Why won't I listen?

I believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God. I believe that every word was divinely inspired by God and is written down for His glory and my benefit.

I believe that Bible contains the truth path of salvation, an accurate account of the past, and a prophetic account of the future. I believe it is the single God given rule for my life as a Christian and for the life of the church.

There is not a single word of Scripture that I don't believe or that I doubt. I teach the Bible as the absolute truth and I am committed to structuring my life according to that belief.

But, if all of that is true (and it is) then why am I guilty of not listening to it?

In the Bible, God works to expose my own sinfulness and to convince me that I am incapable of overcoming sin's disastrous effects on my own. And yet still sometimes, I attempt to convince myself of my own self-righteousness and my own ability to overcome.

In the Bible, God works to show me the glory, beauty, and love of Jesus Christ through His life, death, and resurrection. And yet still sometimes, I am more enamored with the things of this world that sparkle and glitter. Sometimes they are prone to take my attention off of Jesus' glory, beauty, and love.

In the Bible, God commands that I respond to His work of salvation, regeneration, and sanctification by living a life of worship and gratitude. And yet still sometimes, I place myself at the center of my universe and wind up in a very different place then where God wants me.

In Jeremiah 39, King Zedekiah is the main character. King Zedekiah had been warned over and over, most recently in chapter 38, that God wanted the Babylon army to win its' fight with Jerusalem and so he should just surrender.

In fact, this is God's message to Zedekiah through Jeremiah. Surrender and you will live. Fight and you will die.

Zedekiah had the word of the Lord, straight from the prophet's mouth, but for some inexplicable reason he chose to ignore it and the results in his life were devastating.

When the Babylonian army finally does capture Zedekiah, just as God said they would if he tried to fight, they do some awful things which are detailed for us in 39:5-8

But the army of Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

Zedekiah had been given a word from God that told him exactly how everything was going to go down and yet he chose to ignore it. The results were devastating: his sons were murdered in front of him, his eyes were gouged out, his house was destroyed, and his city was burned down. And why? Because he chose to ignore the word of God.

And can you just picture eye-less, son-less, and city-less Zedekiah being carried off to Babylon, as a slave, thinking to himself, "Why wouldn't I listen?"

And in that sense Zedekiah is a reminder to me. He is a challenge to me. Why won't I listen?

I am praying today that God will help me to listen to His Word. I am praying that I will choose to listen to his message of sin, redemption, and worship over my own desires for self-righteousness, materialism, and selfishness. I am praying that I will listen to His Word.

Text of the Week (11-8-09)

Here is this week's text:

You said that people we date may just be saying things about Jesus in order to impress us and pretending to live for Jesus to be "dateable" but is it really Christlike to question people's motives? Is it judgmental?

Here was my answer:

My point is not that you should be suspicious of every person you date and assume that when they talk about Jesus or they serve Jesus that they are being fake, but my point is that you should use the dating process to discern whether or not the testimony of their life (their actions + words over an extended period of time) sync up with the image they are presenting to you.

The Bible does warn us about being "judgmental," but it defines judgmentalism differently than our culture. Our culture teaches that judgmentalism is one person saying that another person is wrong.

The Bible teaches that judgmentalism is when one sinner forgets his own sin and looks down upon the sin of another person or judges what he/she believes to be the motives of the other person's heart.

But, the Bible does teach us that it is possible to trace someone's actions back to the intent of their heart.

Jesus said it this way in Matthew 7:16-20

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

And again in Luke 6:43-45

For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Jesus point is simple--what is inside of a person (heart, motivations, intent) is revealed in their actions. I don't care what anyone "says" if their "fruit" (their actions) disagrees.

And as a person who is looking for a potential spouse you need to be examining the fruit that is hanging from each person's tree.

How to Date? (11-8-09 outline)

Here is the real question: If a Christ-honoring marriage is where God is taking me then how do I date to get there?

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. [Genesis 2:24]

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. [Proverbs 16:3]

Five guidelines to dating to get there:

1. Date in such a way that Jesus remains first in your life.

You shall have no other gods before me. [Exodus 20:3]

But when the Pharisees heard that he silenced the Sadduceees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." [Matthew 22:34-38]

2. Date in such a way that you are learning the person.

Ponder the path of your feet then all your ways will be sure. [Proverbs 4:26]

The simple believes everything but the prudent gives thought to his steps. [Proverbs 14:15]

Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. [Proverbs 19:2]

3. Date in such a way that you are avoiding temptation.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. [Matthew 26:41]

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. [Romans 14:13]

4. Date in such a way that it is spiritually edifying.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you also be tempted. [Galatians 6:1]

And let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works. [Hebrews 10:24]

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. [I Timothy 5:2]

5. Date in such a way that you are committed to working towards a common goal.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. [Genesis 2:24]

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. [Proverbs 16:3]