Finding the one true god

Finding the one true god

Key verses: “for a long time Israel was without the true god, without a priest to teach and without the law.  But in their distress they turned to the lord, the god of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.” (2 Chronicle 15: 3-4)

In this series we are to consider some of the secrets of successful living.  Of course, no one can begin to live successfully without knowing god, and first of all we must understand how we can come to know him for ourselves.  The subject is brought before us in 2 chronicles 15:1-19, and it is pin-pointed in the above key verses.  There is only one true god, the god and father of our lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3), and the greatest blessing which anyone can experience in this life is to find the true god, but the greatest tragedy is to pass through life without ever finding him.  In our key verses we have a brief description of one phase of Israel’s history, but it also describes thousands of people throughout the world.  Notice how this brief portion of scripture unfolds to give us a sequence of teaching.

1. they were without the true god

Verse 3 tells us that this had been true of them “for a long time”.  They were godless, less god – look up Ephesians 2:12.  This is a perfect description of multitudes of people today;  they are living without god.  He does not enter into their thoughts, except in times of emergency, and he has not been welcomed into their lives.  The Israelites still believed in the existence of god, and they experienced and benefited from his providences, but for all that they were “without the true god”.  We are not told they were without a god, for everyone worships a god of some kind – the god of self, money, pleasure or ambition.  These words in verse 3, therefore, are descriptive of many people – “for a long time…without the true god”.

2. they were without a teaching priest

A “teaching priest” was one whose duty was to teach the people the truth of god.  Who are the teaching priests today?  Every faithful preacher and teacher of the word of god is one of god’s teaching priests.  But the majority of people are outside the influence of these teachers and preachers; they do not attend church or listen to an exposition of the scriptures, and they do not read the bible or the kind of literature which would inform them about the truths of god.  In consequence of this, there is an appalling ignorance of the things of god, and the average person knows nothing of god’s way of salvation – look up Ephesians 2:8-10.  Many have experienced a taste of “churchianity” or “religiosity”, but very few know the way of salvation as it is revealed in the person of our lord and savior Jesus Christ – compare john 14:6; acts 4:12 and Romans 1:16.

3. they were without law

The priests were the guardians of the law, and to be without a priest meant, therefore, to be without the law.  If anyone wanted to know the law in those days he had to go to a priest; but today, thank god!  We have his law, his word, in the bible.  However, the majority of people do not read the bible, and therefore they are “without (the) law”.  The law is god’s standard of what is right and wrong, but the vast majority of people take their standard from the media:  (1) the newspaper; (2) the radio; (3) the television; (4) the cinema; (5) social media.  Therefore, because god’s standard has been rejected and the world’s, or man’s or the devil’s standard has been substituted, our civilization has become increasingly corrupted.  The great need today is to get back to the bible, the true standard, the only book which contains the authentic revelation of god and of his love, his grace, his son and of his way of saving men and women.

4. When trouble came they turned to the lord

The Israelites were in trouble because they had left god out of their reckoning and out of their lives.  Trouble will always come to nations and to individuals if they reject the lord.  Notice that it was the lord who sent the trouble;  it was his judgment on sin and his loving method of causing them to turn back to him.

Does god work like this today?  He does!  He often sends trouble into a man’s life in order that that man, who for many years has lived only for himself, might turn back to the lord and find him.  The prodigal had to come to himself before he was ready to come to his father (Luke 15:11-24).but when these people had been severely chastened they turned to the lord.  Then what happened?

5. they found the true god

In verse 4 there are three words which tell us how to find god, or, more correctly, how to be found of him.  We must:

(1) Turn from sin and from self (1 Thessalonians 1:9);
(2) Seek the lord and his pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7); and
(3) find the true god (2 chronicles 15:2, 4 and 15).
How wonderfully this little bit of ancient history ends – “he was found by them” (2 Chronicle 15:4 and 15)!  Have you found him?  –  Look up proverbs 8:17.

THE MASTER OVER DARKNESS

 John 7:7-11

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.’ After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, ‘Where is he?’ (NIVUK)

Jesus knew that He was in a conflict.  That is why He had come – to confront the Evil One and his wicked work – to conquer sin and death (1 John 3:8).  He was also a threat to the religious leaders who had been manipulated by the devil.  They loved the status of their position but did not want the Messiah to upset their power-games.  Initially they were suspicious of Him, but then became increasingly hostile to Jesus (John 8:44) .  He did not hate anyone, but His light exposed their dark secrets (John 3:19-20).  His human half-brothers were also sinners (unlike Jesus the Son of God).  

That is why they posed no holy threat to the fake righteousness of the religious leaders.  So, it was safe for them to go with the crowd from Galilee to the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, but Jesus chose not to be ambushed along the road because God’s time for His crucifixion had not yet come (John 7:30).  Instead, He travelled alone and unrecognised.

The focus of the Festival should have been to praise God, who wonderfully provided for His people during wilderness wanderings 1,500 years previously.  Instead, the religious leaders were looking out for Jesus - not to worship Him but to locate Him and kill Him (John 5:16-18).  Their zeal for God had been replaced by a jealous love of themselves, guarding their dark hearts against the light of God's truth.  Their worship was self-centred and, although they read God's Word at the Festival, they refused to submit to what He said (John 5:39-40) .  Indeed, their ambition was to destroy Jesus (the Word of God) so that they could eliminate true holiness from their horizon, and live in the delusion of their self-created 'righteousness'.

Once people understand who Jesus is, He challenges everything we cherish.  Those who seek their own glory, or worship idols, do not want Jesus as their Master.  Those who want to control their life and the lives of others do not want Jesus to be their Lord.  Yes, they are content for Him to be a spiritual advisor, good teacher and moral example.  But they do not want to submit to Him as God the Son, the Creator, the Life-giver, Saviour and Judge of all.  So, to worship Him as King of kings and Lord of lords would require a miracle.  That miracle starts when people are willing to hear how the Bible describes Jesus and then respond to His call (Romans 10:9-13).

But how will they hear the gospel story, or desire to read the Bible? (Romans 10:14)   If you are a believer, then your task is to tell the truth about Jesus to people who are living in the darkness of their own deluded ego, or the darkness of confusion or oppression.  

Only Jesus can illuminate their hearts and minds with His love and truth.  As workers in God’s family business (every believer is a working part of the kingdom of heaven) we need to share the Jesus-story and walk with our friends and colleagues in reading the Gospels in their own language.  

Then pray that they will cooperate with God's Holy Spirit, and be saved.  Whatever they have done, they can be forgiven and welcomed into His kingdom.  He can still deal with their darkness because He is the Light of the World.

Holy God. I am glad that You do not play religious games, but You expose darkness in order that people will be convicted of their sin, repent and come into Your Light. I am sorry when I have not been serious about holiness and have been more interested in being recognised and applauded than for Your righteousness to be in my heart. And if there is hidden wickedness in my heart, please show me and give me grace to repent. Please help me to reset my focus on Jesus, so that I may worship Him truly and serve Him wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

SECRET OPINIONS

 John 7:12-13

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, ‘He is a good man.’ Others replied, ‘No, he deceives the people.’ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. (NIVUK)

Jesus could not be ignored.  What He said and did was so authoritative and memorable that the crowds tried to understand who He was and what motivated Him.  Their opinions were divided.  Some thought He was good, but others concluded He was bad, deceiving the people.  However, the possibility that He might be God in a human body, the Messiah, never occurred to them. Even the trainee apostles did not understand fully until the Holy Spirit came (John 16:12-15).

Fear and whispering tend to go together.  Although everybody had opinions about Jesus, they were afraid of what the religious leaders might do to them if they spoke openly. In fact, the only time when they were encouraged to do so, the crowd shouted, "Crucify, crucify!" (John 19:6)

The history of the church shows that whenever people are afraid to speak what is true about Jesus, Satan works in the whispering and the church withers.  But whenever God's people proclaim Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, the church grows with new believers.  

The lesson is not to be silent about the truth of Jesus.  It may be difficult or even dangerous to speak the truth about Jesus Christ, but as we do, some will be saved: if we do not, then Satan's lies about Jesus will keep people in their darkness.  So, practise using the name of Jesus, speaking of your relationship with Him, every day.

Dear Lord God. Thank You for Jesus. I am sorry for the times when I have not spoken about Jesus because I have been shy or frightened. Please help me to speak about Him and the relationship I have with Him, so that others might be stirred to seek Him and find Him. In His Name. Amen.

THE SOURCE OF WISDOM

 John 7:14-19

Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without having been taught?’ Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?’ (NIVUK)

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem half-way through the Festival.  He did not want to travel with his half-brothers lest He be ambushed on the road (John 7:6-9) .  But once in Jerusalem, instead of hiding and keeping His identity concealed, He went to the Temple courts and began teaching publicly.  The religious leaders could not stone Him there or arrest Him for fear of the crowds (Matthew 21:46).  Instead, they all listened and were amazed by His teaching from the Law of Moses.  It had such a ring of truth.  But how could He have so much knowledge as He was only a carpenter who had never been to any Rabbinic school?

They should have asked the question, ‘Where does the truth come from?’  Truth does not come from human invention but by revelation from God (Luke 10:21) .  Although there are many clues to truth, which human beings can piece together and share with others (that is the art of science), the whole truth can only come from the One who knows everything.  Although He was the Son of God, Jesus did not claim to be independent from Father God; He said that He had submitted to the Father, and gave Him the glory for all the teaching (John 12:49).  Of course, there is more to godly teaching than merely transmitting information; it has to be acted upon.  People who want to obey God will also realise that it is God who is speaking to them.

There are others who claim to speak the truth, but the information they give out does not have God’s authority nor do the speakers want to give God the glory.  They use their human skills to project their own thoughts so that they will be considered great.  Their hearers will not hear the voice of God, and will be manipulated into thinking that what appeals to them is right; whereas they will be led in darkness by blind guides to destruction (Luke 6:39).

When we feel that God is not speaking to us, it is essential to ask, ‘Have I obeyed what God has told me previously?’  And, ‘Whose voice have I been listening to?’  When we obey the Lord, we also develop a hunger to hear more, and we grow in a deeper love for the Lord.  When we disobey and do not repent, our spiritual appetite is depressed as we gravitate to blind guides who teach us to love other things and people more than loving Him.  The ultimate blasphemy is to claim to honour God's Word and yet want the Son of God out of our lives.  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day made that mistake: we must not copy them.  So, ask the Lord to remind you of something He has already told you, but you have not yet obeyed.  As you choose to obey, your relationship with the Lord will become clear once again.

God of truth. Thank You that Jesus never claimed to be independent from You, but always pointed people to Your supreme authority and the need to submit to You. I am sorry for the times I have listened to the darkness, invented my own righteousness and despised what You have already revealed. Please help me to take Your Word seriously so that I choose to obey it and grow in my relationship with You. Please show me one area of disobedience which I need to address by doing what You say. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

THE INCONSISTENCE OF UNGODLINESS

 John 7:20-24

‘You are demon-possessed,’ the crowd answered. ‘Who is trying to kill you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.’ (NIVUK)

Godliness has integrity - everything holds together, because everything that is true is held together by God.  So those who fight against God in their hearts will always be inconsistent.  The crowds were amazed at Jesus, but could not work out who He was.  He was far better than a good rabbi.  He taught with authority in a way which made sense, and His miracles were extraordinary... but they could not see that He was the Son of God. When He rightly said that they were trying to kill Him, they assumed He was demonised with paranoid thoughts.

So, He exposed their inconsistency.  They protested that He did 'unlawful work' on the Sabbath when He healed a man, but they allowed circumcision on the Sabbath.  Using a knife was considered to be 'working', so by what logic could they allow circumcision and deny the healing of a grown man?  There was no logic or consistency because although they were religious, they were ungodly... fighting against the Son of God and hating Him so much that they wanted to kill Him. So Jesus told them to learn to make right judgements: at the end of time He will judge all people in total fairness and utter consistency (Psalm 98:9).

They were trying to kill Him, but deflected His straight accusation in John 7:19 by accusing Him of being demon-possessed.  It was to become a recurrent blasphemous slander (John 8:48; John 8:52; John 10:20) .  In their minds, as supposedly holy men of God, the only logical explanation for Jesus not conforming to them was that He was in the grip of Satan.  How blind they were and ensnared by evil – even though they were seen to be holy men of God (John 9:40-41).  In truth, Jesus was God in the flesh, filled with the Spirit of God and held in the grip of His Father God.  Attributing the work of God to the devil is the ultimate blasphemy and unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31-32).      

Godliness brings a consistency to a person's character because their decisions are based on truth.  Those who refuse to submit to God cannot make consistently right judgements; their decisions will be crucially flawed.  The root problem is that self-centred decisions have a very limited horizon.  They do not take anything or anybody else or eternity into account, and they are unaffected by God's wisdom.  Only God knows how to fit everything together in a way that is right.  By making decisions to suit themselves they cannot make right judgements themselves, and are liable to God's judgement.  These verses may come closer to our own situation than we might like to think.  Let the Lord examine our hearts to reveal our motivation, who we listen to, and whose glory we seek.

All-knowing God. Thank You for bringing all things together under Christ's control one day. I am sorry when I have made decisions based on my own self-interest and forgotten how ungodliness spoils Your world and my character. Please help me to seek Your wisdom in all things and make right judgements so that I will be obedient to You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

GREATER THAN THE HUMAN EYE CAN SEE

 John 7:25-31

At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.’ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’ (NIVUK)

They did not know what to make of Jesus.  Nothing seemed to add up.  The religious leaders were known to have issued an arrest warrant for Him, but they did not dare to arrest Him in the temple or when He was preaching publicly (Mark 12:12) .  The people wondered if the authorities had changed their opinion about Jesus, allowing Him to speak openly to crowds who had come to the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  They were awed by Jesus’ miracles, but they wrongly believed that the Messiah would be previously unknown and come in a surprising way: therefore Jesus could not be the Saviour from God.

Perhaps they had misinterpreted the ‘suddenly’ in Malachi 3:1, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple …” .  However, the scholars knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:3-6), and Matthew understood that Jesus’ home in Galilee was prophesied in Isaiah 9:1-2.  However, because He was well-known to the people (Matthew 13:55-56) , they assumed that Jesus could not be the Messiah because His coming was not sudden and dramatic.  We will all have to await the complete fulfilment of the Malachi prophecy, when Jesus comes again (1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:4).

But when Jesus tried to tell the crowd about His intimate relationship with Father God (John 7:14-17) , and that they had no real relationship with Him, some of them became very angry and rushed to grab Him.  However, they were supernaturally restrained and could not even touch Him although He was so close.  Yet, at the same time, others believed in Him - His miracles were enough to prove that He was no ordinary man (John 14:11); He is the Holy Son of God (John 1:14-18).

Perhaps, if we had been there, we might also have been confused.  It is the same today.  Until the Holy Spirit opened our eyes, we were blind to the true identity and heavenly pre-existence of Jesus.  That is why it is essential that we share God’s Word about His Son - who Jesus is and where He came from.  Some will become angry or may ridicule us; but others will believe and put their trust in Him.  When we know we need more than ourselves - then He is the only answer.

Loving Father. Thank You for sending Jesus to be my Saviour. I am glad that He is so much greater than I can imagine; and His wisdom, power and authority exceed my understanding. I know that I am totally safe as I trust Him. But I repent of the times when I have rejected His wisdom and preferred my way to His. Please forgive me for such foolishness, choosing my own weakness rather than trusting in His strength. Please help me to learn to commit myself to Him even though I cannot imagine how great He is. Help me to explain to my family, friends and colleagues who Jesus is, where He has come from and why He came; praying that they will also want to trust Him. In His Name. Amen.

UNDERSTANDING JESUS

 John 7:32-36

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. Jesus said, ‘I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’ The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did he mean when he said, “You will look for me, but you will not find me,” and “Where I am, you cannot come”?’ (NIVUK)

Jesus was speaking the truth, but the crowds could not understand who He was, where He came from or where He was going.  The apparent indulgence of the religious leaders to His public ministry at the Festival of Tabernacles confused the people in Jerusalem (John 7:25-27) .  Was He the Messiah or not?  His miracles and teaching clearly had divine power, but He was a carpenter (Mark 6:3) from Nazareth, which was not a respected religious town (John 1:46).  They did not know that He was born in Bethlehem (John 7:42), or understand that Jesus came from God, was going to God (John 13:3) , and that He is God (John 1:18).

The religious leaders did not want to give this Messianic speculation any more room to grow.  All they knew was that He was a threat to their authority over the people, a privilege granted by the Romans provided that they maintained civil order.  If the people rebelled publicly, the Romans would impose martial law.  John 11:48 describes their fearful dilemma: “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”   So they sent guards to arrest Him quietly before He stirred up the crowd to riot (Matthew 26:3-5); but their consciences would not let them seize Him (John 7:45-49).

The words of Jesus were unforgettable.  But what did He mean about ‘going to the One who sent me’, ‘you will look for me’, and ‘you cannot come’ ?  Did He mean that He would leave Jerusalem and teach the Jewish diaspora scattered widely in countries around the Mediterranean Sea?  Would He go to teach the Gentiles as well?  He was simply predicting that in a short while (the next six months) He would die, be raised from the dead and then would ascend to the Father.  When that happened, they would not be able to find Him. In fact, nobody who resists Jesus, despises His cross and refuses to serve Him can go to heaven.  But the work of preaching the gospel to the rest of the world was delegated to the Apostles and those who have followed them, like us (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

 

Many presume that after this life they will go to a 'better place', especially if they have been religiously active.  But Jesus taught that only those who submitted to Him in this life will be received into heaven. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:21-23).  The key to being welcomed by Jesus into His home one day is to make Him welcome in our hearts now.

Dear Lord. Thank You that You have a place in Your home for all who repent and receive Jesus. I am sorry for failing to make that clear to my friends and family, allowing them to assume that there is a 'better place' for them even though they resist the call of Jesus. Please help me to explain Your loving salvation so that they will understand and put their trust in Christ, while there is still time. In Jesus' Name. Amen.