The Beginning of Belief

The Beginning of Belief

Genesis 1:1 (English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible)
In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.

   When you began to study the Bible, where did you begin?  I was advised by a Pastor and other mature members of a fellowship to study John’s Gospel.  A teacher I had had while a young boy in Sunday school had always told us not to neglect the Old Testament.  I started in Genesis, at the beginning of the story.  And I was confronted with a core truth of the Scriptures right off.  There was no introduction to the story and no explanation of Who and What God was, instead the Holy Spirit chose to begin the story with an established fact.  God is and God was and God was actively doing something – creation.  “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”  Period.  The period is used to end a sentence, and this is a complete sentence and a complete idea.  Yes, I know there is no punctuation in Ancient Hebrew.  Punctuation is placed for our benefit.  But the period fits here.  This sentence describes the plot of the book and tells you all you really need to know.  God was there and He created everything.  Period.
   The Bible does not make elaborate arguments for the existence of God.  Nowhere in the Scriptures does the Holy Spirit try to prove God exists.  He does, however, tell us how we can know God exists.  The Bible tells us we can know God exists because of what we see in creation.  Psalms 19: 1-4 is a beautiful passage that points this out to us.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
   Paul writes in Romans 1:20,
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
   When I began studying the Bible I came to understand that the Bible is a place where God speaks directly to me.  He has chosen to inspire the writing of this book and preserve it through the ages so I can learn about Him.  Of course, there is much written in the Bible about many subjects, but the Bible as a whole is about God.  It tells the story of God’s great love for us.  God allows us to study Him, but He does not argue for His own existence.  The evidence is visible everywhere to anyone who is honestly looking.
   My wife called me outside the other night to see the bright salmon-colored clouds in the sunset.  The color was so vivid and beautiful.  Thinking back, I can’t remember how many sunsets I’ve seen, but the awesome display of colors still thrills me.  I have never understood how someone can look at a sunset and say it all happened by random chance.  How insulting to God!  I remember a Physics teacher explaining the randomness of a rainbow.  I asked if it was a random series of events, why did they look the same time after time?  God has given us such a beautiful world!
   When you study the Bible, do you see God and His love there?  Don’t study the Bible as just a book, but as the revelation of God to us.

Stephen Cram                            May 27, 2012                                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Where Is the Conspiracy?

Where Is the Conspiracy?

Isaiah 8:11-13
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.

   As Isaiah gave this prophecy, armies marched towards Jerusalem.  The combined armies of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Syria encircled Jerusalem or were close to doing so.  They planned to depose King Ahaz of Judah and set their own man on the throne (Isaiah 7:6).  Now, Isaiah’s prophecy declared the armies of Syria and Israel would not succeed in conquering Judah, but the Assyrians (who they trusted to help them) would attack Judah and do much damage. This sounds like a dangerous time to live and the people of Judah were in the middle of the most dangerous place to live.
   But what was the point of what God told Isaiah?  In the midst of all the wars, rumors of war, and political intrigues and the mounting state of fear among the nation, it is easy to let your heart or mind fill with conspiracy theories and threats.  But God tells the people of Judah, and tells us today, not to.  When danger or calamity comes upon us, it’s easy for our minds to begin making up a thousand imaginary dangers, and our imagination can be our biggest enemy.
   The Lord told Isaiah not to say, “A conspiracy.”  He said not to be afraid of their threats.  It is tempting to give in to fear when faced with danger on a national scale.  And it’s not as if there are no conspiracies or threats facing us in the world today.  But what we need to see is the reality of God’s power and know that what is happening is all in His hand, and the Lord is bigger than any of the conspiracies or threats we will face.  Your life is in His hands, not the hands of conspirators or of governments.  Things may seem out of control, but it’s not the circumstances we should fear.
   “The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear.”  We are not at the mercy of the government.  We are not at the mercy of our economy.   Don’t see yourself at the mercy of outside forces; you are in God’s hands.  And God’s hands are filled with mercy.  If you need to worry, worry about your relationship with God.  Our fear of the Lord should lead us honor and love Him more instead of avoiding Him.
   “Dear Lord, I don’t want to be blind to the dangers and problems of this world, but I want to always keep everything in its proper perspective.  Help me to see You as bigger and more important than any danger or conspiracy I might fear.  I want to rest in You and rely on You and not on anyone or anything else.  Help my mind to be at peace and to be focused on You and Your Kingdom.”

Stephen Cram                            May 20, 2012                          Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Clothed in Righteousness and Crowned with Holiness

Clothed in Righteousness and Crowned with Holiness

Zechariah 3:3-5
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”
So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

   Can you picture this scene in your mind?  Seated on a throne is the Lord God Almighty.  Standing in front of Him are The Lord Jesus, Satan the Accuser, and Joshua the High Priest.  Satan is there to oppose the High Priest, most likely pointing out how unworthy Joshua was to be there before the Lord wearing filthy robes.  In the study of Biblical symbolism, being dressed in filthy robes or rags is a sign of our sinful nature.  Many places in the Bible tell us that when our sins are forgiven, we are dressed in white robes, symbolizing a righteous nature.  One place says our robes are washed clean in the blood of Christ.  So here we see Joshua dressed in filthy robes and God fixes this by having Joshua’s filthy robes taken away and he is given clean robes.
   Last week we saw that Joshua was plucked from the fire and rescued, but here we see God does not leave us like He finds us.  We are cleansed and allowed to stand before Him in Christ’s righteousness.  When we try to stand before God in our own righteousness, we are, like Isaiah tells us, dressed in filthy rags.  I don’t speak Hebrew, but I’m told the text in Isaiah 64 refers to rags that are both dirty and unclean under the Law.
   God addresses Joshua and says He has given him rich robes to wear, and also a clean turban for his head.  The turban the High Priest traditionally wore had a plate attached to the front that read, “Holiness to the Lord.”  (Exodus 28:36-38.)  Ephesians says we are to put the Helmet of Salvation on our heads, and here we see the Lord placing holiness on Joshua’s head.  When we ask the Lord for forgiveness for our sinful life, we receive Christ’s holiness and stand before God blameless of any sin.
   I often find my mind going over this idea.  To think that God Himself intervenes on my behalf and that He has chosen to take away my sinful nature and clothe me with Christ’s righteousness is just awesome.  It is hard to get my head around.  I often joke that if I were God, I’d think twice about choosing me.  But He has and He arranged all this for me and this was settled before the founding of the world.  Wow.
   Take comfort in this story.  God chose you when you were burning in your own iniquity.  He plucked you from the fire and defended His choice to do so when the Accuser came before Him and pointed out your sins and filthy condition.  He took away your sins Himself and gave you clean robes of righteousness.  He placed His holiness on your head to cover you.  This was all decided before you were born; indeed before the world itself was created.  And now Jesus stands at the right hand of the Father and makes intercession for you, and is as close to you as a prayer.
   Zechariah saw such a beautiful vision here, and we can take a great deal of comfort from this.

Stephen Cram                              May 13, 2012                           Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

A Brand Plucked From the Fire

A Brand Plucked From the Fire


Zechariah 3:1-3
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

   The Book of Zechariah tells us of a series of visions given to the prophet.  This vision is of the High Priest of Zechariah’s day, a man named Joshua, standing in the courts of heaven.  Facing him is Satan.  Satan’s name means Accuser, Adversary or Opposer, depending on what authority you read, and Satan is doing as his name implies, he is accusing someone.  In the vision Zechariah saw both the accusation and the answer by the Lord.  The Lord Himself drove off the attack of Satan with a strong rebuke.
   Yes, God allows Satan to accuse us.  He allows Satan to oppose us.  He allows Satan to harass us.  But He also restricts what Satan is allowed to do to us.  We see this in the first few chapters of the Book of Job.  Satan begins by accusing Job and then wants to test him but God only allows him to take one action at a time against Job.  Jesus tells us in Luke 22 that Satan wanted to sift Simon Peter like wheat but He would not allow Satan to destroy Peter.  Peter was divinely protected from destruction, but still he was tested and tried by the enemy.  We can trust that when the Lord stands beside us, we can find refuge under His protection.
   In this scene where God defends the high priest, He makes what seems to be a strange statement in his defense.  The Lord said of the high priest, "Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"  Joshua the high priest was standing next to the Angel of the Lord in this vision, yet even so he was not there based on his own righteousness or merit, he was there as one rescued from the fire.  God even went so far as to point out that Joshua was clothed in filthy garments, like Isaiah wrote, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;” (Isaiah 64:6a,) yet the Lord still claimed him for His own.
   A brand, as used in this verse, is a burnt or smoldering piece of wood.  If you’ve ever sat around a campfire you’ve seen a blackened, smoking stick that’s been partially burned.  It isn't worth much and will be consumed completely if it isn't plucked from the fire.  The brand may not be worth anything in earthly terms, but God rescued this brand from the fire and accepted it as His.
   Let’s look at this statement, "is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"  First, it is a statement of ownership.  It’s as if God is saying, “I plucked this brand from the fire and now he’s Mine.”  Second, it’s a statement of accomplishment.  “This brand was in the fire, but now I’ve rescued him.”  Third, this statement is a taunt directed at the Accuser.  “This brand is one you wanted to burn, but now he is safe with Me.”
   I came upon an unusual story about John Wesley, (1703 – 1791,) a Church of England cleric.  When Wesley was only six years old he was trapped in a burning house and was only rescued when one neighbor climbed on another's shoulders and pulled him out of window.  A picture of the scene was drawn for Wesley and he kept the drawing until he died, and wrote under it Zechariah 3:2: “Is this not a brand plucked from the burning?”  This story graphically illustrates this verse.   This describes what we are – brands that have been plucked from the fires of Hell and we can now stand with the Lord.  He has given to us His righteousness and even though we still show the damage of the fires, we are still children of God that have been wonderfully saved from the destroying fires.

Stephen Cram                       May 6, 2012                                      Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8