2006-05-21 Communion Dedication – Baldwin Christian Church
John 7:14-18
14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Have you ever heard somebody say, “God helps those who help themselves”? Perhaps you find yourself in a situation requiring wisdom, and someone around you feels the need to sport their knowledge of God, so across the tongue slides that old phrase, “God helps those who help themselves”. If you ask them to show the Scripture where God said that, they can’t do it. Maybe the pastor said it, who knows?
Problems come in whenever I simply repeat things that sound good, without searching the Scriptures to see if they are true, without looking to the Scriptures as the first and only source of Wisdom.
What is the attitude behind that statement anyways? Can you hear any humility in, “God helps those who help themselves”? It’s sort-of a condescending oxymoron if you think about it. God helps people, which means they must of course need help, but He will only help them if they help themselves? If I said it to you, it’s like I’m saying, “God isn’t helping you because you’re lacking something that I have. You must not be doing things right. God helps me because I’ve earned it” (because I help myself).
That’s what people say, but what does God say?
Jeremiah 17:5-7
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
God helps those who need help, those who call out to Him. He helps those who help others, but He curses those who help themselves, and trust in themselves, because the heart that trusts in itself has departed from the LORD.
Why do we trust in ourselves, or what we hear others say? All the wisdom we will ever need to make it through this life can be found in His Word, but it’s usually the last place we look. The Bible won’t tell you who to vote for, but it will tell you what kind of candidate is acceptable to God. It won’t tell you how to get rich, but it will tell you how to be rich. It won’t tell you what outfit you need to wear today, but it will tell you what people should really see when they see you.
Every time you hear me give advice, I’m seeking my own glory, because I’m speaking of myself, or speaking of my own wisdom. That’s a sin that I need to repent of. On the other hand, if I point to the pages in this Book, and let them give you advice, it no longer comes from me. You can interpret it yourself, and choose for yourself either to receive or reject it. My best advice and two bits won’t buy you a cup of coffee, but it can sure get you in trouble if you follow it.
Jesus promises us that the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth. He will not speak of Himself. He will not present His own advice and opinions, but He will repeat what He has heard from the Father, and He will only glorify Jesus (John 16:13-15).
We all say things that get us into trouble. Jesus gave us the promise in John 7:17 to keep us out of trouble. If we want to do the will of the Father, we will know when if someone is speaking to their own glory, or to the glory of Jesus. If we want to do the will of the Father, we will recognize when we’re seeking our own glory, instead of the glory of Jesus.