REASON WHY
If you spend time around youngsters, you will hear the question "why?" frequently. That's a good thing, because it usually means they are paying attention and interested. Youngsters have much to learn, and it's good to stimulate their fertile minds. When we're young, our minds are ready for development and the introduction of truth and reason. When we get older, not so much, and I don't mean elderly older. If you're a Christian, have you continued to develop your faith?
In Mark 8:11,12, Christ is perplexed when the Pharisees asked for a sign. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two political parties and were represented by the so-called "cream of society" as is the situation in America with our political parties. When you have true faith, you understand the signs that have already been given. Let's get a clear understanding of these leaders so we can see WHY they were seeking a REASON. They didn't want to believe Christ was the Son of God, and they didn't want to give up their cushy jobs in government and the temple.
Read Matt. 16:1, "Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven." This is the common request from people who claim they are believers, but lack faith. There are a number of people who have claimed to witness faith healing that are misled or don't tell the truth. After all, Satan can perform miracles, too. We learned that way back in Genesis with the rods. The difference here is that the only requirement for any miracle was the belief in God plus the Faith of the power of the Holy Spirit. They didn't want
to recognize Christ as God. These leaders believed in God, as many non Christians do today, but were lacking in FAITH. You can confess belief in God, but without faith, your belief is the same as Satan's. Satan surely believes in God, and has been trying his best to take God's throne. Satan has faith in Satan.
These leaders wanted a spectacular sign such as the fire from heaven and the chariot that took Elijah from earth to heaven. That is much like our enjoyment of fireworks on the fourth of July. Healing a sick or lame person is too tame for them. (See 2 Kings 2:11) If those lacking faith do see a miracle, they usually ask to see another miracle as proof. Leaders like to bring in speakers with miracle stories to tell because they know it will draw crowds. I had this experience once when a blowhard faith lacking dignitary attempted to hijack my miracle story. He did not want to hear the Lord's message, and wanted to go right to the miracle. There was a timely message for the people before the miracle story, and the Lord told me to skip the miracle and proceed with His word. You don't mess around when the Holy Spirit has something to say. The people were disappointed, but someone there needed that short message.
There was another reason why the leaders should have accepted Christ and His teaching. They failed to see they were doing exactly what the Lord told Samuel to tell the people when they demanded a human king. To understand why leaders in government and the church fail to recognize themselves in God's picture, it is easily seen by comparing almost identical passages from 1 Sam. 8:10-18, and Matt. 23:1-36. The leaders of that day and the leaders today fail to recognize themselves. Political leaders see mostly money and power, while church leaders are busy admiring themselves with full self righteousness. This is not true across the board, but unfortunately it is true in many churches, especially the bigger organizations.
Now we get to the reason why, and we actually have several reasons
why, and they have always been with us. The first is history, which is
now mainly the subject of law. The United States is a government of
historical law decisions. Our educational leaders---going right to those in legislatures---have relegated history to the scrap pile. It is critical for Christians to understand we are no longer living under the Hebrew Law, but under grace through Christ. The only part of the Mosaic Law still in effect is the Ten Commandments plus One. While personal history is vital for our well being, many people have little knowledge of their ancestry or family history. This includes information on health.
The second why has to do with tradition. Because certain things have always been done in one way, we continue to carry that way on. The States Rights movement before the Civil War has already been revived twice, including the present situation. Unfortunately, this claim to be a Christian movement is destroying the credibility of our religion. There is none of Christ's teaching in this movement. Perceived tradition should be carefully examined before it is used to front any activity, including the activity of the church. Any tradition that disrupts a church or nation must be put to rest.
The third why is explained in Matt. 7:1-8. This is in two parts. The first part warns you to be careful in making your decision (judging). "Judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." If you make a mistake in your decision, it will probably come back to haunt you in the future. Quite often, you won't get the opportunity to correct your mistake before damage may be controlled.
The second part of why explained in Matt. 7:1-8 is the directive to do the necessary research before you make your judgment or decision. The easy way for many Christians is to accept the "why" answer from someone of authority (pastor or politician, verse 1), without performing the appropriate research. I've had people admit to me they had become confused and voted for the wrong person or failed to support an issue because they didn't do the research. Verses 7 and 8 tell us we will know what the correct decision is if we follow these directions. "Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
There is no shortcut to truth and honesty. You must be informed
before you can correctly and accurately make decisions.This is
absolutely vital when looking at a person or issue from a Christian
standpoint. You have Christ's simple and complete directions in just four books of scripture. If you match a person's speech and agenda with the words of Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will have the Godly answer. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. A Christian must stand by the words of his Savior. If you don't you are guilty of sins committed by that person, either sins of commission or omission.
The very first why you need to address is "why don't I spend more time studying scripture?" I've been through the "read the whole bible in a year" suggestion. I found it a very poor way to try and learn scripture, much less understand it. The bible is not a subject you can master in six weeks or a year. No matter how intelligent you may be, you can never live and learn long enough to master the Masterworks. Needless to say, I study scripture almost every day, even when I'm not writing a sermon. Although
I've read many passages many, many times, I frequently find something I previously missed. It also helps if you study scripture from other bibles. I use the King James version because I enjoy it the most. Perhaps the most helpful bible is the Chronological Order Daily Bible, which ties the books together as they happened in time. This prevents the time gaps in our regular bible. To become familiar with the Apocrypha, the Catholic bible is a must. These are the books omitted from the Protestant bible. They cover a period of Israel's history and fill some of the time near the end of the Old Testament.
Like any subject of importance, you must take your time to cover the material. Shorter readings enable you to get more substance from most books. Trying to cover ground as in the read in a year does not give you time for things to sink in. The exceptions are the chapters dealing with the names of the generations. These will not mean a great deal until you have become quite familiar with the main characters in the stories. Doing this reading may seem like a bore, but carefully consider where you want to spend eternity. Is it better to contemplate a place with resurrected
Christians or the White Throne and the lake of fire? Besides, some of these biblical episodes have been the basis of block buster movies. You may not know what you're missing.
Rev. Walbear
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