30 May It is What It Is (Discovering the true character of God…because He is not a car-wrecking, cancer causing Creator, but a loving, life giving Lord!) part 38

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Over the last number of months we have shared with you our key verse for this series found in Hebrews 11:6, “For without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

From there we shared three very important takeaways:

  1. Notice the word “cometh”.  The Greek tense for the word “cometh” is in the continual tense, meaning it is discussing those who continually come to God.  It could read “those that cometh and cometh and cometh to God”.  It describes a continual, communicative relationship.
  2. When we continually come to God, we must believe that “He IS”…not He was or He will be.  That describes a vast majority of the Body of Christ.  “God did a miracle in Biblical days” or “One day when we all get to Heaven, He will heal then.”  God is not the Great I was or the Great I will be…He IS the Great I AM!
  3. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  Now we’ve left behind three quarters of the Body of Christ.  Most don’t believe He is a rewarder…most believe He is a taker!

Then we gave you 4 View Verifications:

  1. How you view Him will determine how much you come to Him.
  2. How you view Him is how you will treat others.  
  3. How you view Him will determine your outlook on life.
  4. How you view Him will determine your destiny.

Then we began to discuss 11 Characteristics concerning the Character of God:

  1. You can’t create God in your own image (Rom. 1:25).  
  2. Heaven yes…Hell no!
  3. Sin ruins the view
  4. Will the real God please stand up?  (John 10:10)
  5. Jesus the transition (Heb. 1:3)
  6. It is finished (John 19:30, Rom. 6:14)
  7. Stupid is as stupid does (James 1:13-17)

Last week we began to understand…

      8. Don’t assign the blame…get into the game (John 9:1-4).

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Over the years these verses have been very misunderstood.  Here it is clear the disciples asked a question and got a very concise answer.  It was neither the blind man nor his parents that caused the condition.  Of course, nowhere does it say that God caused the condition!  This man’s condition was a result of Adam’s sin, resulting in a cursed world.

Let’s continue with a modern day example:

I had a dear friend in ministry who had a very large ministry campus…over 1,000 acres!  In order to properly serve all the people he ministered to, he had a very large industrial kitchen.  Somehow the kitchen caught on fire and it hindered his ministry for about a month.  Well some “wonderful” pastor “friend” of his called him and actually asked him, “What sin are you involved in that allowed this fire to occur?”  Wow!  With friends like that who needs enemies!

By the time this miraculous event occurred in John 9, the disciples had already very successfully gone where Jesus had assigned them to preach and heal the sick.  They experienced miraculous results!  As we so often do as people, we experience a little bit of success and now we become “experts”…no longer helpful but judgmental!

In these powerful verses, Jesus is telling His disciples and us that it’s not how He got that way that is the issue…but how can we fix it!  

Remember two “fix it” facets:

  1. The issue is not who has sinned, but who can we serve.
  2. Don’t point a judgmental finger…extend a healing hand.

Don’t assign blame…get into the game!

Join us next month as we jump into #9 of the 11th Characteristics concerning the Character of God!