MEN DISPLEASED WITH GOD
Once again, I express my appreciation for the presence of each
one who has tuned in to study with me this morning. It is so good to
have you in the audience and I trust that each one has pen and
paper, with open Bibles. No one should accept what others say about
religion unless it is based upon book, chapter, and verse from God's
Book. But, even when verses are quoted, we need to be sure that the
proper application is being made. There are many who pull verses out
of their context and make them say something never intended by the
Holy Spirit when the Book was written. How important it is to note
the verses before and the verses after the one you are studying, to
see what the context is discussing.
To introduce our study for the morning, I ask a question. How
often have you experienced something which displeased you? No doubt
many times. A great deal of this is justifiable because man is prone
to do many things that are wrong. A more sobering question is, Have
you ever been displeased with Jehovah? Most would no doubt be
insulted by such a question. But, I am persuaded that men often have
become displeased with Jehovah. Not because He has done something
wrong, for God is not guilty of evil. But they have been displeased
with the commandments of Jehovah. This is a grave evil in the world
in which we live. So, I ask you again, Have you ever become
displeased with Jehovah? Before you answer, let us look at some who
have expressed their dissatisfactions.
I am reading from 2 Kings 5:11, "But Naaman was wroth, and went
away, and said, Behold I thought, He will surely come out to me, and
stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand
over the place, and recover the leper." Here stood a man covered
with leprosy, who was given the command to go and dip seven times in
the river Jordan and he would be healed. That command displeased
Naaman. Naaman had his own idea of how the healing should take
place. And when the word came from the prophet to go dip, it made
Naaman angry. Naaman's human wisdom questioned God's instructions.
He was displeased with God's way.
There are many like this today. They are not satisfied with the
Lord's arrangements and so they substitute their own feeble wisdom
and follow human opinions rather than the revealed word of Truth.
It was only when Naaman obeyed the prophet's command that his
leprosy was healed. So, likewise today, it is only when we submit to
the Lord's commands that we can expect to be healed from the leprosy
of the soul, sin. Perhaps we will study the case of Naaman in more
detail in a future lesson. Just here, my purpose is to show that
Naaman was displeased with Jehovah's arrangement.
In Matthew 19:16-22, we read of a rich young ruler who became
displeased with the Lord's command. The young ruler had asked the
question, "What shall I do that I may have eternal life," to which
Jesus responded, "Go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."
To which the young man went away sorrowful; for he was one that had
great possessions." Here was a covetous person who was not willing
to accept the command of the Lord. He simply was not willing to pay
the price of discipleship. Unless we are willing to put everything
secondary to Christ Jesus, we cannot be a follower of the Lord.
Turning now to Matthew 27:23, we read, "Pilate said, Why, what
evil hath he done? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let him
be crucified." Upon one occasion the Jews would have made Christ a
King, John 6:15. Of course they misunderstood His purpose for being
in the flesh. Jesus never intended to establish an earthly kingdom,
not then, nor does He now. But, that is another lesson also. Jesus
refused their concept of Him. Jesus came to bring salvation from sin
and the hope of eternal bliss in the presence of the Creator of this
universe. When Jesus came upon the scene almost two thousand years
ago, He found a group of people who claimed to be God's children,
but in reality were slaves to their own traditions and ideas. Jesus
rebuked them very severely, calling them hypocrites upon many
occasions. And they hated Him for it. Jesus just did not fit the
picture which they had of a Messiah. Their concept was for Messiah
to come and rid their country of the hated Romans. To set up His
throne in Jerusalem and rule the world.
What about today? Are there not many who are still looking for
His eminent return to this earth to establish an earthly, material
kingdom. They are not too agreed upon the place, Jerusalem, Salt
Lake City, Providence, Mo, etc. All of this comes from a
misunderstanding of why Jesus came to this earth in the first place.
He came to give you and me an access into Heaven, through the
forgiveness of our sins by the blood of Christ Jesus.
Others are displeased with the Lord when He points out their
sins. They become angry when I and others call attention to the sins
of our generation. When a call to repentance is made. There are
others who would crucify Him afresh. Read Hebrews 6:4-6 to see the
warning of the apostle.
I am persuaded that there are many today who are displeased
with Jehovah. The prophet Jeremiah states, "It is not in man that
walketh to direct his own steps." The Proverbs state, "There is a
way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of
death" (Proverbs 14:12). From these two verses, as well a many
others we could quote, it is affirmed that you nor I have the
ability to know what is best for us. Jehovah, and He alone,
determines what is right or what is wrong. He have give us His Word
to guide us in the decisions of right and wrong. That is why the
study of God's Word is so important.
Who are some of those who are displeased with Jehovah today?
The atheist is displeased with the thought of there being a God over
this universe. Psalms 14:1, says, "The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God." And so is one today. Preacher, are you saying that
one who says there is no God is a fool. I am saying that is what
Jehovah God says. I am simply quoting Him. The atheist does not want
anyone to tell him or her what to do. They have their own agenda,
and they do not want any interference from Jehovah. So, when the
Lord speaks, the atheist is displeased.
The modernist is displeased with God. The modernist is
displeased with the inspiration of God's Word. Yet, the apostle Paul
says, "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in
righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished
completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The modernists
accepts only what pleases them, while rejecting that which
displeases them. They, by their very actions, become a law unto
themselves in matters of religion. Who is to determine what is right
or what is wrong. "I am," says the Modernists.
There are other groups who are displeased with the all
sufficiency of the Bible. These groups do not believe that the Bible
is complete. They teach and practice that other writings are on a
par or equal to the Bible. And in order to do this they must
discredit the Bible as lacking in some areas. Among these groups
would be our Catholic friends, those of the Jehovah's Witness
movement, those in the Mormon church, and others. Our Catholic
friends teach that the Pope can alter or change God's will when He
speaks "excatheral," or from the chair. This gives the opening for
the Bible to be enlarged upon or changed. In order for our Mormon
friends to make room for the Book of Mormon, they claim that the
Bible has not been correctly translated and that parts of the
scripture has been left out. Those who follow the Watchtower have
made their own translation of the Bible, thus seeking to remove the
deity of Christ Jesus from the text. These are but a few examples
where men show their displeasure with the all sufficiency of the
Bible.
Listen to what God's Word says about this. "Beloved, while I
was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation,
I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend
earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the
saints" (Jude 3). And again, "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not
in the teaching of Christ hath not God: he that abideth in the
teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son" (2 Peter 9). In
the closing book, Jesus states, "I testify unto every man that
heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall
add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written
in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of
life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book"
(Revelation 22:18-19). These verses could be multiplied over and
over by passages that teach the completeness, the all-sufficiency of
the book we call the Bible. I believe the words of our Lord when He
stated, "My word shall not pass away" (Matthew 25:35). Do you
believe that? Or, do you think that God's word is too old and musty
to be our guide today? Yes, many are dissatisfied with God's Word.
Many in the denominational world are displeased with Jehovah's
teaching of one church. Yet, Paul states that there is one body,
Ephesians 4:4, and that the body is the church, Ephesians 1:22-23.
So, man comes along and says, "Just go to the church of your
choice." My friends, God did not make many churches. Jesus said, "I
will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). It is His, it wears His name.
It is the church of Christ. You see, that displeases many.
Many are displeased with the plan God gave for man's salvation.
Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"
(Mark 16:16). Our Lord placed salvation after baptism. Many are
displeased with that. They had rather teach He that believeth is
saved and then is baptized. That simply reverses the order which
Jesus stated. Peter told those who cried out, "What shall we do?"
"Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).
Jehovah knew that man would become displeased with Him. He
warns of this fact in many places. Notice Galatians 1:6-10, "I
marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in
the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; which is not another
gospel, only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, should
preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto
you, let him be anathema. As we have said before, so say I now
again, If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that
which ye received, let him be anathema. For am I now seeking the
favor or men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were
still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ."
Hear our Lord as He says, "Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy
name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23). This word iniquity means
lawlessness. It is the condition of one without law, either because
of ignorance or violation.
Indeed, many are displeased with God. What about me? What about
you? Are you displeased with God? Or, are you willing to take God at
His word and do what He has commanded. If I may be of any assistance
to any honest soul, please feel free to let me hear from you. Our
telephone number is: (409) 374-2381. Leave a message and I will
return your call as soon as possible. Our mailing address is: Route
1, Box 502, Anahuac, TX 77514. Until next Lord's Day I bid each one
a very pleasant good morning.
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