For those who doubt all power belongs to God

For those who doubt; "All power belongs to God"
16 juni 2013 om 19:01
We life in a world where everything seems to go smoothly, just as the Bible declares inthe book of Daniel, that knowledge shall increase. We see it in the medical sciences, we canseparate Siamese twins by operation successfully. We can operate robots whodrive around tens of thousands kilometers away on the planet of Mars. Not onlyknowledge has increased, Countries show of the power and might by making themost destructive weapons sinful man can design.

But from the moment, we as humans, look at the power of God. As soons as we as believers look at the power and majestry of our Lord, people seem to doubt. They doubt if God can save them from their troubles and problems they encounter each and every day in their lives. The doubt of God really does act and react in thisworld. Some even doubt if the Lord would really return to this sinful world andtake the faithful and elect to a new Heaven and new Earth, which has beentotally cleansed of sin. We could ask ourselves, does humanity actually want tosee the power of God?

Lets discover by studying the Word of God, that God does really posses all the power, might and majesty and what the consequences are if we do not build and trust on that power, that only comes from God.

Lets read from the Bible book Numbers. It has been 3 years after Moses and Aaron left Egypt. Almost 3 years that the people were witness the plagues against Farao and the inhabitants of Egypt. The miracle of the Red Sea, the two stones containing the by the Lord's handwritten ten commandments, or what to think about the heavenly found Manna.The people who left Egypt seen with their own eyes that mighty deeds our Lord can do and what the power it contained.

Listen how Paul writes about Gods power in his letter to the church of Ephesus,
“ And what is the exceeding greatness of his powerto us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (Ef 1:19).

The Israelites believed in the power of God which saved them with mighty force out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. Even despite that many worship the Golden Calve, the many complained about their situation in the desert plains. Time and time again the large majority acknowledge that only God has the powerto save them out of every situations they had to deal with.

Don’t we see the same in this day and age? We are also freed, liberated. We are saved from darkness, taken away from the broad way that leads to distruction and brought to the small road that leads to the light, namely Jesus Christ.

We are invited to walk to walk a road that leads to Truth. A road that is full of life and so much more. But we’re not in Heaven yet. We still have a journey to go through in this earthly desert, a modern day wilderness you might say. The concrete jungle of modern day living. God as also done may wonders in our life – may no so spectaculair as those done in the days of Moses. Maybe you don’t see the mannah falling next to you each and every day from the sky, to provide you with the food you need. But our Lord is still with us. He gave you and me the power to wake up this morning to go out and worship Him. He gave us the power to go to the shop and buy food and drink. He gave us the power to breathe, each and every day. This wilderness is not our final destination, this world of Sin is not our home. We are bound to the promisessed land, one without pain, sorrow, sickness and death.

God called about the Isrealietes to spy in the land of Canaan, this we can read in Numbers 13:1,
“ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.´Moses gave the spies there assignments,
as we read from verse 17,
“And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: 18 And see the land, what it is; andthe people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents,or in strong holds; 20 And what the land is,whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.”

The Lord gave Moses and the people the ability to see with their own eyes what the place would be, which the would posses. Aland spoken of as early as the promises God made to Abraham. And now Moses gets the task of the Lord to seek out and investigate the land of Canaan.

Not only Moses has been giving the task to investigate the land that has been promised him, Also we have been given an assignment to enter with Him the land of Heavenly Canaan, and to tell as much people as possible about the road that leads to life everlasting, to sin forever being destroyed. We need to tell the people about Christ rightesnousses. You know about that task, just as Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 28, the great commission,

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Our Lord gives us a clear and yet so simple assignment, and then He sends us out on our way, Why? For the very same reason as He did with the Isrealiets Because for if we may doubt the power ofGod, we might see in all certainty that if we walk with Jesus. If we endure and not give up, we might see and experience the reliability that all of Gods promises with be delivered in full.God wants us to see the world through His eyes.

That we might see all the good that there is in Gods children who live here on this planet. But also know that as long as we are in this world, Satan will go around as a fierce lion. We need to see clearly what is at stake.

Our Lord wants us to go out and tell other people that He has send us to tell does whodon’t know Him personally to listen to a message of hope, love and faith. God has send us to tell him and to those who don’t know Him, “ God loves you. BuGod is also powerful enough that you can trust Him, and Him only, if you only do that what He has taught us.” God wants that we as His children, study from His Word, Listen to His Word and life according to His Word. So that we me walk into the Heavenly canaan, that wonderful paradise where Jesus prepared a placefor us.

Because if we, as faithful witnesses, but also as spies carefully study what has beenwritten in the Bible about the New Jerusalem, the new Heaven and new, with sin forever cleansed and washed away Earth. Just as we could read throughout the Spirit of Prophecy, were we get an insight in Gods plan for the last days on this Earth. During all of our investigative work, when under the direction of Gods Holy Spirit we learn about all kinds of certainties. Just think about Jesus work in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary, where He pleads before God for all our mistakes, sins and shortcomings. We read about the new Jerusalem with the gates of the most beauriful ornaments. When we witness about our relationship with Jesus, in all openness as we search like detectives to hear His loving words.

When despies concluded their work investigating the land of Canaan, the time had come to bring outreport. And at frist they where very happy with the things they had seen, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.(Num13:26-27)

Is that not our first reaction when we read the final chapter of the Great Controversy our the last to chapters of the Book of Revelations. What a place,what a heavenly out look. Peace and tranquillity for ever more, No war, No sickness, just like God has promised us. That what reasonalby also the reaction of the twelve spies. We have heard so much about the land of Milk and Honey. Gods promises are indeed true, you can built on them.

Only the story turns in a akward direction. Despite the join and gladness and beauty of the land to be entered,the reaction turned sour. Something different happened. Something that happens oh, so often in this day and age. When we say of think, “BUT” This word is used to really show how powerless we are or how powerless we might feel in the situation we are placed, that very same thing the spies did who investigated the land of milk and honey,“Nevertheless (BUT) the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and verygreat:”

Despite we see what God does for us and had done. We know from Scripture that a new heaven and earth is being prepared. We know from inspired Scripture that Christ died on the cross for our sins and shortcomings, but that He did arise from the grave. Nevertheless (BUT) Sometimswe doubt when we see the problem of this world, the faming, the wars and we aks ourself if Jesus is indeed making true on all His promises. Sometimes people ask themselves, when they pray for forgiveness of sins, if the sins are really cleansed by Christ’ blood. Nevertheless (BUT) is maybe the most dangerous world that exits Because if you doubt the powe of God, the consequences are disastrous.

Luckly there where two spies who stand up right, despite the ‘but’s’ of the other spies from all the other tribes, two spies who would still trust, “thus saith the Lord.” Who did not forget His words and the Power God has shown in the past. Caleb, was one of those spies. He sees that the words of the other 10 spies made the weary people doubt, so he called out to the refugees of Isreal in the desert,
“Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcomeit.” (Num 13:30b).

If people around us say to you and me,that nobody or no one can deliver us from our misery. If people around you asaythat there is no hope, that call out just as Caleb did, “There is a solution toall our problems.. we can overcome them, because God stands with us, He willnot forget us.”

It is a pity, that not everyone willaccept words of peace, safetry and security of God. People may exhibit the samereacton as those 10 spies. People whosee the same things as Caleb did, heard the same things as Caleb did, onlytheir reaction was from verse 31;
“But the men that went up with him said, Webe not able to go up against the people; for they arestrongerthan we. 32 And they brought up an evil reportof the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel,saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitantsthereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men ofa great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, thesons of Anak, whichcome of the giants:and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

We are living in a world that relies moreuoon rumours and ideas of men, than ofthe inspired Word of God. The words of Caleb showed assurance in Gods promises.A God who will indeed save us all our personal and coporate endeavours. The words of the other 10 spies showed the opposite. If you are not certain of that what you claim to believe in, than you will only see the problems of this world and you could say, “We can not save ourselves in this world, the problems of this world are so huge. We are only simple Christians. We feel ourselves outnumbered and in the minority and on top of all that, the world thinks we arenobody.”

The negative sound of the 10 spies,frightened Gods people, it made them uncertain and made them feel powerless, just as powerless as they were in the land of Egypt.So the people starting to complain to Moses and Aaron, “Would God that we haddied in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Letus make a captain, and let us return into Egypt”(num14:2b-4).

A negative attitude, helps to bring a mistover Gods cleas message. If you speak words of defest, instead of victory in Jesus. People can doubt if the Word of Lord are really true. If we do not liveout that what the Lord ask and desires of us, that we can see that people mainly unbelievers, will ask themselves if having faith in His deed upon thatwooden cross actually does make a change.. That’s why the reaction of theIsrealites was so storing, the could not see the power of God. They wanted another leader. They wanted another way to reach their final destination,without depending on Gods power, but on their own strength and might.

God wants to give us power, all the power we need to keep on walking on the narrow road bound for Heaven. Jesaja spoke the words of the Lord,
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” (Jes40:29).
Caleb and Joshua knew the priniciple and they tried to convince the people, that the Lord indeed has all the power and might that belongs only to Him. They wereupset about the disbelief among the people of Isreal, That the torn their clothes, to show their morning and disbelief among the chosen people of God.Yet, these 2 spies didn’t gave up, the told the people to believe in the powerof God,
“And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel,saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the LORD delight in us, then hewill bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milkand honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence isdeparted from them, and the LORD is withus: fear them not” (Num 14:7-9).

What problem you might have, give it toJesus. In the letter to Hebrews, it states that we have a High priest who indeed, knows what we have to endure. Did you know what Jesus did in the garden of Getsemane,when He did, what we should do if we are faced with problems we cannot solve ourselves. He contacted the Father in prayer. Jesus walked the difficult road, but sinned He had not. Jesus in the most difficult moments during His life on earth depended on the Power of God, and we should do the same, we as His followers.

As we can read from Numbers 14, how displeased God was with the reaction of the people of Isreal, after all He did to free them from the Land of Egypt offer them food and shelter from the Egyptians. Gods longs from us loyalty,love and true worship. He was saddened and he wanted to punish them immediately. Moses though prayed en pleaded before God to spare His people.Moses showed in his words to God that He trusted the power and might of God.Moses said;
“And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great,according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The LORD is longsuffering,and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children untothe third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thouhast forgiven this people, from Egypteven until now. 20 And the LORD said, I have pardone daccording to thy word: (Num 14;17-20).
God forgave his people, he forgave them for doubting the power of God. A present help in uncertain days. Moses pleaded in the same way as Abraham pleaded for Lot many years earlier.

Eventough God punished them for their disbelief. Why? Because in the very first instance they doubted the liberating power of God. They where punished because they only complained and did not give God the glory He longs for. Nobody could enter theland of imilk and only. Only the Children could enter the new land and the spies of Joshua and Caleb. Because they didn’t doubt the Power of God.

Weare all invited enter the New Jerusalem, why, because the Word of God has givenus in beautiful glimsp in that wonderful city. As we read in Revelation 21,
“AndI saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the templeof it. 23 And the city had no need of thesun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it,and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which aresaved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring theirglory and honour into it.25 And the gates of it shall not beshut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory andhonour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enterinto it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever workethabomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written inthe Lamb's book of life.”

Wehave seen a glimsp into the future, seen through prophecy which the Lord hasgiven to us. That we do have a hope, which we have seen with our own eyes. Ourreaction can be two fold if we share the good news about the Kingdom of God.We could say, “ That lifestyle cannot change you, the problems you have youcannot conquer. Just forget it all, there is no hope for you anymore.”

Ordo we say the following,” Our names are written down in the book of Life, “Jesus saved you and me from dead, from sin because of His grace and righteousness,nothing is impossible or to hard for God. Because we can built and rely uponthe power which God only can offer us.

Remember what Jesus said to the disciples before He ascended to heaven, “ When the HolySpirit will come over you, you;ll receive power and you be a witness of me, in Jerusalemin all of Judea and Samaria, yes unto the uttermost parts of the world.

Whenwe are being led by the Holy Spirit, and follow the example of Jesus and study from Gods inspired Word, you’ll know for sure that you will receive power from God. To witness about His good name and espesically that you would not doubtGods Words. But that you may be, just as Joshua and Caleb did, be a witness in your family, on your job or school,
“If the LORD delight in us, thenhe will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milkand honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against theLORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence isdeparted from them, and the LORD is withus: fear them not.” (Num 14:8-9)

Wemust surely remember these words from Jesaja 40:28,
“Hast thou not known? hastthou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, theCreator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; andto them thathave no might heincreaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and beweary, and the young men shall utterly fall:31 But they that wait upon the LORDshall renew their strength; they shall mount up withwings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Donot fear may brothers and sisters don’t give up and don’t become weary. Remember the Lord has all the Power and Majesty. Power belongs to God. If welong for His law to become manifest in our lives, we can pull from the fountain which never run dry. And rembemer all that He has promised, He shall do.

AMENDe 'blogs' weblog van Riley Jack, voor de maanden september & oktober 2004.