They Killed The Son of God to Bury The Truth

"Jesus gave them the truth and what did they do? They killed Him. The Son of God."

When Jesus was arrested on charges of blasphemy and ushered in before the powerful Sanhedrin, He was asked this question by the high priest, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61) Was the priest really interested in the truth or just trying to cover it up? Here is Jesus’ answer, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” This infuriate the high priest, “. . . he tore his garments and said, ‘What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?’ And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him ‘Prophesy!’ And the guards received him with blows.” (Mk. 14:63-65) Jesus gave them the truth and what did they do? They killed Him. The Son of God.

For three years Jesus’ spoke openly and boldly to both those in power and the common person. To some, His words of truth were received by teachable hearts that led to changed lives. But to most, they caused offense, irritation and anger.

Jesus publicly exposed the lies of the religious leaders, and confronted them with their corrupt behavior. They did not like having the light of truth being shone upon them, so they sought to eliminate the truth. They thought if they killed Him, the uncomfortableness He brought would be gone. Not so. For the three days Jesus lay buried in a borrowed tomb, His opponents were not rejoicing. They pondered the supernatural signs at the moment of Jesus’ death and were troubled when they remembered how He said He would rise again. It was three days of misery for them. Then on the third day, when Jesus rose from the dead, they discovered with great alarm how the truth cannot be buried.

Do not look down on these religious leaders and imagine we are better. By nature, all of us try to suppress the God-revealed truth about our lives. Our circumstances may not be recorded on the pages of history as theirs, but we are still no less guilty.

When God shows us the truth of ourselves, He often does it through our conscience, that inner voice which speaks when we have violated His moral law. When we pursue evil desires, the voice warns us, but in turn, we suppress it. We turn up the volume of entertainment. We give ourselves to pleasure. We go to great lengths to rationalize what we have done. We give ourselves to religion and good deeds believing that will ease our unrest. Whatever method we choose to silence our conscience, the truth of our lives cannot be buried.

And how does God respond to our efforts to suppress the truth? He says we are all without excuse. Through our conscience, He has written on our hearts what is right and wrong. As a result, this justifies God’s anger toward us. When He has made it plain to us what we ought to do, then do not do it, we invite His judgment.

What is our saving hope in light of this? Only one person can save us from the danger we are to ourselves, which comes from the just consequences of our own actions. When Jesus died upon the cross, He took the wrath of God for our sins, so we would not have to. He paid our penalty of death for us. And when He rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven, He sent His Spirit to wash clean our conscience and give us a new heart and mind. Jesus is our only hope.

A prayer for you - “Lord God, I pray you will help us to face the truth. The truth of who we are and what we have done. We are sinners and have sinned against you and others. We cannot cover it up anymore. Save us from your anger. Show us mercy through Christ. Grant us the forgiveness You have promised to those who call upon Your name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Authors of Our Own Chaos

"For governments, sometimes their own legislation and policies have brought chaos upon their own people. For families, sometimes their own moral and financial choices have brought chaos inside the walls of their own home."

There was once an ancient city that was affluent and a powerful force militarily, politically and economically. God said about it, “This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” (Zephaniah 2:15) These were dangerous words of pride. They were confident in themselves and thought they were invincible. But what they did not understand, is they lived not just in a physical world, but a spiritual one also. And in that spiritual world there was good and evil, and evil dwelt in the heart of mankind. And the common sign of that evil was the pride, egotism and self-exaltation they displayed.

Almighty God is an avenger toward pride. For there is only one God and He will not tolerate any prideful competitors, albeit from mankind or other so-called gods. How does God confront the pride of a nation, a city or an individual? With the weapon of humbleness. In His wisdom and sovereign power, with divine patience, He firmly but graciously, moves to bring a nation or a single person to the end of themselves, that they might turn and live.

When God employs His strategy to humble us, it may appear as if chaos has broken out everywhere. But to God He is wisely and carefully employing whatever is necessary to break our pride and humble us, that we would know His saving power and experience His everlasting peace, joy and steadfast love.

On our global scene it seems like chaos. Is World War III on the horizon with war in eastern Europe, uncertainty in the Asia-Pacific region and the always concerning Middle East? Will rising inflation rates lead to even higher food and gas prices causing shortages and national unrest? What will the future be like with Covid-19, ever growing signs of vaccine side effects and the on again-off again restrictions?

What about your own city, family or personal life? Is there chaos, uncertainty, things that appear to be out of your control? Is this leading to fear, depression and anxiety or to a double dose of determination and drive to overcome?

God once said, “For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.” (Zeph. 3:8) Why was God so angry? Pride! Because of mankind’s continuing stubborn and selfish pride, God in His anger at times, simply steps out of the way and gives people what they want. And what they get is chaos of their own making. For governments, sometimes their own legislation and policies have brought chaos upon their own people. For families, sometimes their own moral and financial choices have brought chaos inside the walls of their own home.

And what is God jealous of? You. As you turn away from Him and toward other things, He becomes jealous for you. He wants you to turn toward Him. He patiently stands with arms open wide, waiting for you. Yet in the meantime because you pridefully go after other things, violating His moral commands, wave after wave of chaos rains down upon your life. It does not need to be that way. God’s ways are better than yours. He is ready to take away His judgments against you. He says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save.” (Zeph. 3:17) Will you make Him your God today? In your pride you have lost much, but God says, “. . . when I restore your fortunes before your eyes . . .” (Zeph. 3:20) What your prideful disobedience has ruined, God can restore. He can restore an entire nation or just one family. Both are equally precious in His sight. Take hold of this promise!

Will you stop fighting against God? Will you stop running? Will you stop trusting in yourself? Turn to Him and live. This is why Jesus died and rose again. To provide you a clear path to a new life in Him.

A prayer for you - “Lord God, let each person examine themselves and reveal if there be any selfish pride. Let them examine their lives and admit if there be any chaos of their own making. Then bring them to humble themselves and make themselves low before you, asking for mercy to forgive their sin and restore what disobedience has taken away. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

When a Nation is at War

When a nation is being attacked from an enemy force, what should they trust in for their defense? The military first comes to mind. Relying on courageous and well-trained soldiers. The latest and most effective weapons on land, air, sea and even in the digital realm. But do soldiers, weapons, or strategy, courage, unity of the people, hope, resilience give a country all it needs for victory in the sufferings of war? Is there something (or someone) needed much more than all these?

There once lived one of the world’s most decorated soldier’s turned King. His name was David. He led and defended his nation based on what he learned from his days as a young soldier. As King, he once wrote, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O Lord, save the king!” (Psalm 20:7-9) Echoing the same ideas, he repeated, “The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue . . . Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. (Ps. 33:16-17,20)

As a King, David was not foolish, but well prepared for any attack. He had an army ready to fight and all the weapons of his day at his disposal. But where did he place his trust? For the defense of his nation and victory in the bloody battles of war, he trusted in the Lord God. The one who is King of all Kings, Lord of Lords and Creator of heaven and earth.

David understood the nature of mankind and the world he lived in. He knew there was an unseen evil and lawless spirit that raised up ruthless men to kill and destroy. Would mortal men alone with man-made weapons achieve victory against such a diabolical enemy? David employed the only one who had power over evil. The Lord God Almighty. A wicked tyrant can defeat men, but cannot defeat God. This is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was put on the cross by cunning and crafty lawless men. Yet three days later he defeated their schemes by rising from the dead.

The leader of a nation. The leader of an army. A soldier. A citizen. They are all fools who do not trust in God’s only Son to thwart the attacks of evil forces.

How can a nation receive this divine protection? Simple. Humble himself before the Lord God and call upon the Lord for mercy with a desperate heart. God always responds when precious souls finally realize they cannot save themselves, but only God can. Yet, because of our stubbornness, we often find ourselves at the brink of utter defeat before we realize that truth.

Are you fighting in our own strength? Are you near to defeat? Then are you ready to humble yourself and call upon the only one who can save you to the uttermost?

A prayer for you - “Lord God, you see the nations and souls of all people. Bring Presidents, Prime Ministers and Kings to call upon you. Bring military generals and soldiers to fall on their face before you. Bring dads, moms, grandpas and grandmas to be desperate for you. Bring them to stop fighting in their own strength and trying to save themselves. Lead them to call out to you to save their souls, their families and their nation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Living in an Age of Deception

"We live in a world where trickery and deceit are found in the home, at the workplace, in the church, in government. Everywhere people are deceiving and being deceived."

Are there occasions when we believe deceitful practices are ethical because we feel the ends justify it? Imagine having a great sense of personal conviction over something. There is a goal to be achieved, but there is an obstacle. It is something you cannot personally control, so you engage in careful thought about how to proceed. Things come to mind that involve trickery and evasive actions. After carefully weighing the options, you feel that because it is of utmost importance, the means of deception is fully justified.

Have you ever heard of the Gibeonites? They were an ancient people that lived at the same time as the Jews when they entered in to take possession of their promised land. It is a story of deception.

The Gibeonites heard about the exploits of the Jews, how their army was defeating one nation after another, conquering land after land by the power of the Lord God. In an attempt to save themselves, they engaged in a detailed scheme to deceive the Jewish leaders. The Gibeonites only lived a three-day journey from the Jews, but they portrayed themselves as living in a distant land. Their goal was to convince the Jews they lived far away, were no threat to them, then make a formal agreement where they would become the Jews servants, thereby protecting themselves from a military attack. Instead of achieving this through being truthful and coming to the Jews in surrender, they engaged in an elaborate scheme of deception.

God hates deception. It is a form of lying that produces division and distrust, while taking advantage of others for selfish gain. Deception relies upon self, rather than God. Instead of trusting and waiting upon Him, a deceiving person takes matters into their own hands without regard to God or others. It is evil and subject to the unbridled wrath of heaven wherever it may be found. God will show no partiality to deceivers. When the Gibeonites underhandedness came to light, Joshua questioned them, “Why did you deceive us?” (Joshua 9:22), then declared divine punishment, “Now therefore you are cursed . . .” (vs. 23)

Initially their deceptive plan worked because good men were deceived. The Jewish leaders questioned them carefully, yet neglected one important thing. They never prayed to the Lord their God who knows and reveals all truth. Instead, they foolishly relied on their own wisdom and gave way to the schemes of the Devil without even realizing it until later.

When a cunning deceiver confesses their lawlessness to God there is mercy. Additionally, when one who is deceived confesses their fault in believing a lie, there is mercy. God can redeem and restore what deception sought to destroy. Read the rest of the story about the Jews and Gibeonites from the Bible in Joshua 9-10.

We live in a world where trickery and deceit are found in the home, at the workplace, in the church, in government. Everywhere people are deceiving and being deceived. But praise God! Even though the deceitfulness of evil is a menace, Christ is King! Because He died and rose again, He is the victor! He will bring condemnation upon the deceptive but grace and mercy will abound for those who confess and repent of their evil. They will receive His promises of forgiveness, life and peace.

A prayer for you - “Lord God, examine our hearts and reveal if there be any deceitfulness. Have we engaged in any trickery to achieve a selfish end? God of all truth, also search us and reveal if we have been deceived by a cunning and crafty soul, that we might confess our neglect of seeking your counsel. Give us wisdom and discernment to live holy and godly lives in times like these. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”