever known. Prior to this he was a very zealous Pharisee, intent on the destruction of this new sect called the Way for good and all. Paul, then named Saul, first appears in the Bible in Acts 7:57-58 during the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen. “Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul”. Paul was thought to have been born between 5BC and 5AD, and he was beheaded around 65AD in Rome. Although named Saul in the Hebrew, he had a Greek name, Paul (probably Paulus as he was a Roman citizen), and this appears in Acts 13:9, “Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye“. But there are many more details about Paul scattered through the book of Acts and the Epistles he wrote. It is his character and his assertation that he first came to the Corinthians “in weakness—timid and trembling” that seems to be at odds with this fiery man who terrorised the early Christians. 

Did Paul lack confidence or was he suffering from an illness of some kind when he first encountered what was to become the Corinthian church? In person he seemed to be less impressive than he would appear from his writings. In fact some in the Corinthian church had a complaint. 2 Corinthians 10:10, “For some say, “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!”” In the culture of his day, and in that part of the world, public speeches were usually delivered with great oratorical skills, but Paul wrote, “Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit”. That implied that he had the skills to deliver a message in a clever way, calling on all his wisdom and knowledge, but instead chose not to, relying on the Holy Spirit to speak through his words. Paul presented a masterful speech in the presence of King Agrippa and the local governor Festus, which we can find in Acts 26, and at the end we read, “At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defence. ‘You are out of your mind, Paul!’ he shouted. ‘Your great learning is driving you insane’”‭‭ (Acts 26:24). So although Paul had the capability, he was led by the Holy Spirit to say to the Corinthians just what was necessary. Jesus told the first disciples that when the Holy Spirit came,  ” … he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8). We pilgrims should note that it is our responsibility to deliver the Message of the Cross and then allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction.

But enough of Paul. What can we pilgrims learn from the way Paul presented the Message of the Cross? First of all was Paul’s dramatic conversion, and that left him with a deep love of Jesus, and all his zeal was then focused in spreading the Gospel. How is our love of Jesus? How zealous are we in carrying out the Great Commission? Questions that of course receive answers of all shades from different people. We know that our testimonies of the time when we met Jesus are each unique in their own way, but they all converge at the foot of the Cross, on that day when we believed Jesus’ message, what He had done for sinners, and that led to pilgrims everywhere putting their faith in God. I know some Christians who have come to that point in their lives, accepting the Message of the Cross, but who then stop there. People like that were around in Paul’s day, and he warned his protégé Timothy “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:5). Paul called such people as having a “counterfeit faith”. There is a question I have referred to before, and that is “if you were arrested for being a Christian would there be sufficient evidence to convict you”? There was more than enough evidence to convict Paul, and he suffered greatly for his faith.

How do we present the Message of the Cross, the Good News about Jesus, to those we meet? With Paul it was initially with “weakness and trembling”. It doesn’t matter what we know and what our background is. Paul wrote, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27). And so when we talk to others about Jesus, doing “weakness and trembling” is ok. We may be rejected and vilified but that is ok too. So was Jesus, and He was the Son of God. Paul was even imprisoned and worse for sharing the Gospel. a simple message delivered through our “weakness and trembling” is all that is required.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your presence in our lives and for helping us as we tentatively share Your Good News with those around us. We know that the time is short and we press on as Your Spirit leads to the next generation of believers. We love You Lord. Amen.

God’s Secret Plan (3)

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NLT

“God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfil his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”
Ephesians 1:9-11 NLT

Perhaps we pilgrims have never considered God as a Being who has made plans. Why would He need to, because he created this world and everything in it? In Genesis we read that he created with a word, “Then God said, …”, so weighing it all up, God’s plan must be for our benefit. Through His grace He has allowed sin and evil to rumble on in our world, something that has impacted and corrupted every aspect of His perfect creation. Of course, He could have eliminated sinful humans at a stroke, as He did with the generation at the time of the Flood, but what would that achieve because no longer could God enjoy His human creation forever? He could have created a race of humans that never sinned, but what benefits are there in having robots praise Him with artificial intelligence creating the words of prayer and song? So God came up with the perfect answer. He made a plan that would eventually bring about the race of human beings that He wanted all those years ago, a plan that started with the creation of Adam and Eve. In those days in the Garden of Eden, God enjoyed spending time with Adam and Eve until the day when their sin ended the relationship. So God made a plan and it would require many centuries of grace, forgiveness and love, to redeem a people who were riddled by sin and evil and who rejected Him, their Creator, at every turn. And as the centuries stretch into millennia, the plan continues. God will never give up.

God’s secret plan has always been present in this world, but mankind generally has been unaware of it.  The prophets of old had the occasional glimpse, and with the benefit of hindsight we pilgrims can see parts of the plan coming to fruition. Jesus and His Message of the Cross was a significant milestone in the plan, and that act of love, offering mankind forgiveness for their sins, and righteousness in His presence, marked the beginning of the End Times, as the Second Coming of Jesus is awaited, His final appearance on the world stage. We don’t know when God will finally sign off the final milestone labelled “End of the Age”, and declare that the plan is complete, but one thing is for sure – we are much closer today than mankind was when Jesus walked on this planet. 

Paul wrote that God’s plan will come to fruition at “just the right time”. God’s plan is to “bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth”. A combining of Heaven and Earth is incomprehensible to us earthlings, but it is all in God’s plan. We see how the will happen in Revelation 21:1, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone“. In the next two verses, John received a vision so incredible that it had to be true. John wrote, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them“. In Revelation 21:6 we read, “And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true””. And who will be living in this New Jerusalem? Revelation 21:27, “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life“. 

That is God’s plan, and we pilgrims, believers who have put their faith in Jesus and the Message of the Cross, have been allowed access to God’s secret plan. Paradoxically it is only a secret to those who refuse to believe in God but it is not a secret anymore to believers in Jesus. He has gone on ahead of us and He is getting everything ready for that momentous day. What happens between now and then can be seen in the pages of Revelation, and in places the reading is uncomfortable. Many people, even believers, have dismissed the last Book in the Bible as irrelevant and more a fairy story, but it is there for a reason. It shows that God’s plan is still very much work in progress, and the Book of Revelation is in three parts. It starts with a warning to Christians everywhere, and then follows this with an age when living on Planet Earth gets more and more difficult and uncomfortable. Things get very bad, but then we see the turning point in Revelation 20 after which things get very much better – unless you are an unbeliever of course. But God isn’t fazed by people who rubbish His plan. They will find out what happens one day.

The good news for believers is that “we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan”. God didn’t just formulate a plan and then hoped it all worked out. His plan included all believers, each of whom God chose in advance. Peter wrote, “ … you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession … ” (1 Peter 2:9). Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them“. God is actively working out His plan in the lives of believers everywhere. We love God from the bottom of our hearts, secure in the knowledge that we are an important part of His plan, and He will one day enjoy our presence as we join him, first in Heaven and then in the New Jerusalem. John wrote, “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:3-5). So there we have it. If that is not Good News for us, then it will be if we consider the alternative. We note that there will be no opportunity for a lukewarm believer in God’s Kingdom. Instead we will entering a life so exciting, so complete, that is totally beyond human comprehension. But in His presence we will praise and worship Him, reigning with Him as He planned.

Dear Father God. All this is too difficult for us to get our minds around, so we ask that You help us stay close to You as You bring all things together in accordance with Your plan. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Secret Plan (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NLT

Yesterday we considered the analogy of a door fronting an absolute priceless treasure trove, the key being the Message of the Cross. Behind the door we find treasure, not gold and diamonds, but spiritual treasure, of much more value, and that treasure is described in the Bible. Every time we open the Book, we find truths about God and His ways, and nuggets of incredible value pass right into our souls, equipping and empowering us for a life to be lived God’s way in His Kingdom. 

So in a sense, to write about “God’s secret plan” is to write about the Bible and all that is contained therein. The spiritual treasure there is tailor made for each one of us and we embark of a journey of salvation day by day as we read all about God. But there are some generalities that apply to each one of us, and Paul helpfully set them out with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his epistle to the Christians in Ephesus. We start with Ephesians 1:3, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ“. This verse sums up the content of the “secret plan” and it exposes just how generous God is by His providing “every spiritual blessing”. He holds back nothing, and through the Holy Spirit within us we are potentially invincible in all we do. If we can just get our minds around Ephesian 3:20 for a moment. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think“. We hold within us all the spiritual resources we will ever need and we are only limited by our faith and opportunity. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:12-14). What did Jesus mean by that? If we rush out into the street with an expectation that we will suddenly see the new car we have asked for, we will probably be disappointed. Even though God has supplied the power, the secret lies in asking “in [Jesus’] name”. It is only when we know His will that we can apply the power. Also, the key lies in “every spiritual blessing”. Even though God is interested in our natural world – after all He created it – it is in the realm of the spirit that His work will mainly be done, and in the hearts and minds of His followers. 

Of course, Jesus did many miraculous works when He walked the highways and byways of Palestine. What did He do? He raised the dead, healed the sick, casted out demons, fed multitudes, and walked on water. But these were signs of His power granted to Him and used in accordance with His Father’s will. He spent long hours in communion with His Father in prayer and fellowship, and received direction for the day and days ahead. We see the same power at work in the incident when Peter and John healed the crippled man begging at the gate of the Temple. The evidence can be found in Acts 3:6, “But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”” How was this possible? We see another key in Acts 3:13, “For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him“. The very act of healing the crippled man brought glory to Jesus, and everything that we do in His name will do the same. But we stay close to Jesus step by step, and He will lead and guide us to the times when He needs us to apply the power that God has provided for us, the “spiritual blessings” Paul wrote about. A man called Ananias appears in Acts 9, tasked with the laying on of hands so that Saul, soon to be renamed Paul, would have his sight restored. After some dialogue with the Lord, Ananias obediently went to the place where Saul was staying and we read, “So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptised” (Acts 9:17-18). Are we pilgrims in a place like Ananias, ready and equipped to do the Lord’s bidding?

In our own lives we have the resources we need to become more like Jesus. Romans 8:29, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters“. What a privileged and awesome responsibility we have, to be a brother or sister of Jesus. In our own strength we have no chance in achieving the level of perfection God demands. Instead, God has supplied for us the “spiritual blessings” that we need to achieve the holiness we require, and it is through His patience and grace that we have the necessary time. If we ask in Jesus’ name for this to happen, there is no doubt that He will answer our prayer. Peter wrote, quoting Leviticus, “For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy”” (1 Peter 1:16). And as we go about our daily lives, we ask one question – is what I am doing bringing glory to God? 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God“. 

So we have opened the pages of the Book, and have found some treasure, “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”. And we can see how the contents of “God’s secret plan” is unlike the treasure we find on earth, the silver and gold and precious stones. God’s treasure, as he planned right from the beginning, has a transformative effect and impact on the lives of ordinary human beings. When we cross the Great Divide, any earthly goods will be left behind, but God’s treasure will last for all eternity. Jesus gave us a warning in Matthew 6:19-21, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be”. So the question for us pilgrims is about where we have stored our treasure. God has provided it as part of His secret plan. All we have to do is open our hands and grasp it with all our hearts, and by doing so, step by step, we become more like Jesus, our elder brother.

Dear Heavenly Father. You are the God who gives and gives and keeps on giving. We praise You today with grateful hearts. Amen.

God’s Secret Plan (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NLT

Paul continues into chapter two with thoughts about wisdom, “impressive wisdom” at that. And there was no doubt that Paul had plenty of that. Here was the man who planted churches everywhere he went and provided for us much of the theology on which our faith is based through his letters to these churches. He never forgot his friends in the churches he had established. 2 Corinthians 11:27-28, “I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches“. But we mustn’t forget that Paul was an educated man and was able to debate with the best of the people he met. In Thessalonica we read, “As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people” (Acts 17:2). Paul’s wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures (which would mostly have been the Hebrew Bible in those days) was sufficient to convince many and we read, “Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women” (Acts 17:4). 

But in the case of the Corinthians, Paul reminded them that he “didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell [them] God’s secret plan”. All he preached to them was about Jesus and His crucifixion. The Message of the Cross is a powerful message and is the only gateway to eternal life. Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). But Paul also mentioned “God’s secret plan”. This plan of course was a secret for many years before Jesus came to this world. Apart from a few hints from the old prophets, the Jews had no idea when or how their Messiah would arrive, and their expectation of His mission was related to the political situation in which they lived. They hated being under the rule of the Roman occupying forces and longed for the day when the Messiah would come and throw them out, allowing Israel to be an independent nation in its own right once again. But there was that day when Jesus was crucified for the sins of man, and God’s plan was revealed to everyone who believed in Him. 

“God’s secret plan” was in the making right from the beginning. Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. But God’s plan is still a secret to most people today because they don’t have the key. Imagine a door into a locked room. We pilgrims long ago would have had no idea what was behind the door, even if we knew that it existed, but we didn’t really care anyway, being lost in our sins, unbelievers through and through. But one day someone gave us the key, when we became believers in Jesus, helping us to finally realise that we had indeed been chosen by God. And imagine our tentative steps as we open the door, exposing “God’s secret plan” right before us. A veritable treasure trove of goodies awaiting us, but, amazingly, the treasure was different for each one of us. And as we venture further and further into the space behind the door we find out more and more about “God’s secret plan”, tailor made just for you and me. Jesus said, “ … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6); the only way the door can be unlocked is through Jesus. Unbelievers don’t have the key, and because of that they have no idea of what “God’s secret plan” was all about.

God has provided for us an inventory of the treasure located behind the door, and we call it the Bible. This Book, God’s only written work, is packed full of precious nuggets, spiritual treasure designed to equip us for a life to be spent with Him in Heaven. Earthly treasure, precious stones and metals such as diamonds and gold, is just that, contained on earth. But we know that one day it will all be burnt up, so we won’t find anything of human value behind the door. In Heaven, there will be what seems to be like earthly treasure, as we can read in Revelation 4:3, “The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow“, but this was John trying to describe a sight so wonderful that he could only explain it in a form that could be understood. Spiritual treasure, such as we will find in Heaven, is very different, and of infinitely more value, because it is all about God. The wonderful thing about the treasure we will find there is that it is available for us today. God in His grace and love has provided for us the Heavenly things of spiritual value for us to access in our lives today. 

So we pick up this Book and open its pages. We find not just printed words on a paper page, but a sparkling treasure trove that describes “God’s secret plan”. And as we read and read, His words leap out of the page right into our very souls. These words may be difficult to understand at first, but God is patient, and to His persevering saints, fellow pilgrims like us, with open hearts and minds, His grace flows into our lives, making us more like Jesus, “to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. What an amazing God we serve; He gives and gives and keeps on giving because He loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him. And in deep gratitude we embrace all that He has for us, as we plod on in our journey to Glory.

Dear Father God, thank You for the treasure trove containing the details of Your secret plan that is Your Word. Please help us to understand as we mine the nuggets contained within in our daily lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Boasting

Posted on by korgrocker

“God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.””
1 Corinthians 1:28-31 NLT

Who are the “boasters” in society today? usually, these are the people, men and women and even children, who think they have something significant in their lives to boast about. Perhaps they are great sportspeople, with a string of awards for athletic prowess, being the fastest at running, or the highest long-jumper. There is much boasting going on after a goal is scored in a football match or for the winner in a boxing match. Or consider a bore at a social gathering, boasting about his success in the business world, or a woman boasting about her wonderful new house. In the academic world there are boasters who brashly brag about the paper or book they have just written referring to some obscure mathematical theory, or medical procedure they have invented. Yesterday I met a man who was a great boaster. Recently retired, he outlined all that he was doing, and he talked much about his boat moored in the Forth Estuary, his camper van and where he’s been, his motorbike and sports bicycle. Sad really, and the first thought that came to my mind was the parable of the Rich Fool, who tore down his barns and built bigger ones to store his bumper crops, and then said to himself, “ … You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). and then we read in the next verse, ““But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’” But all these boasters have two things in common – they think they are better than their fellow members of society, and consequently God has no time for them. Psalm 5:5, “The boastful and the arrogant will not stand in Your sight; You hate all who do evil“. Paul wrote about the foolish people who have rejected God, and with them those that boast, “They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents” (Romans 1:30). 

Yesterday we considered ordinary people, the majority in our societies, who go about their daily business with little, if anything, considered of value to society. They would be struggling to find anything to boast about at a significant level, although there is always something that could be found. Perhaps they could boast about having met a member of royalty or they have a certain number of great grandchildren. But the one thing that Paul singled out was those people in society who boast about their wisdom and knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1:20, “So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish”. These people who the world considers wise and knowledgeable have to work very hard to avoid being labelled “boasters”, but they fail to realise that in God’s sight such attributes are worthless because He considers them “foolish”. We read more about Paul’s perspective in Philippians 3:3b-5, “ … We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law“. In Acts 23:6 Paul claimed he was a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees, promoting himself upwards into the elite in his society. But in Philippians 3:7-8 he wrote, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ“. Paul got it, and his life was a living example of a man who had rejected all that the world considered of value and instead he started right at the bottom, on his knees, before the cross of Christ.

There is a sober lesson for us pilgrims today. It doesn’t matter what we have done or think we have done. It doesn’t matter how well we were educated, or what job we have, or where we have lived and so on. We have nothing to boast about because before God our human achievements don’t impress Him at all. Jeremiah wrote, “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). We humans always like to have something to boast about because, so we think, it makes us look better than those around us. In a secular society with many people, anything that somehow elevates them above their fellows is to be sought out and promoted. But not us pilgrims. We instead promote our faith and belief in Jesus, because this is the only wisdom or knowledge that is worth anything. And, paradoxically, such eternal knowledge and wisdom is thought foolishness to those around us and unbelievers discard it as being worthless and to be pitied. Such people, fully of their worldly boasts, puffed up with pride, will find one day that when they cross the Great Divide, they can’t take anything with them. Before God, they have empty hands because all the rubbish that they used to contain has been burnt up and not even ash will remain. God doesn’t need human prowess and knowledge – after all, He created it in the first place. The only knowledge worth anything is the knowledge of Christ. As Paul said, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Philippians 3:10-11). 

Do we pilgrims truly know the Lord? Are we able and willing to boast about His saving grace and love? Are we aware of the dangers of focussing too much on our human abilities and in the process boasting about the wrong things? One day we will be, and of course we won’t want to look back in regret at what we left behind. With Paul, we cast aside our human inclinations and ” … press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us”(Philippians 3:12b-14). Paul also wrote, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Am I labouring the point? Probably, but human wisdom and knowledge has no place in the Kingdom of God, and He has labelled such attributes foolishness. But along with Paul I am looking ahead, in the knowledge that the past contains much that could skew my faith. At every opportunity I will tell people about Christ and all that He has done for me. I don’t care much for those who consider me foolish, but the important thing is that I can hear Jesus cheering me on, and that is all that matters. And one day will I hear those words, “well done …”? I hope and pray that this will be the case, and I know that all pilgrims everywhere hope to hear the same.

Dear Father God. You are the only Source of knowledge and wisdom that really matters. So we praise and worship You, asking that Your reveal to us all that we need for our lives lived in this world. And as we journey on in our faith, we look forward, reading Your Word and marvelling about finding all that we need to confound the wisdom of the wise. Thank You. Amen.