A Baby Sparrow

A friend sent this in an email to me awhile back. I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing it.

Something very strange happened the other day. I feel a bit weird typing about it, as it is difficult to explain. I found a baby sparrow that had flown into a wall. It's beak was bleeding and it’s wing was broken. I didn't lift it at first, hoping it would somehow make it back to the hedge itself. A cat was prowling around the garden and making its way straight for the bird. I tried to chase it away but it kept circling back. I realized I would have to lift the bird and placed it in a box.

Everyone told me it would die. My whole day was taken up with giving it water from a syringe and tiny pieces of dog food. It was so helpless and vulnerable and I knew that I could do nothing more for it but wait. It stopped feeding late that evening refusing the water and food. I couldn't make it eat no matter how often I tried. I was so frustrated as I knew without water it would die. It died the next morning and I was devastated. Everything in my being willed that little bird to fight on and feed but it wouldn't. I kept thinking of the verse in the bible about God knowing when a sparrow falls to the ground. On 3 separate instances the next day that verse was brought to my attention and I really felt God was speaking to me about his love; that His love is there for us if we would only accept it. Unlike the sparrow if we do feed from Him we will live. I looked at how much i wanted this little bird to live and thought how much Jesus wants us to have his eternal life.
This probably sounds quite ridiculous - I did say I feared for my sanity in all this!

Maybe I am making things more complicated than they really are. I kept thinking if God loves this sparrow and knows when one falls, how much more does He love us. I know I will never get it fully but it has made me a lot more determined to hang on.

What a beautiful picture of God’s love for us. Like that little bird, we may want to give up; even rejecting help from the hands and heart of love. Too often we reject the care and hope our Savior offers to us. What great love our Maker has for us.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.”  -Mat. 10:29 (NIV)

God bless~ 

The Sign Miracles

Recorded In The Gospel Of John

        Many signs and miracles performed by Jesus are recorded in the four gospels; however, here, only the Gospel of John will be addressed. John’s primary focus was on the deity of Jesus and His role as High Priest, Messiah and King. Of the “Sign Miracles” recorded in his gospel, each is shown to support Jesus’ deity and John does not leave room for doubt as to whether He was God.

        The first sign miracle recorded by John is found in chapter two; here Jesus turns water into wine. Jesus and His disciples are guests at a wedding in Cana. The wine runs out and Mary, Jesus’ mother, goes to Him with the problem. Jesus instructs the servants to fill six water pots, large containers, with water; they do so and miraculously the water becomes wine. This is not just wine, this is exceptionally good wine (John 2:9-10, NKJV). According to Elmer Towns, by turning the water into wine, “Jesus demonstrates His creative power.”[1] Towns also suggest, “Symbolically, John may here point out the imperfection of Judaism, especially when contrasted with the perfection of Christ.”[2] In Matthew Henry’s Commentary, He states, “As Moses, the servant of the Lord, when God bade him, went to the rock, to draw water; so these servants, when Christ bade them, went to the water, to fetch wine.”[3] He goes on to say, “He did not say, draw out now, and let me taste it, questioning whether the thing were done as he willed it or no; but with the greatest assurance imaginable, though it was his first miracle, he recommends it to the master of the feast first.” [4] Jesus had no doubts as to His authority over His creation. Everything, including water, was at His disposal to do with as He pleased; yet everything He did was ultimately to the honor of His Father.

        In chapter four, John writes about a nobleman, or royal official, who had a son that was dying. He heard about Jesus and came to see if Jesus would heal his son. John writes, “Jesus saith unto him, ‘Go thy way; thy son liveth.’ And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way” (John 4:50, NKJV). Here, Jesus shows that He has power, not only over sickness but even over distance. Albert Barnes writes, “From this miracle we may learn, 1^st that Jesus has an intimate knowledge of all things. He knew the case of this son - the extent of his disease - where he was-and thus had power to heal him. 2^nd That Jesus has almighty power. Nothing else could have healed this child.”[5] He continues, “Everything in the case bears the mark of being the simple energy of God - put forth with equal ease to heal, whether far or near. Thus he can save a sinner.”[6] 

To attempt to defraud with this miracle would be impossible. Jesus was in an area which was a couple of days journey away from where the boy was. The nobleman was with Jesus; his servants were with the boy. Both witnessed this miracle, simultaneously, from a great distance.

        Next, John tells of a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. He had come to the sheep-gate pool in hopes of being healed. The belief was, that periodically, an angel would stir the water and the first person to get down into the water would be healed (John 5:2-7, NKJV). Jesus asks the man if he wants to be healed and then tells him, “Rise, take up thy bed and walk” (John:5:8, NKJV). In regards to why Jesus told him to take up his bed and walk, Henry states, “First, to make it to appear that it was a perfect cure, and purely miraculous; for he did not recover strength by degrees, but from the extremity of weakness and impotency he suddenly stepped into the highest degree of bodily strength; so that he was able to carry as great a load as any porter that had been as long used to it as he had been disused.”[7] Henry also states that by carrying his bed, on the Sabbath, it would surely be noticed, even attacked by the religious leaders, thereby becoming a public affair and thus bringing glory to God.[8] 

        The fourth sign miracle John presents is Jesus’ feeding of five-thousand (John 6:1-13, NKJV). John explains that Jesus took five barley loaves and two small fish, blessed them and then distributed to five-thousand men. Morris explains that while this occurrence is referenced in all four gospels, John adds some facts, unique to his gospel. Morris writes, “John has a few details peculiar to himself, such as Philip’s calculation to show the impossibility of feeding the people.”[9] He also compares Jesus miracle to the manna from heaven in the Old Testament (Ex. 16:13-36). He discusses how the Jews overlooked what Jesus had done and demanded a sign. They expected the Messiah to produce manna, just as was done in Exodus but as Morris says, “But Jesus did not go along with this view, and he proceeds to explain that ‘the bread of God is he who (or that which) comes down from heaven and gives life to the world’” (6:33).[10] The Jews completely overlooked the marvelous thing Jesus had done and let their presuppositions keep them from seeing the beauty in what their Messiah was doing before their very eyes.

        In verses sixteen through twenty-one of chapter six, John tells of Jesus walking on the water. After feeding the five-thousand, Jesus sent His disciples across the sea while He went alone to pray. While crossing the sea, a great storm came up and in the midst of the storm Jesus approached the ship walking on the water. Concerning this event, Henry says, “See here the power Christ has over the laws and customs of nature, to control and dispense with them at his pleasure. It is natural for heavy bodies to sink in water, but Christ walked upon the water as upon dry land, which was more than Moses’s dividing the water and walking through the water.”[11]  Mark records the disciple’s response, “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (Mark 4:41, NKJV).

        John tells of Jesus healing a man who was born blind in chapter nine. In this instance, Jesus spit on the ground, made clay and rubbed it on the man’s eyes. Then He told the man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:1-41). According to verse thirty-two, “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind” (John 9:32, NKJV). Elmer Towns notes, “Although Jesus healed many blind people during His public ministry, this miracle is unique in that this person was the only individual afflicted from birth.”[12] He continues, “This may be why the early Christian writers often referred to this miracle as an illustration of conversion. When individuals become Christians, they do not recover what they had formerly lost but rather receive a completely new ability to see and understand the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14-15).”[13]

        The final sign miracle recorded in the Gospel of John is the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44, NKJV). Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were close, personal friends of Jesus. Messengers were sent to inform Jesus that he was sick but Jesus did not leave immediately. He did not arrive until the fourth day after Lazarus had died. Jesus went straight to the tomb and called Lazarus out of the tomb and he came out, alive. According to Towns, some Jews believed that the soul did not leave immediately but hovered around the body for three days, departing on the fourth.[14] He states, “From that perspective, Lazarus was beyond even a miraculous resurrection, and opening the tomb would only serve to release an offensive odor.”[15] Jesus waited to arrive so as to remove all doubt that He had power unequaled by any mere man. This miracle clearly proves that Jesus has authority even over death.

        Jesus performed miracles unlike any other. He had authority unlike any other. No man, before or after, has displayed the power of Jesus. He demonstrated His power over physical maladies, nature and even death. Whatever miracles were performed in the Old Testament, Jesus outdid them while He walked among us in human flesh. John captures the humanity, while showing the full deity of Jesus, the Messiah.     

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        [1]. Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series, (Chattanooga: AMG, 2002), 17. 

        [2]. Ibid., 21.

        [3]. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary, vol. 5, (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company), 873.

        [4]. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary, vol. 5, (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company), 873. 

        [5]. Albert Barnes, Barnes on the New Testament: Luke and John. Ed. Robert Frew (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House), 224. 

        [6]. Ibid., 224

        [7]. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary, vol. 5, (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company), 873. 

        [8]. Ibid., 922

        [9]. Leon Morris, Jesus Is The Christ: Studies in the Theology of John (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 30.

        [10]. Leon Morris, Jesus Is The Christ: Studies in the Theology of John (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 30.

        [11]. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary, vol. 5, (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company), 942.

        [12]. Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series, (Chattanooga: AMG, 2002), 90.

        [13]. Ibid., 90.

        [14]. Ibid., 111.

        [15]. Ibid., 111 

Bibliography

Barnes, Albert. Barnes on the New Testament: Luke and John. Ed. Robert Frew. Grand   Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977. (would not let me space this line)

  

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry Commentary, vol. 5. Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1977. (would not let me space this line)

Morris, Leon. Jesus Is The Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989. (would not let me space this line)

Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series. Nashville: AMG, 2002.

Angels and Demons

        Since before Jesus’ earthly ministry, there have been those who sought to pervert God’s truth. Jesus warned of false teachers, as did the apostles. Unfortunately, these false prophets have led many astray. Satan is no slouch when it comes to corrupting, or trying to corrupt, God’s plans. What better way to disrupt the church than to plant his minions within the church to mimic truth, but then introduce false doctrine. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: who is telling the truth? We must carefully weigh the evidence honestly before we make our final judgment.

        As Christians, we look to the Bible as the absolute authority, mainly because we know it to be the inerrant Word of God, but also because it has passed scrutiny back to its beginning. Not one word in the Bible has ever been disproved. Though there are those who claim otherwise, these claims are nothing more than that, claims. When we listen to a so called “expert,” especially on many of the television programs, we need to look for possible clues to any hidden agenda. If a person attacks the Bible, but they misquote or refer very little to its content, be suspicious. Generally speaking, if we quote from the Bible, it will make its own argument. That said, it is good when we can give scientific, historical, or other forms of authentication, but we do not have to prove the Bible by outside sources. We can and should be confident to make a convincing argument by the very words written within it’s pages.

            As for the argument of dualism, i.e. God and Satan being equal yet opposite, we must first define dualism and the various beliefs associated with it. According to The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, dualism is, “A theory in interpretation that explains a given situation or domain in terms of two opposing factors or principles.” It also states, “there are three major types: metaphysical, epistemological or epistemic, and ethical or ethico-religious.”[1] For our purposes, we will focus on ethical or ethico-religious. Again, referring back to The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, we find, “Ethical or ethico-religious dualism asserts that there are two mutually hostile forces or beings in the world, the one being the source of all good, the other the source of all evil.”[2] Two examples given are Zoroaster, an ancient Iranian religion, and yang and yin (equal balance of good and evil) found in Chinese thought.[3] Many religious beliefs over the centuries have had an understanding of good verses evil, and I believe the assumption of equal power is based on the assumption that good never truly wins over evil, at least not for long.

        One difference I would like to point out is purpose or plan. In all of the religions along this line of thought, to my knowledge, not one has any explanation as to why. This is where Christianity makes a jump above the rest. Not only do we have an explanation of “the beginning” (creation found in the book of Genesis), we also have the reason why evil seems to prosper, but more importantly, we know the final outcome. We have the hope and assurance that one day good will ultimately triumph over evil, forever.

        If we look to the Scriptures, we find a great deal of information on God, Satan, and the role of each, as well as their powers and limitations, or lack thereof. The first sentence in the Bible reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Whether a person believes this to be true or not, it is stated in the Scriptures. To my knowledge, nowhere is Satan ever given credit for creating anything (other than pain and suffering). If we suppose that God did in fact create the heavens and the earth, one might still pose the question, “but how does that prove Satan is any less powerful than God?” My reply is simply this, if Satan were equal to God, we would see a great deal more evil in the world. Unbridled evil could and probably would have already destroyed mankind.

Consider Satan’s attempts to destroy the nation of Israel. Time and time again, Satan brought massive armies against this small nation only to be thwarted by God, either supernaturally or by a smaller army (Ex. 14; Judges 7; 1 Sam. 17). There is no record of Satan ever doing anything like this. If we look closely, we can see a pattern; God chooses to do things in a way that glorifies Himself by demonstrating His power, while on the other hand, Satan is constantly trying to attack God by going after His people. Generally this is attempted by deceit and craftiness (Gen. 3:1-15).

        The Bible claims that God (the Trinity) has existed from eternity to eternity (Is. 57:15; Rev. 22:13), but Satan is referred to as “created” (Ezek. 28:13 and 15). If we believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and that He created everything including angels, Satan, being an angel (Ezek. 28:14), would therefore fall into the category of created things.

        As for Satan’s future, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Is. 14:12). This passage is in reference to Satan’s being removed from heaven. Both Satan and his demons know they are already defeated (Mat. 8:29). I believe when God cast them out of heaven, there was no doubt as to their future destination.  

        Satan’s desire has always been to be God, or be like God. His jealousy and rebellion are what caused him to be cast out of heaven. We read, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Is. 14:14). Satan was not content to serve and dwell with God, he wanted to be God. The next verse says, “Yet thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Is. 14:15). When Satan rebelled, he caused a division between himself and God forever. Having been in God’s presence and rejecting Him, he has no chance of repentance or salvation. 

        There are those who do not believe that these passages refer to Satan. In Theology for Today, Dr. Towns says, “Returning to Isaiah 14:12-17, it must be noted that no less than six views have been developed to explain the actual personalities in this passage.”[4] He lists these as: “Historical king of Babylon, future king of Babylon, Sennacherib, solely Satan, king in the time of Isaiah with Satan behind him, and future king and Satan behind him.”[5] Dr. Towns summarizes these arguments by saying,

“five prominent arguments from Ezekiel 28 reveal that Ezekiel is looking beyond                             the King of Tyre to the Satanic force that controls him. The first argument is: (1) that no such lofty terminology by Jehovah should be directed to a mere fallen man. (2) No king of Tyre was ever in Eden, only Satan. (3) The person spoken of was created “perfectly.” The only other option is Adam and he is not in view. (4) No man was set above all the other angels and created beings, only Satan. (5) The “stones of fire” (v. 14) may denote the first estate of this angel, which was one of walking in unbroken fellowship with divine holiness.”[6] 

     

I agree with Dr. Towns and in light of the references, I can see no other possibility.  

        We should be aware that Satan has great power; however, he is limited as to what he can and cannot do. In the book of Job, Satan wanted to test Job. God allowed him to do so, but He set parameters on what could be done (Job 1:9-12; 2:3-7). Satan tried to destroy Jesus as an infant but God protected Him (Mat. 2:13-18). Satan was also allowed to tempt Jesus (Mat. 4:1-10) after He had fasted for 40 days and was weakened, but Jesus overcame the temptation. It is common for people to fear Satan, but the apostle John reminded us, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

        It is not uncommon for people to believe they have no power to overcome temptation, but this simply is not true. When Jesus conquered death, He conquered Satan and his hold on us. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He also promised to send the Holy Spirit who indwells us and helps us to live more Godly lives. If we look in the book of Acts, we see what the Holy Spirit is capable of doing in our lives. If we seek to serve our risen Savior, He does not abandon us, He empowers us to overcome temptation.

        Lastly, we must address the question, “if God created Satan and Satan is evil, then doesn't that suggest that God created evil?” There are various theories on this subject but I will relate this in the way that I understand it. I pose the question, would you rather your spouse and children love you because they choose to, or because they have no choice? I believe God gave the angels and mankind free will so that we could reject Him or love Him of our own volition. Satan, having this choice, allowed himself to be caught up in pride, in the perfection in which he was created, and once he chose to rebel against his Creator, sin was born. Sin is not a created thing, it is a lack of something, holiness.

God has spoken to man from the beginning and down through the ages. He wants us to know Him intimately. Satan’s strength is in his deception; if he were indeed God’s equal, he would not have to hide behind a façade.

Bibliography

Elwell, Walter. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House                                   Company, 2001. (would not let me space this line)

Towns, Elmer. Theology for Today. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2008

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        [1] Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company, 2001), 357

       

        [2] Ibid., 357

       

        [3] Ibid., 357

        [4] Elmer Towns, Theology for Today (Mason: Cengage Learning, 2008), 364

        [5] Ibid., 364

        [6] Elmer Towns, Theology for Today (Mason: Cengage Learning, 2008), 365