Teaching The Truth

"If a man should write upon his sign-board the words, 'Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee,' he would have plenty of callers. No man dare try the experiment; but God has had those words written above His door for thousands of years, and none have ever called upon Him in vain." (The Biblical Illustrator) Do you know that there is no one who can fully understand the soul in adversities but God - no one who can entirely meet the needs of the soul in such seasons? In your time of trouble, who are you running to first for help - God or man?

"In comparison with the kings of the earth. We read of Alexander the Great, of Constantine the Great, and Frederick the Great, but, verily, in comparison with the God of heaven, their greatness dwindles into insignificance - dwindles into nothing! Have they thrones? Their thrones are upon the earth; God's throne is in the heavens, 'high above all height.' Have they robes? God's robes are light and majesty. Have they pavilions? He stretcheth forth the heavens as His pavilion, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. Have they chariots? He maketh the clouds His chariot - He walked upon the wings of the wind. Have they kingdoms? The whole universe is God's kingdom, and literally He ruleth over all." (The Biblical Illustrator)

Have you ever had the props knocked out from beneath your feet? Have you ever had your confidences destroyed? The things or people you have depended on for so long are no longer there. Your trust must always be in God. Sometimes He allows your props to be knocked out from beneath your feet because He knows you cannot function effectively unless you are fully dependent on Him. He wants you to rest your weight fully on Him.

"The people will have cause to rejoice or mourn according as their rulers are righteous or wicked; for, if the righteous be in authority, sin will be punished and restrained, religion and virtue will be supported and kept in reputation; but, if the wicked get power in their hands, wickedness will abound, religion and religious people will be persecuted, and so the ends of government will be perverted. The people will actually rejoice or mourn according as their rulers are righteous or wicked." (Matthew Henry) God does not separate "religion" (Christianity) and politics. Neither should we!

God fights for His people as they walk in faith and in obedience to His Word. He fights for them when their focus is solely on Him...when the odds are totally against them...and when they are carrying out His will. But, what happens when He enters the fight? Great and mighty acts break forth - so much so that the heathen take notice of it. The weak instantly become strong. At this time, no man can stand before the people of God. Fear overtakes their enemies.

"Sin culminates in universal falsehood. The intellectual aspect of sin is untruth. Every sin is a lie. The triumph of sin is the overthrow of all truth and trust." (The Pulpit Commentary) Do you know when sin is reaching its highest point or final stages in a society? Do you know how to tell when sin is triumphing in a nation? Here is a clue - see how the people are responding to truth. What are they doing with truth?

"Any theology that minimizes God's holiness and tolerates people's deliberate sinfulness is a false theology." (Warren Wiersbe) "How many professing Christians are there who regard little else than worldly things! How many who live only to acquire wealth, to gain honor, or to enjoy the pleasures of the world! How many are there who have no interest in a prayer meeting, in a Sunday School, in religious conversation, and in the advancement of true religion on the earth! These are the real enemies of the Cross." (Barnes' Notes)

The nation was charged with having committed two evils which were figuratively described. First of all, they had forsaken Jehovah, "the fountain of living waters." Secondly, they had "hewed them out cisterns" which turned out to be "broken cisterns." Matthew Henry offered this comment - "But it may well be urged, to the reproach of Israel, that they, who were the only people that had no cause to change their God, were yet the only people that had changed Him." Have you forsaken JESUS - "the fountain of living waters"?

What about you? What does your relationship with Jesus look like today? Are you a linen girdle or a rotten, unwashed one? Have you - like so many - been deceived into thinking that God will still "wear" you - even though you are a rotten girdle? What does the Bible say? "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

So many are searching for true happiness and fulfillment. Others are trying to gain more and more of the wealth of this world. And yet others are looking for answers to the many predicaments of life. The questions you must ask yourself as a Christian are - "What am I searching for today? What occupies the greatest amount of my time? What is my main pursuit in life?"