May 12
4
Sign Seeking Hypocrites
Mark 8: 10-13
Nothing is more contemptuous than religious infidelity and hypocrisy. The scriptures tell us here that “He sighed deeply in his Spirit.” Here is the God of glory sighing, sighing deeply in his spirit, groaning as one in painful vexation of soul. Then he said, “Why doth this generation seek after a sign??” That generation so unworthy to have the gospel brought to it wanted a sign! That generation that so greedily swallowed the traditions of the elders, without the conformation of any sign at all, wanted a sign! That generation, which by the calculation of the times set and revealed in the Old Testament, might easily have perceived that the time of the Messiah had come wanted a sign. That generation, which had seen such great wonders and miracles, as were given to none before or since wanted a sign! What an absurdity! But religious men, without life before God are always absurd beyond imagination in their objections to divine revelation. God has spoken in his Word. It is the height of presumption to demand signs and proof from the Almighty.
Don Fortner
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OUR BRETHREN THE PHARISEES? Acts 5:40
Would you think it absurd for someone to say that the Pharisees and Sadducees were really Peter and John’s brethren? Do you think it more loving to say that their only problem was that they had not arrived at the intellectual understanding of doctrine which Peter and John had? After all, they verbally called out the name Jehovah, even as Peter and John. The high priest and the scribes were sincere in their teachings as were Peter and John. They each had the same scriptures even as most who call themselves Christians in our day. It would be too dogmatic NOT to embrace the Pharisees and the Sadducees as brethren, wouldn’t it? Most would admit that it would be an absurdity to say that the Pharisees and Sadducees were our brethren.
Yet, in our day many think the absurdity is in NOT embracing everyone who calls themselves a Christian. If a person proudly claims that it was their act of believing which made Christ’s accomplishment of redemption a finished work then it is as opposite of truth as the high priest’s hope to that of the apostle
Peter? For a person to say that the Lord’s hand is too short to bring his elect out from under the preaching of a powerless jesus to the truth of his glorious Son is as much a mockery of the Holy Spirit as those mockers on the day of Pentecost who accused our brethren of being drunk. Have you not heard? Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering (Isaiah 50:2-3.)
“But what is the least a believer can know about Christ and yet be saved!” The next time you are in need of major surgery be sure you seek out a doctor who asks, “What is the least I can know about surgery and still be your surgeon?” Those truly born of the Holy Spirit give themselves delightfully to know everything God will teach them about his Son because the power of God will not suffer them to neglect the King of glory.
We either have to deny the power of God or confess that those who remain with the Pharisees and Sadducees are yet in need of Christ. We either have to pamper our own sinful flesh or suffer the opposition we will face from believing and preaching Christ. We either love ourselves more than those we pretend to love or we show the greatest of all love by denying ourselves and being as clear about the power of God to save sinners as we can. We either side with the vain traditions and old wives fables of false religion claiming we were saved by lies or we denounce our former lusts and submit to Christ the Lord. We either compromise as did the Pharisees and Sadducees or as the apostles we cease not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ! When dealing with the sovereign God, MIGHTY TO SAVE, there is no middle ground! Clay Curtis.
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Consider Jesus– in Obedience to Human Law
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.” –Matt. 22:21
The obedience of Jesus, whether natural or moral–whether yielded to a divine or a human law–was, like all that He did, worthy of Himself. In no instance did He exhibit anything approaching resistance to constituted authority. Rebellion against Satan and sin was the only insubordination that marked our Lord’s life on earth. On no occasion did either His doctrine or His practice come into direct and hostile antagonism with the State. The example before us is striking and conclusive of this. We read that the “Pharisees took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.” They came to Him and inquired, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why are you tempting me, you hypocrites?” Had He pronounced it unlawful, caught in their snare, they would instantly have denounced Him to Herod as teaching treason against Caesar, and thus have evoked the rage of the people and the hostility of the government. But mark the wisdom and equity with which He defeated the design and exposed the craft and wickedness of His enemies, and in so doing, enunciated and enforced the moral precept which we are now to consider–“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” The consideration of the duty we owe, as Christians and citizens, to human law, may not be out of place, since there exists a strong and growing tendency to override all human law, and to ignore all civil authority, than which there is not a more direct violation of God’s word or a more palpable violation of the spirit of Christianity.
Jesus recognized the existence of the civil power as an institution of God himself: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Rom. 13:1, 2). Such must be our starting-point in all our relations to civil government. Recognizing the human ordinance to be of divine appointment, the question of reverence to authority and of obedience to law will not reasonably admit of a moment’s hesitation.
Jesus rendered unhesitating and implicit submission to both CIVIL and ECCLESIASTICAL law. We have seen it in reference to the State; another example is before us of His reverence for the Temple. When “tribute money” was demanded–or the didachma, or half-shekel levied for the religious purposes of the temple–He acknowledged its lawfulness, and, lest He should give offence by refusing to obey, He at once wrought a miracle, and paid the money (Matt. 17:24-27). Thus complete was our Lord’s obedience to God and man. Upon no civil or religious law would He trample, since He had declared, “It becomes us to fulfill ALL righteousness.”
If a law presses upon conscience, or contravenes religious liberty, the remedy is obvious–not disobedience, but repeal; not tumultuous assemblies and inflammatory harangues, but constitutional petition. The Legislature and the Throne are accessible to the lowest and most oppressed subject of the land.
Jesus taught us that subjection to the civil magistrate was not incompatible with reverence to, and the fear of, God. How skillfully He combines them both: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” As disciples of Jesus, as children of God, as Christian citizens, let us so walk as to stand complete in all the divine will. First, and above all, let us obey God. Then will follow, in the Family relation, obedience to parents; in the State, obedience to magistrates; and in the Church of Christ, “obedience to those who have the rule over us” (Heb. 13:17).
“Let Caesar’s due be ever paid
To Caesar and his throne;
But consciences and souls were made
To be the Lord’s alone.”
Octavius Winslow
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Hold Fast To Christ the Truth
Galatians 2: 6: But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: 7: But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8: (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) 9: And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. 10: Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
The apostle Paul went to Jerusalem in order to preserve the true gospel for the Galatian churches and for all the churches of the Gentiles. When Paul would not subject himself to the false brethren who insisted that in addition
to faith in Christ, the believer must also be circumcised; the lover’s of works did what the proponents of falsehood always do. When they could not avail against the Lord and his gospel, they then attempted to slander God’s messenger personally in any and every way they could.
Just as their false gospel began and ended with man so their scheme to discredit Paul began and ended with man. They pointed their hearers to men, to the fact that the other apostles, namely, James, Peter, and John had lived with Christ for three years; they heard the Lord’s sermons; they witnessed Christ perform miracles; they themselves preached and performed miracles while Christ was on earth. But what of this Paul? They pointed out that he never saw Jesus in the flesh. Their argument being, “So then whom ought you to believe: Paul, who stands alone, a mere disciple of the apostles, one of the last and least; or will you believe those grand apostles who were sent and confirmed by Christ Himself long before Paul?”
As the proponents of gospel truth always do, Paul’s rebuttal did not begin with man nor end with man, but was the word of God. He said, “whatsoever [the apostles] were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person (Lev. 19:15.) Paul said, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1: 8.)
Instead, of entangling himself in the trap of self-defence as his enemies hoped he would, Paul kept the issue of Christ’s person and finished work as the focus of
everything that he said. For the issue was not the honour of the apostles, or of Paul’s honour, the issue was the truth of the gospel of Christ.
Paul asserts that the apostles added nothing to him. That is, when Paul communicated to the apostles that he preached salvation by faith in Christ apart from the works of the law, they found no fault with his gospel. Neither did the apostles correct him in any point or make any addition to the gospel Paul preached. His message of free grace was so complete and perfect, containing the whole counsel of God, that they had nothing to add unto it. This showed that by the Spirit of Christ who revealed the truth in Paul, as well as his brethren the apostles, he was not behind them in knowledge and gifts in the least degree.
So the very argument that his accusers used to slander his name backfired. Paul says, on the contrary, instead of rejecting him, the very apostles which these false brethren pretentiously highly esteemed not only agreed with him in every point but also confirmed their agreement by giving Paul and Barnabas the rights hands of fellowship.
Brethren, learn from the apostle Paul. When the enemies of God’s free grace in Christ attempt to slander you or lead you on a rabbit trail always bring them back to the feet of Christ Jesus the Lord. Any other response will only turn your eyes, and all those involved, from your Redeemer to man. That is the chief endeavour of the enemies of Christ. As we see here, every argument waged against us will turn out to be an argument against the accusers themselves if we but hold fast to Christ Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life. Clay Curtis