Tag: closed

34.b. “Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”

 

 Matthew 18:1  At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

 Psalms 51:10-13   Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

 Acts 3:19   Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

 Acts 28:27    For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

 1 Corinthians 14:20     Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

 Psalms 131:1-2   O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

 Isaiah 57:15    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Luke 14:11     For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 James 4:10     Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

I have much to say about humbleness, repentance, belief, grace, mercy, etc… However, as your read these Scriptures of God’s Word, let the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts accordingly for they are full of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Holiness of God and the lowliness of man. For with the right heart and mind, these Words of God will speak into your life.

33.i. “hey profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

 

Matthew 15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, Honor your father and your mother,’ and, Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

 Matthew 7:3-5    Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

 Mark 7:13    thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

  Colossians 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

 Colossians 2:22  These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

 Titus 1:10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers

 Titus 1:16  They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

 Acts 28:25-27    And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:  “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

 We can appear to draw near to God, all the while having our hearts far from Him. It is easy to want and be impressed by the image of being near to God without really doing it with our hearts. It is very bad to have a heart and mind that has convinced you of doing right when what you are doing is very wrong. What can lead to such actions in a person’s life? What can deceive a person to live like this? The truth is each and every one of us is born with a sinful nature that wants to be self-important, self-worthy, and self-reliant. When “self” is allowed any root in our hearts and minds nothing good can come from it, for it will twist God’s Word to convince us that what we are doing and thinking is right and true.  This certainly can happen very fast when our eyes and ears become deaf to God’s Word. Becoming neglectful and complacent will blind and deafen hearts and minds so fast that the recipient will not even know it has happened. 

It is time spent in God’s Word with a humbly expectant, surrendered, obedient, and reliant heart that we are renewed, daily, in our commitment to live in such a way that in all we say, think, and do Jesus Christ is honored and glorified. There are those who are so gifted in what they say and how they say it, so much so, that people are easily snatched from the right and true path to following after the wisdom and ideas of man. Doing what is right in our own eyes with our own wisdom as guidance brings no honor or glory to Jesus Christ no matter how brilliant what we are doing may seem. And so it is, neglect and complacency yield worthlessness to the very things we think are doing to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. There is no renewing of our hearts and minds. There is no room for the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds so as to guide us in ways that honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Even with God’s Word before us, we are blind and deaf to it because our hearts and soul are not humbly expectant, surrendered, obedient, and reliant on it.
We do well to examine our hearts and minds and cultivate soil that is saturated with seeking and desiring true and pure things of God for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Be mindful it is not just spending time in God’s Word and knowing it that guides the souls of man.  Look at the Pharisees and Scribes, they knew God’s Word, but their hearts and minds were blind and deaf to it.  Why? Because their hearts were not humbly expectant, surrendered, obedient, and reliant on it. They were bound in self-worth, self-reliance, and self-importance. It is only when self is surrendered to Jesus Christ that seeds of honor and glory for Him alone will yield works that honor and glorify Him.

11.w. “Kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh and God says, “All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs”

Nahum 3:12  All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater. Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.

Habakkuk 1:10     At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.

Isaiah 19:16   In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them.

Jeremiah 51:30    The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting; they remain in their strongholds; their strength has failed; they have become women; her dwellings are on fire; her bars are broken.

Psalms 107:16    For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Isaiah 45:1-2     Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,

As people, we build fortresses around ourselves to protect us.  The better the fortress the more secure we get the impression and sense of impregnable protection.  We can see this in nations that build armies and weapons systems as virtual fortress walls of protection.  We can see it in the ancient Walls of China.  We can see it in security and alert systems.  All of these virtual and physical “fortresses” are designed to give us peace of mind against the outbreak of wars, lawlessness, and other acts of violence. They have been needed and used since the fall of mankind.  As individuals, we too, build fortresses. Our homes are protected by deterrents like door locks, deadbolts, security cameras, fences, walls, and alarm systems.  These are designed to give us protection and warning against intruders, looters, and violence.  Some will open carry or conceal and carry firearms where allowed.  Their fortress is the firearm.  We build other fortresses too.  We build financial fortresses where we amass money/savings for security in the future. There are other items we buy and store to complete our fortress of security. Are they necessary? I would have to think it is.  Until the return of Christ, there will continue to be those whose hearts and minds are bent on doing evil.  They are intentional in this choice of sinful behavior.  The problem with fortresses is we soon become more and more reliant in them.  When this occurs our reliance and focuses on Jesus Christ seems to change.  We rest in our fortress and confuse this needed safety with no need for Jesus Christ in our lives, we will fall to the belief that we have power, self-reliance, and self-security. Pride in our fortress replaces the need for Jesus Christ in our daily lives.  The warnings given in scripture warn us against this potential pitfall.  When we are secure in our fortress(es) more than our need for Jesus Christ we are open to all kinds of temptations of neglect and complacency of God’s Word, humble service, seeking His will, seeking His guidance, listening for His quiet small voice, following and obeying, trusting and relying on and in Jesus Christ.  God has demonstrated and communicated His anger against all who rely more on their fortresses/pride/power than humbly serving, thanking, worshiping, praising, honoring, and glorifying Him.  This goes for individuals and nations.  He will break down the iron bars of our fortresses and show us how feeble our attempts are at self-security, self-reliance, and self-preservation.  Fortresses are not bad but the reliance on them over Jesus Christ is very bad and leads to all kinds of sinful thoughts and actions.

115. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false

1 Samuel 26:6   Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

Isaiah 29:10     For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).

Isaiah 44:18     They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

2 Corinthians 4:4    In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12     The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Acts 28:26-27     “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed;

We have many examples of God causing the eyes of man to be closed for a heavy sleep or so that they have no perception, understanding, or knowledge.  We also have examples of satan sending false delusions and blinds those from seeing the light of the Gospel.  In any case, those who are blinded have previously chosen to refuse to believe.  In their heart, soul, and mind they have rejected God of heaven and chosen to believe the lies of the god of this world.

Spurgeon –  The practice of blinding men is a horrible process, too horrible for us to say another word about it; but there is also spiritual blindness which comes on some men. These are, to begin with, unbelievers. The god of this world does not blind believers, but he blinds the minds of those who do not believe. It is, therefore, a very dangerous thing not to believe in the Son of God. The penalty of unbelief is death and condemnation; and that penalty begins to fall on men when, as a result of their unbelief, their foolish heart is darkened, their intellect loses the power to perceive spiritual objects, and the god of this world blinds their mental vision. Ah, my hearers, how anxious Satan is to secure your destruction, since, rather than that you should see the saving light, he takes the trouble to blind your eyes!

A man may be a very keen politician; he may be a first-rate man of business; he may be an eminent scientist, a profound thinker, and yet he may be blinded concerning spiritual truths. How often is it true, “You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes!” As an old writer says, “Poor, ignorant men often find the door to heaven, and enter in, while the learned are looking for the latch.” Yes, a man may have clear eyes for worldly things; he may be very keen as for his insight into the problems of life, and yet the God of this world may have blinded his eyes.

 What is even more remarkable, a man may have much scriptural knowledge; he may understand, in the letter, the things of the kingdom of God; he may be very orthodox in his beliefs, and may be able to give an answer to those who ask him what he believes, and why he believes; but still he may have no spiritual perception of the reality of these things. A person may know something of botany from books, and he may even understand the Linnaean system of classifying plants; but he may never, after all, have seen the primrose by the river’s bank, nor have gathered a single flower out of the garden. He is a poor botanist, is he not? He who has studied natural history in his own room, but has never seen a living animal, knows very little about the subject after all. We have many all around us, who can talk about heaven and hell, and sin and salvation, and Christ and the Holy Spirit, who nevertheless have never had one true perception of the meaning of any of these words. They see, but do not perceive; they hear, but do not understand; they are unbelievers, and the god of this world has blinded their minds.

Calvin – In what sense God is said to blind men, and to “give them up to a reprobate mind,” (Romans 1:28,) is evident from various passages of Scripture; that is, when he takes away the light of his Spirit, and gives a loose rein to the lust of men, so that no reasoning can restrain them. He likewise arms Satan with the efficiency of error, so that they who have refused to obey the truth do not guard against his snares, and are liable to be deceived by his impostures. What then can be left in us but the thickest darkness and gross ignorance, so that this tyrant, the father of lies and of darkness, ravages at his pleasure both within and without? for there will not be found in us any spark of light to dispel the clouds of error, but, impelled by a spirit of giddiness with which God strikes the reprobate, (2 Thessalonians 2:11,) we shall be driven about in a strange manner at the will of Satan.

14.  “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people”

Exodus 33:5  For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people;

Deuteronomy 29:4     But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.

Isaiah 6:9-10     And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Jeremiah 5:21    “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

John 12:37-41    Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,  so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,  “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

Acts 28:25-27    And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:  “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Romans 11:8-10     as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”  And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;  let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Disbelief seems to have many forms.  It can come in the form of hearing truth but denying it.  It can come in the form of seeing great wonders but discounting them.  It can come in hearing truth but denying it applies to them.  It can come in the form of seeing creation but denying God as the creator.  It can come in the form of hearing promises of God but denying them in their life.  It can come in seeing a transformed life but denying God’s hand in it.  It can come in the form of hearing God’s commands but denying they apply to them.  It can come in seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in a life and denying the ability of the Holy Spirit’s existence.  It can come in hearing the conviction of God’s word but denying it.  It can come in seeing love and compassion but denying serving God is the reason.  It can come in hearing place your trust in God but only trusting self or others.  It can come in seeing the needy but denying to help.  It can come in hearing the need to be born again but denying the need.  It can come in seeing the lost but deny telling the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It can come in hearing of sin but deny it in their lives.  It can come in seeing God’s word but denying it has value.  It comes in hearing of God’s wrath but denying it will affect them.  It comes in seeing wrong but denying it is wrong.  It comes in hearing God’s call for repentance but denying the need.  It comes in seeing complacent service to God but denying it.  It comes in  “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

That I may live and keep your word.

Psalms 119:17  Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.  Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.  I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!  My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.  You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.  Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.  Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.  Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

Isaiah 29:10-12     For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).  And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”  And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

Isaiah 29:18     In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

Isaiah 32:3     Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention.

Isaiah 35:5     Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

Matthew 13:13     This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Matthew 16:17    And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

John 9:39     Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

Acts 26:18    to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

2 Corinthians 3:14-18     But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.  Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.  But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Ephesians 1:17-18     that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,  having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

This is true  a love of God not desiccated by study but refreshed, informed and nourished by it.”

The Psalmist didn’t need new revelation; he needed to see the revelation that was already given. He didn’t need new eyes; he needed to see with the eyes he already had.

“In order to keep God’s word, must we not pray to understand it? What then is this prayer? Not – give me a plainer Bible – but open my eyes to know my Bible. Not – show me some new revelations beside the law – but make me behold the wonders of the law.” (Bridges)

There are wondrous things in Scripture; but they can only be seen when the eyes are opened by God.

It also means that not everyone sees the wondrous things in God’s word, but that when one does see them, they should regard it as evidence of God’s blessing and favor.

God has given man a sense of wonder, and there are certain things that prompt it. The new and unexpected can cause wonder; the beautiful and great and cause wonder, and the mysterious and unknown can cause wonder. We can say that God has provided for this sense of wonder by giving us His word. The Holy Spirit can make us alive to the Bible, and constantly see things that are new and unexpected; things that are great and beautiful; things that are mysterious and unknown. It is a shame to many Christians that they look for their sense of wonderful to be satisfied without looking to the Word of God.

Think of all there is in the Bible that you don’t see. Think of all the wonder, all the treasure that is there, but you don’t see it. You can see such things, though you can’t see everything, and sometimes you will think you see things that are not really there. Yet those who see more than you are not necessarily smarter or better; their eyes are just more open.

“If we want to see wonderful things in the Scriptures, it is not enough for us merely to ask God to open our eyes that we might see them. We must also study the Bible carefully. The Holy Spirit is given not to make our study unnecessary but to make it effective.” (Boice)