When God's Authority is Rejected

Romans 1:28 - "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."

In Romans chapter 1 we see the immediate consequences that result from rejecting God. While it's true that the ultimate consequence is eternal separation from God, it's also true that there are immediate effects here and now for rejecting our Creator. In verse 19 of Romans 1 we're told that God has given human beings a knowledge of Him. He has put within us a conscience to distinguish right from wrong and a spirit that has a general knowledge of who He is. Verse 20 of the same chapter tells us that God has shown His invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature through creation. The heavens declare the glory of God. This is a testimony about God that goes out into all the earth. It doesn't matter what language someone speaks, it doesn't matter what remote part of the world they live in, it doesn't matter if they've ever seen a Bible or heard a sermon, God has revealed Himself within us in our spirit and without us in creation.

However, when a society chooses to ignore their conscience and deny their Creator, when they choose to suppress the truth in unrighteousness, God gives them over to the lusts of their hearts, to impurity (Romans 1:24), He gives them over to degrading passions and homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27), and the definition of marriage is thrown away. He gives them over to a depraved mind, (Romans 1:28), which results in us doing things which are not proper and being filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, being gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents (Romans 1:28-31). And not only do they do these things that they shouldn't, they also fail to do the things that they should like, verse 31 says, they are without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving and unmerciful. And not only do they revel in their own sin, but they stand back and applaud the sinful lifestyles of others (Verse 32). When a culture, when a society, when a nation rejects God He takes His hands off and lets them reap the consequences of their actions.

This is a bleak picture, but it's not only true in our day. We can look back through history and see the truth of this passage worked out throughout time. And there's probably no clearer demonstration of this than back in the Old Testament book of Judges. The book of Judges is famous for its highlights, the stories of Gideon and Sampson and others who were used in miraculous ways by the Lord. But the reason these highlights stand out the way they do is because they’re surrounded by a bunch of low points in the history of Israel. The book of Judges spans hundreds of years, and what happens is you see over and over the decline of a society. The people start to understand that God is in charge, His Word matters, we need to obey it, and then they forget it in no time. And by the end of the chapter they're doing their own thing, doing whatever they want and getting themselves into trouble. And that's why we have these heroes, because every now and then when it gets dark enough in the hearts and lives of the people they cry out to God as God is disciplining them and God sends them a deliverer. So we have all these judges, these military leaders, who help them out of the hole. The problem is they keep getting back into the hole. If you read through the book of Judges in one sitting you realize that there's is a depressing cycle running through the book. The Lord used Joshua to bring His people into the promised land, and yet once they were there the people continuously rejected God and did things their own way. So God would raise up a pagan nation to discipline His people for their disobedience. The people would cry out to God and God would raise up a judge in order to deliver His people out of the hands of their enemies. And what would happen is, the people would cry out to God, He would send a deliverer, they would be saved, the judge would grow old and die and then the people would turn away from God again and go back into idolatry and other disobedience. That is the pattern of chapters 1-16 of the book of Judges.

However, in the final five chapters the focus seems to change entirely. Chapters 1-16 deal with oppression from the outside, chapters 17-21 deal with corruption on the inside. There is no mention of foreign armies in these last five chapters. Chapters 1-16 introduce us to men and women who were used by God to deliver Israel from the hand of her oppressors, in chapters 17-21 there are no more deliverers.

And this final section of Judges is bookended with this statement that is found in chapter 17 verse 6 and chapter in 21 verse 25 - "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." That's the commentary for this period, everyone just did it their own way, and when they did it their own way it was disastrous, it was chaos. You want some examples of this? Well, all we have to do is read through these chapters, because they're replete with examples of everyone doing what was right in their own eyes.

These final five chapters focus in on two stories. The first, in chapters 17 and 18, zooms in on one man and his family, and their decision to disregard God's written revelation, a choice which ended up having an effect on one entire tribe of Israel. And the second, in chapters 19-21, begins with a man but before the book ends the scope just keeps getting wider and wider until the whole nation comes into view, and we learn here how messed up the nation was morally. 

Chapter 17 begins this way - "Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you.” So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." This is a rather odd story. Micah decides that when it comes to worship he can worship God however he wants. He sets up his own backyard religion, complete with pagan shrine, graven images, idols, an ephod, and he sets up one of his sons as his priest. This is only temporary of course, because later on in the chapter we find out that he invites a Levite into his home in order to serve as his priest. And what's the commentary? "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." So what's so bad about this? At least Micah is worshiping God, right? At least he's trying to be a religious person. I'm sure God knows his heart and accepts his worship, right? Wrong. It may seem narrow and harsh in our inclusive culture, but God had already set up some rules through Moses, and Micah, whether he realized it or not, was rebelling against God's written revelation.

We can think back to some things that God has said that are being broken in this chapter. Even in just thinking back to the ten commandments we realize that several of these were being broken. The worship of God was not something that the Lord allowed the people to figure out on their own. In Exodus chapter 20 verses 4-6 the Lord said - "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." Micah thought that he was doing something really great by making these idols. And I'm sure that if you had asked him about it he would have said, "Oh, I'm not worshiping these idols. I'm worshiping God. I just thought that these idols would be a great visual aid to help me worship God better." Much like the children of Israel at the base of Mount Sinai, as God was giving Moses the ten commandments, Aaron and the people were busy making a golden calf and celebrating a feast to the Lord. They thought it might help them in worshiping God, but God said, "Don't do it."

We can think through some of the other commandments that are being broken in this chapter, such as commandment number 5, "Honor your father and mother." And number 8, "You shall not steal." Micah broke both of these at the same time when he stole from his mother.

God had already set up some rules about the place of worship. Back in Deuteronomy chapter 12 the Lord gave very specific commands concerning the place of worship. This passage talks about going to the place where the Lord chooses to set His name. That's where you're supposed to travel to offer your sacrifices and conduct your worship. But Micah decided that it was okay for him to set up his own worship center in his backyard.

The Lord had already set up some rules about the priesthood and the ephod back in Exodus 28. There were very exacting regulations on who was allowed to be a priest. Yeah, it had to be a Levite, but that alone wasn't enough. And yet look at Micah's rationale after he hires a Levite to be his own personal priest, "Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.”" Micah thought that this was a great thing. And this is the commentary, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes." He thought that it was right, but in reality he was going against what God had said.

When we come into chapter 18 a group of Danites are going up to a certain city in order to kill its inhabitants and take possession of it. And when they come by the house of Micah, those who had gone out before to spy out the land said to the rest of the army, "Do you not know that there are in these houses an ephod and household idols and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you should do." The way they put that is so revealing. They basically laid out the facts, this is the way it is, these are the things that this guy has, now what do you think is the right thing to do? They turn aside and steal all of this that belongs to Micah. Why? Because in their minds this was the right thing to do. When Micah's priest began to question them about what they were doing, they turned to him and began to use more of their logic on him. They asked, "Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?" They ask, which do you think is better? And we're told in the next verse, "And the priests heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the household idols and the graven image, and went among the people." When people turn a deaf ear to God's instruction everyone just begins to live by their own logic. What's the commentary? "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

After the Danites left, Micah pursued them to try and get his stuff back. He goes out to try and get his gods back. Now, the fact that his gods couldn't defend themselves should've given him a clue that they weren't worth anything. But after he realizes that the Danites are too strong for him he returns home empty handed.

And after they settled into their territory we're told, "And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land." One whole tribe decided that they could set up worship however they wanted. They disregarded the Word of the Lord, they said, "This seems good to me." And then they did it. "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

Well, the rules of worship, these were specific things that the Lord had revealed. Yeah, they should have known them, but they didn't. Or if they did they simply chose to do things their own way rather than God's way. But when we come into chapter 19 we find them rebelling, not only against God's written revelation but also against the order of creation itself.

When we come to chapter 19 the scene opens with an unnamed Levite traveling to the town of Bethlehem in order to retrieve his concubine who played the harlot against him. And as he retrieves her and they begin to travel back together to the hill country of Ephraim the sun begins to set and they start to look for a place to stay the night. And the man was careful not to enter a town of foreigners, but wanted to make sure that they stayed among the people of Israel. So they traveled until they came to a town named Gibeah. And as they entered, a man of the town was coming in from the field, he saw them in the open square and he invited them to stay with him. And then we have flashback to the story of Lot in the book of Genesis. You'll remember that when angels came into the city of Sodom in order to warn Lot about the impending judgment, the men of the city stormed the door of his house and demanded that they be brought out to them. And that's what happens here in Gibeah. Only this time it's not the pagan nation of Sodom, these are Israelites. These Benjamites gather at the door of the house and demand that the man be brought out to them in order that they might have relations with him. And this time all the people at the door are not struck with blindness while the family is led out safely, as in the case of Lot. No, this time the man takes his concubine, casts her out to them and then goes to bed. And they abused her all night long and ended up killing her. So when the man got up in the morning, he took her body, cut it up into twelve pieces and sent it out to each of the tribes of Israel.

How could things get this bad? Well, remember, "In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes." When they decided that they could determine right and wrong, when everyone did what was right in his own eyes, God gave them over to it. As Romans 1 says, "God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them...God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts." When a society rejects God and suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, God gives them over to it and allows them to reap the consequences.

Well, after seeing what happened the nation of Israel gathered together as one man and determined to punish the tribe of Benjamin for their wickedness. And they ended up wiping out almost the entire tribe, including women and children. Only 600 men were left. And then they had a problem, because they had all taken a vow not to give any of their daughters to Benjamin as a wife. So what could they do? Judges 21:16-23 - "Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. But we cannot give them wives of our daughters.” For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.” So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.” And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. It shall come about, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we shall say to them, ‘Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin a wife in battle, nor did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’” The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they carried away. And they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and lived in them." Wow. So, the nation as a whole decides that each man of Benjamin should go up to this feast, pick out whichever girl he fancy, toss her over his shoulder and carry her home to be his wife. This is not God's design for marriage. And yet they're doing it with the consent of the entire nation. The men of Benjamin are mistreating these girls with the consent of the entire nation. And yet why did they find themselves in this situation in the first place? Because some of the men of Benjamin mistreated and wound up killing one woman. Was that wrong? Absolutely. And the eleven other tribes punished them for it. But then what? The eleven tribes instruct them to go up and carry of other women to be their wives. Is that wrong? Absolutely. But this time they have the majority approves. This is complete chaos. These chapters do not feel good. If you're looking to get a warm feeling inside from reading your Bible then stay away from the last five chapters of Judges. But what is the commentary on all of this? The last verse of the book of Judges, 21:25, rounds out this bad chapter of Israel's history by saying - "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Does this sound contemporary? God has given us a standard but it seems like everyone just wants to make their own. And when people choose to reject God’s standard and create their own, society just falls apart. Proverbs 14:12 says - “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Any time we rebel against the Lords standards it leads ultimately to death. It may seem good to us, but it leads to death.

God gave His people so much instruction and they chose simply to ignore it. They decided they wanted to do things their own way. They decided that they knew what was best and it just kept going from bad to worse. "In those days there was no king in Israel; Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." But this isn't too far off from what we see around us today, is it? God has given us so much instruction, and we've decided that we have a better idea on how to live life. You want to talk about roads to God, the definition of marriage, the issue of abortion, you want to talk about a good work ethic, how to run your business, how to manage your family, how to respond to government? It's all right here. God has given us so much instruction. He has provided, as Second Peter 1 says, everything we need for life and godliness. But in so many areas our culture has decided that we have a better idea. The Bible is antiquated. In our advanced culture, we have a better way to do it. And in a culture that has lost its moorings, where everyone is doing what's right in their own eyes, where the standard of truth has been tossed out the window, we need to reaffirm our commitment to the Word of God.

Even when the rest of the world is using a skewed standard, we need to determine that our decisions are going to be based on what God says, because that is the ultimate standard.

Judges 21:25 - "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

Psalm 116:17 - "To Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord."

In select portions throughout the Bible we read of a "sacrifice of thanksgiving." In the verse above the psalmists says that he will offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, but what does that look like? How do we offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving? Sure, we're thankful to God, and we give Him thanks often for the many blessings that He has given us, but is that really a sacrifice? Sacrifice, the very word, implies giving up something completely. It implies cost. You'll remember that near the end of the reign of king David, the Lord was disciplining Israel on account of David’s sin. And at the command of the Lord, David went up to the threshing floor of a man by the name of Ornan the Jebusite, in order that he might offer a sacrifice to God. And as the king approached Ornan and asked to buy his threshing floor and the oxen for the burnt offering Ornan said, basically, “It’s yours. I’ll give it to you. Take the threshing floor, and take the oxen too. After all, you are the king.” But we read in 1 Chronicles 21:24 - "But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”" David wasn't going to offer God something that cost him nothing. If there is no personal cost than you're not really making a sacrifice. With that in mind, what does it mean to offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving? The Bible talks a lot about thanksgiving, and perhaps as we travel to many of these different passages of Scripture we will discover what it truly means to offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving in order that we may be sure not to offer to God that which costs us nothing. 
In Psalm chapter 50 the Lord is talking about how He owns everything. He doesn’t require the animals out of our flocks, He doesn’t ask for burnt offerings because He’s hungry and needs something to satisfy His appetite, if that were the case, He says, He wouldn’t even tell us, because He already owns everything, the cattle on a thousand hills. So what does He want from us? He says in verse 14 - "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High.” And there are numerous verses throughout the Scripture that make it pretty clear that God wants us to come before Him with thanksgiving for who He is and for what He has done. But when someone does something for us we often say something like "How can I show you my appreciation?" We don't just want to say "thank you" because talk is cheap, it costs us nothing. But we really want them to know that we're thankful and so we want to show it to them in some way. We don’t want to offer a “thank you” that costs us nothing. How much more should we desire to show God our appreciation for all that He is and for all that He has done. In Him we live and move and exist, He has called us to Himself with a holy calling, He paid our debt which we could never pay and He paid it with His own blood. He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His dear Son. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ, and He has done so much more for us than we could ever understand. We shouldn't be content to simply say "thank You" for all that He has done for us, but we should desire to show Him our appreciation and offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and that's exactly what Scripture tells us.

In Psalm chapter 100 we’re instructed to, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Where’s the cost there? Time, I guess. In order to enter His gates and His courts it’s going to take time, time which we could be devoting to something else.
In Hebrews chapter 12 the writer is talking about what we have in Christ and how it's far better than the things of this world because it's eternal rather than temporary, and he says in verse 28 - "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and godly fear." What’s the cost here? Effort. Energy. Strength. In order to demonstrate our gratitude we offer ourselves to Him in order to be used by Him. That ties in to what Romans 12 talks about, presenting our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The proper response to all that Christ is and all that He has done is to offer ourselves to serve Him. That's a sacrifice of thanksgiving because it costs something. It costs us our lives. Giving all that we have and all that we are, unreservedly to Him to use for His own purpose is costly.

In Hebrews 13:15-16 we read - "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." So here are a few ways that a sacrifice of thanksgiving will manifest itself. It manifests itself in praise and thanksgiving to God out of our lips, that’s certainly part of it. But it also manifests itself in doing good and sharing. What’s that gonna cost? Well, that might cost me going against what I want to do. Doing good and sharing are often inconvenient. I don’t often feel like doing good. So a sacrifice of thanksgiving involves denying myself. Sharing obviously involves giving up something that I have, so it’s going to cost my possessions.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we're instructed - "In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Gods will for us is that we give thanks to Him in everything, or in all circumstances. In Ephesians 5:20 we read - "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father." What is the cost of giving thanks for everything and in all circumstances? In order for us to be able to do this we need to deny ourselves. We will often need to give up our natural, negative reaction when things are tough. We may even need to sacrifice our own logic and understanding. What do I mean by that? Well, I want to quote for you a section of Corrie Ten Boom’s "the hiding place." Because in this particular account she tells of a time in her life when she had to deny her own logic and understanding in order to thank God for something that she saw no use for. She and her family were imprisoned by Nazi Germany during the Second World War for hiding Jews in their home. In the following account she tells of a time when she and her sister Betsie were moved from the local prison and into a concentration camp.
"Betsie and I followed a prisoner-guide through the door at the right. Because of the broken windows, the vast room was in semi-twilight. Our noses told us, first, that the place was filthy: somewhere, plumbing had backed up, the bedding was soiled and rancid. Then as our eyes adjusted to the gloom we saw that there were no individual beds at all, but great square tiers stacked three high, and wedged side by side and end to end with only an occasional narrow aisle slicing through. We followed our guide single file--the aisle was not wide enough for two--fighting back the claustrophobia of these platforms rising everywhere above us...At last she pointed to a second tier in the center of a large block. To reach it, we had to stand on the bottom level, haul ourselves up, and then crawl across three other straw-covered platforms to reach the one that we would share with--how many? The deck above us was too close to let us sit up. We lay back, struggling against the nausea that swept over us from the reeking straw...Suddenly I sat up, striking my head on the cross-slats above. Something had pinched my leg. 'Fleas!' I cried. 'Betsie, the place is swarming with them!' We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle and hedged our way to a patch of light. 'Here! And here another one!' I wailed. 'Betsie, how can we live in such a place!' 'Show us. Show us how.' It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie. 'Corrie!' she said excitedly. 'He's given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!' I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch. 'It was in First Thessalonians,' I said. In the feeble light I turned the pages. 'Here it is: "Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.'" 'That's it, Corrie! That's His answer. "Give thanks in all circumstances!" That's what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!' I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room. 'Such as?' I said. 'Such as being assigned here together.' I bit my lip. 'Oh yes, Lord Jesus!' 'Such as what you're holding in your hands.' I looked down at the Bible. 'Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all these women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.' 'Yes,' said Betsie, 'Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!' She looked at me expectantly. 'Corrie!' she prodded. 'Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed suffocating crowds.' 'Thank You,' Betsie went on serenely, 'for the fleas and for--' The fleas! This was too much. 'Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.' 'Give thanks in all circumstances,' she quoted. It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us. And so we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong."
She continues further on in the chapter - "Betsie and I made our way to the rear of the dormitory room where we held our worship "service." Around our own platform area there was not enough light to read the Bible, but back here a small light bulb cast a wan yellow circle on the wall, and here an ever larger group of women gathered. They were services like no others, these times in Barracks 28. At first Betsie and I called these meetings with great timidity. But as night after night went by and no guard ever came near us, we grew bolder. So many now wanted to join us that we held a second service after evening roll call. There on the camp street we were under rigid surveillance, guards in their warm wool capes marching constantly up and down. It was the same in the center room of the barracks: half a dozen guards or camp police always present. Yet in the large dormitory room there was almost no supervision at all. We did not understand it. One evening I got back to the barracks late from a wood-gathering foray outside the walls. A light snow lay on the ground and it was hard to find the sticks and twigs with which a small stove was kept going in each room. Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling. 'You're looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself,' I told her. 'You know, we've never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,' she said. 'Well--I've found out.' That afternoon, she said, there'd been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they'd asked the supervisor to come and settle it. But she wouldn't. She wouldn't step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why? Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: 'Because of the fleas! That's what she said, "That place is crawling with fleas!'" My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie's bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for."

That's an amazing illustration of these verses. God expects our sacrifice of thanksgiving in every circumstance, even when we don't understand why. It wasn't easy for these women to thank God for their extremely hard circumstances, but by faith they did what Gods word says and later God showed them His reason, at least in part. They were willing to sacrifice their own logic and understanding in order to thank God for fleas. They could have sat back and wallowed in self-pity, that would have been the natural thing to do. But they were willing to sacrifice their own self-pity in order to thank God. That is truly a sacrifice of thanksgiving and it puts me to shame. How often do I hold on to my self-pity because something didn't go my way? How often do I resort to grumbling and complaining because I was a little inconvenienced? Wouldn't it be far better to deny ourselves, deny our feelings and emotions, and instead offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God? Can we really live this way? With God's help we can. We need to ask God to give us the proper perspective, and the faith to recognize that God can even use fleas for His glory and our good. We need to deny ourselves and recognize that life isn't about our comfort or pleasure, there's a bigger picture. Who knows how many women will be in heaven simply because that barracks was infested with fleas. And how rewarding must it have been to know that they were willing to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving even when they didn't see the bigger picture. Lord, increase our faith.

Colossians 3:15-17 - "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

God's Authority as Creator

Revelation 4:11 - "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."

God is in charge, not only because of who He is, but also because of what He has done. When you open the Word of God the first words you read are "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." God is introduced to us as the Creator. If God is the Creator then that has huge implications.

Psalm 24:1 says - "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." God claims ownership on the world. Why does the earth belong to Him? How can He claim ownership? Verse 2 goes on to say "For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers." Simply put, the world and everything in it belong to Him because He is the Creator. And it follows that the one who created the universe has the right to make the rules.

Suppose that I make up a board game, I draw up a board, carve out some pieces, make up some cards, and make some rules for playing and winning, and we sit down together to play my game. Now, as we go along you start to do something that is against my rules, so I say to you, “You can’t do that.” You say, “Why not?” And I say, “Because it’s against my rules.” “Well why do you get to make the rules?” “Because I made the game.” Makes sense, right? If you want to make the rules then you need to make your own game. And it works the same way in the universe. God made the universe so He gets to make the rules. If you want to make the rules then you need to make your own universe and then you can be in charge. But as long as you live in God’s universe you need to play by God’s rules. Oh, you can choose to break the rules if you want, but there are always consequences for breaking the rules. In playing a sport you can be disqualified for breaking the rules. In the universe the consequences for breaking God’s rules are much more serious. God is in charge and He makes the rules.

Back in the book of Deuteronomy the Lord told His people that His expectation for them was that they would obey Him. In fact, it was more than an expectation, it was a requirement. In Deuteronomy 10:12-13 we read - "Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?" How is it that God could require such a thing? Verse 14 tells us - "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it." He can require us to keep His commandments because we're living on His property. Anyone who has ever rented an apartment understands this logic. The renter will lay down certain rules that you have to follow in order to live on his property. Now, he's not going to be living in the apartment with you, he's not going to be constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure you're keeping your end of the deal, but there is a day of reckoning coming. And if you break his rules he has the right to evict you or fine you, why? Because you're living on his property.

And not only are we living in a world that belongs to Him, but we ourselves are His by dint of creation. Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him."

God emphasizes His ownership again in Psalm 50:9-12 Where He says - "I shall take no young bull out of your house nor male goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains." God owns everything. Wouldn’t it be kind of silly for Him to ask for anything? God has no need of anything. He is completely self-sufficient in and of Himself. But in order to emphasize a point here He brings up a scenario where God is hungry. Does God get hungry? Of course not. But even if He did He wouldn't tell us about it. He wouldn't ask us for some money to pick up some groceries, or ask us to sacrifice some animal in order that He might eat. Why not? Because He owns everything. If He were hungry He could take His pick of the cattle on a thousand hills without asking for permission from anyone. Can you imagine the owner of a Golden Corral, he’s in his office at his restaurant and suddenly he starts to get really hungry. So he comes out of his office into his restaurant and starts going up to the different tables and asking for a bite. “Oh, could I have a bite of that sandwich, it looks really good!” “Those chicken fingers look good, mind if I take one?” “Could you spoon off some of that macaroni onto my plate please?” No, of course he wouldn’t do that. Why not? He owns the whole restaurant! Everything in it is his! He could go down to the salad bar and fill up his plate with anything he wanted without paying! He could go back into the kitchen where the food is being prepared and take as much as he wanted without asking anybody. It’s all his. And that’s how it works in the universe. God made it all, so God owns it all. We need to recognize that we don't really own anything. As the hymn writer put it -

"If Thou should'st call me to resign

What most I prize, it ne'er was mine;

I only yield Thee what is Thine;

Thy will be done."

What you have has been entrusted to you by God. And He reserves the right to take it away at any time. Job found that out, and he recognized God's ownership. After he lost everything he was able to say, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

God owns everything because He created everything.

The world considers it to be completely ridiculous and utterly foolish for us to believe that God created everything. There is perhaps no doctrine that we hold to that the world despises more than the teaching of God as Creator. Why is that? I believe it's because it naturally follows that if God created everything then He owns everything. If God created us then He owns us. And if He owns us then He gets to make the rules and we are obligated to follow them, or else. So what is mankind to do about this? Either we can submit to Him as the Creator, or we can reject Him. And the majority of the world has chosen option number two. Romans chapter 1 gives us a commentary on what happens in a person, a society, a culture and mankind in general when we reject our Creator. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness," God's wrath is revealed. Why? "Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." So God has made Himself known. How? "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Through the creation itself God has given ample proof that there is a Creator. We can learn some things about the invisible God through His visible creation. "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Rather than responding to the light that they had, they chose to suppress it. "Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." Now their thinking is completely upside-down. In the highest centers of learning and science you're considered foolish if you believe in God and wise if you reject Him. Rather than worshiping God we've rejected Him and put His creation on a pedestal. We worship our own intellect and set ourselves up as the ultimate authority. We worship the earth and the creatures on it. We give more protection to trees and animals than to a baby in its mother's womb. So what does God do about it? "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." He lets us reap the consequences of our actions. If that's the road we want to go down He'll let us. "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." When we as a society, as a culture reject the Creator then He gives us over to our sin, and everything gets turned on its head. Homosexuality is embraced and applauded. "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful." Sound familiar? We wonder at the moral decline in our country. What does it all stem from? This passage says it again and again, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." A rejection of God as Creator. This passage ends by saying, "and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." Does that not sound like our tolerance saturated culture? You can believe and do whatever you want and no one will judge you for it. "I would never be in a homosexual relationship, but I'm not gonna say it's wrong for others. Why can't we just let people love who they want? I would never get an abortion, but I'm not going to limit others with my beliefs. After all, it's her body, let her do to it what she wants..." And on it goes. We've come to a place in our nation where heterosexual people will literally applaud and celebrate the homosexual lifestyle of those around them. "They not only practice such things, but also give hearty approve to those who practice them."

As Creator, God has all authority. And when we reject Him and His authority He will deliver us over to our sinful lifestyles and let us reap the consequences. Some might think that they can do whatever they want and get through this life untouched, and they may be right. But ultimately we're all going to stand before our Creator and be judged according to His standard.

Job 41:11 - "Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine."

Because I Said So

Exodus 20:1-2 - "Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”"
In Exodus chapter 20 the Lord gives Moses the Ten Commandments, He lays down the law. But before He gets to the law itself He begins by declaring who He is and what He has done. "I am the Lord your God," who He is, "who brought you out of the land of Egypt." What He has done. It makes sense that He would begin in this way. Instead of jumping right into the commands the Lord begins by stating the basis for the commands. In other words, our obligation to obey the commands of God is predicated on who God is and what He has done. These commandments are binding because they have the weight of God's eternal character behind them. So when God says "You shall have no other Gods before Me." Or, "You shall not steal." And we ask the question, "Who says?" He responds with the foundational statement of the ten commandments, "I am the Lord your God." He doesn't try and explain why these things would be good for a society, although they are. He doesn't talk about the benefits of obeying His commandments, He simply says "You shall..." or "You shall not..." Why? "Because I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." He makes no theological argument for why they should buy into believing in Him, and doesn't try to prove His existence, He simply says "this is who I am." This is similar to the way the Bible starts. "In the beginning God..." There is no trying to prove His existence, it plainly says "In the beginning God." He needs no explanation or introduction, He is who He is. And He says “I am… therefore, you shall…”

God has all authority and He makes the rules because of who He is in His essential nature and character. In Leviticus chapter 18 the Lord continues to give commands to His people Israel, and He says to Moses in verses 2-5 - "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.'" He tells them that they are to differ from the nations around them. It's easy to conform to what everyone else is doing, but God tells them that they are to be different, and three times in these verses He makes this statement, "I am the Lord." That's enough reason to obey.

From Leviticus chapter 18 through to the end of the book we have God giving the people command after command, one after the other. And it’s as if God anticipates that after He tells His people to do something they’re going to ask “Why?” So God is essentially saying what your parents probably said to you a time or two, "Because I said so." Occasionally you'll hear a parent tell their child to do something and the child will respond with the question, "Why?" Nine times out of ten, the next words out of the parents mouth are "Because I said so." Most parents don't try to explain the benefits of cleaning your room or finishing your dinner, they simply say "Do it because I said so." If they were to put it into Bible terms it might sound something like, "I am your father, you shall clean your room." Or "I am your mother, you shall not throw your food on the floor." God has set up the authority structure in the home and He requires children to obey their parents simply because they are their parents. And God has set up the universe in the same way. He is the ultimate Authority, and so when He tells us to do something that we don’t understand or don't want to do, and we ask the question, “Why?” He responds with by saying, "Because I said so."

From Leviticus 18 to Leviticus 26 God gives His people one command after another, and over and over again He gives this one premise for their obedience, "I am the Lord." 18:6 - "I am the Lord." 18:21 - "I am the Lord." 18:30 - "I am the Lord." 19:3 - "I am the Lord." 19:4 - "I am the Lord." And on it goes. In fact in these nine chapters the Lord makes this statement 47 times! 47 times in nine chapters God gives His people instructions and then essentially says "Because I said so."

There may be competing voices around us, but God is the only one who can back up His instructions with absolute authority. He has exclusive rights as God. No one else can claim that. The Lord makes this clear in Isaiah 43:10-13 - ""You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”" The Lord really emphasizes His exclusivity a lot in the section of Isaiah. We read in Isaiah 44:6-8 - "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place. Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’"God challenges everyone who thinks that they're god, who thinks they have a right to determine what is and what should be, to declare what has happened in the past. We can't even do this perfectly, we're always guessing at the past, but even if we could, He goes on to give the challenge, "let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place." God has really proved His exclusivity by predicting the future. No other god of any other religion would dare do that, because they might get it wrong. God is the only one and the Bible is the only book that declares the future with absolute accuracy. He even goes so far, in some instances, to give the order in which nations would set themselves up as supreme authority on the earth, and He gives the name of the person that would be ruling hundreds of years before they were even born. He says in Isaiah 45:5 - "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God." In verses 6 and 7 He says - "That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these." In verse 18 He says - "I am the Lord, and there is none else." At the end of verse 21 He says - "there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me." In verse 22 He says - "For I am God, and there is no other." In chapter 46 and verse 9 He says - "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me." Do you think that God's trying to emphasize a point here? And yet people think that they have the right to determine what is right and what is wrong. They think that they have the right to determine truth. In the middle of all this discussion on God's exclusivity, the Lord gives us a word picture to show the stupidity of people who think that they know better than God. In Isaiah 45:9 the Lord says - "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker— An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?" A potter has absolute authority over a lump of clay, and the clay isn't going to rebel against that authority or speak out against the one who forms it. And yet we as human beings have the audacity to disregard what God has said, deny His existence and set ourselves up as the standard of authority and truth. 

Simply because of who God is in His nature and character means that He is in charge. Because He is God is enough reason for us to obey.

This was illustrated to me not too long ago in a story that I heard a man tell about when he was a boy growing up in England. He talked about being at a great big festival that was going on in the city of London. And he got up on the top of a wall to get a better view of everything that was going on. As he was up there looking over the crowds he heard a voice behind him say, “Get off the wall.” He thought it was one of his friends shouting at him, so he spun around and demanded, “Who says?” When he turned around he saw a police officer standing there. The man said, “I am a police man. You shall get off the wall.” And he got off.

See, the very fact of the identity of the one who was speaking was enough reason for him to obey. And the very fact of God's identity is enough reason for us to listen to what He says and then hold to it as the ultimate standard."I am the Lord your God, therefore you shall..."

God's Foundational Authority

Job 34:13 - "Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?"

Job's friends reached a lot of wrong conclusions and they made a lot of statements that simply are not true. But in Job chapter 34 a young man by the name of Elihu begins to speak to Job and his three friends, and during his discourse he asks some very important questions, "Who gave God authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?" The question of authority, namely, whose in charge, is a foundational one. Our belief on this topic is really going to affect everything that we believe and do.

The issue of authority is the basis on which our lives our built. So as we dig down deep to lay a foundation upon which we are going to build everything else, we need to make sure that we're building on a solid rock and not upon shifting sand. And in inspecting our foundations we are going to find ourselves asking the questions, “Who says?” And “Who’s in charge?” These are questions of authority and they’re very important. As children we employed these questions all the time. If my older brother told me that I needed to do something my response would often be, "who says?" See, the issue of authority was very important to me, particularly if I was being told to do something that I didn't want to do. And if he was coming to me on his own authority, I might respond by saying something along the lines of, "You're not the boss of me. You're not in charge." So as children the questions of "who says?" and "who's in charge?" Were very important to us. But as adults these questions should be no less important. Because it doesn't matter what issue you're talking about, there are all sorts of different people with all sorts of different opinions on how things ought to be done. If you want to talk about ways to God or family structure, the definition of marriage or the topic of abortion, you’re going to get any number of opinions on the way things ought to be. There are any number of truth claims and we have to be able to distinguish between what is actually true and what is not. So when someone says, "This is the way things are..." or "This is the way things ought to be..." We need to respond with the questions, "Who says?" and "Who's in charge?"

The topic of authority is not one that is very popular in our day. Naturally, we don’t like authority. We squirm at the idea of somebody else being in charge of us. When we were kids we sometimes thought it unfair that our parents were in charge. Or when your parents went out and left you under the authority of an older sibling or a babysitter, we really thought that was an injustice. But this dislike of authority isn’t just a problem for kids and teenagers, adults struggle with authorities as well. Whether it’s your boss at work, local law enforcement or other parts government, we just naturally don’t like someone else being in charge of us. We have the mentality of “I’m the boss and no one’s gonna tell me what to do!” Though we may squirm under it, authority structure is actually very important. And I think to some extent we recognize the importance of authority. Think about a company or a business, who's in charge? The person who owns it. Whether they started it, inherited it or bought it, they own the company and therefore they make the rules, they decide how things are going to be run.

Who's in charge of a country or nation? The government. Whether it's Kings and Queens, Presidents or Prime Ministers, Dictators, Senate, Parliament, or whatever else, every nation has some form of authority structure. And the men and women who are in these positions are given the right to govern.

We realize that a company without a head is going to fail. A society without leaders is going to fall. Oh, you can have your opinions about how the company ought to be run, but when the boss speaks the issue is settled. And if you decide to go against his rules then your going to suffer the consequences, you'll lose your job. You can decide how you think the country ought to be governed, but once the authorities lay down the law, you might disagree with it, but if you do not conform your life to their rules then you're going to suffer the consequences. You can end up being fined or imprisoned. And the universe works the same way. We can go around with our opinions on how life should work, but we need to come back to the One who is in charge of this universe and find out what He says about it. And once we hear what He says then we need to conform our lives to His standard. And if we don't, if we choose to reject His authority and His rules then we are going to suffer the consequences.

This is one reason why some people will reject the idea of God all together. We recognize that if God is in charge then we have to do what He says. And if we break His rules then there are going to be consequences. And when we look in the Bible and see what He says, our sinful nature says, “I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to do what God wants me to do. I don’t want to listen to what He says. I want to do what I want to do.” And this attitude is reflected in a lot of songs and poems in our day. In that famous poem, Invictus, the poet writes four stanzas about being in charge of his own life, and finally ends with the words -

"It matters not how strait the gate,

      How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
      I am the captain of my soul."
And the world applauds that unyielding attitude. To bow beneath the authority of another is considered weakness. It's no wonder that one of the most requested songs to be played at funerals is the song made famous by Sinatra, "My way." In which the theme is repeated again and again, "I did it my way." Again, the world sees this as some great accomplishment. But if the Word of God is true and God is the ultimate authority, then everyone who goes to their grave with their life echoing the sentiment, "I did it my way." will find themselves in a place of eternal torment and separation from God. The Bible declares in Proverbs 14:12 - "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." The only way of true life is to forsake our own way and to embrace Him who said "I am the way." But that is foolishness to the world. And so the battle of authority rages on.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 the apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians about the message of the cross, that message on which our salvation hangs. He's talking about the central theme of the Bible and he writes in verse 18 - "The word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." When you go out into the world and tell people that your hope is pinned on a cross outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago, the world thinks that's foolish. And yet if God says that this is the one and only way of salvation then who cares what everybody else thinks? "That sounds awfully narrow." Yeah, it is. Christ Himself said in Matthew chapter 7 - "the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." Call me narrow minded if you want, but if God is in charge and He says that this is the way it is then I'm sticking to it. When the world is debating about ways to get off the airplane, and they don't like the color or size of my parachute, whatever. I'm putting it on anyway.

I realize that this may seem harsh, but this is the logic you use with your kids because it works. When your kid comes and complains about the way things are, "Why do I have to clean my room? Why do I have to go to bed so early?" You sit them down and say, "When you get your own house you can do things the way you want. But this is my house, we play by my rules." And it works the same way in the universe. You don't like the fact that there is one way of salvation? You want multiple roads to heaven? Great! When you get your own universe you can set it up however you want. But as long as we live in God's universe we had better conform to His rules. 

The point is, when God speaks to an issue the issue is settled. It doesn't matter if it makes sense to me or not, it doesn't matter if it sounds foolish, it doesn't matter if the majority are holding to a different opinion. When God speaks the issue is settled.

Foundations

Psalm 11:3 - "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

The foundations of our faith are under attack. Whether we think about the origins of the universe, the first eleven chapters of Genesis, the authority of the Bible, the roles in the home, the definition of marriage or the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, there is no shortage of people who would have us compromise on the things that Scripture teaches. It seems that we've come to a place in our society where it's okay to believe anything you want as long as it's not based on any ultimate standard. I was reading a poll recently that had something to do with roles in the home, and different people were commenting on how they thought things ought to be done. As I scanned through the comments I was surprised by one of them that said something along the lines of, “There is no 100% correct blueprint for how these things ought to be done.” Now, that caught my attention because at that time I was preparing a series of lessons entitled "God's blueprint for right relationships." And I was approaching the subject with the belief that there is a 100% correct blueprint that God has given us on how these things ought to be done. It's called the Bible. And yet we hear these kind of statements all the time. Everyone has their own standard of truth, and the overwhelming thought is that what works for you might not work for me and vise versa. By and large, this is the point that we've come to in our society. It's okay to believe that something is true as long as you don't suggest that it's true for everyone. We've made truth into something relative.

It's important for us as believers to go back every once in a while and reinspect our foundations. Why do we believe what we do? Is the foundation on which we are building our lives something that is really solid? And are we able to clearly articulate what we believe and why?

The fundamental difference between us as Christians and the world around us is not the structures which we're building, but the foundation on which we're building them. In other words, just because someone is an unbeliever does not necessarily mean that they're living an immoral life. Your neighbors may be teaching their children about the importance of good morals. They may come over and help you work on your car when it breaks down. They may give money to charity. In fact, their lives may outwardly look very similar to yours. So what's the difference? The difference is the foundation on which we are building our lives. The Lord Jesus put it this way in Luke 6:47-49 - “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” In this passage we see the Lord Jesus talking about two men building houses. One man dug down deep and laid a foundation on the rock, the other man did not. So when the storms and strong winds came one house stood firm and the other collapsed. These houses may have looked exactly the same. From all outward appearance there may have been no difference, and yet one of these structures had a major problem. A foundation is often an unseen part of a building. It’s underground. From our vantage point we only see the houses and they look exactly the same but one of them has a solid foundation and the other does not. And in this particular passage the Lord Jesus says that these houses are a picture of something. He says this not only works in the building of a house but also in the building of a life. A person who hears what God says and does it, that’s the house with a foundation. But the one who hears His words and does not do them, he is pictured by the house with no foundation which will eventually fall.

Foundation problems are not always readily apparent. You may talk to your neighbors about the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ, but they say that though that may be well and good for you, they're going to try to get to God their own way. They're not trusting in what Christ has said, they're trusting in their own ideas. And though they have a pretty nice looking house, one day it will fall because it's not built on a solid foundation.

We're given a similar illustration in Proverbs 10:25 which says - “When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.” Here we have the same picture once again contrasting the lives of the wicked and the righteous. The wicked are completely wiped out by a whirlwind but the righteous has an everlasting foundation, a foundation which can never be destroyed. The foundation on which God wants us to build our lives is one that is going to last forever. Nothing will be able to destroy it. We don’t want to build our lives on something that is going to wash away, we want something solid. Something that will last forever. So we would do well to rediscover the foundations of truth.

Proverbs 10:25 which says - “When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.”

The Lifestyle of a Pilgrim

Hebrews 11:8-9 - "By faith Abraham, when he was called,obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise."

Abraham's beliefs affected his desires and also his lifestyle, and this is true for all of us. What you believe has an effect on how you live. It just does, you may or may not realize it, but we do certain things because we believe certain things. This is why lifestyle can be a pretty accurate gauge of whether or not a person is genuinely seeking another country. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7, "You will know them by their fruit." Christ-followers are going to be known, not by what they say, but by what they do. the way we live is a pretty accurate indication of whether or not we're truly following Christ.
We have confessed that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, but do we live like it? What is the lifestyle of a pilgrim? According to Hebrews chapter 11 Abraham lived the entirety of his life as an alien in a foreign land, and there are a couple of things that characterized his pilgrimage.

The first characteristic we see in these verses is obedience. "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed..." When the Lord spoke to Abraham he obeyed. We see this in his initial calling in Genesis 12. When the Lord called him to go out from his country, his relatives and his fathers house Abraham went. In Genesis chapter 22 when the Lord told Abraham to take his only begotten son, whom he loved, and offer him as a sacrifice to God, Abraham obeyed. We know that the Lord stopped him at the last minute, but nevertheless, even here Abraham was obedient to God. And the Lord tells Abraham in that chapter that in his seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, "because you have obeyed My voice." And over in Genesis chapter 26 the Lord reiterates this to Isaac, saying, "by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because Abraham obeyed Me."

So Abraham lived a life of obedience, and specifically in Hebrews chapter 11, when he was called he went out, even though he didn't know where he was going.

Another characteristic of Abraham's life is that he dwelt in tents. Hebrews 11:9 says - "By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise." Many people enjoy camping, but I don't know anyone who would want to spend their entire life living in a tent. And yet when the Lord called Abraham to go out, he was content to spend the rest of his life dwelling in a tent. It would be obvious to anyone looking on that his residence was not permanent. He was dwelling in a tent.
Proverbs 14:11 says - "The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish." This verse is talking about the dwelling places of both the wicked and the upright, and the structures that are mentioned are vastly different. And if we pause to consider what Solomon says here we might ask ourselves the question, why do the wicked get houses while the upright are dwelling in tents? A house is more permanent, more comfortable and more secure than a tent. A tent is just a temporary structure that is not all that comfortable or secure. However, according to this verse the house of the wicked will not last, it will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. For the wicked, this life is all they have. They seek to prosper here, they establish a house which they assume will last, but it will be destroyed. The righteous, however, dwell in tents, not permanent structures, but then again we are not permanent residents of this world. Throughout the Word of God, both Old and New Testament, we find the righteous described as aliens and pilgrims on the earth. We just read of Abraham that by faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. They lived on this earth as pilgrims, recognizing that this world was not their home. The reason that Abraham was able to live in this way is given in verse 10 which says - "For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." He recognized that everything this world has to offer is temporary at best. He was looking toward something invisible and permanent which could only be seen through the eyes of faith. We are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Though we "dwell in tents" as it were, the tents of the righteous shall not be destroyed, but instead shall flourish. Though it may look like the house of the wicked is prospering, we must keep it in perspective. Though they seem to be doing well for a time it's not going to last. Everything that this world has to offer will pass away. Which connects Proverbs 14:11 to the next verse, which says - "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." It seems right to dwell in a house rather than in a tent. Logically, a house is going to last much longer. It just makes good common sense, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. It doesn't make sense to live as a pilgrim unless there truly is a better country to which we are traveling. The flesh would say, "Dwell in a house, establish yourself here. Get comfortable!" But we need to have an eternal perspective. Colossians 3:2 instructs us to - "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Look to those things which are unseen, for as 2 Corinthians chapter 4 says "the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." It may seem right to focus on the temporal, "but the end thereof is the way of death." And the ironic thing is that, though this life as a pilgrim may be uncomfortable, unestablished and insecure, Proverbs 14:32 says - "The righteous has a refuge when he dies." Though we dwell in tents as pilgrims on the earth, after we die we have an eternal refuge. Not merely a house, but a stronghold, a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

So does this mean that all believers need to sell everything we have, move out of our houses and spend the rest of our days living in tents? No, but we do need to live with the mindset that we're not permanent residents here, and if we have that mindset then we will be holding loosely to the things that we have. When we truly believe that we're heading toward our permanent home, a city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God, we won't try to hold tightly to the comforts, pleasures and securities of this world.
To live as pilgrims doesn't necessarily mean living in tents, but we should be willing to do it if that's what God calls us to do. God called Abraham to go out and he went. He couldn't take his house with him. For Abraham obeying God meant living in tents. Again, it's about obedience. This life is transient, so location shouldn't be an issue. We should be willing to live in one place as well as another. Residence shouldn't matter either, we should be able to live in a one room shack as well as a mansion. But even at that suggestion we might cringe. We all have our own preferences, and when we think of the idea of living in a one room shack or dwelling in a tent we may say, 'I don't think I could do that. I really don't think I have what it takes to be able to live like that.' And most of us feel that way. But it's actually in the context of talking about his lifestyle that the apostle Paul wrote that famous verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We're familiar with this verse and we use it in all sorts of different circumstances, and that's good. But when we look at the verse in it's context we discover that Paul is talking about his lifestyle. He writes in verses 10-13 - "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Paul's circumstances often changed. Sometimes he was living on the go, traveling from town to town, other times he would settle in for a while, and at other times he would be confined to a prison cell. Sometimes he had plenty to eat, other times he didn't have anything to eat. Sometimes he had an overabundance, other times he had severe needs. But he says here that he learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself, whether it meant the comfort of a house, the impermanence of a tent, or the cold chains and wretched stench of a dark prison cell. How was he able to live content in any of these circumstances? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
A.W.Tozer wrote, "The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. In their effort to achieve restful "adjustment" to unregenerate society they have lost their pilgrim character and become an essential part of the very moral order against which they are sent to protest." God may not be calling you to live in a tent, but if He did would you do it? Or are you too settled in to what you're used to? Is the pursuit of your life earthly comfort, or are you seeking a better country? What does your lifestyle say about you? Is it apparent to everyone around you that you are a pilgrim who is seeking a better country, or is your lifestyle indistinguishable from that of your pagan neighbors? These are questions that we need to consider long and hard. What world are we living for? We need to live with the continual mindset that we're not permanent residents of this world, we're just passing through. We are aliens in a foreign land.

The lifestyle of a pilgrim is a life of trust. How was Abraham able to live in the way that he did? "By faith." But faith is never isolated, it's always accompanied by obedience. Trust and obey. That's what we see throughout Hebrews chapter 11, not just with Abraham but with all the examples. They saw the invisible and it impacted the way that they lived. The invisible things were more real to them than the things which are seen. The eternal was more clear to them than the temporal. And that caused them to live counter-culturally. That caused them to do things that the world saw as foolish. It caused Noah to build an ark before a drop of rain ever fell. It caused Moses to give up all the treasures of Egypt and to suffer hardship with the people of God. It caused Abraham to give up his home and spend his life dwelling tents. They confessed that thy were strangers on the earth. They desired a better country that is a heavenly one, therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

"Strange as it may be, the holiest souls who have ever lived have earned the reputation for being pessimistic. Their smiling indifference to the world's attractions and their steady resistance to it's temptations have been misunderstood by shallow thinkers and attributed to an unsocial spirit and lack of love for mankind. What the world failed to see was that these peculiar men and women were beholding a city invisible; they were walking day by day in the light of another and eternal kingdom. They were already tasting the powers of the world to come and enjoying afar the triumph of Christ and the glories of the new creation." - A.W. Tozer

The Desire of a Pilgrim

Hebrews 11:15-16 - "And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them."

If we didn't catch it reading through the life of Abraham in the book of Genesis, Hebrews chapter 11 makes it very clear that Abraham lived the life of a pilgrim. He was a stranger on this earth seeking a homeland, and not just any homeland, but a heavenly one. He lived his life with an eternal mindset, a focus on things that he could not see. By the way that he lived his life he was confessing that he was a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth.

As a pilgrim he had a very pinpointed desire. He knew what he wanted. According to this passage Abraham, as well as others, desired a heavenly country. And his desire was so strong that the thought of the country from which he went out didn't dwell in his mind. He could have returned to the comfort and security of a house in Er, but he didn't even think about it. Because he knew what he wanted and it wasn't found in any earthly country. He desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Verse 10 of Hebrews chapter 11 says of Abraham - "for he was looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." He was looking for a permanent city, a city with foundations, that was built by God Himself. Is that your desire? As strangers and pilgrims on this earth our desire should be for a better country.
In Philippians chapter 1 Paul is recognizing that death may be upon him, he knows that he could very well be killed for his faith in Christ, and as he considers this he's almost having a debate with himself. Life or death, which one should I choose? He recognizes that it will be better for others if he sticks around for a while, but he makes it abundantly clear that he would much rather be absent from the body and at home with the Lord. He says in verse 23 - "Having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better." As pilgrims, we're not at home in this world. "Our citizenship is in heaven." That's our home country.

Occasionally as believers we experience a feeling that can only be describe as homesickness. We become overwhelmed by a certain nostalgia, and I find this especially prevalent at the end of a summer. After spending time with old friends and meeting new ones, you get to the end of a week and you have to say goodbye. A couple of weeks ago I said goodbye to some good friends, and then I turned around and said to someone, "I can't wait for heaven." Why? Well for one thing, there aren't going to be anymore goodbyes. There is a permanence about heaven that we can't experience here. I heard someone on the radio the other day talking about their mission work in the middle east and some life threatening circumstances that forced them to pick up and move on, and they talked about the sadness of leaving all these believers that they had become attached to, and they said the same thing, that they are looking forward to heaven when we will all reunite in the Lord's presence, in a place that is unlike this world. A permanent country where there are no more goodbyes. And my thinking is that this desire, this homesickness, should not just be an occasional thing in the life of a believer, but to an extent this should actually characterize our lives. "They desired a better country."

Mankind in general has a desire inside of themselves that nothing in this world can fill. I googled the phrase "homesick for a place I've never been" and I found an enormous amount of results, most of which were not actually Christian articles. There were people talking about how they didn't have a bad life, they had a comfortable existence, a nice home, a loving family, but even so they had a longing for something but they didn't know what it was. Somebody said that maybe if they moved to Canada they would find the satisfaction that they were looking for. Someone else commented and said, no, that doesn't work. I live in Canada and I'm experiencing the same feeling. So even unbelievers desire something, though they can't put their finger on it. As believers though, we now understand that the longing we have will only be fulfilled when we are at home with the Lord. We know what we desire. We desire a better country, a heavenly one.

C.S. Lewis actually writes about this longing as an evidence that there is a God. In the book Mere Christianity, Lewis writes - “The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water... If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.” He writes in another place - "If you are really a product of a materialistic universe, how is it that you don’t feel at home there? ...Notice how we are perpetually surprised at Time. (“How time flies! Fancy John being grown-up & married! I can hardly believe it!”) In heaven’s name, why? Unless, indeed, there is something in us which is not temporal."

God created us to have a relationship with Himself, and having confessed that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, we now recognize that our longing is to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. This is what Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. In this passage he is comparing our earthly bodies to tents. Back in chapter 4 he referred to our bodies as jars of clay, earthen vessels, and he writes about the hardship and the beatings that he has been enduring in this earthly body for the sake of Christ. But he ends that chapter by saying that this momentary, light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. And our focus has changed. We're no longer looking at the things which are seen, but now we're exercising a new kind of eyesight. "We look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen." And what's the difference? "The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal." He then goes on in chapter 5 to talk about some of the differences between the temporal and the eternal. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 - "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." As you read through this you can just feel the longing that Paul has to be with the Lord. His desire is not a secret. We don't sit back and say, "I wonder what he really wanted." No, the desire of a pilgrim is clear. "They desired a better country, that is a heavenly one."
He writes in verse 2 that "in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven." This groaning is not the groaning that characterizes both believers and non-believers on a Monday morning. This groaning is not caused by aches and pains or weariness. This groaning is actually a spiritual exercise. "We groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven." Paul writes about this again in Romans 8:22-23 - "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." This is a groaning that we share with the creation itself. The longing of a pilgrim is to be in a restored, perfected state with our Creator.
This life is fleeting, like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. And the anxious expectation of a pilgrim is that this life will be swallowed up by true life. We prefer to be absent from the body and at home with the Lord. Whatever else you may say about heaven, it's home.

As we think back on the life of Abraham we are given a good contrast between a believer who desired a better country and one who desired the things of this world. I'm speaking, of course, of the contrast between Abraham and his nephew Lot. When the Lord called Abraham we're told that Lot went with him. But before too long they determined that they had to separate due to conflict between their herdsmen. And so Abraham said to Lot in Genesis 13:8-9 - "Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left." Abraham wasn't anxious to get the better part of the land. He recognized that this world is only a temporary thing, so he gave Lot the choice. Genesis 13:10-13 - "Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord." Lot naturally chose the better part of the land, even though it bordered the wicked city of Sodom. Maybe it was a good business opportunity, good grazing land, an opportunity for a relatively comfortable existence, but whatever Lot saw as he looked toward those well watered plains it appealed to his senses. And Lot pitched his tents as far as Sodom. But he doesn't stay there. By time we come to chapter 14 we find Lot living, not just toward Sodom or near Sodom, but in Sodom. He began to draw near to the city, then he moved right in. In chapter 19 we see him sitting in the gate of Sodom, a position of some authority, and by this point he has given up the whole idea of living in tents. He now has a house right in the middle of the exceedingly wicked city of Sodom. The city was so corrupt by this point that the Lord determined to destroy it along with the city of Gomorrah. And the Lord sent angels up to Sodom in order that they might warn Lot and his family to flee from Sodom before its destruction. But Lot was so attached to this wicked city that he didn't want to go. He hesitated. He was clinging so tightly to everything that he had been spending his life for that it came to the point where, in the loving compassion of God, the angels had to literally grab Lot's hand and the hands of his family, and drag them out of the city. Lot was living for the present. He was caught up in the now, seeking temporal fulfillment and satisfaction so much so that he hesitated to flee the wrath of God.

Abraham, by the way that he lived, demonstrated that he desired a better country. And Lot also made his desires evident by the way that he lived. We know from the New Testament that both Abraham and Lot were righteous men, they were both believers, and we'll see both of them in heaven. But they both lived drastically different lives. One was caught up in what he could see around him, clinging to this temporal life with all his might, and the other desired a better country, that is a heavenly one. He was willing to renounce everything that this world had to offer in order to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Which one are you? Are you more like Abraham or Lot? Granted, as believers we will be in heaven, but how many of us will make it there like Lot? How much of the population of heaven will be made up of Christians who invested everything in this world and laid up no treasure in heaven? The Lord Jesus said "Do not lay up for yourself treasures on the earth... but lay up treasures in heaven." He also said "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also." That's why Lot's wife looked back. Her heart was in Sodom, her desires were in Sodom. Everything she longed for was in the midst of God's consuming fire. And First Corinthians chapter 3 tells us that in a coming day our lives will be tested by fire as well. That's when our desires will be made plain. Do you really desire a better country, a heavenly one, or do you long for the world and it's desires? There is no middle ground. You can't desire the world and it's pleasures and a heavenly country at the same time. The two are opposed to one another. The world and it's desires pass away but the one who does the will of God abides forever. Do you not know that, as James 4 says, friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Consider your own life, really think about your own desires and aspirations. Which world are you living for, the one that is passing away, or the one that will last forever?

We're told in Hebrews 11 that since Abraham desired a heavenly country God is not ashamed to be called his God. Throughout the Bible God identifies Himself as "the God of Abraham." He isn't ashamed to associate Himself with Abraham. Is God ashamed to associate His name with you? We call ourselves "Christians." Is Christ ashamed to have His name associated with us? Or do we demonstrate by our lives that we share His desires?
What do you want? What do you really desire?

Hebrews 11:16 - "But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them."