In your world this morning there are two approaches to life all over the globe. The ways of the God of the bible stand juxtaposed against the ways of humanity. No matter what particular isms we might inspect today, the ways of man can be bunched into one and set up against the ways of God. God’s ways are said to immeasurable differ from man’s ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) because His thoughts are nothing like the thoughts of humans. The innate ways of humanity are self-focused, logical, reasonable and self-approved yet God’s Word says that man’s independent ways will lead to his ruin in the end (Proverbs 16:25) . As we watch international chaos emerge all over the world we cannot refute the clear evidence that mankind lives in perpetual turmoil and our conflicts with one another can be best summarized with the simple phrase, “My way is better than your way and I will fight you for it.” Allow me to give you a little proverbial peek to see whose ways will stand at the end of the age:
“No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.” – Proverbs 21:30 {ESV}
Today as many prepare to rise up and gather in churches all over this land, I will remind you that the truest battle wages hot in our minds. We cannot religionize someone to think as God thinks. It is not our Christian service nor our sincere sacrifices that bring people out of darkness and into light. I plan to passionately preach three times in the next fourteen hours but I cannot preach the clouds out of the human mind. The ministry of music in our churches can certainly impact the heart of the redeemed but music has no power to quicken the soul of the spiritually lost. No, our issues are foundationally spiritual and will only be resolved through the activity of God Himself as He repeatedly brings the Gospel to us who continually need its power. He has to impart His mind to us and we must, at some point of decisive commitment, be willing to reject our own default position concerning our ways versus God’s ways. An exchange needs to occur and this transaction is initiated by God as He brings the dead to life and the darkened to the light. Once awakened by Him we then have the ability to discern the ways of God (1 Cor. 2:14-15) but prior to that we are helpless to see the folly of man’s ways or the soundness of God’s. Let me address the bottom line for all of us: God is always right and we will remain wrong until God’s ways become our own. We cannot even see how blind we are until He works in grace to open our eyes. Even after that we have no claim to instantaneous spiritual brilliance; we must spend the rest of our years learning the ways of God because they are as deep and rich as the nature of God Himself (Romans 11:33-36) . Unfortunately, some of us learn enough truth of God/from God that we discern “works for us” and we wrap our arms around it and live it out from that point forward. We shut ourselves off from further enlightenment and we posture ourselves as instructors while forgetting that we are ongoing pupils. When we do so, even as God’s redeemed, we are susceptible to declaring yet again, “My way is better than your way and I will fight you for it.”
Let us begin this day humbled before the merciful, majestic Creator. Let us hunger to understand His ways. May we remain desperate for the calm of His countenance above and beyond our desire for the help of His hand. Our gatherings in churches today should not be primarily about work but, rather, worship. I remind you that the focus is not your individual preferences, entrenched expectations, personal tastes concerning worship styles, right to convenience, or spectacular Kingdom insights. Perish the ways within us that would dare to make Sundays about us! Friends, this day is an incredible opportunity for you to gather alongside others whose minds are being completed by an invisible Hand as we wait upon the Lord to perfect His ways in us. God has not finished His work in you and something unprecedented may await you in some church house where He has determined to work. Don’t reason your way out of that simple possibility. Don’t let arrogance cordon you off from others who also need His ongoing, enlightening work. Come, sit alongside of your Christian family and join us in having our minds washed from the faultiness that is ever with us. Let us enjoy together the gracious work of receiving a renewed thought-life. We are weary of our own recurring miscues which bring us back to the same places of confession and repentance. How we need His relentless work on our behalf to dislodge us from us! Yes, we need to learn of Him. We need to do so…together.
“We need to learn of Him.” Yes, we do. But does not the Bible mention ‘Man sharpens Man as iron sharpens iron’? If that be true, then it follows that a single persons study of the Bible cannot be complete until he shares what he has learned with another person. The purpose of that sharing is to expose ones thoughts or discernments to the criticism of others who have studied the same material for the purpose of removing impure entities that have slipped into the correct theology. That process is ongoing and unceasing.
1 Cor 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?