Sometimes the teacher is taught the lesson

Sometimes when I am trying to teach my babies a lesson, it is I who end up being taught. Just this week I was taught a lesson...or reminded of a lesson I had learned a while ago, but forgot. 

I had noticed that my precious little ones were setting their affections on things on the earth. It seemed that all I heard from them was about money and what all they wanted to buy with it.  Even anger was displayed when they were told they would not be simply handed money so they could do with it as they pleased.

I perceived it to be an opportune time to teach them God's four basic purposes for money. I got out my Men's Manual, Volume 2 from the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

 I went through it during a Financial Freedom Seminar in 1993. Later, I taught through some of the lessons in the Sunday School class I was teaching. I probably studied these truths three or four times. One would think (at least I did) that I would have those principles down by now. 

The funny thing is if you don't keep them before your eyes, you tend to forget. I think that is one reason why Moses told the children of Israel to teach the words of God to their children. He knew the more they taught it, the more they would be reminded. 

Deuteronomy 4:9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep they soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.

God has four basic purposes for money. First, is to provide our basic needs. Second, is to confirm a direction in life. Third, is to give to other Christians. And fourth, is to illustrate God's power. 

As we went back over these truths, I was greatly convicted that I was not practicing what I was teaching my children. I had been just as guilty of setting my affections on things of this earth as my children were...and I knew better. 

I am thankful the Lord showed me my sin and corrected me gently. May I be as patient and kind in correcting my children as the Lord is with me. Our next topic of conversation at Bible time is "Learning to conquer slothfulness."  Uh, oh!

Let's get down to the heart of the matter

In Luke 17:20 a group of Pharisees approach the Lord Jesus Christ and demand that He tell them when the Kingdom of God should come. Imagine, if you will, Jesus is speaking to His disciples when this group of Pharisees boldly approach them, breaking up their conversation. I imagine them saying something like, "If you are the Son of God as you claim, then tell us when the Kingdom of God should come!" He briefly answered them, before turning His attention back to His disciples, describing for them (in the presence of the Pharisees) what it will be like in the last days.


In chapter 18, verses 9 - 14, Christ turns His attention to the demanding Pharisees and speaks this parable to them.

Luke 18:9-14
9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others;
10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.


When studying a portion of scripture, it is always helpful to know who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and what is being said. This is what we call the context of the passage.


In this passage, Christ is speaking. He is speaking to a group of Pharisees. Who were the Pharisees? They were the lawyers...the ones who studied the law of God. They knew Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy very well. They read it often and studied it. Their academic knowledge of the law of God caused them to be a prideful bunch.


When studying the word of God, one must always be aware lest, like the Pharisees he becomes filled with pride. 1 Corinthians 8:1 tells us that "...knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." The academic knowledge these men had attained caused them to swell with pride. The Bible says they trusted in themselves that they were righteous. They believed that by keeping the law, they were in right standing before God. They trusted in their own ability to keep the law.


Notice what verse 9 has to say about those who trust in themselves. It says they despised others. When a person is puffed up with pride there is an inseparable quality that accompanies it. It is a despising of others. A person full of pride looks around at others as being inferior to them.


The book of Proverbs has much to say regarding pride in the heart and God's hatred for it.


Proverbs 21:4  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.


An high look, or a proud look is what the Pharisee in the parable had. His looking down on others indicated that he had sin in his heart.


Proverbs 6:16-19
16  These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.


Notice that the sin of a proud look or pride tops the list of those things the Lord hates.


Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.


Had the Pharisee in the parable really revered God, really respected and held God in awe, then he would have hated pride as God does. Rather, he puffed himself up as he looked down on others. This revealed a problem with his heart.


Pride indicates a total flaw in the foundation of a person's character. The high look or haughty eyes relates to pride which looks down on others as if they were of inferior value. The prideful person looks over other men and thinks to himself, "mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" He comes to the conclusion he is it, and he goes around letting everyone know.


Jesus was revealing this truth to the Pharisees he was speaking to. It was easy to detect pride on the part of the Pharisee in the parable. Now let me ask some questions...


Did the Pharisee in the parable perform some religious deed?  Was he externally, morally different from others in society? Yes he was. He went up to the temple. He fasted twice a week. He gave tithes of all he possessed. Those things were part of the commands of God, so what was wrong with him? Why didn't he go down to his house justified?  He was not justified because his heart was filled with pride and he didn't see that. He had a high look which caused him to have a vain opinion of himself as he compared himself with others.


The source of his high look was his proud heart. A proud heart is blind because it cannot see its own true image. A person with a proud heart can look in the mirror and become so engrossed with what he sees, yet he is totally blinded as to his true image as God defines him.


The Bible says that all human beings who have descended from Adam are born dead in trespasses and sins. They are not born neutral, not innocent, not sinless, rather they are born dead is sins and trespasses.


Romans 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.


Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.


All humans are born dead in sins. Yes, they have physical life and can move and perform all the things of the natural senses, but they are born dead spiritually. They do not respond to the stimulus that comes from the things of the Spirit of God.


1 Corinthians 2:14   But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.


All a person born dead in sins can do is respond to the things of the natural order. Therefore, they do not know who they really are. They are self-centered and taken up with their own interests. That is the understanding of the natural person who is born into the human race. There is not a single exception.


The proud person, by his pride, proclaims his moral blindness. His pride indicates that the light within him is darkness. Whatever he possesses is inferior in the sight of God and is under the curse of God, so that every action and every thought and every understanding is polluted and defiled in the presence of a Holy God.


He is ruined throughout all his faculties. This is expressed in the scriptures as the sinfulness of man. In theological language we call this the depravity of man. More accurately it is expressed as the total depravity of man. When I speak of the total depravity of man, I am saying that his whole nature has been affected my sin. I do not mean that he is as evil as he could be. I mean  that all his faculties throughout his total nature have been warped and ruined by sin. His mind has been darkened. His heart is warped and stubborn. His will, yes even his will has been affected by sin.


The "will" follows the affections of the heart. And the affections of the heart follow the understanding of the mind. Since sin has darkened the mind, then the heart is darkened and the affections of the heart are wrong. Because the affections of the heart are wrong, then the will is wrong...selfish and prideful.


The Pharisee in the parable, with his prideful heart, had never seen himself as he was. He was morally wrong at the core of his moral being. Jeremiah chapter 17 points this out.


Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?


The heart is desperately wicked. No man can really understand himself and it is not until God opens the eyes of his understanding and exposes the sinfulness of his heart, that a man will ever begin to seek out a remedy for his sin.


Man's moral nature is attracted to that which is perverted and not pleasing in the sight of God. Even if he tries to use religion, as the Pharisee in our text did, and he tries to do what we would normally think of as good, he is still sinning in the sight of God. How can that be so?

Consider this…when God created man, He made man responsible to work and earn his livelihood. God gave him the responsibility to manage and produce his livelihood from his environment.

Genesis 1:28-29

28    And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29    And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you is shall be for meat.

Genesis 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Even after man sinned and his task became difficult to perform, nevertheless, it remained his God ordained responsibility to work. God did not remove the command because man fell into sin.

Genesis 3:17-19

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Man’s work is now burdensome. Every effort he puts forth seems to find that creation is working against him. Yet, he is still responsible to produce food, and earn his livelihood. God did not change.

The principle is established. Man is responsible and obeying God is a good thing. Then how could the Pharisee in our text be sinning if he attempted to do what God required of him in the law? The Pharisee in the parable attempted to obey the law. He fasted twice a week. He gave tithes of all he had. He didn’t participate in sinful activities and yet, God says, You are sinning in my sight while you are doing those things.  Why?  The reason is the motive of the heart determines the morality of the act. He wasn’t doing it to please God. He was doing it to puff himself up with pride.

1 Corinthians 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

The natural man is not going to church and giving his tithes for the glory of God. He doesn’t do one act for the glory of God. Even a good act of obedience is a sinful act in the sight of God, because he is not doing it for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Was that Pharisee going to the temple, tithing, fasting and living a clean moral life for God’s glory?  No! Even the good action is ruined because he is not doing it for the right reason. If the motive is good, the action becomes good. But if the motive is bad, the action is bad. Since the fleshly, unregenerate heart (the natural man) never does a single thing for God’s glory, then every single act the unsaved person does is sinful.

The Pharisee in our text was under the wrath of God who looked upon him with scorn at everything he attempted to do. Everything he did was polluted and could not be accepted in God’s sight. That is why he did not go down to his house justified.

Titus 1:15  Unto the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Romans 8:7-8

7   Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8   So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Pleasing God is impossible as long as a person is in an unregenerate, lost condition. Every act he attempts to do is sinful in the sight of God. If the lost person doesn’t pray, he is sinning. But if he does pray, he is sinning.

I know what you are thinking… “Oh, wait a minute, now you are going too far in that!” Consider the following verse and look at the principle.

Proverbs 15:8  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

In the Old Testament, those of Israel were commanded to bring their sacrifices to the temple. If a person had an unregenerate heart, his sacrifice was an abomination to the Lord. Now you can turn that statement around the other way and have the same truth as established by scripture. The sacrifice of the upright is his delight, but the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. It’s the same principle. If the wicked man doesn’t bring his sacrifice to the temple it is sin. If he brings his sacrifice to the temple it is sin. He is in a mess!

The Pharisee, who did all those religious things, was in a mess. If he didn’t go to the temple, he was sinning. If he did go to the temple, he was sinning. What was he to do?  Go or stay?  Boys, girls, teenagers, adults if you are reading this and you are in a lost condition you are in the same boat as this Pharisee. If you don’t obey God, you are sinning. If you try to obey God you are sinning. You think, “What in the world are you trying to do?”  I am trying to stop your mouth so you become guilty before God and see that all of your doing is cursed by God. That’s what I am trying to do.

Romans 3:19-20

19  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall not flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

What a terrible, terrible condition to be in as a lost person. You need something before you start doing all those things and you need to see that you are responsible to do them. However, you cannot do them in a way that is pleasing to God. The lost person can do nothing but sin and yet he is fully responsible for his sinning. Every day a lost person lives, he is just treasuring up more of God’s wrath upon himself.

Romans 2:5-6

5   But after thy hardness and impenitent  heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

6   Who will render to every man according to his deeds.

Every day that Pharisee lived...every day the lost person lives in a lost condition, he is treasuring up more and more of God’s wrath upon him. Everything you are trying to do is not helping.  So what can the lost person do? In Numbers 21 when the people realized the fatal condition flowing through their bodies they were told what to do.

Numbers 21:4-9

4    And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5   And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6   And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7   Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8   And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9   And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it on a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

When those people who had been bitten by the snakes realized what a desperate, fatal condition was flowing through their blood, Moses told them to look…look at the serpent. There is some unique, mysterious way that when looking into the understanding of an uplifted Jesus Christ, God opens the eyes of the lost and they see themselves as they really are before a Holy God.

John 3:14-15

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

As Moses lifted the serpent up on a pole in the wilderness, so was Jesus Christ lifted up on a cross. Whosoever believes in Him and what He accomplished at Calvary, will not perish, but have eternal life.  When you realize your sin has affected every part of you and you have a fatal condition flowing through your entire being, do as the publican did. He recognized his condition before a Holy God. He confessed that he was a sinner and he cried out to God to have mercy on him. He didn’t try to do anything. He realized there was nothing he could do but to rely on God for his salvation.

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”

 It was not in something the publican could do, but rather it was in something that someone else had done…and that someone was the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 55:6-7

6   Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7   Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Jesus welcomes such as the publican. He doesn’t say, “stay back and try to do better,” or “when you get your life straightened up, then you can go to church and start pleasing God.”  No!  It’s not through trying to get everything right so God will accept you. It is in God bringing you to the place where you cannot be accepted in and of yourself, but only through the finished work of Jesus Christ who came to save sinners.

Confess, or agree with God that you are a sinner. Repent or have godly sorrow for your sins. Ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins, and forsake or turn from your sinful ways.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Philippian jailer asked…

Acts 16:30-31

…Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…

The publican in our text believed God’s assessment of his true condition. He trusted in God for his salvation and went down to his house justified or in right standing with God. Only then was he able to obey God and please Him. The same is true for you…only when you see your sinfulness and need of a savior, turn from your wicked ways, cry out for mercy, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will you be able to obey God and please Him.

Repentance and Faith...gifts from God

        The question was posed to me... "if election was unconditional, then why did John the Baptist and Jesus Christ both preach repentance and faith to all men?" To understand why repentance and faith are to be preached we have to understand what repentance and faith are. 

        Based on my understanding of the Scriptures, I believe that repentance is a gift that God bestows upon His elect. 
  2 Timothy 2:25  "...if God per-adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."   I may be wrong, but I see from this verse that God gives repentance. 

Acts 11:18  "...The hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."   This is another verse where I see that God grants repentance. 

Acts 5:31  "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

        I believe the reason that all men do not repent is because not all men have been given the gift of repentance, yet they are responsible to repent.  There are just some things I cannot explain. 

       Then of course there is faith. Is faith something that man (for lack of a better word) conjures up? We are to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ...absolutely true, but can the natural man have faith unto salvation of his own accord?         Based on my understanding of the Scriptures, I believe that faith, as well, is a gift that God bestows upon His elect. 

John 6:65  "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father."

Acts 11:17  "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did to us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?"

Acts 14:27  "And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."

Romans 12:3  "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Philippians 1:29  "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

        For me it is clear. Faith is a gift of God. True faith...or saving faith is not something that we can cause to swell up within. It is given by God to those He chose before the foundation of the world. 

        No language could be more plane than that found in Hebrews 12:2 where the writer attributes the believer's faith wholly to Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12:2  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..."

A study of the word "author" will show it is translated from the Greek word "archēgos"  which means the one who takes the lead in anything. "Archegos" is derived from two Greek words "archē" which means beginning or origin and "agō" which means to lead by laying hold of, and this way to bring to the point of destination.

Jesus is the One who takes the lead by laying hold of us, beginning our faith and bringing us to the point of destination...our salvation.

Philippians 1:6  "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."     

   I believe that all men are totally depraved and unable to come to Christ. I believe that God, desiring to show the attributes of His grace and mercy, chose or elected a certain number of the depraved sinners to salvation. I believe He gave that certain number of people to Jesus Christ. "All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me" (John 6:37). I believe at the appointed time, the Holy Spirit used the preaching of the word of God to reveal to those depraved sinners their sinful condition before a Holy God.  I believe the Holy Spirit quickened their dead souls (Ephesians 2:1) and granted unto them the gift of repentance and the gift of faith. They repented of their sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and they were sealed by the Holy Spirit. 

        I believe that God is Sovereign in every step and aspect of a man's salvation.  "Salvation is of the Lord." (Jonah 2:9) 

        Some will argue that God must give all men a chance to be saved or He is unjust.  No, He is not unjust, He is God.  He can do with His creation as He pleases. He is God. He is Sovereign. Romans 9:11-23 sums it up. 

"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" (Romans 9:21) 

       Out of the lump of sinful humanity, God pulled off a piece and formed it into a vessel of honor (elect unto salvation). Out of the same lump of sinful humanity, God pulled off another piece and formed it into a vessel of dishonor.  
        Then some will argue if that's the case then God made men to be sinners. God did not cause sin. Sin did not originate with Him. Yet, God uses man's sin to accomplish His will which He established before the foundation of the world. 

       Some say, why do we preach then?  God will save or won't save as it pleases Him.  Yes, He will.  However, it has pleased Him that it is through the preaching of the word that men are saved. That is why Christ and His disciples preached repentance and faith. That is why today we must preach the same thing. We preach Christ to all men and we preach repentance and faith in Christ to all men. The only ones who will hear what we say are those who have been elected unto salvation. We know the carnal mind is enmity with God. We also know that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned. God has chosen that it is through the foolishness of preaching the Gospel that His elect are saved.

       There is much that I don't understand. However, I believe Scripture is clear that faith and repentance both are gifts of God. How God's sovereignty and man's responsibility work together may be a mystery, but they are both taught in the Word of God.

"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice; he will not afflict."  (Job 37:23) 

       Job chapters 38 through 41 show us God's sovereignty. When Job saw God as He is, he said... "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5-6) I feel the same way! 

       I certainly never intended this blog to turn into a discussion on doctrine. Its purpose is to teach my children about Christ and their need of Him.  There is a song by Chris Rice that is entitled "Come to Jesus." That is my hope for my children...that they will come to Jesus now and live. 

The End of Fear

"For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." (Job 3:25)


Over the years, I have thought much about this verse. I have thought much about fear. In this verse we have a man who highly reverenced God and kept himself from evil...a righteous man and yet he had fear. What is fear? 


The Word of God gives us two meanings to the word "fear." The first definition is reverence; respect; due regard. We see that meaning in verses like Job 1:1 where it says that Job was "perfect and upright" and was a man that "feared God, and eschewed evil." Job highly reverenced God. There are many other verses, especially in Proverbs that speak of the same type of fear. 


Proverbs 1:7  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..."


Proverbs 9:10  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."


Proverbs 10:27  "The fear of the Lord prolongeth days..."


Proverbs 14:26 "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence..."


Proverbs 14:27  "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life..."


Many more verses could be added showing this type of fear. There is another definition of fear found in the Word of God. The other definition means a painful emotion caused by the expectation of evil or impending danger. This type of fear is accompanied by a strong desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. It also brings about an uneasiness of mind. 


I believe this is the type of fear that Job was referring to in Job 3:25. The thing that he greatly feared came upon him. What was it that he feared? Some say the thing he feared was God's judgment upon his children for some sin they committed.  I can see why some would say that especially after reading Job 1:5.


"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts, Thus did Job continually."


Another thought as to what Job feared is when he first heard from a servant that he has lost his oxen (Job 1:14-15), he was afraid the same thing would happen to another part of his substance. When he lost his sheep (Job 1:16), he was afraid he would lose more. In verse 17 when he lost his camels, he was afraid he would lose something even more dear...his children, which he did in verses 18-19.  I can see how that could be what Job meant when he said the thing that he greatly feared had come upon him. 


I remember when Sarah's second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage how uneasy we were the next time she became pregnant. I was afraid the same thing could happen again. 


Whatever it was that Job feared, it had come upon him. What is it that you fear? What in this life causes an uneasiness of mind as you think about it happening to you? Is it the loss of a parent? Is it the loss of a child? Is it the loss of a spouse? Maybe the loss of a job? 


Even though Job was a man who highly reverenced God, he still had fear. I too have fears. Just because I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and am a child of God does not mean that I have escaped fear. 


Why do I fear? Why do you fear? I believe I fear because my faith in God has not grown as strong as I think it has.  Why do I say that?


Matthew 8:23-27
23   And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24   And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25   And his disciples came to him and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26   And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 
27   But the men marvelled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!


These men who followed Jesus Christ, who believed that He was indeed the Son of God, found themselves in a dyer straight. They were fishermen. They had been on that sea before. They had been in storms at sea before, but this time they feared for their lives. Why did they fear? They feared because even though they had faith, it was little faith. 


In Matthew 14:22-33 we see the very same disciples in another ship out on the sea. Once again they found themselves in another storm...once again they feared.  Somewhere between 3AM and 6AM, Christ came walking to them on the water. It says they cried out for fear.  Christ said to them, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."  To make sure it really was Jesus, Peter asked Him if he could walk to Him on the water. Christ told him to come.  Peter  stepped out of the ship and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. Notice what happened next. Though he had faith in Christ and though he was actually walking on water...something that is simply not possible for a human, he began to look around at the storm and the waves and he was afraid. He began to sink. 


Is it not the same with us? Sure it is. I am just like Peter and every other believer...I am human and prone to take my eyes off Christ and focus on whatever situation I find myself in that is causing my fear. If I would only walk by faith I would walk on the water, so to speak. Instead, I sometimes walk by sight and become fearful. 


Remember that fear is an uneasiness of mind, brought about by the thought of some evil that is likely to happen. When I fear, I experience an uneasiness of mind. I worry. I fret. My mind is anything but peaceful. 


Consider the words of Isaiah...


Isaiah 26:3-4
3   Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4   Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.


Fear brings about an uneasiness of mind, but faith and trust in the Lord brings a peace of mind. 


Proverbs 29:25  The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.


Consider David... How was he able to face Goliath, a man among men who was 9 1/2 feet tall and have such a bold confidence? Because his confidence and his trust was in the Lord his God.  David was a man just like we are. Though he faced Goliath and God gave him the victory, there were still times in David's life when he feared. 


Psalm 56:2-4
2   Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
3   What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 
4   In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.


If I could only learn to keep my eyes on the Lord in the midst of my circumstances and trust in Him, I would have no fear. Yes, there will be times in this life when we will experience fear. There is probably no end to the things in this life that could bring fear, but there is an end to fear. It comes when we realize that God is sovereign over whatever situation we find ourselves in and we put our trust in Him and rest in Him. 


Isaiah 12:2   Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he is become my salvation. 


Psalm 62:8    Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Because my comment was more than 4096 characters...

Just some thoughts...

First, I am not a Calvinist. I do not follow John Calvin. I do, however, believe the Doctrines of Grace, which Calvin held to. He also held to some Catholic teachings like infant baptism which is why I am not a follower of Calvin.

Second, Jacob Arminius, the father of free will teachings, was actually a follower of John Calvin's teachings in his early years. Later, he wondered about verses like 1 Timothy 2:4 and thought that surely "all" means every man woman and child. He began teaching that 1. Men have a free will, 2. That election was conditioned upon God foreseeing a man's faith, 3. That justification was made possible for all men through Christ's death, but was completed upon a man putting his faith in Christ, 4. That God's grace is resistible, and 5. That preservation is conditioned upon continued faith in Christ.

Toward the end of his life he recanted his teachings and returned to the doctrines of grace. Check me out and make sure I am right.

Well after his death, his followers wrote a paper or thesis stating the five points of their beliefs. Those who held to Calvin's teachings read it and wrote a five point re-buttle that came to be known as TULIP. All this took place well after Calvin and Arminius were gone. TULIP is simply an organized way of writing the doctrines of grace which were held to by many Christians, particularly Baptists, long before the days of John Calvin or his followers.

 Third, In 1 Timothy 2:4 when Paul wrote, in reference to God, "Who WILL have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth," did Paul mean every man, woman and child without exception?  If the word "all" means every one without exception, then how does that compare with Isaiah 46:9-11?

 In that passage, Isaiah writes of God..."My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" He goes on to say, "I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it."

There is a principle here...God carries out His will. Now, if His will in 1 Timothy 2:4 is that every man, woman and child be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, then every man, woman and child will be saved.

Unfortunately, we know that not everyone has been saved, nor will be. That being the case, then we must conclude that God's will has not been accomplished. If His will has not been accomplished then we might as well mark out Isaiah 46 because man's will is sovereign over God's will.

Fourth, Jesus Christ, Himself, in John 6:37 said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

We know that not ALL men will come to Christ. If it was God's will that all men be saved then all men would come to Christ.

I am convinced that the "all" in 1 Timothy 2:4 is the very same "all" in John 6:37-39 and that they were given to Christ by God the Father before the foundation of the world according to Ephesians 1:4-6.

Fifth, I do not believe that 2 Peter 3:9 is written to mankind in general. I believe it was written to believers...the elect of God. God is patient or longsuffering to the elect, not willing that any of them should parish, but that all of them should come to repentance...and they will because God accomplishes His will.

Again, if God is not willing that any person (meaning  all of mankind) should perish then according to Isaiah 46, they would not perish because God carries out His will.  However, we know that many have already perished and many will perish.

It all boils down to this... Is God's will sovereign over man, or is man's free will sovereign over God?

...ok, so a few thoughts turned into many.

Bro. Leland, Even though we don't agree on these passages, I still highly respect you. One thing is for sure, we do agree that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and that no man comes to the Father but by Him and Him alone.

To the lost person... if God has revealed to you that you are a sinner before a Holy God and are under His wrath, then come to Christ. He will in no way cast you out.

There are many devices...

The word of God tell us in Proverbs 19:21 "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." The word "devices" is translated from the Hebrew word "machashabah" which means thoughts, plans or purposes. We have many plans in our hearts, but regardless of our plans it is the counsel or purpose of God that will take place. 

For years I have had plans to care for my parents and Sarah's parents when they got older and required help. I have long dreamed of someday owning property and having three houses built on it...one for our family, one for my parents and one for Sarah's parents. I looked forward to the day when I could take care of them and provide for them as they did for us when we were young. I think it is just one of many ways in which we honor our fathers and our mothers. Believe me, I spent a lot of time in my mind designing the perfect houses...close to ours so we could care for them, yet providing a sense of independence. That was my plan, my dream, my goal. 

Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord stood. July the 5th marked the one year anniversary of the last day I saw my dear mother-in-love, Vivian.  The Lord had numbered her days and at the appointed time, He called her home to be with Him. On July 9, 2010 she went to be with the Lord. No man on earth had a mother-in-law like I did...except Dean (we shared the same one...our wives are sisters).  I will never forget the first day I met her, nor the last day I saw her...nor the times in between when we were blessed to spend time together. I dare say no woman loved her daughter's husband like she did. She prayed for me. She encouraged me. She loved me...and I seriously don't remember a time that when she went anywhere that she didn't come back with a little something she had picked up for me. 

I must  admit I have felt somewhat let down. My plans will not come to pass in the way I had dreamed they would. Just as it says in Daniel 4:35, "None can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou?" I couldn't stop the Lord from carrying out His purpose, nor could I question it...nor did I want to. God is sovereign and perfect in all His ways. 


In three days, Vivian will have spent an entire year with the Lord Jesus Christ. What has she seen? How much more of the Lord Jesus Christ does she now know? What is it like to spend an entire year without sin? What is it like to be able to perfectly worship the One who created you, saved you, and preserved you? These are the questions this enquiring mind wants to know. 

Now my plans have been changed. Lord willing, if it would please Him, I plan to continue in the pursuit of my dream of taking care of my parents and Sarah's dad...and his new wife. Yes, whosoever findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth the favor of the Lord.


 In the future my plans may be changed again. Only He knows what will happen. Should it please Him to allow our parents to reach old age and need care, I plan on being ready to provide just that. Should He call our parents home before they get old, His will be done. Should it please the Lord to return before then...even so, come, Lord Jesus