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Tag: parable

Because the days are evil – 4 – The Devil made me do it.
and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Ephesians 4:27

The Lie of the Devil

There’s an iconic TV character who we know for a common excuse for sin, “the devil made me do it.” We laughed because we have heard it (or something like it) from our friends and loved ones so many times. Inside some of us cringed because we have said it ourselves knowing the truth of our own desires.

Two lies of the devil are that God doesn’t exist and neither does Satan.

This, of course, is why he is called the great deceiver of mankind and most who deny God believe the devil to be a myth.

What deceit?

διάβολος – diabolos

Diabolos, in fact, actually refers to any man or spirit of deceit prone to slander or accusing falsely. Metaphorically, applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him.

“The devil made me do it,” your conscience rationalizes, full-well knowing good and evil yourself and willingly justifying this sin falsely.

Yet in our hearts you and I always know our deceivability toward this easy lie. We wanted to do this sin, to commit this trespass, even convincing our selfish rebellious will that God has forgiven every one of our sins already (for some reason).

Not so; just another lie. For the Lord calls believers to permanent change.

Who will side with sin?

The devil will tempt you before this small opportunity for revelry against God claiming ‘all sins are not equal.’

Did God really say this, the devil will ask, slandering the Lord God?

You can get away with this because you have accepted Christ, slanders the very enemy of Christ.

We don’t have to read the Bible, the deceiver whispers to your heart. Did God really say that, anyway?

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED

Jesus tells this parable to a large crowd then explains it to the Apostles and also to those who study scripture.

“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it…
Luke 8:5 CSB

The Tempter clouds justice and the dark reality of God’s punishment of sin.

“The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. – Luke 8:12

You do not believe scripture and you fail to take God’s word to heart.

Although Jesus points to the devil here in the parable, further examination of our tendency toward loving sin prompts other evil actions of ours. Here is a SAVED ‘christian’ (‘once saved, always saved’).

“And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. Luke 8:13

You showed great enthusiasm for Jesus. Though you claim to worship at a house built on a rock, your faith is that of seed on a rock. You cannot take root as the heat of the world withers your faith. And little have you realized it was the devil who tempted you to believe, ‘now I am safe to sin.’

Other subtle slandering by the devil

“As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. – Luke 8:14

I went to church, check. Listened to the uplifting praise band, check. Texted a friend about something important (or maybe it wasn’t). Okay, probably shouldn’t have done that. Got in my listening to scripture in church this week, check. Gotta go! Rushed out to do some Sunday shopping and see the game. Busy week at work ahead, must work on a few things to get ready.

Pleasures of life: have you seen their ads? Sexxy, enticing, everybody wants to be part of this. (No worries there.) Lies of the devil, the one who you can claim later ‘made you do it?’

No wonder pastors struggle to shepherd church-goers lacking in mature fruit of the Gospel. They don’t read scripture and easily deceived. Yet Jesus encourages those who resist the devil and our own urges, those truly saved who yield the mature fruit of faith in the Cross, resurrection and eternal life with God. (Yes, it’s another lie of the devil that ALL get to heaven.)

“But the seed in the good ground — these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.
Luke 8:15 CSB

The days are evil, but the devil didn’t MAKE you do it.

October — Halloween — New Year’s, Mardi Gras, summer solstice, Oktoberfest — when does it all end?

At judgement, where will you stand? What is your fruit in witness against the great deceiver and slanderer who continually fights against Almighty God, our Lord Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

The First Letter of John

The Apostle John writes a letter to believers encouraging them:

Beloved, now we are children of God…

Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. – excerpt from 1 John 3, NASB

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:10

He didn’t ‘make‘ you do it, but is the devil deceiving you, dear friend?

What is your fruit of righteousness?
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Because the Days are Evil
To be continued...
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October 15, 2019
Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 7
A casual quest for wisdom’s banquet

We have explored wisdom in this series for the most part from the Bible’s book of Proverbs. Solomon’s fame, fortune and riches brought leaders to his court seeking ‘words of wisdom.’

I suppose they would ask: What can I learn about the success of this wise King? Perhaps if I could be wise like Solomon I could replicate his riches.

Powerful leaders point uninformed others to places which will keep them in their place. The masses of humanity for the most part have remained uneducated and therefore cared little about wisdom. Even the faithful have not been told God’s truth. So few have have read the truth recorded in scripture.

A thousand years after David and Solomon the Messiah Jesus came into this world and proclaimed:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ – John 14:6

Just like those who had come to Solomon for wisdom, people often asked Jesus about the Kingdom of Heaven, His Kingdom.

An uncomfortable truth

One day I saw a friend preparing for a great banquet for a wedding of important guests. As guests began to arrive in their tuxedos and gowns I asked a well-dressed guard at the door if I could enter briefly to greet my friend. The attendant guard of the door graciously agreed.

I became increasingly uncomfortable as guests arrived, knowing that I had not dressed in the formal attire of arriving guests. We didn’t belong at this celebration for the bride and groom, which was about to begin.

At the time I couldn’t help recalling the uncomfortable ending of Jesus’ parable about the wedding feast.

Just as the truth of wisdom makes us a little uncomfortable, so do the truths of death, judgment and eternal life.

Until the days of Luther (and Gutenberg) most men could not read the Bible. Women rarely could read at all. Yet even now men and women who claim to seek wisdom fail to read the wisdom of the Bible.

Perhaps a few will make brief inquiry about God in an uncomfortable place, a church. Doesn’t it make us feel like the uninvited wedding guest?

Matthew 22

2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast…

As pointed out previously in this series:
- “they would not come.”
- Other servants invited them again, but the invited guests refused.
  - Some ignored the invitation and went back to work.
  - Others of the chosen killed the messengers!
7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
- He sent messengers to invite as many as they could find.
- Other guests filled the wedding hall.
  
  Now the King enters the festivities. As he looks about the room with joy the King notices a man like me (not appropriately prepared for the great feast).
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants,

‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness.

The outer darkness of the fool

Are you fearful? Here is the wise and all-powerful King and He judges you unfit for the feast. The King’s servants cast you into eternal darkness.

Solomon and the Bible have had much to say about darkness, which is always contrasted with light and good.

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble. – Proverbs 4:19

Surely the deep darkness of which Jesus speaks is Hell!

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Are you invited?

Such a staggering thought that the King of Kings would judge your sin! (And mine, as well.) Therefore we fear Hell, the place of eternal punishment so much deserved by all.

In fact no reprieve can be bought, which was a catalyst of the Reformation.

Are you an ‘outsider’ who is invited, OR do you just tiptoe in the door of the King to hear His wisdom?

Because no family ties, riches or religious displays will get you into the banquet of the Lord, an invitation is required.

Other wisdom of the Son

Jesus IS the Son of Man and Son of God! Christ came to sinners as a sacrifice for our innumerable sins. Jesus frequently speaks wisdom to the crowds and Apostles, even explaining the meaning of parables.

Have you read the Gospel? Find your invitation to the banquet of the King and embrace His righteous wisdom in this Good News for all.
October 31, 2017
Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 6
The Parable of the Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

If you have been following our series on wisdom you will already recognize that the banquet prepared for us by the king anticipates words of wisdom from our host. Recall also that many proverbs of wisdom from scripture were given to us by Solomon, King of Israel, son of David.

Before we continue let’s reflect on the King and Son mentioned.

Matthew 1:

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

It is highly significant that the crowds of Jerusalem recognized this worker of miracles and teacher of parables as ‘the son of David. Jesus further frequently as the ‘son of man,’ meaning ‘a son of adam’ or human born in the flesh like you and me.

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. – Matthew 16:27

Let’s be clear: Jesus’ claim to His place in this parable is Son of the King, Almighty God. He has both prepared the table and invited the guests.

You have read the Law of Moses, witnessed the faith of Abraham and sung the Psalms of David. Though you read the wisdom and Proverbs of Solomon, you deny that the Lord tore away his kingdom, then restored Israel for a time.

Servants of the Son of Man proclaim His message and the King now invites you to His banquet.

Will you accept the invitation of the LORD?

The King ‘sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast’, honored guests who claimed Abraham, followed Moses and were among the chosen; ‘but they would not come.’

A Second Chance

MATTHEW 22:

4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off…

God has prepared the feast of feasts for the Son of glory. Therefore Prophets like Ezekiel, God’s messenger frequently called ‘son of man,’ invited family to repent and come to the feast.

2:3 וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם שֹׁולֵחַ אֲנִי אֹֽותְךָ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־גֹּויִם הַמֹּורְדִים אֲשֶׁר מָרְדוּ־בִי הֵמָּה וַאֲבֹותָם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי עַד־עֶצֶם הַיֹּום הַזֶּֽה׃

Ezekiel and other repentant men begged God’s chosen to also repent of their sins and humbly return to the King of creation. Most refused, yet he LORD shows mercy and compassion for those whom He loves.

To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. – Daniel 9:9-10

Will your repent and return to your Lord?

Matthew 22:

… the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Certainly that had been the experience and lament of Daniel when a remnant of Israel survived in Babylon.

A New Invitation

8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

Would you be a ‘worthy guest’ of the King?

Would the King ask you, a sinful Samaritan of sorts; a gentile, even a non-Christian?

Hear how the Lord has reached out to many to celebrate the wedding of the Son.

9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’

10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

‘Both bad and good’ certainly includes you and me? Look at the definition of the greek word meaning bad, πονηρός ponēros.
- pressed and harassed by labours
- bringing toils, annoyances, perils
- of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness
- in a physical sense: diseased or blind
- in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad
Do any of these describe your present life?

We are invited.

Will you accept the invitation of the King to the Banquet for the Son?

To be continued…
October 28, 2017