From So Very Right to So Very Wrong

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven...

Matthew 16:15-17

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. Peter, ever the spokesman of the group, boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. This was a big step of faith for Peter. It seems to me that the disciples all hoped Jesus was the Messiah. They may have even believed that He might be the Messiah. But they seldom said it out loud. So, even though it may seem obvious to us now, at the time I believe Peter was taking a big step of faith to so boldly declare that Jesus was the Messiah. And Jesus responds to Peter's faith the way He always responds to faith, He blesses and affirms it. 

But what I find interesting is that so very soon after Peter got it right he managed to get it really wrong. In verse 21 of the same chapter, we read that Jesus began explaining to His disciples that He would be rejected by the chief priests and would be killed and would rise on the third day. But Peter cannot imagine that the Messiah will suffer, so in verse twenty-two Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him saying, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Continuing in verse 23 "Jesus turned and said...to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'”

Peter went from bold faith to opposing God's plan in record time. This is instructive for us. If Peter can go from being so very right to being so very wrong in such a short span of time, then so can we. We must be careful!

If you are reading this, then chances are that you have spent a considerable amount of time in church. You probably think you are getting quite a bit about your faith right... and you very well may be. But don't think for a second that you can't be wrong. Don't think for a second that you can't fail spectacularly. 

We need to understand that we can be very right about a lot of things in the faith, and still be terribly wrong about others. We see examples of this every time a pastor of note falls into doctrinal or moral error. They had so much right that we thought it couldn't happen to them. But it did. And it can happen to you as well. So be humble. Guard against thinking that you have everything figured out. Don't you dare believe you can't fall. Make time to sit at the feet of Jesus and His Word every day. And as you do, submit yourself to God's truth letting it guide you and keep you on the right path.

A Heart Sacrifice

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Genesis 22:1-2

The thought of offering a child up to God as a sacrifice is appalling. But as we read the rest of this story, we find that God never wanted a human sacrifice, and He certainly didn’t want Isaac to die. He had plans for him. No. What God wanted was a heart sacrifice.

You see Abraham had lived most of his life childless. His wife, Sarah, was barren. And in that culture having children, having an heir, was a big thing. Abraham was 75 years old when God first spoke to him and promised to give him offspring. But then…nothing happened. For 24 years Abraham trusted even though he knew that his wife was barren and well past the age of childbearing. For 24 years Abraham waited, but no son. And then, finally, when he was 99 years old the Lord told him it was time for Sarah to get pregnant and at 100 years old, his son Isaac was born.

Most fathers love their children, but after waiting so long for Isaac, Abraham must have loved him dearly. I believe there was a danger of Isaac becoming an idol in his life. And if there’s one thing you can be certain of, it's that God will ask you to sacrifice whatever it is that you love most for Him. He wants to be first in your life. He wants to be first in your heart. And He will ask you to give up anything or anyone that threatens to keep your love from Him.

Jesus said the greatest Commandment is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37) And God expects nothing less than this from believers. If you dare to love anything or anyone more than you love Him, He will ask you to give it to Him.

Is there something or someone that you love more than the Lord? Jesus won’t accept second place in your heart. Lay it on the altar and offer it up to the Lord. Lay your dream of having kids or getting married at the Lord’s feet. Lay your ministry at his feet. Lay your wealth at His feet. Lay your very life at the feet of Jesus and tell Him that you love Him more than anything and everything else. If Jesus is whispering to your heart and asking you to lay something down, to sacrifice it for him, then follow in Abraham's footsteps and do it. 

Giving Up Our Mirrors (W.o.W. Rewind)

They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Exodus 38:8

This isn't a passage of Scripture that you are likely to be very familiar with. It's buried well into a sixteen-chapter section of Exodus that deals almost exclusively with the minutia of the tabernacle including lengthy discussions on the dimensions and details of the tent, its posts, its coverings, and all its furnishings and their utensils. In fact, the only reason you would likely come across this passage is if you were working through a Bible reading plan that requires you to read the entire Bible. Yet, I always find that the Holy Spirit mines treasures out of the depths of Scripture when I really dig into it. And that proves true here. 

In keeping with the Lord's command, the Israelites had taken up a love offering to gather all the materials needed to construct their place of worship. In this section of Scripture, we find out how much gold they collected, how much silver, how much bronze, and how much of all the other necessary materials as well. But no other individual or group is specifically credited for their gift like these women are. Why? What made their gift worthy of special mention?

First, it was costly. A mirror would have been a prized possession for women living in a desert. It's not like there were pools of water around that they could see their reflection in! It is also entirely possible that the only valuables these women owned were their jewelry and these mirrors. Without the ability to work and make money, this was a financially costly gift as well. And assuming that these women didn't own multiple mirrors, this meant that they would be considerably less able to manage and check their appearance. Can you imagine the possibility of living completely without mirrors for the rest of your life? So, it cost them something to give away this comfort and this control. 

Second, it was a wise gift. Many of the pagan religions of the day encouraged their worshipers to engage in sexual acts with temple prostitutes as an expression of worship to their false gods. In that cultural context it isn't difficult to imagine how people could get the wrong idea about these women who were standing at the entrance to the tabernacle, especially if they were beautifully dressed and attractively groomed. By giving their mirrors to the Lord, these women were committing to avoid allowing their presence at the tabernacle to turn into something unholy.

For you and I these women provide an example to follow. When was the last time you gave an offering to the Lord that was costly? When was the last time you gave until it hurt? Consider making a love offering to the Lord. Consider giving something or fasting from something that will help safeguard you from falling into some sin or excess in your life.