UNCTION AND GUMPTION

UNCTION AND GUMPTION!

1 John 2:18-21

18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time…20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it…

           Old timey preachers used to talk about “unction” and, while it is only used once in our English Bible, it is something we all need. The Greek word is chrisma and literally means “an unguent or smearing.” Our text suggests that because it is the last days we need the Holy Spirit to be slathered on us to give us special wisdom and discernment to function in these last days.

           My old timey parents used to talk about “gumption” and Merriam-Webster acknowledges that it is a real word though seldom used these days. It means “shrewd common sense; enterprise; initiative.” Mom and Dad lived through the Great Depression and were constantly berating us for our lethargy and lack of motivation. I suppose we still need a heavy dose of gumption.

           The old timey Word of God persistently warns us that “in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1) and the character of those days closely mirror our own. We have been warned and now those days are upon us. There is a palpable sense of foreboding even among the irreligious in the world. Some have yielded to paranoia seeing antichrists behind every rock. Maybe they are right. Perhaps we should be wary.

           What we need is a heavy application of “unction and gumption.” We must be up and moving for the Master and we most certainly need the Holy Spirit for strength and discernment.

Ps 45:7

7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Dear Lord, smear upon me Thy Holy Spirit and give me the gumption to live righteously in a world gone mad. AMEN

FREE TO CHOOSE

FREE TO CHOOSE!

Josh 24:14-15

14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord .

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord , choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .

           John Calvin, in his Prefatory address to King Francis when he wrote his Institutes, referred to a prevailing attitude of the time. He called it “The Appeal to Custom against Truth!” There is enormous pressure to conform to the cultural model of belief and behavior even when there are clear instructions to the contrary in God’s Word. In order to be “cool,” or simply to live in peace with fellows, we ignore and discard God’s clear directives to not follow the crowd.

Man is morally free to make his own choices and to suffer the consequences of those choices. Man is responsible for his conduct. The social history of the world, the universal consciousness of man, and the concurrent teachings of the Bible all show this. Man is responsible for his destiny. Character is constantly being formed: it will emerge either marred or perfect, depending on whether you submit to the Divine will, or resist the influences He brings to bear upon you.

God condemned the world with the Flood but kept Noah and his family alive. The world drowned as a mob but each man died as an individual for his sins. (See Genesis 7:1 and Hebrews 11:7) James S. Hewett said: “evil custom is nothing but a kind of public pestilence in which men do not perish the less though they fall with the multitude."

Dear Lord, I will be presented with many choices today. When I make those choices there will be consequences as a result of my choosing. Please, let me see the snare and not simply the bait. AMEN

ARE YOU FRUSTRATED

ARE YOU FRUSTRATED?

Ezra 4:4-5

4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

1 Thess 2:18

18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

           Frustration, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a feeling of anger or annoyance caused by being unable to do something.” I doubt you actually needed that definition this morning. You may not have put it in those exact words but you know what frustration is.

           We are frustrated when truly important things are hindered by artificially urgent things! Ezra and Nehemiah were tasked with rebuilding Jerusalem but the people of the land gave them negative advice and frustrated them at every opportunity. Nehemiah had to work with a sword in one hand and a brick layer’s trowel in the other.

           Even in the spirit world there is frustration. When Daniel prayed, his answer was delayed because a demon withstood the answering angel! Listen to his explanation.  

Dan 10:12-13

12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

           The good news is that you can’t frustrate the purposes of God even when you do! Did you understand what I just said? Even delays of 120 days do not keep God from accomplishing His purposes!

Isa 41:10-11

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; [bewildered] for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Dear Lord, let me yield my urgent things to your important things. Let me rest in the knowledge that your purposes can’t be frustrated. AMEN

HE BRINGS ORDER OUT OF CHAOS

HE BRINGS ORDER OUT OF CHAOS!

1 Cor 14:33

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

           The context of this verse is set in the midst of instructions regarding the proper use of the temporary gift of previously unlearned languages to transmit God’s word to the churches. The Bible had not yet been completed and, in fact, was still being lived out. Truth was transmitted by way of special messengers who would give that message in a language they did not know. Another in the church would be gifted with the interpretation and answer. The Corinthians were abusing this and Satan was counterfeiting it. The result was confusion and clamor. However, for our purposes, we will pull out the principle and let it stand alone. God is not the author of confusion.

           The opposite of confusion (akatastasia) is not clarity but peace (eirene)! Peace is possible even when things are not yet perfectly clear! Many strands of a knotty problem may yet need to be unraveled but the spirit is at peace. Isn’t that what we want when we pray? We ask God to make things clear to us when what we really want is peace. We want to know that those confusing things will eventually work out. We need to know that God is in control; working things out for good.

           Creation shows God’s handiwork in bringing order out of chaos. We are alarmed to read that “earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Many have tried to make much of that statement without any satisfactory conclusion. I think it simply can be explained by watching a potter. His first order of business is to scoop up a batch of mud. It has no form or function. That is the job of the potter.

           The demoniac of Gadara was so out of control that he was chained naked amongst the tombs. He was in constant torment and cried out. Later, in Luke 8:35, he was seen sitting by Jesus clothed and in his right mind! The change was so dramatic that it made the disciples afraid. Since the demoniac was no problem for Jesus, certainly we can bring our chaos to Him.

Dear Lord, I bring you my confusion. Please give me your peace! AMEN

DON'T HIDE YOUR CANDLE

DON’T HIDE YOUR CANDLE!

Luke 8:16

16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.

           The analogous candle is a familiar Biblical example of the life of the believer. We have been set ablaze by our faith in Christ and in Him is “no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). That a man would light a candle and then cover it with a vessel, or put it under a bed is foolish. Yet it is clear that Jesus sees us doing exactly that with the candle of our life.

           A most interesting word in our scripture today is the word “vessel.” It sometimes means “household goods” or “stuff.” Oh, I see it often! A talented believer sometimes has his light hidden beneath the accumulation of his stuff.

The word is also used to designate the human body as in “he is a chosen vessel.”  How often is the light of the gospel dimmed by our indulgence of the body’s needs or the concern for the body’s safety? We do not speak for fear of enduring some deprivation of accustomed pleasure. We will not venture far to share the gospel for fear of personal safety. The light has become darkness.

Luke 11:33

33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

           Jesus again, as recorded by Luke, says that it is unthinkable to place a lighted candle in a secret place. Now, the word that is translated “a secret place” is the Greek word krupte (kroop-tay) and means “a place concealed or a private place.” How often is the gospel hidden simply because it is viewed as my very own private light? The nature of light makes this thought even more ridiculous. Light can’t be privately held. Once you turn on the light, it shines upon all.

           The believer is a candle to all and has been set ablaze by his faith in Christ. His design and purpose is to shine so that others may see the light. If we hide ourselves under material stuff our light becomes darkness. If we keep our light selfishly private then no one will see.

Matt 5:16

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Dear Lord, set me on fire and put me in a prominent place that I may give light to those in darkness. Amen