RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15 (day seven) “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” (v 12) Have you been to one of those wok restaurants? You decide the ingredients and they stir-fry it up for you? Christianity is NOT like that. Not even a little. What we believe, what we teach is not subject to individual change or personal preference. Jude calls it “the faith once delivered.” Paul expresses the same idea. “How is it,” he asks with disbelief, “that you have the brashness to call yourself a believer and yet deny the proclamation of the apostles and church?” It is a bitter pill for moderns to swallow. The message is fixed and for all time. We are not free to omit the parts We don’t like. “How FIRM a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent word.”
Author: Don Guthrie
Don Guthrie is the Senior Pastor at FBCSA.
Knowing Who not how
RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15 (day six) “Behold, I tell you a mystery;. . . we will all be changed. . . in the twinkling of an eye. . .the last trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable.” (v 51-52) Mystery is the Bible’s word for something we know via the revelation of God. We know because He has promised, not because we can imagine it or figure out how it works. Resurrection is one example. Will we be young? Will we look like ourselves? Will our friends recognize us? (I believe the answer is “yes”. When Moses returns in the transfiguration story, he is immediately recognized–see Matthew 18) What we don’t want to do is limit our confidence in this promise simply because it is beyond our imagination or logic. We trust the promise because we trust the Promiser. “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”
The facts of our faith
RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15 (day five) “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that he was raised on the third day.” (v 3-4) Good reminder. Christianity is not, first, an organized church, nor a theology, nor a moral system. It is first a set of facts. A report that God has acted in the world in a particular way with a particular meaning. 1)Christ died. For our sins. He was a substitute. “By His stripes we are healed”. 2)He was buried. His death was real. Not a swoon. 3)Christ was raised. Part of God’s character and activity is supernatural, super-scientific, miraculous. God is above the laws of nature because He created them. 4)All as scripture predicted. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.” Christians believe/report these facts. Faith in them gives LIFE. Always has.
“This life only” Christianity
Re: Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15:3-20, 35-44, 50-57 (day one)
“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (v 19) It is subtle. Dangerous. A mistake I made for years. Christianity with a “this life” focus. Unconscious error. More emphasis and focus than denial. I just never took seriously the hope of a real resurrection. Allowed it to stay fuzzy in my mind. Unsettled. I hardly thought about it. Never imagined it. Not for me or anyone else. Until one Easter!!! The Spirit of God taught me to believe the words of Christ. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth; those who did good to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29) Christianity without RESURRECTION CONFIDENCE is not powerful. It is (Paul’s word) pitiful and empty.
Vital to the end
Re: Verse reading–Deuteronomy 34 (day seven)
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”–Norman Cousins Know anyone who is already dead? Not physically. Spiritually and emotionally? It isn’t inevitable. All of us die physically. Death of the dream is avoidable. “Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated.” (v 7) He was vital to the end. Never gave himself permission to withdrawn or stop hoping or volunteering. Walking with the Spirit, his attention toward God and kingdom progress was the same as when he was half his age. Maybe it is the fact that I turned 60 this summer. Maybe it is all the notices from Social Security and AARP that have been coming to my house. I am glad for the reminder. Life in the Spirit is infinite and every believer can be an illustration of this truth.
Seeing a future victory
Re: Verse reading–Deuteronomy 34 (day six)
It must have been like an IMAX. A brilliant vision of the Holy Land. “The Lord showed him ALL the land. . .and ALL the land of Judah as far as the western sea.” (v 1-2) Physically impossible. Even from a mountain top. It was a spiritual, supernatural vision. Moses’ sin caused him to not enter the land, but the kindness of God allowed him to SEE it and feel satisfied that his life’s work would be completed. Often God’s way. Most of us run only a short lap of a much longer race (think relay race and a baton pass at some point). We receive by faith the eventual victory that our sacrifices contribute to. “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance. . .God is not ashamed to be called their God.” (Hebrews 11:13, 16) Is your life contributing to a glorious future victory?
Life with a limp
Re: Verse reading–Deuteronomy 34 (day five) “I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” (v 4) Old story. Very old. The wages of sin is death. Every time. Death comes. A door closes. At the end of life, Moses is experiencing the judgment that came on him in Numbers 2o. We are shocked by this. I really don’t know why. The mercy of God does not exempt us from the consequences of sin. Not always. Not totally. Sometimes the mercy of God comes to us like it did to Jacob. We find His face, but we walk with a limp for the rest of our lives. Even prayer, long and real and pleading prayer, could not change the outcome for Moses. ( See Deuteronomy 3:24-26.) Believers experience both the grace and the government of God. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)
When I come to die
Re: Verse reading–Deuteronomy 34 (day one)
“When I come to die, yes, when I come to die, give me Jesus”–Jeremy Camp. For 12 weeks we have surveyed the stages of life. (Thank you, Baptistway –excellent summer study) We have looked at youth, marriage, the birth of children, family tensions and retirement. This week we come to the end of life–the experience of death. What will death be like for the believer? The biblical report is mixed. Some struggle–Moses still wanted to live, prayed for the privilege to go into the land promised. ( See Deuteronomy 3) Significant satisfaction–Moses’ last act was to teach Israel a new song of praise. (see Deuteronomy 32) Praise indicates the gratitude of his heart as he prepared to meet the Lord. The lesson for us? An end to denial! We will die. Unless the Lord comes beforehand, we will all experience what Moses did. Are we ready? What can we do, pray or resolve so that we can be? (Personal note–I will be so glad to be back in the FBC pulpit this coming Sunday. Looking forward to seeing you there!)
Like everyone else
Re: Verse reading–1 Samuel 8:1-10, 1 Samuel 12:1-5 (day seven)
“Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” (8:5) Serious mistake. Common. Wanting to be like “everyone else”. An expression of insecurity, really. Unconscious (and false) thought that other people are “more together”. If I could only have what they have or live where they live, things would be better. The problem? Israel already had a king! Just not one they could see. God was their king. Had been every step of the way. Present. Powerful. Competent. Compassionate. Wise. Better leadership than they would ever get from a person! But the people of God couldn’t see what they had, their unique calling, their opportunity to “example” this spiritual life to all others. Their eyes were too focused on other nations. Do I do this? Do I chase after possessions and security, just like everyone else? Do I recognize the unique opportunity I have to walk with the Spirit?
A father’s failure?
RE Verse reading–1 Samuel 8:1-10, 1 Samuel 12:1-5 (day six) “But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” (8:3) I wonder. Did Samuel ever ask himself, “What did I do wrong?” Did he ever feel guilty or responsible for his sons’ character or choices? The scripture suggests no such blame. None. Faithful parents can have unfaithful children. The prophet Ezekiel warns us against typical logic. The old proverb was, “The fathers eat sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge.” In other words, the father’s choices are felt in the life of the child–for good or for bad. Not always so in spiritual things. ” ‘As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son. The soul who sins will die.’ ” (Ezekiel 18:2-4)