And Mary was Silent

And Mary was Silent 

We face hardships in life. So often it is difficult to understand why we go through so many struggles. Yet, the Bible tells us in Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God….” I think I would have to agree with the Apostle Paul on this one. I know what I am supposed to do. But so often the struggle is greater than my ability, or it seems to be. Paul said in Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Like Paul, I know what I am supposed to do. I know how I am supposed to respond in given circumstances but all too often my old nature gets in the way and I just can’t seem to do the right thing. I can’t stand silently by and let God be God. 

     Mary was truly blessed by God. More than any other person in all of history. She was certainly not the Mother of God. But she was the mother of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah of Israel and the Lamb of God. She would give birth to the physical child who would become the sacrifice for our sin and in whom all the fullness of God would dwell. What a joy it must have been to watch him grow. Every day he was learning as others learned, and as Mary must have watched and wondered. He must have played as others played, and Mary must have watched and wondered. And yet she knew he was God’s son. 

     Did she see him as he was, the Son of God? The angels told her he would be the Son of God, Luke 1:30-33 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” But when did she realize the magnitude of that message? When she held him in her arms as an infant was he just like any other child? When she put him to bed at night and kissed his forehead was her attachment the same as any other Mother? 

     Regardless of when she finally understood her profound gift from God she still formed attachments. Like any mother she would form a maternal bond that would become inseparable. She would still be worried when he seemed to be lost or missing. When Jesus taught in the temple Mary became very worried because she had no idea where he had gone, Luke 2:48 “And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.” And I imagine this was only one of several similar situations throughout his life at home. Mary loved Jesus as her son. She was attached as any good mother would be. He was her son.

     She must have been so very proud of him when he began preaching. People came from all over to hear him. Multitudes would gather and often follow him over the countryside just to hear him preach. So, when his popularity finally caused the religious leaders to become angry and vengeful, Mary would surely begin to fear for his safety. Could any of us have done what Mary did the day Jesus was taken?

     Mary was in the crowd. Remember as Jesus hung on the cross we read in Joh 19:26-27 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother….” Mary was silent. She was SILENT, as she saw her son being tortured. She saw the crown of thorns pressed onto his brow. She saw the nails driven into his wrists and feet. How did she remain silent? How did she not cry out for justice? How did she not plead for mercy? Her son hung on a roughhewn wooden cross right in front of her beaten, torn and mangled beyond recognition. And, Mary remained silent! 

     I can only imagine that by this time she had come to understand what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God….” She knew that even now, even in these circumstances God was in control. I am sure her heart still broke and the tears still flowed. But she knew God had a plan no matter how bleak her world may have looked.

     Can we have that same confidence in sorrow? Mary had special circumstances to say the least. But, she was still human and still a mother. Mary trusted God. And that is something we can still do today. God proved His faithfulness to Mary over the 33 years she shared with Jesus. But, we have had thousands of years of history that prove over and over again, God is faithful, that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

     In her deepest distress and darkest hour Mary remained silent and trusted God.

     Can we remain silent and trust God for our trials?

DO YOU HAVE FALSE HOPE

DO YOU HAVE FALSE HOPE

Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (v.22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (v.23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Matthew 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 

2Corinthians 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (unless your faith will not stand the test)

                         Lay aside sin. Stop sinning. Let go of that sin which you harbor today as your very own, release it and begin living like the Christian you claim to be. We read in Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (v.13) Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. (v.14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

We live in a permissive society that cringes with any word of criticism or even judgmental tones. Yet, the Apostle Paul (2Cor. 13:5) stood up and said essentially, “Hey, you better take a look at yourself and see if you are truly saved.” One way you can tell is by who rules in your life today? Is Christ your master or only a kindly old gentleman to whom you give an occasional sympathetic glance. When did you last attend church? When did you last have a devotional time of your very own? When did you last pray in earnest with a broken heart? And when did you last offer salvation to a lost loved one, someone you say you love but you know is lost? If you choose not to attend church, if you do not pray, if you do not read the Word of God regularly and you allow those you say you love to continue descending into hell without doing all you can to get them saved, how can you claim to be saved? (Read Luke 16 and see the rich man’s most earnest desire after he died.) You say you are saved. What does your life say?

If you know me, you know I am a firm believer in once-saved-always-saved or eternal security of the believer. However, for that to be true one must first be saved. Sadly, multitudes of people sit in our church pews today in false hope. We were able to coerce them into saying a prayer for salvation without them ever truly surrendering their heart to God. And now for decades they have lived in the false hope that they are saved. Tragically, many falsely believe they are born again and on their way to heaven. I read once that as many as 80% of those who sit in our pews today are not truly saved. If that number is even remotely close to being true, it’s terrifying. The older I get the easier it is for me to believe it is true.

Many calling themselves Christian today will live in open opposition to the known will of God and still confess to being saved. Are they? Look at Matthew 7:21-23 above. Jesus said we are known by the lives we live. What does your life say about you? People calling themselves Christian will sit in open opposition to the revealed will of God. Homosexuals refusing to turn from sin, say they are saved. Couples living in adultery and refusing to marry say they are saved. A man who has not darkened the door of a church for years unnumbered says he is saved. And on it goes. Yet, Jesus said Matthew 7:19-20 “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (v.20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Jesus said we can recognize true believers by the life they live. What does your life say? With our lives we are saying, “I refuse to obey you God.” And then we have the audacity to petition the God whose laws we violate willingly every day of our lives. We pray….? Do we really expect God to answer when we have openly spit in His face with our actions?

God gave us a command which Peter repeated in 1Peter 1:15 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (or daily living); (v.16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” We are expected to live godly lives as Paul reiterates in 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This is the talk society wants to squelch today. This is the “judgmental” attitude they want to silence. But this is BIBLE.

Understand, we will always do the will of our master. The saved will serve God and the lost will not. We must make a choice (Matthew 6:24; Joshua 24:15 above) today as to who will be the master of our life. Oh, I know what many will claim at this point. Many will say that nobody will be their master, they are the master of their own life. Sadly, that is simply no true. If you live without Christ as master of your life, then by default Satan is master. It is one or the other. That is what Joshua was telling Israel. He said you will serve the true God or you will serve some form of false god. But, it cannot be both.

Make your decision today. Declare your allegiance. Turn away from this world, lay aside the sin you know prevails in your life today and begin to follow and serve Jesus Christ.

Luke 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.