Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ³⁵  “But the days will come;  and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”  Luke 5:33-35. 

What is the meaning of this Scripture for us?  Should we be fasting and praying?  Or, should we be eating and drinking?  Is Christ with us?  Or, is Christ away from us?

^“4  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

 ⁵  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

 ⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 ⁷  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 ⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

 ⁹  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:4-9.

Here, Paul was in jail.  If ever there was a time when he could feel that Christ was away from him, it would be then.  If ever there was a time when he could feel that he should be fasting and praying, it would be then.  But, instead, his attitude was one of joy and rejoicing.  In the same chapter, he later speaks of contentment.  He speaks of having received everything in full and having an abundance.  He speaks of the promise of God supplying all our needs.  He speaks of the nearness of the Lord, the peace of God guarding our hearts, and the grace of God being with our spirit.

I am not maintaining that fasting should never be done.  But, I am saying that if, in the best sense of this Scripture, Christ is away from us, so that we should fast, at least more, then we would see it preached and practiced much more.

When Paul stated in Philippians 4:9 above, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”, Paul was not talking about fasting.  After the Book of Acts, when I did a BibleGateway search, I did not find a single reference to a fast or fasting – Click here: BibleGateway.com – Keyword Search: fast

And yet, it may appear to the world that the attitude of Christians is one of sorrow or at least lack of joy.  It may appear to the world as if Christians are solemn and sour.  It may appear to the world as if Christians are fasting. 

It is a shame that the questions in the first paragraph seem at first so tough to answer.

“Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;  And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”  Psalm 32:11. 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;  and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20.  (Emphasis added.)

 ²⁹  And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house;  and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

 ³⁰  The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

 ³¹  And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

 ³²  “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”  Luke 5:27-32.

Jesus cared more about calling sinners to repentance than He cared about His reputation with the religious leaders of that day, the Pharisees and their scribes.

Do we care more about appearing pious to our church leaders, whether they be leaders in the denomination, clergy, or even lay leaders, than we care about ministering to others?

I suppose some can misuse this Scripture to satisfy their own lusts to eat and drink, but we can see that this Scripture leads with Jesus calling to Levi to follow Him.  “And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.”  It is only afterwards, and at the invitation of Levi, that Jesus reclined at the table to eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners.

It is also interesting to contrast Jesus’ actions with many evangelists today.  Many evangelists today think their job is done when someone walks up to the altar “to accept Jesus” in response to their “altar call”.  Here, we see that Levi had already begun to follow Jesus, but Jesus was still interested in ministering to Levi and the other sinners who were with Levi.

In regards to Jesus eating and drinking with Levi and other sinners, this action of Jesus reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 which is a very fitting summary and conclusion.

“²³  All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable.  All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

 ²⁴  Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.

 ²⁵  Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake;

 ²⁶  FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.

 ²⁷  If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake.

 ²⁸  But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake;

 ²⁹  I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s;  for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?

 ³⁰  If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?

 ³¹  Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

 ³²  Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;

 ³³  just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.”  1 Corinthians 10:23-33

 ²²  But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

 ²³  “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

 ²⁴  “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”–He said to the paralytic–“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”

 ²⁵  Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

 ²⁶  They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”  Luke 5:20-26. 

Few need to be healed of their paralysis.  All need to be forgiven of their sins.

We may not even “know” that we sin, but if we do not know that we sin, our sins will not be forgiven.  “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  1 John 1:8. 

We may know our sins, but if we do not confess our sins, our sins will not be forgiven.  “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;  My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.”  Psalm 32:3-4. 

We may know our sins, and even confess our sins, but if we do not really believe that Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins, then we lack saving faith and our sins will not be forgiven.  See John 8:12-59, especially verse 24:  “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;  for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”  John 8:24.

We may know our sins, and even confess our sins, and believe that Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins, but if we do not really believe that Jesus desires to forgive our sins, then our sins will not be forgiven.  We are reminded of yesterdays’ devotion.  “While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy;  and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing;  be cleansed.”  And immediately the leprosy left him.”  Luke 5:12-13.  We are also reminded that an element of faith is that “… He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6. 

In summary, knowledge of sins, confession of sins, belief in Jesus’ authority to forgive sins, and belief in Jesus’ desire to forgive our sins, are important parts of faith.  There may be other parts of faith.  I break faith down to some elements, not to discourage anyone, but rather to point to the need for us to receive saving faith as a gift of God.  Arminians often portray faith as just a simple exercise of their alleged free-will.  But, who is to say that simply squinting your eyes and saying”  “I believe.” is faith or sufficient faith to save? 

We need that saving faith that comes as a gift of God. 

Article 8 of The Canons of Dordt states:  “For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.”  (Emphasis added.) 

God will give us all of what we need.  He will plant the seed of faith within our hearts.  He will show us Scripture that will build our faith.  He will bring us through experiences, like fire, that will prove our faith.

Leprosy reminds us of sin.  It harms and even corrupts the body.  It spreads.  It leads to death.

For good reason, we shudder in disgust and fear when we think of either leprosy or sin.

But, there is hope.  We do have a Savior!  “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  And He answers us, saying, “I am willing;  be cleansed.” 

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:8-9.

We know forgiveness of sins.  We know these verses.

But, I was reminded of the importance of believers continually asking God to forgive their sins by a Standard Bearer article that I read yesterday titled “Justification:  Considering the Judgment Day with Singular Delight” by Rev. Angus Stewart in the November 1, 2009 Special Reformation Issue on John Calvin – 500th Anniversary with the following quote at page 59.  As a side note, this issue contained a lot of great articles on John Calvin, and I particularly recommend this issue and include a link herein to it – Click here: http://www.rfpa.org/downloads/8603.pdf

“Third, justification includes the continual forgiveness of sins. It is not something that we receive once and for all at the very start of our Christian life, as many in evangelical circles believe and teach. Calvin explains that in the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer (“forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”), we who are already believers continually ask God to remit our sins:

M. What does the fifth petition contain?
S. That the Lord would pardon our sins…. When Christ gave this form of prayer, he designed it for the whole Church (p. 79).

In his Institutes, the Genevan Reformer affirms,
…we must have this blessedness [of justification] not just once but must hold to it throughout life…the embassy of free reconciliation is published [i.e., preached] not just for one day or another but is attested as perpetual in the church (3.14.11).”   

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16

^“4  When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

 ⁵  Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

 ⁶  When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;

 ⁷  so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.

 ⁸  But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

 ⁹  For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;

 ¹⁰  and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

 ¹¹  When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”  Luke 5:4-11. 

I do not think the only reason why Simon, James, and John worked hard all night and caught nothing, but then caught two boat-loads of fish upon obeying Jesus’ command, is to show the greatness of Jesus’ miracle. 

I think another reason why Simon, James, and John worked hard all night and caught nothing, is to be an important part of the analogy between catching fish and catching men. 

With men, it is impossible to catch or convert men. 

^“10  as it is written,
         “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
    ¹¹  THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
         THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
    ¹²  ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
         THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
         THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”  Romans 3:10-12.                             

It is not just a matter of trying harder to catch men.  In my experiences and observations at different denominations and different churches, it was so discouraging and so disheartening for me and others to try and also watch others catch men through their own strategies and their own hard work.  And, you could not help but feel sorry for “God” through this image of “God” waiting and watching to see what men would do and wringing his hands. 

But, with God, it is not only possible to catch or convert men, it is irresistable. 

In sharp black-and-white contrast to the futile strategies and hard work of man, you have here the words of Jesus:  “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 

(Emphasis added to the foregoing verses.)

 ⁴⁴  So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”  Luke 4:42-44.

We can get comfortable and not want to leave friends and familiar people and familiar surroundings.  But, we may need to leave them to fulfill our mission elsewhere.

Like Jesus, we may have people trying to prevent us from moving.  We can understand and even appreciate their feelings of attachment.  But, we must fulfill our mission.

God will make it clear to us what we should do.  He states:  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;  I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”  Psalm 32:8. 

We may not know as quickly as we want to know.  We may need to pray for guidance.  We may even need to pray like persistent woman seeking justice from a judge in Luke 18:1-8.  “now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?”  Luke 18:7. 

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”  James 1:5-6. 

But, God’s guidance does not just come in words that we may strain to hear.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28.  (Emphasis added.)

As Jesus was called to “preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”, we too are sent for God’s purpose, and God will cause “all things to work together for good” for us too according to His purpose.

We should not only read Scripture and believe God’s promises.  We should also remember how God has guided us in the past and remember all that God has done for us.  It will strengthen our faith that God will continue to guide us and do great things for us according to His purpose.  Writing down such experiences will help us remember.  God instructed His people to do all kinds of things as “memorials” (Click here: BibleGateway.com – Keyword Search: memorial)  We can at least write down our experiences to not only help us remember but to help us also teach our young.

“Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart;  for consider what great things He has done for you.”  1 Samuel 12:24

 ³³  In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

 ³⁴  “Let us alone!  What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are–the Holy One of God!”

 ³⁵  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!”  And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.

 ³⁶  And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message?  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”

 ³⁷  And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.”  Luke 4:31-37  (Emphasis added.)

It is noteworthy that the miracle of Jesus did not elicit a primary reaction such as:  “What a nice thing Jesus did for this man!” nor even “What an amazing miracle!”.  The primary reaction is:  “What is this message?“

We also read earlier in this Scripture that “they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority.”

So, what was Jesus’ message?  The full answer may be all of Jesus’ teachings.  The medium answer may be the Beattitudes or Sermon on the Mount that we will read a few chapters later.  The short answer may be what we read in Matthew 4:17:  “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  A one word answer may be the “Gospel” as we read a few days ago in Luke 4:18.

So, what is our message?  What primary reaction does our profession or career or job (or even life) elicit?  

Do people primarily respond:  “What good service he gives!” or “He is really skillful at his job!” or “He is really nice!” ??? 

Or, do people primarily respond:  “There is something different about him.  What is his message?  He is a Christian, but I have not seen a Christian like him.  He has his share of difficulties, but he has such a great attitude.  He is so nice to others.  He likes to read the Bible and talk and write about God.  He talks about Reformed doctrine or Calvinism.  I remember something about tulip.  He is kind of salty, but he makes me thirsty.  I am going to keep my eye on him and find out more about his message.” ???

Yes, we should give good service.  Yes, we should be really skillful at our job.  Yes, we should be really nice.  Yes, it is good that people say such nice things about us.  But, our profession, our career, our job, and our whole life should elicit a primary focus in people on our message.  What is our message?    

Our message should be about God and His qualities and His works.  Our message should be good news of salvation which is the Gospel. 

We don’t need to be a preacher to give a message.  We can just tell others what God has done for us and what we heard about God.  We can point to where we are being fed and welcome them to join us. 

In conclusion, even as I write this, I feel tempted to focus on myself and feel ashamed that I should do so much more.  But then, I turn to God and focus on Him and trust Him and His promise to work within me to deliver that message:  “both to will and to work for His good pleasure”.  Philippians 2:13.

 ²⁵  “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

 ²⁶  and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

 ²⁷  “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 

 ²⁸  And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;

 ²⁹  and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.” 

 ³⁰  But passing through their midst, He went His way. Luke 4:23-30.  (Emphasis added.)

It was stated in yesterday’s Scripture after Jesus returned to Galilee:  “And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.”  Luke 4:15.  (Emphasis added.) 

In today’s Scripture, which immediately follows yesterday’s Scripture, we read “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;  and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.”  Luke 4:28-29.  (Emphasis added.) 

The change in reception is startling.    

We are reminded that people are fickle.  They change like the wind.  People are quick to curse after they bless.  “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;  from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”  James 3:8-10. 

But, their works are even worse than their words.  Immediately after we read in Romans 3:14:  “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;  we read “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,”  Romans 3:15.

One would think that the hometown would rejoice to see one of their “sons” do well.  Whether the root of the reaction is jealousy or other evil emotion, man is so totally depraved that “no prophet is welcome in his hometown” and they will seek to run out of town, even kill, their own “sons”, their own prophet. 

The lesson is that we should not trust man.  “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD.”  Jeremiah 17:5

Rather than trust man who changes, we should trust God who does not change.  “For I, the LORD, do not change;  therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”  Malachi 3:6 

God, who has chosen us to save us before the foundation of the world, does not see our actions and get surprised and throw us away like a boy may throw away a toy that upsets him or does not amuse him anymore.  “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. 

Therefore, “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”  Isaiah 26:4

 ⁷  “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”

 ⁸  Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'”  Luke 4:5-8

I want to focus on the fact that the devil used riches to tempt Jesus.  Scripture tells us:  “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”  1 Timothy 6:10

This Scripture for today reminded me of Disney World.  I live in St. Petersburg, Florida close to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  Yet, I would not want to own Disney World;  I could just visit it to enjoy it.  But even as close as it is, I have only visited it very few times.  My youngest son has not even been there.  The two points of this example is that we do not need to own things to enjoy them, and even then, we should not be obsessed with the thought of such things.   

“While recognizing  that all good gifts are from God, to help us contemplate the goodness of God, Calvin himself shunned the riches of this world.  He exhorted the flock:  “We are to be ready without regret to leave all that belongs to this world.”  God makes Christians, he wrote, as “birds upon the branch.” as quoted from Special Article titled “John Calvin as Church Reformer (2) by Professor Dykstra in the December 1, 2009 issue of The Standard Bearer linked here – Click here: http://www.rfpa.org/downloads/8605.pdf

I love that image.  We know that birds rest lightly on branches and are willing to leave the branch at any time for even the slightest reason.  In comparison, we know that those who love riches are too attached to the things of this world.  They think about them all the time.  They are unwilling to release their tight-fisted grip on them.  They are unwilling to do good, particularly when it means that they will need to leave their riches to do so.

A good summary of this point is in 1 Timothy 6:17 :  “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” 

Both in this 1 Timothy 6:7 verse and the foregoing quote about Calvin, there are three points.  First, “God … richly supplies us with all things to enjoy”.  But, second, we should enjoy them like “birds upon the branch”.  Third, our hope should be fixed on God, and so, we should set on our minds on things above.       

In conclusion, using another bird analogy, Scripture also assures us and comforts us:  “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”  Matthew 6:26