But God has spoken and has
done so clearly. Further, that which He has spoken perfectly reflects
His divine character and nature and leads us toward lives that are
for our good and His glory. The question is not whether or not God's
Word is clear and reliable, but whether or not we will trust God's
Word and His goodness, walking in obedience to Him.
Gen 3:1-6
3:1 Now the serpent was
more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He
said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from
any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the
serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but
God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the
middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
4 "You will not
surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God
knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that
the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and
also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also
gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the
eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Ed Welch wrote a book entitled "When
People are Big and God is Small." Welch's book deals with our
tendency to fear man rather than God, making man appear bigger than
God. We could just as easily write our own book, however, every time
we fail to trust and obey God – "When I am big and God is
small." Any time we fail to trust God and obey His Word, we are
setting ourselves up as superior to Him, claiming that we know more
and that our way is better than His.
Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit in
the garden, they had already sinned against God in their hearts. They
failed to trust God, His Word, and His goodness, causing them to act
on their own wisdom and desires, leading to disobedience and death.
We do the same when we fail to trust the God who speaks and fail to
obey that which He has spoken. We act as though we are big and God is
small.
I – We fail to trust God
by questioning His Word (vs. 1-2)
Though Adam and Eve did not need help
to question God's Word, they had help – Satan, the father of lies.
He introduced doubt about the Word of God – "Did God really
say?" Satan is a real enemy. He is alive today, and he will
seek to introduce doubt regarding God's Word if you will let Him.
God has spoken, and He did not stutter.
Furthermore, God's revelation is sufficient. He has given you all you
need to know, love, honor, worship, and obey Him. The question is:
Will you trust God by trusting His Word, or will you question God's
Word?
Is it a sin to have
questions when we read God's Word? Certainly not! We will never fully
understand all the depths of the riches of God's great revelation.
The question is, first, do you read God's Word, showing its authority
over you and your submission to it? If you do, how do you respond
when you have a question about what you have read? Do you question
your understanding of God's Word, keeping God's Word as the
trustworthy authority? Or, do you question God's Word, making
yourself the authority over His Word?
II – We Fail to Trust
God by Altering His Word (vs. 2-5)
The Word of God – in its quality and
quantity of content – is perfect. Everything in the Word of God is
true and trustworthy, as is God Himself. Nothing in the Word of God
needs to be removed, and nothing needs to be added to it. When we
alter the Word of God by addition (as Eve did) or by subtraction (as
Thomas Jefferson did), we are demonstrating a lack of trust in God.
We either say that God's Word is not sufficient, because something
needs to be added, or His Word is not good, because it places demands
on us that are not necessary or best. Either way, altering the Word
of God shows that we do not trust the wisdom or goodness of the God
of the Word.
What is your tendency?
Do you add things to God's Word – maybe social restrictions
regarding music, dress, drinking, etc.? Or, do you take things away
from God's Word – because it makes you feel uncomfortable, or
guilty. Maybe you leave out God's command to forgive (since someone
has hurt you deeply)? How does your willingness to alter the Word of
God show that you are not trusting and submitting to the God of the
Word?
III – We Fail to Trust
God by Disobeying His Word (v. 6)
The clearest evidence of our failure to
trust God is our disobedience to His Word. Disobedience is our
adamant usurping of God's authority and reign in our lives. Our
disobedience says, "I know what your word says. I am going to do
what I want to do instead." This is the fruit of our decision to
make ourselves big and God small. When faced with an opportunity to
obey or disobey God's Word, the question to ask is not, "Does
this thing appear to be helpful, beautiful, and desirable?" The
question to ask is, "What has God said about this?"
Obedience will flow out of trust and surrender. Disobedience comes
from a heart of doubt and rebellion.
Can you think of a time
that you have disobeyed God that did not result from doubting God's
Word and choosing to rebel against Him? Since you cannot, ask God, by
His Spirit, to help you trust His Word and His goodness, leading you
walk in obedience to Him. When faced with some temptation to doubt
and disobey, don't be deceived by asking if the thing you want seems
to be helpful, beautiful, or desirable. Instead, simply ask yourself,
"What has God said?" Then trust God's goodness and
faithfulness and walk ahead in obedience to Him.
Conclusion Idea
From the time our first parents sinned,
we have been bent toward distrusting God, His Word, and His goodness,
choosing instead to disobey God and go our own way. Whether we add to
or subtract from God's Word, we demonstrate our lack of trust in God,
His Word, and His character. We place ourselves above God and His
Word, making ourselves big and God small. Those who do not know
Christ walk in this way as their manner of life. The only hope is
repentance of sin and surrender to Christ as Savior and Lord.
Believers must also realize, however, our similar sins of
disobedience. We must depend on the transforming power of the Gospel
and the sanctifying work of God's Spirit to empower us to trust God,
to submit to His Word, and to walk in obedience – by His grace and
for His glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment