Fear introduced is faith attacked. As such, we should not be partakers of the world’s fears. Instead, we should “sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be” our fear (Isaiah 8:13). Throughout scripture, the Lord admonished His people not to fear the world. Why? The answer is twofold: (1) the Lord was with them (Genesis 26:24) and (2) fear of the world yields bondage (Proverbs 29:25). This worldly bondage never originates with the Lord (Romans 8:15) for He has given Christians a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We need not fear those who can destroy the body (Matthew 10:28); rather, we ought to say the Lord is our helper, and we will not fear what men will do unto us (Hebrews 13:6).
The devotions on the subject of counsel have thus far dealt specifically with counsel received from another person. Yet counsel received from the Lord is the greatest counsel. In Joshua 9:14, the people refused to seek counsel from the Lord and made decisions that caused them trouble for many years. Though God does not speak to us audibly, we are not left to our own devices. We find a more sure word of consultation through His written word. This is why each decision should be carefully checked against the word of God. The Bible is able to discern our thoughts and intentions (Hebrews 4:12) and can determine if we are making the right choices. No better counsel can be received than that which you will find in God’s word.
Because of certain false teachings, there remains a great deal of confusion concerning the matter of confessing sins. However, when we accept the Bible as our sole authority, the confusion dissipates and disappears. Our earlier study showed that actions must follow confession, but to whom should we confess? Some religions falsely teach that we confess our sins to man, but this is simply untrue. The Bible requires that man confess his sins to the Lord. This truth is confirmed repeatedly throughout the word of God. Our First John passage teaches this, but the Bible provides several additional witnesses (Psalm 32:5; Joshua 7:19; 2 Chronicles 30:22; Ezra 10:1; and Daniel 9:4, 20, for instance). Our next study delves into the subject of Christians confessing something to men, but confession of sin or sins must be made solely to God.
The Bible always serves as the best source for adequately defining a Bible word. According to Joshua 7:19, confession is connected to the act of telling what a person has done—refusing to keep it hidden. Joshua told Achan to give “glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.” Psalm 32:5 identifies confession as acknowledging a matter—refusing to hide it. Additionally, Proverbs 28:13 defines confession as the opposite of covering one's sin. In John 1:20, the word confessed appears twice with a defining phrase in between— “and denied not.” In the same manner, Acts 19:18 demonstrates that those who “confessed” “came . . . and shewed their deeds.” The scriptural evidence points to confession as the willingness to make known that which could otherwise be private, personal, or hidden. Keep in mind that regardless of one's willingness to confess, nothing can be hidden from the Lord.
Our verbal communications involve the words that spring forth from our mouths. No doubt, the Lord considers these communications important and we should too. In today’s passage, the Lord gave some specific insights concerning His expectations of our communication. First, He wants our communication to be short and to the point – “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay” (Matthew 5:37; see also Proverbs 10:19; Ecclesiastes 5:3, 7). Second, our word should be validated without the necessity of certifying it with vows, oaths, and swearing. In the context of the passage, the Lord Jesus forbade swearing “by heaven” (Matthew 5:34), “by the earth” (Matthew 5:35), or “by thy head” (Matthew 5:36). When we swear by these things, we put ourselves in danger of condemnation (James 5:12). Let your nay be nay and your yea be yea!
Carnality becomes increasingly difficult to hide. Eventually, it clearly manifests itself in our daily actions. The carnality of the Corinthian believers showed itself in their relationship amongst their body of believers. They began to envy one another, eventually leading to strife and divisions amongst the group. When Paul learned of their failings, he knew carnality was at the root of the problem. Another action openly revealing the carnality of the people was their relentless desire to associate themselves with particular Bible teachers. They assumed an association with someone as well respected as Paul or Apollos would give them a spiritual boost among other believers. Considering their actions, Paul knew these believers were “yet carnal.”
No matter where we look we see order and authority. Even God's acts of creation reveal this order. The Bible says that the sun was given to rule the day and the moon to rule the night (Genesis 1:16). The Lord gave priests and prophets to the children of Israel in the Old Testament to lead them and show them His truths. Faithful to His nature, God has also given a level of authority within the church. According to our passage, we are to “obey them that have the rule” over us. On a couple of different occasions, the word rule is used in the job description of a pastor or elder (1 Timothy 3:5; 1 Timothy 5:17). Today's passage also reveals that the man of God watches for the souls of the people and must give an account to God for his watch care. No true God-called leader takes his position lightly.
The home was God's first institution. God gave specific instructions on how the home was to be ordered. In any home dedicated to God's service, each individual has a responsibility to be accountable in the area of obedience. First and foremost, a father or husband is to be obedient to the headship of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). Second, the mother or wife is accountable to submit to the authority of her husband (Genesis 3:16; Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:4-5). Lastly, the children are to obey their parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). The home failing to follow God’s plan could possibly have some limited success but will ultimately experience great difficulties. Yet, God will faithfully bless the Christian home where each member submits to his or her God-given authorities.
The Bible repeatedly addresses the outcomes of obedience and disobedience. It reveals that blessings follow obedience and curses follow disobedience. This truth was plainly explained to the children of Israel on several occasions. In fact, the Bible lists the curses that follow disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-44). The curses range from personal judgment to national judgment, but the obvious fact was that disobedience withheld blessings. For instance, disobedience drove Adam and Eve from the garden in Eden (Genesis 3:22-24). Saul's disobedience cost him his kingdom (1 Samuel 28:18). Moses' disobedience meant that he could not enter into the land of promise (Numbers 20:12). The consequences of disobedience may differ today, but every act of disobedience has negative consequences.
The children of Israel had an important decision to make: whether to obey the Lord or unwisely refuse to obey Him. The Lord assured His children that their obedience would pay off with fruitful dividends. He promised to bless their obedience and curse their disobedience. The Bible clearly lists the blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Though the blessings of obedience can vary from one person to the next, obedience always yields God's blessing. For instance, Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed in his seed because he obeyed the voice of the Lord (Genesis 22:18). Isaiah told the Israelites that, if they would obey, they would eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Jeremiah told his audience that their obedience would cause it to be well with their soul and that their souls would live (Jeremiah 38:20). Blessings received from obedience may vary, but the blessings of obedience are well worth any temporary fleshly sacrifice.
