12/28 Listening Guide
Doing Things God’s Way – Matthew 4:1-11
Introduction
This is the week each year when so many of us do our “strategic planning” and make our resolutions for the coming year. Some of us are starting new chapters in the coming year, some of us are continuing the same ones, but with a new resolve. In either case, today’s lesson provides some very practical guidance as we watch how Christ prepared Himself for ministry. He pulled away into the wilderness to make very sure He was as connected to God (the Father) as He would need to be in order to fulfill His ministry.
- Set Your Priorities and Stick with Them – Doing things God’s way means never forsaking the things that draw us closer to Him and never allowing our physical desires to take priority over spiritual matters.
- Stay Behind God, Not Out in Front of Him – Doing things God’s way means staying behind Him in every step, never running ahead and forcing Him to come and bless what we have done on our own.
- Worship Only God – Doing things God’s way means continuing to worship God and God alone, even when it does not seem logical.
The Difference it Makes – We serve a savior who did NOT come to tell us the way…but to show us the way by demonstrating life in every imaginable circumstance.
Regarding bullet no. 2: Is it only possible for a parent to lead, with the child always behind? When teaching a toddler to walk, isn’t the parent typically behind the child, holding her hands, supporting and directing? When teaching her to ride a bicycle, isn’t the parent walking alongside, then running, then cheering the success, anticipating the crash that will surely come? Isn’t the role of a parent to first teach, then to allow the abilities and agency of that child to take her own turns for good or for ill? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son…” The Father didn’t lead Him to this earthly existence, He gave Him an infant body and allowed Him to be reared by goodly parents until the time His ministry began at an age of significant stature. So I argue that the child must surely run ahead — and God would have it never be different.
A Friend said this on December 28, 2008 at 10:21 pm |
Dear Friend-
It’s an interesting argument, isn’t it? But while scripture is filled with examples of God leading his children, I can’t think of any examples of his children going off on their own and accomplishing anything of eternal significance. The pattern is pretty well-defined in scripture: God tells his child(ren) what He is going to do and invites the child(ren) to join Him in it. Jesus himself said it this way in John 5: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” This was a direct reference to Jesus’ relationship with the Father. And I believe it is an eternal truth for us as well. Without Him, we can do nothing. The tempter in our passage was encouraging Jesus to operate from His own agenda, thereby “forcing God’s hand” to protect Him. Jesus would have no part in that. Therefore, I must respectfully disagree with your argument that we must run ahead of God. But as always, I am willing to be taught. But with scripture, please.
Blake said this on December 28, 2008 at 11:43 pm |
Nice response Blake — insightful and thought provoking: the mark of a good teacher.
Matthew 4 is very much about motives. Satan’s motive force is selfish and vengeful; Jesus had the will of the Father in mind.
Consider the following scriptures as a response to your query:
Genesis 3 — Eve and Adam (knowingly?) chose contrary to God’s command and the decision paved the way for mankind and the need for a savior and the infinite and eternal atonement. A veritable “[accomplishment].. of eternal significance”. Ponder the role the adversary unwittingly played in this. (See also Gen 3:22 for God’s reflection on the situation.)
Daniel 3 — The young men were spared as a testament to Nebuchednezzar. Their peaceful motive reflected will of God, completely diametric to the King’s rage.
John 5:19 is a righteous quest for all mankind. Is then the agency afforded by the Father to His child(ren) in John 5:26,27 a contradiction to your statement or to verse 19?
Aren’t we entitled to the influence of the Holy Spirit to help us align to God’s will? And then to help us do it? But cannot it not also be sometimes like Adam and Eve where we just have to take that unnerving step, seemingly on our own? Must it always have a pattern? Or can it be a principle? I too am willing to thoughtfully consider another’s point of view through scripture. Again thank you for engaging in this most interesting conversation!
A Friend said this on December 30, 2008 at 2:37 am |
The premise we are discussing is whether doing God’s will is something we can do on our own (what I called “running ahead of God” in the lesson) or rather is something only God can lead out in and invite us to join Him. Your contention seems to be that Adam & Eve’s sin was actually the will of God. No, I cannot go there. In fact, insofar as their actions were explicitly against God’s command, it is pretty much the definition of being OUTSIDE of God’s will. The fact that God can use our sinful actions to bring about something eternal (Romans 8:28 teaches us this) should not be confused with His actually desiring us to sin.
I’m not sure I’m following you on the Daniel passage. The young Hebrews boys never deviated from God’s will in that story and certainly never acted from their own agendas thereby forcing the hand of God. Rather, like Jesus in the wilderness, they stuck to what God had already commanded them to do. That story seems to support the premise that we should wait on the Lord and trust His commands rather than running out ahead of Him.
Lastly, John 5:26-27 by no means conflicts with John 5:19 nor with our premise here. Jesus has authority on earth solely because the Father granted it to Him. Therefore, that is certainly not an example of “forcing God’s hand” by running out in front of Him.
Let me try to find some common ground here…certainly God created us with free will to make whatever decisions we want to make. We do have that freedom. And even when we make wrong decisions, God can use them to bring about good things (aren’t we all grateful for that!). And God has granted Jesus (and now His church) authority here on earth to “bind and to loose”. But again, if we want to fulfill our purpose, which is to walk in relationship with God, then His first and best desire for us is that we will wait on Him to order our steps. That is the decision Jesus made over and over again in His life and ministry.
For a truly wonderful study of this principle, I recommend Henry Blackaby’s “Experiencing God” material.
Lastly, I hope you will e-mail me at thegatheringsa@sbcglobal.net. I’d love to know you better.
Blake said this on December 30, 2008 at 12:11 pm |
Dear Blake,
Your best argument yet is the reference to Romans — but it should actually be to the entire eighth chapter: an eloquent discussion on the Spirit of God and its (His?) role in the life of man.
Regarding your response to John 5:26-27, I believe I was not clear enough in my presentation. I would never suppose that forcing God’s hand is acceptable; I was merely trying to support the idea that God freely gave us a choice in all things not just as shown in the New Testament re His Son and, as you cleverly notated, with His children, but incipient with His creation of the world and the inhabitants thereof.
Your inability to go there is indeed a challenge for me to “go there”. Regarding commandments, could it be that there did indeed need to be a Fall? Could there be mankind without the Fall? Could Eve have become “the mother of all living” without the knowledge gained from the partaking of the fruit of that tree? It seemed to be an impossible commandment to keep.
Your initial response might be something about impossibilities, but humor me in this association — I’ve not made it before. Matt 5:48 very clearly states: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Technically an impossible commandment for a man to keep. But I would argue that it is as it should be. 2 Cor 12:9 — “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” In other words, if indeed one could actually be perfect, there would be no need for God — man would be as God. (I suppose it could be argued that he could not be as God without the mind and will of God, and would therefore not be perfect!) It is our imperfectness that keeps our need for God alive (although being really imperfect is no virtue either). None-the-less, I would argue that we would not exist without the “sin” of our first parents, and that the atonement restores that loss, and that it’s okay to not be perfect because it causes us to need God both as mankind but individually on a daily basis as well, but it should be our perpetual desire to know God and his will for us (John 17:3). Is this a common ground of understanding ? Looking forward to your response. (eMail privatizes conversations that should be remain open)
A Friend said this on December 30, 2008 at 9:21 pm |
If you are not contending that “forcing God’s hand” is acceptable, then we are on the same page. If your contention is simply that we have free will, I agree completely with you. Nothing about this lesson (or about the second bullet point) is intended to question the idea of free will. God did indeed give us a choice in all things. We can choose life or we can choose death. We were created that way.
As to the remainder of your comment, I agree again. You have wonderfully articulated the doctrine of grace. It is precisely because of our sin that we need a savior. As to what would or would not have happened but for the original sin, we can only speculate. But certainly, God reconciled us back to Him by sending Christ.
Thanks, “friend” (whomever you are) for your comments!
Blake said this on December 31, 2008 at 4:02 pm |