Good evening friends, this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late evening, cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge and every evening is pleasant. It’s a gentle establishment at the end of Old Field Road, set on a hill with a view all the way to the horizon. Accompanying a little cool jazz is tonights contemplative conversation based around perception, reception, receiving, having understanding, and learning….it’s a thing called wisdom and insight, and man, oh, man do we need some.

Matthew 11:29 (NKJV) “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Running parallel with wisdom is another glorious gift God has given to us, and that is the gift of learning….we can learn. Birds learn, ants learn, even trees can be trained… and what so ever way we train them, whether a tree or a child, that’s the way they will grow, for better or worse. Hey, even fish learn. We don’t need easy, we just need possible, and our God has made a way.

In Matt 11:29 Jesus told the disciples to “learn”. Another way to put it is to know and receive instruction, as in Proverbs 1:2-3 “ To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity;”

Some key words in that scripture are To receive, to know, and perceive. Proverbs 1:8 says for us to “hear the instruction of your father”, or so to say, listen and learn when your father instructs you. When God says, “Listen to me” or “lend me your ears”, He’s saying, “This is not small potatoes here, pay attention.”

Now, not to capitalize on an old idea too much, but this is a value added perspective for us to pay attention to how often God uses certain words and phrases in scripture. Many times, to know how often God mentions something is to get a good idea of how important He thinks a concept, truth, or idea is for us to grasp. In light of that, the idea of learning, perceiving, getting wisdom, hearing and receiving instruction is mentioned MORE than 250 times in one fashion or another. When God mentions something THAT many times, we need to “give Him our ears”, or listen, perceive, and receive, because, as i understand it, God never tells us stuff just so we can say, “i know”.

If we are learning, we are also teaching. So i have to ask myself then, What are we teaching, and what are we learning? And when it comes to our children, even when we aren’t teaching, we are still teaching by living life in front of them and they are still learning. In a way you could say we are contagious. Tap your toe, dream a little, and we’ll be right back!

In a song by Graham Nash which was released in 1970, there is a line in a verse which says, “teach your children well”. We and all the world around us are learning, even when we don’t know we are learning, we are learning, so we, as believers we need to seriously consider, “What are we teaching?” To reiterate, if there is learning, there is also teaching going on in some fashion.

Being able to learn is a God-thing you know. If God didn’t give us the ability to learn we all might as well be rocks or something mindless and inanimate. And here is a truth and a fact: If God doesn’t give it, we don’t get it.

Like in Numbers 29 when Moses was reciting to Israel all the things the Lord had done and encouraging them to “…keep the words of this covenant, and do them…”, in verse 4 Moses says, “But GOD didn’t give you an understanding heart or perceptive eyes or attentive ears until right now, this very day.” If He doesn’t give it, believer or not, then we don’t get it.

Who is the sole source of wisdom? God. Where does a wise man get his wisdom? God. Who gives understanding to the heart? God. Who opens our eyes? God. Who gives us ears to hear? God. And once we perceive, who gives us insight to understand what we’ve perceived? God. If God doesn’t give it, we don’t get it. There comes first the idea that i am seeing, second i may recognize what i am seeing, and last i understand about what i’m seeing.

There is also a balance to this: i believe everyone is born with the capacity to get understanding as is bestowed on us all by God from the beginning. There ARE extraordinary students and teachers who refuse to acknowledge God, but we need to remember that the Lord makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. But i want to take it a step beyond this world by saying learning is one thing, but we can’t make the most of things solely with what we were born with. Just because we can breath, think, and choose doesn’t mean we automatically know the best choice and actually possess the courage and strength to put it in motion.

Actually putting what God says in motion requires more than just carnal learning abilities. We need Jesus in order to make our understanding and knowledge to go beyond just our brain. We need more than good understanding and knowledge, but God understanding and knowledge.

As was mentioned previously, the Lord takes the idea of teaching so seriously, that the idea of teach, teaching, being instructed, and giving instruction is mentioned over 270 times. Teachers are like pruners, they train the vine and gently cause it to prosper in order to make it more fruitful. Teaching is such a big deal to God He even mentions in James 3:1 saying “don’t let many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” or “held to a higher standard”. Are we careful who we listen to? Do we check the instruction of teachers comparatively against the Bible or do we just take someone’s word for scriptural accuracy? C’mon, we can’t allow ourselves to become so complacent that we cease to check out what we allow in our eyes and ears. We can’t take the word of a friend of a friend concerning what the Lord says and means. i consider it irresponsible to take the word of someone just because they have published books and speak a lot without checking out what they are presenting as wisdom. If someone comes to your church and tells you the way to build a bigger better church is to squeeze the people, pounding them constantly about giving money, money, money, something is off with that and we must have some wisdom about what to do.

2 Peter 2:1 says there will be false teachers amongst us who bring in heresy or a “wasting disunity”. The Lord is saying, “Be careful what you see little eyes, be careful what you hear little ears, be careful little mouth what you say, be careful little hands what you do, be careful little feet where you go, and be careful little heart what you love.”

At this point i think it prudent to mention four basic guidelines for sound doctrine that we should use as a check and balance system: 1) Sound doctrine applies to the entire Body of Christ, 2) Sound doctrine should be by two or more scriptures for Deuteronomy 19:15 says “…by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”, and 3) Sound doctrine is based on the entire Bible, cover to cover, not just select feel good verses, just the O.T. or just the N.T., but cover to cover. And 4, all scripture is relevant and necessary for the edification and instruction of the Body of Christ today. Rom15:4  “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

In light of those guidelines, when we employ them…. they are easy to put to work in all our getting wisdom and knowledge as it’s driven by the standard of God’s righteousness and the Bible. The world certainly has very fluid standards and, what i call, mobile boundaries, so we shouldn’t be willing to define right and wrong by such worldly subjective standards. We need to get knowledge and wisdom from a better source. And wouldn’t you know, it just our good fortune that Jesus Christ has made a way us to approach the sole source of imagination, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge in the universe, God Himself, and absolutely anyone can come to God through Christ. Lend me your ears! This is a good thing. Get wisdom and instruction for yourself from the best place, GOD! Be wise and learn well.

Proverbs 9:9, “Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.”

i’ve often thought that for me personally, being wise enough to know wisdom and understanding when i see it would be truly wonderful because over the years i’ve felt i’ve missed many of God’s gold wisdom nuggets. Although i may have missed the opportunity, in His continuous faithfulness, they weren’t gone and He brought them back around, but truly, i would like to get better at perceiving and receiving instruction from my righteous source. When wisdom knocks on our door, do we even perceive it, or is it just obscure to our eyes and fuzzy to our ears? How many men and women have married the wrong person, and the Lord really was extending them wisdom and flags of warning, but they simply weren’t in a frame of mind to hear and see?

i fear many are sleepy eyed, they hear the lullaby of the world and it sings softly to them that it’s ok to doze off for a while, and in the mean time, while they’re asleep, the world is changing. The dazzle of this world fills their senses, and often, Jesus, the wisdom of God is right under their noses and they don’t know it, and i don’t mean just those who are lost and undone either. Sleeping people don’t learn well, nor do they teach anything but how to sleep.

i heard a man say once ‘One of the things we’ve learned from history is that we don’t learn from history.’ There is understanding and wisdom to be learned from history, and all i can think is we and our leaders aren’t accepting the God-activated gift of learning, which takes life to a whole new place. H.P.K.R. – Hear, perceive, know, and receive.

It seems to me we take for granted the opportunities to learn as God places circumstance after circumstance in front of us. Maybe we have become complacent to change and the chance to expand & grow. Like the elderly man who finally took up the notion to own a computer and learn to use it. He went about it like a man with a new car, he purposed to learn about his new tool. Do we listen to the Lord with the same enthusiasm, lending Him our ears, looking diligently for the work of the Lord so we can go join Him in it? Not only do we come into this world with the ability to learn, when we let Jesus into our lives, suddenly our ability to get instruction and wisdom is supercharged!

We can begin getting wisdom and receiving instruction by cultivating a mindset of faith and trust in Christ…and that very simple intent of our heart leans us towards embracing the endless possibilities within the relationship with our beloved; being instructed and learning from the Living God ignites creative thoughts, pushes past our current limits and comfort zones, engages us in a deeper purpose than just serving ourselves, and makes us fully alive.

Jesus told the disciples to “learn”, “ To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity”… God’s teaching and our learning causes us to come completely awake— He makes us to thrive consciously. Amos 5:6, “Seek the Lord and you will live,” He was not just speaking of eternity. He was speaking of living life right now. And, conversely, isolate yourself from the love of the Lord, and you will join the living dead, or those without Christ….you know, people can’t say they are genuinely alive just because they are not medically dead.

We cannot be fully alive if we treasure our hatred more than we treasure the Love of God, Jesus Christ. Anyone who is so thoroughly tied to the past, their disillusionments, and disappointments doesn’t love history, but might very well simply be escaping the present. We have to teach our children well and be present in the room. In order to teach well we must learn well. i can’t give away what i don’t have, and if i don’t possess knowledge, understanding, or my gifting is imaginary, i can’t give it away. Sort of like a man who has chicken pox but he tells everyone he has measles. It doesn’t make any difference how loudly he tells everyone he has chicken pox, the only thing they can catch is measles. We can only give away what we’ve actually got, and if, by God’s revelation and insight, you realize you don’t possess wisdom and insight, go to God and get something better. Ask Him to cause you to have a better attitude and to have right things to give away that others would prosper and be fruitful.

It is difficult to maintain our momentum in Christ if we are dishonest, disingenuous and hypocritical. If we live in our own false little world where we attempt to create reality with our lies, we will become dull and will live like tarnished silver. The truth sets us free to be who we are rather than who we fabricate ourselves to be. We have to teach our children well, thus we, ourselves have to learn well. Jesus said in Matt 11:29, “Learn from me”. Know, perceive, understand and receive, let’s give the Lord our ears. We pray “Lord teach us that we may prosper!” Think about it.

Wisdom isn’t just knowledge, but “know how.” God’s wisdom enables us to “know how” to do things, and includes having the ingenuity to formulate a plan and then to carry it out in the most efficient manner. Even if you think you’ve got plenty, get some more, because obviously if you think you’ve got enough, the truth is you’re in short supply.

This has been Outposts, a little bit of well spent time with cool jazz and contemplative conversation. This program has been brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Sinclair Men’s Wear on main street, service in step with southern progress at Best Radio and TV, Eddie over at Area 22 Guitars, and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

According to Ephesians 4:21-24, if we hear God and are taught of God, then we are empowered to put off our old conduct and are renewed in our spirit and mind. Learning, God-activated learning teaches us how to put on the new creation we become, in true righteousness and holiness.

Give the Holy Spirit your ears, surrender to Him your eyes, teach your children well. Thanks for joining me, drive carefully, watchout for the other guy, and we’ll catch up next time.

Justice and judgment are built into the Name of the Lord. They are only two of many Holy attributes which comprise His character. In the Lord alone is the capacity to render to everyone their due with unbiased scales, i call them the righteous “scales of God”. He is God and His justice and judgment are righteous and final. Like in Daniel 5, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, God gave Daniel the interpretation, wherewith the Lord revealed that the King had been weighed on the scales of justice and found wanting. The Lord God, Almighty, is indeed the judge of the quick and the dead. Who are the quick and who are the dead? Maybe the fast and lazy? Hmmmm, yea, i think more.

According to God, who is the personification of truth – just because we breath doesn’t mean we are alive. Just because God gives each person the right to breath and choose doesn’t mean we possess life or are in the family of God, nor does it mean He knows our name. In Matthew 7 there will be many who will declare they did this and that in His Name, but He will say “I never knew you.”

Contrary to popular belief, when our lives are over, there will not be several alternatives to choose from. Hebrews 9:27, “…man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Standing before Almighty God, each will know His judgment is right and just.

With faith in the Son of God, grace balances the scales-of-God and it is well with our soul. Without Jesus in our lives, grace is not added and the dead, or those without Christ, will be found wanting. Simple as that. With Jesus, we will live. Without Jesus we are already dead and just don’t know it. God’s judgment and justice was, is, and will be right, and there is never a time when He it is not.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts. This program is a continuation of last week, so, hang with me.

In Isaiah 59:14-15 there are four which go together, justice, righteousness, truth, and honesty. It is not possible, is not possible to have justice without truth and honesty, neither is it possible to have Godly kindness without compassion. Where ever justice is, truth and honesty are always nearby.

Righteousness and our being able to come to Godly conclusions is born out of a life surrendered to Christ and being in a right relationship with Jesus and with ourselves. If we can’t tell ourselves the truth, it is a high probability we will have increasing difficulty telling anyone else the truth. Without the Godly character traits of truth and honesty, justice is driven back and is only a distant vision.

In Psalm 89:14 the writer declares rightness of character, and a right verdict as building blocks in the foundations of God’s throne. When justice is missing, concern for others is missing. God is both a God of justice and a God of love. Psalm 89:14, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.”

One of several earmarks of injustice is a lack of concern for others, and that earmark can be seen through the idea of “entitlement”. Not all forms of entitlement are wrong, like having the expectation of a response from those who are important to us, or that we are entitled to having our own feelings. But when entitlement becomes inflated and we expect special favors or special compensation because we have money, come from an important family, have a higher education, or have a special job or title, now we’ve got problems. i knew a doctor many years ago who was disgusted with his wealthy patients. One day he told me that some even called him in the middle of the night and expected him to come to their house when they mandated, all because they were important and were wealthy. As people, it’s easy for us to carry that chip on our shoulder because things didn’t go well when we were children, we’re a different color, or our family was poor or had fallen into dishonor, or shame somehow. We have learned to be excellent victims demanding our society and government give us special treatment because we’re so put upon.

Many seem to feel they have the “right kind of history” therefore they feel entitled to benefits which never seem to filter down to the quote unquote “lesser people”. The wealthy can afford the political and bureaucratic influence of a well-connected attorney, therefore they get preferential treatment, and those of lesser resources tend to get lesser justice, because the little people, obviously, don’t have the “right kind of history”.

Here’s some real prejudicial, biased, unjust thinking: some seem to really believe that if the poor had the “right kind of history” they wouldn’t be poor…that’s just straight out wrong. The poor, those with the, supposed, “wrong kind of history”, will always be with us, and that’s because the wealthy, with the, supposed, “right kind of history” will also be with us. Do you see the injustice in that? Can you hear the Spirit of the Lord calling for us to stand up, let go of our value judgments based on a personal prejudice, and do justice?

As it stands today, those with the perceived “right kind of history” get one kind of justice, and those with the “wrong kind of history” get another kind of justice. From God’s perspective, without Christ, everyone and everything has the “wrong kind of history”, Romans3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But in His mercy, Jesus died and rose again to bring justice against death, hell, and the grave, that we who have “the wrong kind of history” could find justice through faith in the Only Begotten Son of God.

Justice isn’t vengeance like boundaries are not rejection. It isn’t returning evil for evil. Justice does not require that we be absolved of our wrong, but more places us in a position where we can receive mercy. Paul quotes Jeremiah 31:34 in Hebrews 8:12 saying “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Because God remembers our sins no more does not remove from us the responsibility of our actions and behaviors. There is the justice God worked through Jesus concerning us and sin, and then there is the justice that needs to be satisfied concerning the conflict within ourselves with ourselves which inspired us to be led astray to begin with. Do you believe it’s possible that a wounded conscience is capable of doing justice without a selfish bias, when everything about us wants to bias everything in our own favor?

In God’s design, He has promised genuine forgiveness to anyone (criminal or otherwise) who comes to Him. For some who have the “right kind of history”, finding justice is like finding sand at the beach, it seems just easy-peezee. But for many, many others, finding justice is more like finding diamonds at the beach, meaning justice is a rare event.

Retaliation is part of the pattern that has prevented countless cases from being reported and investigated, exacerbating justice. An incredible percentage of victims who reported being attacked say they faced some kind of retaliation afterward.

In 2008, in Sichuan China there was an earthquake that measured 8.0, government-built schools that were only a few years old collapsed, killing most students in them, while nearby buildings remained standing. The government refused to make a thorough investigation. Parents suspected the cause was lax building regulations resulting from corruption, and when the parents banded together, pooling their money to purchase legal counsel, the lawyer representing the parents was arrested and imprisoned.

A 19-year-old lance corporal was stationed at a Marine base in Japan when her sergeant laced her drinks with drugs, raped her and then dumped her on the street at 4 A.M. She reported it to her superiors but little happened. She said she discovered her perpetrator was allowed to leave the Marine Corps and she found herself, instead, at the center of a separate investigation for drug use. Six months later, she was kicked out with an other-than-honorable discharge – one step below honorable discharge – which means she lost her benefits.

What do these two stories have in common? Injustice. In 2012 alone, sexual assault in our military was at a staggering 26,000 men and women, but even though reported, the paper work was somehow mysteriously lost in the system and no one in our leadership made any serious moves to prosecute the perpetrators. Many were afraid to report those crimes because they feared retaliation, neither did they believe they would ever get justice.

We, as believers, must ask ourselves the question – What is the payoff for our non-involvement and not doing justice? Why don’t we speak up? Silence is not always golden, you know. Do we the church have a secret agenda we fear might not happen? Recently i heard of some folks in a local church body having a hard time. They went to the pastor to see if there was any help, wherewith the pastor told them they were just being manipulative, coming in there all sad and looking for help. In the mean time, the church held a banquet where they asked for donations in addition to the normal tithe in order to get enough money to build a $1million dollar building. The troubled family who was accused of being manipulative because they asked for help took a stand saying, “You didn’t mind asking all of us for money and we’re supposed to act like it’s just business as usual. But the moment any of us are desperate and need help, you send us packing, accusing us of being manipulative.”

Are we afraid of retaliation meaning the cost of doing justice is too high for us? Why do we not fight for the injustice towards a parent who is suffering a cruel verdict by the court and a vindictive spouse? There MUST be some sort of payoff for us seeing as how we tend to drag our feet about getting involved with correcting the injustice in our nation. What is your payoff for not getting involved?

Luke 11:42, Jesus said, straight out and obvious, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.” Jesus tied love, mercy and justice together. Romans 13:10-12, “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

For us, as the Body of Christ, to be so involved with ourselves and our agenda and entitlements that we let honesty, truth, and justice ebb away from us really does not speak well of us.

We comprise the “quick” among the quick and the dead. The quick are those in Christ, and the dead are those without Christ, and don’t you know that even the quick will come before the Lord to be reckoned with. The earliest meaning of ‘quick’ had nothing to do with speed, it meant ‘endowed with life’, or more simply, ‘alive’. To ‘quicken’ was to receive life and the first movement of a baby in the mother’s womb was called the quickening. i repeat, just because we breath and choose doesn’t mean we are alive. With Christ we live, without Christ we’re dead and don’t know it. Are you ready? 1 Peter 4:5, “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.”

Stanley Milgram said, “With numbing regularity good people are seen to buckle under the demands of authority and perform actions that are callous and severe. Men who are, in everyday life, responsible and decent are seduced by the trappings of unjust authority.” Most of us don’t want any trouble, we just want to get along and be happy. i think most are afraid that if they stand up and speak out about injustice, whether it’s for the quick or the dead, they will be set in the middle of turmoil and trouble. But let me add this, if we DON’T stand up in the face of injustice, we will end up in more trouble and greater turmoil than if we do nothing.

i believe a substantial proportion of people simply do what they are told to do, regardless of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority, thus we see multitudes of people who are busy qualifying themselves in the eyes of others. Friends, there are some really bizarre doctrines being taught in our churches, and so many just believe whatever they’re told because after all, “The pastor said so, so it must be true.” Jesus said in John 5:31 –”If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.” If a non-brand name person speaks the truth, it seems no one can hear them. But if someone with a title who openly qualifies themselves speaks the same thing, suddenly everyone agrees and calls their words the truth, or even “the word of God”. What is up with our addiction to brand name people and being almost blindly obedient? It’s almost as if we can hear “brand name” people but somehow, we can’t quite hear God. There is nothing more difficult to deal with than the blind who don’t know they are blind, or the dead who don’t know they are dead.

Blind obedience is an aberration, it does not take into account the unrighteous actions that follow the authoritative demand. Once, when filling out some paper work, a pastor encouraged me to lie in order to be sure the paperwork was approved. When i asked another friend who was head of an international mission organization what he thought i should do, he suggested i simply do what i was told. Yes, he actually said that, “Just do what you’re told.” Just incredible! In that moment, the Holy Spirit encouraged me to leave their counsel out of my life.  When we are blindly obedient, leaving justice, truth, honesty, love, and mercy out of our decision making machine, i say, Checkmate! The devil wins. Is that really what we want? If not, then we must take action and get involved.

In recovery programs, there is something called, “Play the whole movie”. Meaning, don’t just see the part where you look good or are the hero and feel validated and important, look further, take a moment and !think!, play out the entire movie of where your actions take you. See the repercussions of your behavior in the long run. Where does our not being involved with justice take us in the long run? Play the whole movie. Where does our not loving honesty and truth take us in the long run? Again, i say play the whole movie. If you think it’s too ugly to imagine because you want everything to just be moonbeams, candy canes, and merry-go-rounds, i say, c’mon children of God, get a grip! This is no fooling around!

A fellow said to me once, “Justice is often born when one oppressed person says “NO”: NO. I will not go to the back of the bus. NO. I will not be silent before the king. NO. My country is a sovereign nation, not a colony. NO. Human trafficking must not be tolerated. NO. I will not be denied my right to vote. NO. I am a parent, not a paycheck. NO. You may not indiscriminately take my children. NO. We may not lie in court for vengeance and hatred. NO. You may not just take my house or listen to my private conversation, i have the right to privacy and to own my own property. I believe in free speech, but not freedom from consequences. We can say what we want, but we do have to be responsible for the words of our mouth and actions of our lives. I believe in civil rights and i also stand firmly concerning civil responsibilities too. We can stand firm for our own, but we must also stand firm for others also. Too many are good with whatever happens as long as it doesn’t happen to them, and church folk are no different.

We can’t wait on someone else at church to do the basic things of faith while we sit in our lawn chairs, drink our mint julep’s, and pretend all is good. Justice doesn’t just happen. In fact, NOTHING just happens! Highly prizing the truth and honesty even to our own hurt is called maturity.

The hour has come for us to wake up from our slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Ephesians 5:13-14 “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Think about it.

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts.

Isaiah 26:19, “You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning.” The time to get up and be involved is upon us. We are more than conquerors and live in the super-abundance of grace, as given to all who believe in Jesus Christ. We are the quick of the “quick and the dead”. It is high time to wake up and love truth, honesty, and justice. Be silent no longer my friends. Let me say again, silence is NOT always golden.

Joel 3:9 “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors!” i say Wake up oh sleeper, wake up! Gird your loins, tighten your belt of truth, step up to the plate and let out the word of God in your heart.

Do justice this week and don’t draw back. Be honest with yourself and your neighbor, and if you can’t be honest, have the courage to get at the root of what it is which constrains you. Be strong and courageous!

          Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

To what or whom do you turn when you’re in the middle of a terrific storm or experiencing a terrible loss? Someone? No one? Anyone? Are there any truly safe people in your life who would comfort you in your time of need as opposed to someone who is inspired to review how you fell short and could have done things better? i think most of us tend to first look to what we know, like someone or something that has helped us in the past. Sometimes though, trying to get hold of what seemed to work before… just doesn’t resolve anything and we keep coming up empty handed. In the late hours, sitting, searching, and thinking … we walk the paths of our remembrances, we talk to a spouse, a parent or friend… they mean well but, often it seems their counsel is almost cliché, appearing to, offhandedly, say things like, “Just give it to God my friend”, or “Your loved one is in Heaven now, looking down and smiling on you.” Let me say again, they mean well, but maybe an understanding smile, or a silent hug many times is a much better reply. Most of us, i’m sure, appreciate the friendship offered us, but truthfully, we would like something a little more solid. Honestly, we want an answer, even when we aren’t too sure of the question.

Our national news and media service give the feeling of working to cut the Christian faith off at the knees, but after a careful inspection, i find the Bible is a lot more solid than its critics and even many of its advocates realize. It has consistent lines of thought we can base our lives. If we look and are willing to put God’s directions into motion, we will find solutions to life’s most difficult situations. God’s justice and mercy, his offer of eternal life, the source of faith, hope, wisdom, strength, and love, it’s all there.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

You’re not here reading this just because you “happen” to be tuned in. No no no. Nothing just happens and the truth is, i seriously doubt there is actually any such thing as happen-stance. This evening’s topic is about one of the Lord’s attributes, which is comfort and consolation. He is called the God of all comfort in 2Cor1:3. In the spelling of the Hebrew word for comfort and consolation, in it’s very root is the idea of God’s support toward those who breath strongly for sorrow, and weeping in grief. He is compassionate and kind to sad and weeping hearts and is the master of consolation.

There was a time in my life many years ago when i seemed far from the Lord. It wasn’t the Lord who moved, it was me. i had lost the focus on my life’s point of convergence and, like a boat untied from its moorings, i ebbed, obliviously, farther and farther away from Jesus. When i came to myself, i was in a panic in my heart. i felt in danger. i know that sounds odd maybe, but it’s the best way i can think of to describe what was going on. Feeling vulnerable and in danger, i turned to my Bible in an effort to re-center on Jesus, the source of my peace. Psalm 94:19, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

When life confronts us with terrible loss and we can’t seem to find our feet again, God’s offer of comfort and consolation stands unwavering. It is not God WAS the God of all comfort, but He IS the God of all comfort and the declaration in 2Corinthians will never fade, that is always true. A.W. Tozer said, “The word of God once spoken… His word never ceases to be said.”

In our society today, in our nation, from the Chief of Staff to the saddest street person imaginable, we all seem to have a need to blame someone for everything. In almost every news report of tragedy and sadness, the media service is always on a witch hunt to find out who was responsible and who is to blame for travesty and badness.

Know this, it wasn’t God who did this to you. And yes, He did know those things would happen to you, God knows the end from the beginning, but His knowing isn’t His determining. Catch that and let it sink into your ears, God’s knowing is NOT His ordaining.  Just because He knew i would skin my knee, doesn’t mean that God ordained that i should skin my knee. Similarly, just because He knew unfortunate things would happen to us doesn’t mean He designed and implemented those things to happen. And if God didn’t set those things in motion, who does that leave? If the Lord isn’t the one whispering doom to you, then who does that leave? That’s right, it’s not God, and it’s not you, so who does that leave?

When confronted by inconsolable loss, consider our examples from the Bible: Job 6:10 says faith is a consolation: “Then I would still have this consolation– my joy in unrelenting pain– that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.”

David writes in Ps119:50, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” and vs 76 continues, “May your unfailing love be my comfort.”

Isaiah wrote in chapter 49, vs 13, “For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

God speaks to his people in Jer31:13, “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”

The Lord knew that even the kindest words are not consolation enough when we are pressed by death and loss, as a result, He went the next mile and sent his Son to save us, and sends his Spirit to bring us to him. Jesus IS our consolation.

Jesus told his disciples, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

It seems to me that we have often heard the words of Jesus as if He were making a speech or something, but do you think maybe His words in Matt5:4, were not just a speech but more a sincere offer to do just exactly what He said? His words were not part of some speech to gain support, raise money , or gain a following. He was and is making an offer in that He’s offering to help comfort us now if we will turn to him, yes, if we would only turn to him and say, “Is that offer still good?” Or how about, “Lord, i’ll take you up on that offer of comfort, ‘cause i could sure use some.” He is never too lofty to hear, and we are never too far out of plumb to call.

From the beginning of the Bible to now, Christ appears though out Scripture as the Great Consoler. He makes His offer of consolation to us again and again from the first to the last book. Revelation 3:20, “Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” When Jesus enters in with us, there is consolation and comfort for weary souls, for our wounded and sad hearts.

Within the word “comfort” is the idea of raising up the faithful by the Lord’s strong right arm and divine support… there is hope.

Jesus IS our consolation, for the nails which pinned our Savior to the cross are significant to the grace connection of Heaven and earth… and in that connection is comfort for those alone in the dark… we don’t have to weep in the dark any longer.

Seeing as how God’s word for “comfort” is closely allied to His word for “mercy”, we can conclude that by His mercy, He extends us comfort and consolation. Through His covenant with us there is something for us beyond our sad circumstances; the action of consolation and comfort grows new beginnings out of the ashes of burned out lives, God’s divine comfort breaths life, the rising springs of water of God’s refreshing which He brings to us. When we allow Jesus to comfort us our eyes can see God’s supernatural strong right arm, and His presence and support become evident. Did you hear all that? It is beyond the simple Miriam-Webster dictionary blurb, which once again doesn’t even begin to tell the story of what God has for us. Jesus IS our comfort, and by His strong, supernatural right arm, He draws us near to Himself, and wipes the tears from those who weep.

Psalm 94:19, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Luke 2:25, “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

Again, Jesus, Himself IS our Consolation. Sufficient comfort and consolation is possible when we begin by seeing Jesus as Comfort, and Consolation personified- the same way we see Him as “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Jesus isn’t just “a way”, He Himself is the way; He doesn’t just know the truth, He Himself IS the truth; and finally, He doesn’t simply have life, He Himself, is Life. To carry it on, He is our comfort, consolation personified.

Luke 11:3, “Give us each day our daily bread.” i bet most people think that verse has something to do with asking the Lord for bacon and eggs every morning, or at least something about getting food, but that’s not what the Lord is saying. It means that Jesus IS our daily bread and can be understood as “our daily bread”, in the same way He is our consolation and can be understood as “our comfort” in this life.

John 6:51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

i met a woman last week who was raised by her drug addicted mother and an abusive grandmother. When she grew up, after many failed relationships, she had a child, a beautiful baby boy. As a young single mom, she gave her life to Christ, and things were better than she had ever known. She worked hard, and as a result, she had a baby sitter keeping her child. Tragedy struck when she got the call that due to abuse and neglect by the sitter, her child died, she was alone in the world again. From her perspective, God and her child were the only ones who had ever loved her, and not only was the child gone, but she felt far from the Lord and self-medicated to find some relief. 20 years later she was still an emotional wreck … she couldn’t hardly get 10 words out of her mouth before the tears just started pouring from her eyes. Can you imagine living like that for 20 years? She had prayed many other times, but i guess the day we prayed wasn’t going to be like any other days. When we prayed for rest and consolation on that day, 20 years after her child died, something shifted. The air got sweet, and bright; there came the faint smell of vanilla and grapes in the room, and suddenly, she brightened and laughed, and said through her tears that Jesus was inside and out, and she felt light. Jesus came near and comforted her wounded heart. Interestingly, in the time of her visitation, she said God had made her to know some wisdom, He said, “Of course, I don’t want you to forget your little one, but it’s like a newspaper…what happened 20 years ago cannot be allowed to continue to occupy space on your front-page news every day. I will not forget him or you, but let Me put your memory of him in its rightful place, and you and I can get on with your life.”

Jesus was her comfort. She could either continue to weep in the corner or let Jesus comfort her heart. The future will come, one way or another. Jesus changed her mind and heart. God truly is the Lord of comfort.

           Hebrews 7:24, “…but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he ever lives to intercede for them.”

Psalm 16:11, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

God’s consolation and comfort is not just for us to hide away. i mean, yes, it is for us, but also for us to give away to others. If God gives you something, it is also yours to give away too. If we look up consolation in Webster’s Dictionary, we’re handed the silly definition of “to console”, right… like we didn’t know that already. So, to continue on, if we look up console, it says, “see comfort”. Now, i want you to know, from God’s perspective comfort is NOT consolation. In scripture they are two different words, although sometimes the translators exchanged comfort for console, and sometimes even translated “console” as “repent”. Ultimately, the buck stops with God and from His perspective “console” and “consolation” mean >> God, who is our shelter, supports us in our times of need with truth and grace, with truth and grace nailed to support by way of the cross of Jesus. He literally breaths deeply after us with a physical display of compassion. We can see His consoling heart in Hosea11:8 “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim (tseb-ee-yeem’)? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.” Interestingly and additionally, within the word “console” and “consolation” there is a tension of encouraging others to come home.

The Lord comforts us in our sorrows so that we may console others.  I don’t know all of the answers or the reasons there is suffering in this world. Although i personally have suffered some terrible things just like you… most of us understand very little about the mystery of suffering, but what i do know about suffering is that it reduces everything to its lowest common denominator, and in the middle of life’s vicious circumstances Jesus is our comforter and consolation, without fail. Some other things i know about suffering are that it adds meaning and dimension to even the smallest things, it reduces culture to a classless society, it teaches us to grow. Lastly, in the middle of suffering we don’t realize how much courage we’ve got until all our options are done and there are no others. Opposingly, we don’t realize how powerless we are until all efforts are spent and yet the situation remains the same.

Rest your hope in the person and power of Jesus Christ, for He has proven Himself faithful throughout the history of His people. He has not left you to suffer alone, but provides you with comfort in His Son. God calls troubles “light affliction, which is but for a moment.” Sometimes it truly is challenging during our difficulties, but God sees around corners. We are encouraged to look not only at what is presently happening, but to look at things which are not seen, using insight and foresight, understanding present and future spiritual realities. God is present always, and already has a solution to every problem. He is faithful to always provide a way of escape so believers can patiently endure, and cast their cares on Him knowing He cares for them. Think about it.

           The Holy Spirit and the Word of God give us comfort, and God’s consolation and comfort is strengthening, encouraging, inspiring and gives hope. God’s comfort is not given so that people can just sit around, as one friend would say, “waiting, wishing, wanting and whining,” but rather to get busy, live for Christ and move forward in faith.

The Lord is God of all comfort in 2Cor1:3. In Jesus is kindness and support toward those who breath strongly because of sorrow. He has comfort for those who weep in grief, who sit in a corner and cry softly. He is compassionate and kind to sad and weeping hearts and is the master of consolation.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.”

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts.

If we have nothing to rely on, or we forget our blessing and sink into our circumstances, thereby becoming circumstantial, then discouragement begins to take hold. We need hope and peace. Be encouraged because the Lord is there with us in our affliction, and is not leaving us unloved or uncared for. It’s time to re-focus on Jesus, amen.