The writer has a 4-volume apologetics series that repeatedly proves the authenticity of the Four Evangelists' record of Christ's life. This blog offers three new stand-alone proofs of their integrity, gained from personal Bible study, not in chronological order.
Note Matthew 17:6-7. The three disciples "fell facedown to the ground, terrified." Then the Transfigured Jesus "came and touched them. 'Get up,' he said, 'Don't be afraid.'" He spoke peace to them; they had none to give him. Note Luke 9:43b-45. In a post-Transfiguration miracle, Jesus cured the deranged demonic child. Onlookers raved about Christ's power over Satan, but Jesus called the Twelve aside and warned them of his coming death. "But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it." They remained nonplussed by it until he graced them with understanding by opening "their minds so they could understand the Scriptures" Luke 24:45—very likely when, in the Upper Room, the Risen Christ "breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" John 20:22. Spiritual truth can be comprehended only by Holy Spirit-enlightened minds I Corinthians 2:4-16. Note Acts 4:5-12. The apostles Peter and John stood fearlessly before the dreaded Sanhedrin and confidently proclaimed Jesus Christ as the sole person to offer forgiveness. Those mentally-intelligent, spiritually-blind bureaucrats had to perforce admit that the duo's courage had come from Jesus of Nazareth, with whom they had shared years of association. Their conclusion, reached by common consent with their peers, coupled with their common consent that "everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle and we cannot deny it," is conclusive evidence of Christ at work in his men. The leaders couldn't deny the miracle, but wouldn't accept it. They mentally agreed that Jesus Christ had empowered the miracle, but "refused to love the truth and so be saved" II Thessalonians 2:10. By that decision God sentenced them to believe a lie, though admitting the truth about Christ. Leaving us with this spiritual truth. The evidence of Christ's life, death and resurrection isn't too small to prove it. It's simply TOO GREAT for spiritually-blind people to understand. And they won't take by faith what their small minds can't explain. They love their opinions more than God's word. They highly esteem themselves into their own deity. They have no use for the REAL GOD and His REAL SON. And they will perish in their self-produced rejection of God's Truth in Christ by choosing delusions of their own making. More periodically. God graciously gives us CHOICES. He never regiments us into lost or saved without factoring in our decisions. We can either TAKE him as he reveals himself in the Bible, OR MAKE him what we'd rather him be. The choice is ours.
But let us be forewarned: our choice can't and won't change the FACTS. Since God has only one vantage point—his OWN—he remains the ONLY God, Christ his Only Begotten Son, the Holy Spirit the Godhead's Eternal Essence and the Bible his only verified, authentic and final revelation to mankind. How we respond to that changeless verity determines our daily success or failure as mortals and our ultimate destiny in Heaven or Hell. That's illustrated in the difference between Moses and Israel at Sinai. Both experienced the fear of God, Moses positively, Exodus 19:16019, Hebrews 12:21; the people negatively, Exodus 20:18-19, 32:1, 4, 6. In a sentence, while they chose a second-hand faith, Moses demanded a first-person experience with God. In summary, Moses' fear led him to brave the dangers of darkness, thunder, lightning, earthquake, fire and ear-shattering trumpet blast ascending Sinai UNTIL he exited all the danger into the Safety and Ecstasy of God's Presence. Israel in repose saw their fear of God evaporate into impatience with God, turning to questions about God, turning to rejection of God, turning to a renewed desire for slavery. What fear of God shall we embrace? The unbeliever's? He refuses to think abut God, to talk about God, to discuss death, to hear anything disturbing from the Bible. Or the believer's? He accepts his sinfulness, Christ's sacrifice that forgives, the challenges of discipleship and the hard truths of holy living. The choice is ours. But only a healthy fear of God will make INCREASING faith in God possible and any fear of God not even thinkable! Fini Experiencing a fall September 7 sidelined my writing. However, since I wrote my Sunday sermon, September 12, I'm back to blogging today.
We can start hesitantly in obeying God, and end as his stalwart witnesses, Moses and Gideon as examples. We can start boldly in obedience to God, but end in rebellion against God, King Saul the example. Then there are people who never adjust their reaction to God. They remain opposed to him, whatever he says, evidence he provides for his authority or reasons they should "trust and obey" him. More than a few examples exist in Bible times, and ours. This blog uses Balak, king of Moab in Numbers 22-24. When false prophet Balaam kept pronouncing blessings, not curses, on Israel, Balak had him move to different locations, hoping to get a more positive result. To no avail. Balak's spirit, however, lives in many people, in every age, ours especially. Many, who refuse to accept GOD as he revealed himself in Psalms, Prophets and Jesus Christ, never cease looking for a vantage point on God they can accept. A deity, who
Culture today sees itself as the litmus of God's acceptance. The late Jewish actor, musician, director Theodore Bikel claimed to be "a very spiritual person", but not "religious." To him Jewish culture became his religion. In a story clipped from the San Diego UT September 5, 2021, the organization of chaplains at Harvard University has a new President—a 44 year-old ATHEIST! And the school's other chaplains have applauded the choice, because most of the students at Harvard have no religious affiliation. It's fine with them that the new President doesn't think humanity needs a "god", because humans are perfectly capable of resolving all the problems humans face. Shades of Humanist Manifesto I & II! All humanity needs is ITSELF—of course, qualified by the unspoken condition that only the smart people can know what to do. To Harvard University, culture is humanity's vantage on God. End Part I Just three months earlier, after God's twelve-month devastation of Egypt's Pantheon slapped Pharoah's face back and forth in nine plagues, in the tenth he stuck fingers in the king's eyes. THAT opened his mind to SEE—he perforce let Israel GO!
Then...three months later, and on the third day since God promised an appearance to Israel, the Hebrews awakened to an unaccustomed darkness. When they ventured outside their tents, a dreadful darkness confronted them, hovering over and descending on the 7300 foot elevation known as the Mountain of God, Sinai the barren—settling 100 to 200 feet above its base on the plain. Meteorological phenomenon never before experienced by them followed:
What did it mean when even the man who needed no deeper fear of God than Moses possessed shrank timorously when seeing God's use creation in such belligerent force at Sinai? At least this, for Moses and Israel: a difference exists in God's Unapproachable Majesty when it WORKS for us, and when it CONFRONTS us. We love miracles, being surprised and being impressed. But, like Simon Peter, when seeing Christ's Majesty, we plead, "GO away Lord, I am a sinful man, Luke 5:8." Israel watched in glee when God wrecked Egypt, but felt sudden fear when challenged to become God's chosen people. Then sheer pleasure at seeing God work for them quickly became discomfiture when demanding they WORK for him. In Egypt God showed Israel the privilege of being his. At Sinai he revealed the obligation privilege entailed. And much more than this blog can recite. Christians, take note, however. Let us keep ourselves in the privilege of belonging to Christ BY assuming the obligation of service the privilege imposes. Age: 47
Sex: Female State: Dead Reason: Running off road on Bear Valley, Escondido, California at 3:45 a.m. and hitting a tree San Diego U-T, 9/1/21 Cause: Alcohol consumption * * * * * * * * Age: Unknown Sex: Female State: Major injuries Reason: Falling out of a party bus on I-5 in National City, California at 8:10 p.m. Cause: Wanted to use rest room at back of bus and accidentally opened emergency door and fell into traffic lanes, sustaining life-threatening injuries. San Diego U-T, 8/30/21 Since it occurred in a Party Bus, alcohol is assumed the cause. No report as of writing. * * * * * * * * Let's see ... State and Federal legislators declared war on Tobacco Companies because Americans were tired of second-hand smoke from human chimneys. When will they declare war on Liquor Interests for creating human distilleries and breweries driving intoxicated, killing or maiming themselves or others? Indeed, when will Washington, D.C. bureaucrats EVER consider liquor in any form America's Number One Safety threat on our roads? Since cocktail parties are essential to D.C. society—the bane Abba Eban called "Man's inhumanity to man"; and since Senate, House and Presidential coffers swell with alcohol-infected dollars, just hope you aren't where an alcohol-sated driver is in the wrong way lane headed at you; or won't run onto your sidewalk and kill or maim you; or won't hit you crossing a street with a green light and find an out-of-control distillery hitting you with enough force to drive you through the windshield, PARTLY into the car, while the driver continues driving! The political figures, who should be preventing alcohol-related injuries and death, CAUSE them by refusing to declare war against the Liquor Industry by loving their product SO MUCH MORE! |
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