WORD OF LIFE, PART 13: "SWEETER THAN HONEY"

It is more than possible for a new Christian to hurry up and surpass the one "who" taught him/her the ways and wonders of the Lord. It happens all the time. For instance, say a new baby Christian is born (again) and as often happens, this person is immediately more fired up and passionate about the Kingdom and Kingdom work and seems unstoppable. They are an asset to the Body of Christ as long as this energy is directed in a measured and meaningful way.

There was such a man like that in the New Testament. His name was Saul. Later on in his writings, as Paul, he called himself "a Jew of Jews". In other words, he had already surpassed his great teacher - Gamaliel, the famous Jewish Rabbi of Bible days - in both passion, zeal and maybe even the thirst for knowledge. Now as with those whose zeal exceed their knowledge, Gamaliel had more wisdom than Saul when he tried to restrain his student Saul and all the other pharisees from hunting down John and Peter in Acts Chapter 5 (click here). 
Psalm 119:97-104
Mem.
97    O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
98    Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine.
99    I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.
100  I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts.
101  I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.
102  I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me.
103  How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104  From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

This is precisely what is meant by Psalm 119:99, when taken at face value. Saul/Paul WAS more gifted knowledge-wise than Gamiliel, his rabbi. Later on, in the Book of Acts, when he became a Christian after encountering Jesus Christ on the Road to Damascus, he also became a whole lot wiser than all the descendants put together, of the Great Jewish Rabbis from the Exodus to Jesus Christ (about 1500 years). It is also possible that Saul, now Paul, ended up privately witnessing to Gamiliel on one of his many visits back to Jerusalem. But that is another story, as there is no evidence of Gamiliel ever becoming a follower of Christ.

While Psalm 119:97-100...or in fact, this entire portion from verses 97-104 could be about the Apostle Paul and his life's work, it is more about how the Holy Spirit wants us to live and function as Children of the Cross. We are supposed to be become more equipped and wiser in the word than our pastor/teachers. If we spend more time meditating in the Word of God, going to good Bible conferences and walking out our Faith in the market place of ideas, where the rubber meets the road, it is entirely probably to have a complete Christian life than most preachers. Faith in Action- from study to service- will give us an edge over even a seminary president, who may know the entire Bible in Greek, yet could not share the gospel with the girl who cuts his hair, even if his life depended on it! Consider, or think on these things.

Because such a one has solid and growing Faith, which functions mightily with an unction, we instinctively know to stay away from all evil. Not just blatantly evil things like the obvious, but even the things which once captured our attention (Verse 101). Some of the TV programs or movies which we would not dare miss because "we just had to see them" or a series with some popular (yet completely lost) actor or actress which celebrates sin, all of a sudden have absolutely NO appeal to us. This is not only a sign of spiritual growth and becoming sanctified in the Lord, but is also a direct result of the "ordinances" of the Lord (verse 102) taking hold in our spirits and in our lives!

Such a development is terrific because we fall more in love with not just Abba Father, and the Savior, but His Words - His living breathing Words of Life in every page of the Bible (verse 103). The sweetest therein flows from each page like honey from the honeycomb. We become like beekeepers without all the beekeeper hazmat looking suits on, because the honey of the Word of God only stings if we violate it. Apart from that, it is the sweetener in our tea, the sugar in your coffee! There is nothing more delicious than pure natural honey or a honeycomb purchased directly from the Farmer's Market or one of our local apple orchards. There is nothing more satisfying to the soul, than the truth found in God's Word, in which no false way can be found (verse 104). There is nothing more amazing than being completely committed to Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfecter and Creator all things. Amen.

ARE YOU A HYPOCRITE?

PART 1 - ON THE OUTSIDE

A hypocrite is a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. He or she can also be someone who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, orstatements belie his or her public statements.*


A charge commonly made against us Christians is that we are a bunch of hypocrites! In fact, this is the excuse given by secularists and humanists as to why they - the atheist - do not go to church or are not a child of God. Of course, they do not see the light poles sticking out of their own eyes. 


Billy Graham has a good question for those who blame a lack of any relationship with the one true God of heaven on those of us whom the world accuses of hypocrisy. He said "if you got a bad glass of milk one time, would you quit drinking milk?" Or to paraphrase, if you get a cheap gallon of gas at a QuickMart gas station and it evaporates quickly, would you stop going to any filling station forever? No you won't, or you would not be able to drive anywhere.


The world looks at the sensational headlines or some perverted, greasy, money-grubbing individual behind a pulpit with a bible and willfully associates us with that prosperity gospel from hell. I can't tell you the amount of times I have to defend the Bible or my own beliefs in Christ against unbelieving co-workers. These people use the any example of religious double-speak; womanizing or some rich preacher with an arrogant attitude to paint EVERY Christian as one of those.

Sometimes, it does not have to be a national religious figure who falls in disgrace like Ted Haggard or Bishop Eddie Long, but some who accuse us of hypocrisy, are more up to speed on some local pastor in town who owns two spanking new Cadillacs and goes on cruises every winter with his family, while he or his church are never seen downtown, showing any compassion for the homeless and/or hurting. They look at him on local TV with the fancy glittering stage and rock band, hawking books while talking about "the Love of Jesus" and wonder "what planet is this guy even on?"

Whether these local churches actually have great outreach ministries or not (usually they do), is not the question. The perception is one of "these churches only want my money".


Therefore, Father in the Name of Jesus, You are not tolerant of those who profess and call on Your Name in Public, but whose father is the god of this world - the devil. The Lord Jesus called out the pharisees in Matthew 23:15 when He said "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."


Lord God, this is the state of most of us in the modern church who could not stand the scrutiny of the Light of day, but who will be accountable on the Day of Judgment here on earth. We are the modern day copies of those pharisees.


Lord we confess our sins as a body of Christ for all the lost of this world we have turned away, because we have not functioned as You expected we would or as You laid out in Your Holy Word. For this sin, we seek and beg Your forgiveness.


Lord, we confess ours sins for each time we have held large public events and proclaimed the Name of Jesus and God, yet live like the devil the rest of the week. For this sin, we seek and beg Your forgiveness.


Lord, we confess our sins for every missed opportunity we let slip to be the good Samaritan to a homeless person with sign, and looked down our noses at them. We could have well failed a test and disrespected an angel from heaven by our foolish self-righteousness! For this sin, we seek and beg Your forgiveness.


Lord we confess our sins for the countless times we 'felt sad' as a church when our poor neighbor's ministry or building just up the county burned down....and all we did was say we would "pray for them"...and then never do pray or lift a finger to help or donate a penny to help that brother or sister out of a jam!  For this sin, we seek and beg Your forgiveness. 

Lord I personally repent for being part of any body or organization, which has committed all these shortcomings and sinned before You, as the church. Lord, no one is pure in this regard.

I repent personally as a former church and now a ministry leader, for missing both the forest and trees because I was too busy to see Your Hand at work. Forgive me oh God. Search me and correct my thinking so that no matter what the lost and evil world may say, at least in this corner of Your Kingdom, we will not be found wanting and being hypocrites on the Outside, when called to account, in That Day...in Jesus' Name, amen

TOMORROW: PART 2 (ARE YOU A HYPOCRITE?) - ON THE INSIDE

Credits:

* www.dictionary.reference.com

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