No Other God

For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
Rom 9:17-20

God’s explanation of Pharaoh’s rise to power is one of the many examples of the Lord’s predetermined purposes being fulfilled in the earth. The king of Egypt didn’t claim the throne by his own skill and intellect. The text is clear. God put Him in power! This truth should not surprise us because when Pilate said he had the power to save Jesus or condemn Him, our Lord quickly replied, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” (Joh 19:11) Why does Rom 13:1 say we should submit to governmental authorities? “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” The Lord is in charge, not man!

Not only does God take credit for putting Pharaoh in power, but God takes credit for Pharaoh not letting the children of Israel go immediately. That’s why v. 18 of our text says, “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.” God hardened Pharaoh’s heart! Listen to God’s word to Moses BEFORE he ever went back to Egypt to ask Pharaoh for Israel’s freedom:

And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’”
(Exo 4:21-23)

You see, before Moses went back to Egypt, God had determined to deliver Israel in a miraculous way so that the whole world would hear of the greatness of Israel’s God! By the time they made it to Jericho, Rahab said her city had heard of Israel’s great deliverance and they knew that “the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Jos 2:10-11) God would see to it that Egypt experienced the fullness of his judgment.  Even when Pharaoh was ready to release Israel (Exo 10:16), we read, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.” (Exo 10:20)

With God so involved in the details of this life, Paul knew well that some would ask, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” (Rom 9:19) How can God judge man for sin if God is ultimately in control and fulfilling His purposes in the earth? I love Paul’s response: “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?'” (v. 20) He doesn’t even answer the question! He simply says, “God is God, and you are not–you have no right to question Him!” And that is exactly the point. How can we comprehend His secret purposes when we are so simple compared to Him? He declares, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:9)

Here’s what we should know. Good is good. He is holy and righteous. He never sins or makes mistakes. As was the record of Christ in Mar 7:37, “He has done all things well.” We need to learn as Nebuchadnezzar did that, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?'” No matter how chaotic things may appear at times, God is FULLY in control! I pray this truth will comfort your heart this day, dear Christian. Remember that glorious message of Isa 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!‘”

Jamie

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Rom 9:14-16

Who can fully grasp God in His sovereignty? He is the God “who works all things according to the counsel of His will”. (Eph 1:11) It is foolish to ask the question the apostle poses in our text: “Is there unrighteousness with God?” He responds quickly, “Certainly not!” God by very nature is good, holy, and righteous. How can He act otherwise? He is our definition of all of those characteristics. As Jesus told the rich, young ruler, “No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Mar 10:18)

Man on the other hand is a different story! Man is born in sin. He’s not basically good as some teach. He is by nature evil! Given the choice, man will choose sin. This sinful nature is the common bond of all humanity. Paul writes in Rom 3:9, “For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” He then, as any good preacher should, backs up that teaching with multiple scriptures, quoting Psalms and Isaiah:

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
(Rom 3:10-18)

He then concludes in v.23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Someone will say, “I don’t think man’s that bad!” Well, what do you think happened when Adam and Eve fell in the garden? They didn’t just stumble into a mud hole and need a good bath. They entered a state of separation from God! God said they would die in the day they ate of the forbidden tree (Gen 2:17), and so they did spiritually. Their spirits no longer enjoyed communion with their Maker! What else but such a drastic change in circumstances would require the death of the Son of God?! “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:6) Still think man is born in pretty good shape? David, a man after God’s own heart, said of himself that at conception he was a wretched sinner! “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psa 51:5)

In case these witnesses aren’t convincing enough, let’s hear God Himself give an account of man’s heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart…” (Jer 17:9-10) God says we’re born so fallen in sin that we don’t even know how bad we are! Prior to salvation, we daily abide under the wrath of God because of our fallen nature.  “…we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” (Eph 2:3)

Now, we said all of this to make one simple point. We have absolutely no hope in and of ourselves.  Salvation must be an act external to us by a merciful God. How can creatures so depraved merit salvation by anything they do?  What can we do that pleases God when “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags”. (Isa 64:6) What do we have to offer Him. The answer is simple: nothing! As our text says, “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Rom 9:16) If you are among the redeemed today, give God the glory due solely to Him for that salvation, for it was “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us”. (Tit 3:5) We have more to see in Rom 9, but we must first be sure our religion is God-centered, not man-centered, before these truths can be fully grasped.  When we understand who we are, we’ll see better who God is.  May we give our Lord the glory due His worthy name!

Jamie

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”  He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”
Mat 13:10-11

How many times have you heard men say that Jesus used parables to make things clearer?  He was using simple concepts which all men could understand so that even the common people could grasp what He was saying, right?  Actually, nothing could be further from the truth according to Jesus’ statement above to His disciples!  Parables didn’t make things clearer.  They made things unclear!  Listen to Mark’s account of our passage above:

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.” (Mar 4:10-12)

Later in this same chapter we read, “And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” (Mar 4:33-34) Even the disciples had no hope of getting the point to Jesus’ stories unless He later interpreted the parables for them!  For that reason, Jesus told His disciples, “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Mat 13:16-17)

If we get nothing else from these passages, we ought to understand that only God can make His word effectual in the hearts of men.  We should never declare the gospel without continual prayer for God to bless that effort!  The parable associated with our text today compares sharing God’s word with sowing seed.  How ought we to sow it?  We should cast as much of that seed out any time we are able because we never know when it might prosper! (Ecc 11:6) But never forget this analogy.  The farmer can till, plant, water, and fertilize, but he can never make that dead seed result in life!  Paul uses the same analogy to glorify the Lord for saving men’s souls through the preached word.  Only God can give the increase!! (1Co 3:7) If you are among those who have understood His word unto salvation, He alone must get the glory for that fact.  It’s not because you were a little smarter than the next guy or more willing to receive His word.  You understand because God granted you understanding!

This truth ascribes glory where it belongs–to our God and Savior!  He hides and reveals.  Just listen to Pro 25:2: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”  All the seeking in the world won’t reveal that which God chooses to conceal.  Ought we to seek?  The latter half of that verse says, “Absolutely!”  But seek crying out to God as the One who reveals the Truth to men.  Have you seen the Truth–I mean the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? (Joh 14:6) Then give God the glory for His great mercy!!  “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior”.  O Lord, thank you for blessing us by causing these blind eyes to see and these deaf ears to hear!

Jamie

26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
Acts 8:26-29

This account of the salvation of the Ethiopian eunuch is nothing short of miraculous. There are three key characters in our text–Philip, the eunuch, and the Spirit, with the angel merely serving in a supporting role. We must examine this event from the perspective of all three parties to fully see the wonder of it all!

Philip was in Samaria when the word of the Lord by the mouth of the angel came. He had preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, sparking a great revival in that area. Hundreds or perhaps thousands were saved, and so we’re shocked to find the location of his next appointment. Of the place he would preach next, we simply read, “This is desert.” No multitudes here!  In fact, if God hadn’t been the one working behind the scenes, he might have encountered no one. But Philip knew Who was in control, as all who minister must know. The desert made no sense to human reasoning, but Philip didn’t hesitate when the instruction came. We likewise must not question but simply obey God if we will have fruit from our labor.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Pro 3:5-6)

So, here in the desert of all places, Philip encounters our next character–a eunuch of prominence from Ethiopia. What a predicament this man was in! He had ridden all the way to Jerusalem, the center of religion, to worship and find answers to his many questions, and yet here he is in his chariot reading Isaiah, just as confused as when he left home. We see here the shortcoming of religion. It cannot save for, “Salvation is of the Lord”! (Jon 2:9) This truth highlights the fact that in all our religious plans and efforts, we MUST be often in prayer regarding the Lord’s work among us. ” Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” (Psa 127:1) This man was no better by religion.  He was still seeking, and God was about to show Himself true to His word: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Mat 7:7)

Now, we come to the Mastermind, the grand Architect behind what must have seemed like a chance encounter to the Ethiopian. V. 29 pulls back the curtain and shows us the Spirit of God’s directing hand!  Rom 10:13 is a verse of great comfort to us.  It reveals that there are no barriers that would hinder a soul from salvation.  The fact that this eunuch was Ethiopian instead of Jewish was not a problem for, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”!  But, the text in Romans doesn’t stop there.  It begins to step backwards in time to show us how the call of the believer originates.  “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (Rom 10:14-15) The meeting of Philip and the Ethiopian that day was no random chance.  Philip, though previously used of God to save hundreds, was the preacher sent by the Spirit that day to purposefully save one soul!  There may be 99 sheep in the fold already, but our good Shepherd will still go after that one straying lamb!!  This man had a place in the heart of God before time began.  Concerning the children of God, Eph 1:4-5 reveals that “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will“.

Dear saint, I pray your heart would be encouraged today to know that your salvation was no random event of chance.  God pursued you!  “All we like sheep have gone astray…” (Isa 53:6) We didn’t find Christ.  He wasn’t the One who was lost! 🙂 We had gone astray, and yet Jesus Christ came into the world specifically “to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luk 19:10) In other words, He entered the world on purpose to find YOU!  In Luk 19, Jesus passed by all the multitudes and stopped under the tree of one diminutive man to tell him to come down because He was going to his house.  Why?  Because it was a day determined by the Lord to be different than any other day in Zacchaeus’ life for, “Today salvation has come to this house”! (v. 19)

Jamie

Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
Acts 8:13

Simon the sorcerer is one of the most troubling characters in the scriptures.  He is an example of what we find in many churches across our nation today.  In the last days, 2Ti 3:1-5 states that, among other things, men will be “lovers of themselves” and “lovers of money”, a stark contrast with a true Christian who is marked by a preeminent love of God. (Mar 12:30) Though full of self-love, these latter-day people are described as “having a form of godliness but denying its power”!  They profess Christ outwardly, but deny His power over them in their daily life.  Sadly, many churches accept a salvation that is founded on a brief excitement over spiritual things, a superficial prayer (often given to a person to repeat), and an outward act of baptism.  When these same souls later doubt their salvation, the preacher advises them to ignore what he calls “an attack of Satan” when he ought to encourage them to submit to this conviction of sin and approach God in true repentance unto salvation!

Jesus warns that, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Mat 7:21-23) Notice that true salvation is accompanied  by a separation from sin and a walk of obedience before God.  Simon had become rich by deceiving the people with his magic spells (Act 8:9-11), but when Philip came along preaching the gospel and performing real miracles, Simon was caught up in the excitement.  He saw a new sorcery that he hoped would profit him even more than his old one.  He had swapped his black magic for religion while his heart remained unchanged, and his belief doesn’t hold up any better under careful examination than the belief of the people in Joh 2:23-25: “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”  Even as Jesus didn’t accept their belief, Peter saw right through Simon’s weak testimony.

So, how did Peter know Simon’s faith to be false?  Because Simon revealed his heart to be just like those false professors that we saw in 2Ti 3.  “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'”  This sinful act revealed that he trusted in riches and was interested in religion only for what he could gain materially from it.  He desired his own glory rather than the Lord’s.  Peter didn’t sugarcoat his response to Simon, stating, “Your money perish with you”! (Act 8:20) Simon’s problem was the same as all who have only a “form of godliness”.  They have never repented of their sins!  I can’t stress the importance of this message enough because, in our day, it is the missing note from too many pulpits.  The message of the gospel is a message to sinners, and sinners must begin their journey toward Christ by repenting of their sins and turning from them to serve the living God! (1Th 1:9)

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1Ti 1:15) We are not offering the world relief from debt and disease.  We are proclaiming something far better, namely that there is eternal healing for their souls!  Jesus never promised us comfort for these natural bodies.  The faithful saints in the word of God didn’t have all of their natural problems eliminated.  Timothy was in constant physical affliction, prompting Paul to instruct him to “use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” (1Ti 5:23) Paul himself described his life as being “in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness”. (2Co 11:27) Doesn’t sound like the life of ease that so many professing Christians have their hearts set upon, does it? But, what Paul and Timothy did have was rest to their souls, and that’s exactly what Jesus invites us to find in Him! (Mat 11:28-30) May we return to the message of repentance which Jesus preached at the outset of His ministry (Mat 4:17), the same message that Peter preached to a lost sinner named Simon who had previously professed Christ: “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” (Act 8:22)

Jamie