A Closer Look at Scripture

Mark 12:24 – Do you not therefore err, because you know not the Scriptures neither the power of God?

    The Sadducees were very well-versed in the Old Testament writings and yet Jesus said that they did not know the Scriptures. Apparently, it is possible to read, memorize and recite verses and yet still not know them. This thought should alarm us and cause us to take a little closer look at our own Bible knowledge, and by so doing, this thought will also arm us.

    The condition of mankind is such that we think we know something when we may actually know so very little and even the small part that we do know, we may not know very well. There are two kinds of knowledge. There is one that says, ‘I know that because I have read it, or heard it’, and the other that says, ‘I know that because I practice it’. In our modern Western culture, we are immersed in so-called knowledge, we are saturated in it, and yet, we do not seem to be any better off. These Sadducees were saturated in the Scriptures, they had memorized it and could quote large sections, but Jesus informs them that they did not know the Scriptures. The ancient Eastern view of knowledge is described by the words, ‘Adam knew his wife and she conceived’. This kind of knowledge is relational knowledge; it is knowledge within the context of a relationship. We do not know someone because we simply know a lot of facts about them, we only truly know someone by regular communication, interaction and conversation. This is a living and active knowledge; not head-knowledge, but heart knowledge; not book-knowledge but biological knowledge; not organized but organic. If we do not come into this vital knowledge, we will err.

    To err is to be deceived; it means to wander or roam from a place of safety, truth or virtue. This is the human problem; we stray, we wander, we are easily seduced. Deception is the enemy’s greatest weapon and sadly, we have unleashed it upon ourselves. As a society, we have been infected with deception and the poison of it is spreading rapidly. There is now almost nothing that is not believable or acceptable to us. We have, indeed, roamed far from home.

    Unfortunately, the same is true for many churches and Christians. We have neglected the Scripture and pursued our own ideas of truth and how our lives should be lived. Jesus said that the cause of our deception and roaming was our lack of truly knowing the Scriptures, and because of that, we have not accessed the power of God. If we do not come back to Scriptural education and Biblical preaching, the kind that accesses power and produces a living relationship with God, we will continue to gain speed in our slide down the slope of error.

    I once read a powerful little story by Jack London called, ‘To Build a Fire’. It was about a man that had gone out into the wilderness in extremely cold weather and ended up being overcome by it and dying. In this short story London makes a statement about the man; ‘He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, not in their significance.’ The man understood the facts about the extreme cold, but he didn’t catch its’ real significance and meaning. It didn’t lead him to consider what that meant for him as a frail human. That phrase seems to fit here, and we could be like that man. We could be quick and alert regarding the facts of Scripture; understand the context and quote verses verbatim but miss the true meaning and how it applies to our life. The power of Scripture is released only when we understand the meaning of it, its real significance.

    I want to encourage you, friends, to take time to slow down and smell the roses of Scripture. Ask the Lord to lead you into an intimate knowledge of His Word. Meditate slowly on the words and think deeply about what is written. Stay with it daily, and over time you will quiet the noises inside and outside and begin to hear the Voice of God afresh. And when that Voice comes, so comes the power. Your eyes will be opened, and your understanding quickened, and chains will fall away. New hope and fresh possibilities await us as we come into this intimacy with Him. All are invited, all are welcome!

He is the God of all Comfort

2Corinthians 1:3 – Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

    To bless God is to speak well of Him, just as to curse God would be to speak poorly. What we say about another is likely to be one of the best indicators of our relationship. If I speak well of God, then things must be well between us. We are exhorted throughout the Scripture to bless God; to exalt Him and to lift Him up. When we bless someone that means that we take the limits off them; we empower them to exceed boundaries and go way beyond the status quo. Obviously, God does not need us to take any limits off Him, but we need to have the limits taken off our view of Him. When we bless God and praise Him our hearts are enlarged, and we can receive more of who He is.

    Who is this God that we are to bless? He is first and foremost, a Father. A father is one who begets life thereby giving a future and a destiny to another. A father commences the life but is also, committed to that life. He produces the life and then provides for that life. He protects, He corrects, and he directs that life. God is the Faithful Father.

   Not only is He a Father but, more specifically, he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This, of course, refers to the humanity of Jesus. As God, eternally existing, Jesus never had a beginning, but as a man, He did have a beginning and it was the Father who initiated it. When Jesus became a man by submitting to the restrictions of the womb and identifying with the natural process, He elevated our humanity; indeed, we have a noble existence and purpose. Jesus, the man, became Christ, the Lord, who brought salvation and made it available to all mankind.

    God is also the Father of mercies. The world would not know mercy if it were not for Him; He initiated mercy; it had its beginnings in the Father. He begat mercy and He planned the future and destiny of mercy. What would this world be like without mercy? We see some places in the world where the Word of God is banned and forbidden, and people are not given freedom to choose and these places have become places without mercy; consequently, human life is considered worthless. Harsh and inhumane treatment is the norm and people are completely de-valued. Of course, this happens also in our side of the world in many hearts wherever the Word of God is rejected, and freedoms are restricted. If there is no mercy in the heart, there will be none in the life. If there is no influence of the Father, then there is a merciless life.

    Mercy is what we all need but do not always give, no doubt, we have failed as dispensers and channels of mercy. The failure itself is reason for our continued need. Just as we are not able to breathe in air for the next hour, we can only inhale and exhale the current mercy. God says that His mercy is new every morning; most likely because we need it every morning. Even the fact that God created a twenty-four-hour day is a reminder of mercy. We may have failed today, or sinned in some way, or not measured up, but just as the sun will come up over the horizon in the morning so His mercy will be freshly prepared and waiting for us the next day. Fresh morning; fresh mercy; fresh start.

    He is also called the God of all comfort. He is not the God of discouragement or despair, He is not the God of hopelessness or gloom. He is the God of all comfort; that is, He comes to us in our discouragement and despair; He is with us through it all. The word comfort itself expresses His action, it means to strengthen by being with. How striking and suggestive this word is for all of us who have opportunities daily to bring comfort to those around us.

    God is the God of all comfort; He is the God of strength by presence. Just to know that He is present brings us comfort; it brings strength. He comes to us no matter what situation we might find ourselves in, or for what reason. He doesn’t come to judge or condemn, He comes to comfort, He comes to bring strength by His presence. He is the God of all comfort. He has comfort for every condition or circumstance and there is no comfort outside His reach.

    Today, in whatever place you are; no matter your choices, or your failures, or your losses, He is with you right now. Thank Him for His presence and breath in His strength and comfort.