Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ²⁰  When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?'”

 ²¹  At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits;  and He gave sight to many who were blind.

 ²²  And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard:  the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.

 ²³  “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”  Luke 7:18-23.  (Emphasis added.)

At first reading and at first thought, it does not make sense that anyone would take offense at him.  After all, “the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM”.  But, yet, we read:  “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” 

As Reformed folk, we soon consider that without regeneration, that is without being “born of the Spirit” as discussed in John 3:1-8, without “Irresistible Grace” (the “I” of “TULIP”) we would all take offense at Jesus. 

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;  and I will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:44.

The “T” of “TULIP”, “Total Depravity” instructs us:  “as it is written,
         “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 
          THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
          THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 
          ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
          THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
          THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”  Romans 3:10-12. 

That is how wicked we are, without this regeneration.  Even though Jesus would heal us and others, and even though Jesus would bring to us the good news of salvation, we would still hate Him.  We would still take offense at Him.  We certainly know that the “wise” religious Jewish leaders took offense at Jesus.  Even though Jesus was without guilt, and even though Jesus did all this good, they crucified Him. 

Our only “chance” for salvation was not our wisdom.  “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”  1 Corinthians 1:21.  

Our only “chance” for salvation was not our will nor our works.  “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:16. 

Our only “chance” for salvation was God’s grace.  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”  Ephesians 2:4-5.  (Emphasis added.)

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8.

 ⁸  “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

 ⁹  Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”  Luke 7:1-9.  (Emphasis added.)

I  have previously written about how this faith of the centurion can gives us faith in the fulfillment of the Great Commission:  ”Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Mark 16:15.  The centurion recognized that Jesus had authority.  “… just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”  Luke 7:7-8.  Likewise, when Jesus commands His disciples to preach the gospel to every creature, it will be done!  Click here: The Great Commission : “I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, …” « Reformed Doctrine Blog

Today, we go beyond the truth of God’s sovereignty to a study of how this demonstration of faith in God’s sovereignty pleases God.  Here, in verse 9, Jesus exclaims:  “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

The importance of this Scripture goes way beyond Jesus healing another person.  Jesus healed many.  I have not even included the healing in verse 10 because of such fact.  The healing is almost a presumption, an afterthought.

Jesus focuses on the faith of the centurion, and we should too.

Let us examine two parts of this faith. 

First, such a faith pleases God. 

Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”  1 Peter 1:6-7. 

Second, such a faith proclaims the sovereignty of God.   

The centurion proclaimed the sovereignty of God:  “… just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”  Luke 7:7-8. 

Abraham proclaimed the sovereignty of God.  “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;  yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.  Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  Romans 4:19-22.  (Emphasis is also added.)

When you, Reformed folk, preach and teach TULIP, you too proclaim the sovereignty of God and demonstrate your faith and please God.  Thank you.

 ⁴⁸  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

 ⁴⁹  “But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”  Luke 6:46-49.  (Emphasis added.)

We all experience those floods.  They often come suddenly and unexpectedly.  They seem overwhelming.

When those floods come, it is often too late to make adequate preparations for defense.  We can do a little, but we often can not prevent the brunt of the force.  Whether or not our foundation rests fully and “flush”, solidly and exclusively on Christ, our Rock, will determine whether or not our house will stand.

Oh, yes, our foundation may touch Christ.  But, our foundation may also lean on what we think are the best spiritual thoughts of other religions.  Our foundation may also lean on what our family and friends believe.  Our foundation may also lean on our own wisdom.  Our foundation may also lean on our own willpower.  Our foundation may also lean on our own “free will”.

Think of what would happen to a house if it leans on different multiple contacts that could give way.  Will a builder be satisfied that part of his house, even the majority of his house, is not over a sink-hole?  Will the fact that the house leans on one secure contact save it?  No.  That is why a builder will want to make sure that the foundation of his house rests fully and “flush”, solidly and exclusively on rock or other sufficiently solid earth.

Psalm 22:4
In You our fathers trusted;  They trusted and You delivered them.

Psalm 40:4
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

Psalm 44:6
For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me.

Psalm 52:6-8 
    ^“6  The righteous will see and fear,
         And will laugh at him, saying,
     ⁷  “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
         But trusted in the abundance of his riches
         And was strong in his evil desire.”
     ⁸  But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
         I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.”

Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him;  God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Psalm 84:12
O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!

 ⁴¹  “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

 ⁴²  “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”  Luke 6:39-42.

In a small non-denominational church that I attended years ago, the Pastor would invite certain men of the congregation to preach when he could not do so.  I remember one man, a “Hollywood” type, who welcomed such opportunities.  He was handsome, dressed well, and could speak loud and clearly.  He was charming and witty.  But, he did not know understand the truth of Scriptures.  He was figuratively blind. 

And, the problem is, as verse 38 above states, a blind man will lead other blind men into the pit of false doctrine.  However, the Pastor seemed more concerned about either not offending this lay leader or about giving everyone a chance to preach. 

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest.  Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”  Hosea 4:6

Thus, first, we see the importance of understanding the truth of Scripture in  a Preacher or Teacher.

There is a difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.  Someone may have memorized the Reformed confessions, even large parts of Scripture, and be able to answer any question.  He may think that he is smarter than his teacher.  But, when persecution or other pressure comes upon himself and his flock, will he react in a way consistent with such Reformed confessions and Scripture? 

Has the fire of sufficient experiences driven out the impurities in the Preacher or Teacher to make him like gold?  Can a metal be purer than gold, or should it be content to be pure gold?

There is reason for the Scripture calling for deacons to have such experience and not be “…a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”  1 Timothy 3:6. 

Verse 39 above, summarized by the statement “A pupil is not above his teacher.”, calls for humility in a Preacher or Teacher. 

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;  if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”  John 15:20.

Thus, second, we see the importance of experience and humility in a Preacher and Teacher.  

The lessons of verses 41 and 42 about not being a hyprocrite seem so obvious.  Someone who preaches or teaches in a certain area should demonstrate by his own life a command over that subject.

For instance, it is almost laughable when we see fat personal trainers in a gym.  It is almost laughable when we see car mechanics drive their own personal car which seems to be struggling to proceed down the street. 

But, it inflames us in anger when we see strict Preachers and Teachers fall into the same sin in which they condemned so loud and which they showed no mercy toward members of their flock. 

If a Preacher or Teacher does not have a certain command over that subject area, would not it be better to let someone else (who has a demonstrated by his life a better command over that subject) preach or teach on that area, at least until that time when that Preacher or Teacher obtains a better command over that subject area?

Thus, third, we see the importance of not being a hyprocrite.   

James 3:1 provides a very sobering conclusion.  “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

 ⁴³  “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.

 ⁴⁴  “For each tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.

 ⁴⁵  “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good;  and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil;  for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”  Luke 6:43-45.

There is an important distinction between judging for the purpose of condemnation and judging for the purpose of learning.  According to verse 37, we should not judge for the purpose of condemnation.  But, according to verses 43 to 45, we should judge for the purpose of learning.

I think examples can best show the reason for this distinction. 

We can too easily judge people and withhold the Gospel and goodness to them, which in effect, condemns them.

We are commanded to broadly preach the Gospel to everyone, and in this chapter, we are even commanded to love our enemies.  We should not judge those who appear to be reprobates for the purpose of condemning them.  We could too easily withhold the Gospel and withhold doing good to those that we judge to be reprobates.

I am quickly and clearly reminded when I use to hand out Gideon Testaments to public school students on the public sidewalks (not on school grounds) surrounding the school.  As I would see the students approach, I would see students that seemed good and receptive (that is, dressed well, groomed well, and polite) to receiving such a Testament. I would also see students that seemed bad and rebellious (that is. T-shirts with offensive messages on it, unkempt, loud, and cocky).  I was tempted to give Testaments to only those who seemed good, and not risk being offended, rejected, and wasting my time. 

However, I was often surprised to see the apparently good students flatly and coldly reject the Testament.  I was often also surprised to see the apparently bad students warmly receive the Testament.  

On the other hand, we should judge for the purpose of learning.  Every day, we need to judge to what we will listen and learn and accept as truth. 

It is easy to do this with some people.  We will not go to another religion’s place of worship and sit down and listen and receive as truth that speaker’s teachings.

However, it is trickier to do this with wolves in sheep’s clothing.  We need to be a good judge of that person’s true character and true beliefs.  We can’t just accept as truth that person’s teachings, because he says some things that are pleasant and true.  We need to judge and determine whether that person is a good tree or a bad tree.  In other words, we need to judge and determine the character of that person and the beliefs of that person before we decide whether or not “to pick that fruit”, which is a descriptive way of saying “to accept as truth”.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”  I John 4:1.

 ²⁹  “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also;  and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

 ³⁰  “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

 ³¹  “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

 ³²  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.

 ³³  “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.

 ³⁴  “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

 ³⁵  “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;  and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High;  for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

 ³⁶  “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”  Luke 6:27-36.

We need the Spirit of God to act this way.  We need the fruit of the Spirit “… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control …:  Galatians 5:22-23.

 ²⁶  “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”  Luke 6:24-26. 

 ²²  “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

 ²³  “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.  For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”  Luke 6:20-23.  

I think that we have the tendency to feel guilty that we are not poor, not hungry, and not hated, or that we feel that we should do some things so that we become poor, become hungry, and become hated.

But, I do not think that this Scriptures intend for us to feel either way.

Notice the introductory phrase “And turning His gaze toward His disciples”.  Jesus was primarily addressing His disciples,  and the primary message to His disciples was “Blessed are you”.  Jesus was encouraging His disciples.

Notice also the context.  In the immediately preceding Scripture, Jesus had chosen His disciples.  There was nothing special that they had done to merit this blessing.  They had just obeyed His sovereign and irresistible command to follow Him. 

This choosing of His disciples is an example that we too are chosen by Christ.  We too have just obeyed His sovereign and irresistible command to follow Him. 

Like the twelve, we too can and should receive this Scripture as a blessing rather than as a vague “blessing or curse” or as a “to-do” list.  We too are blessed. 

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6.  

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him …”  Ephesians 1:3-4 (Emphasis added.)