Overcoming false prophets

Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths. Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be black over them; the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God. But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. (Micah 3:5–8)

In the OT, false prophets were identified by what motivated them. In this passage, it was not spiritual illumination from the Lord, but personal desires. Micah calls it food, yet it could be anything that makes them feel good, satisfied, taken care of. They were more interested in their own comfort than in truth.

Today, there are some involved in ‘Christian’ ministry that are preaching a similar message. They say that God wants us healthy, wealthy, and wise and the more generously we give, the greater the blessing. While God blesses generosity, that motive for giving is self-centered and fleshy. 

Other false prophets are those in the cults. They call themselves true Christians and sincerely believe their way is the right way. However, they interpret the Word of God with their own way of thinking and not relying on the Holy Spirit to enlighten them. One of these cults says Jesus is “a god” and insert that “a” in this verse:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

They do not know or ignore that the original language this was translated from does not have a word for “a” — and they ignore all other references to the deity of Jesus Christ. 

They also claim that faith means Jesus “died to give us the right to earn our salvation” — an idea that is nowhere in the Bible. Yet they boast that they are the only right ones who please God. They ignore this::

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

In this verse and all others, faith is about believing in and trusting the Lord, not ourselves or any ability to earn salvation. It is also a gift, not earned. 

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9–14)

Humility is vital. If I am proud of myself and brag about how godly I am and give no credit to the power of God and the Person of Jesus Christ, then I am deceived at best and teaching lies at worst.

Lord Jesus, only You can change lives. The best we can do becomes a boast, a personal ego trip into darkness. Micah was filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare truth to the false prophets of his day and to the people who had been deceived by them. Oh Lord, we need more people like Micah in our day too. 

 

Who can fully understand God?

 
When God took me into His forever family, my sister told me to read John’s gospel five times, then Romans twice. This was good advice. The first Bible words I read as a believer reveal a basic truth that is believed by all who are reborn and trust Jesus:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

Knowing that Jesus is God is foundational to being a Christian. At least one cult tries to avoid this truth. They put an “a” in front of the last God, as if He is one of many, despite the many verses in the OT that say there is only one God. Not only that, the original Greek language of the NT does not have the word “a” in it!

How can there be one God yet both Father and Son, and add the Holy Spirit who is also God? This is humanly not understandable. We make analogies that try to explain it, such as ice, water, and steam are all different yet all H2O. But even that falls short.

This truth was His way of revealing Himself to the people He created and introducing me to Himself. God simply says it and I need to believe it. There is much more:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… (Hebrews 1:1–3)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15)
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily… (Colossians 2:9)
…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped… (Philippians 2:6)
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:3–6)

This truth is difficult for Christians, yet we are told to believe it, not to fully understand it. However, that Jesus is God is totally impossible for those who do not have faith in God or confess their sins to Him. They are blinded by the “god of this world” who is also called “the father of lies” who wants to keep people from faith in this marvelous God who sent His Son to show us what He is like, and to die for our sins that we might be with Him forever.

PRAY: Jesus, today we attend a Celebration of Life for a dear woman who loved You and walked with You for much of her life. While we miss her, our faith says she is with You now, seeing You in all Your glory and rejoicing for multiplied reasons, one of which is that she now fully understands how three can be one holy God. Because of You, we can celebrate even as we dearly miss her.

God revealed . . .

 

In the past few weeks, several words in my concordance defy description when applied to God. Holy, immortal, invisible, are beyond the scope of language. Today is another one. God is JESUS — JESUS is God. How can that be explained?

When Peter identified Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” in Matthew 16:17, Jesus answered him,

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

This is a mind-blowing truth that is hidden from the human mind until God shines His light in there. I read the Bible nearly every day for nearly two decades and didn’t get it — not until God revealed that He is Jesus and Jesus is God in human flesh. I know it without a doubt but cannot explain it or convince anyone else. Only God can.

It’s not that He hasn’t said so. The NT has several strong statements about God = Jesus. For instance:

John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

At least one cult tries to insert an “a” to make this verse say “the Word was a god” yet there is no “a” in the Greek language. After much thought and self-examination, I can understand their denial. They have not had that necessary revelation from the Father; they do not want Jesus to be their only way of salvation; and they have a huge problem with the very thought of it — God became a man?

One cult member said, “He would never stoop to do something like that!” Yet the Bible says He did, and even declares that this is God’s glory; our powerful Creator became flesh and lived among us, bled and died for us, and rose again for us, that we might be forgiven our sin and have eternal life. That cult member says He died to give us the right to earn our salvation, but that is not a biblical concept. We all sin and fall short. Without a Savior, we are lost. Egos aside, we need divine intervention. This gospel message is incredibly wonderful; it puts all my pride in its place. Like the publican, all I can mutter is, “Lord have mercy on me a sinner.”

However, this gospel message is too much for my puny mind, too incredible for any human to invent, too awesome. It makes my worship feel insignificant and insufficient. And how could I ever think myself worthy to earn or deserve anything but wrath from such a holy God who loves the world so much that He dropped into it, making faith in Him possible? Because He became a man, I can believe in Him, even fellowship with Him through this God-man JESUS who made it plain:

John 14:6. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The name JESUS is a Greek translation of Joshua, a Hebrew name that means “The Lord (Yahweh) is salvation.” In Matthew 1:21, an angel told Joseph that Mary “will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” and verse 23 refers to the prophecy that “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name ‘Immanuel’ (which means God with us.)”

Scripture reveals who Jesus is, yet without the Holy Spirit, no one ‘gets’ it. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.”

Titus 2:13 talks about “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” In several gospel passages, Jesus used the term “I AM” which the Jews knew referred to God as Yahweh in the OT. For this, they were angered and tried to stone Him. Eventually He was crucified for the same reason; He declared Himself God and those who could not see or admit their need for a Savior put Him to death.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The glory of God is seen in Jesus Christ. This man who is God speaks to my heart each day and works to transform me into His image. Incredible! Totally incredible! But His revelation of Himself is true and powerful and once seen, the identity of God as Jesus Christ cannot be denied!