God Took My... | FAITH DIRECTION

Does God's character allow Him to give us calamity, destruction, death, lies, loss, and murder?

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT GOD'S CHARACTER:

James 1:17; Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

The author is saying "every good and perfect gift is from above".

James goes on to say that "God does not change". This is to say God is always "good and perfect".

Jeremiah 29:11; For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

God wants only "welfare" and "not calamity" for us.

Psalms 138:2; I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame.

Here it tells us that God has "unfailing love" and "faithfulness"

Hebrews 13:8; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Malachi 3:6; “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

Numbers 23:19; God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Isaiah 40:8; The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

These four verses tell us that God does not change.

Which means:

That God has "unfailing love" and "faithfulness".

God wants only "welfare" and "not calamity" for us.

From God "every good and perfect gift is from above".

"God does not change". This is to say God is always "good and perfect".

If God were to break His word, then the universe would come crashing down, because it was His Word that put it there in the first place.

1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

God's character is Love and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able.

He gives us a way of escape.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT JESUS, THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GOD AND GOD'S CHARACTER:

Hebrews 1:3; The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

John 5:19; Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

JESUS HEALED EVERYONE.

Matthew 8:16; When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

Matthew 4:23; Jesus healed all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Isaiah 53:4; He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

READ THE REST OF THIS VERY FAMOUS PASSAGE OF ISAIAH.

Matthew 9:35; Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

OFTEN QUOTED IS PAUL'S INFIRMITY OF A THORN IN HIS SIDE AND THAT GOD BROUGHT THAT UPON HIM.

2 Corinthians:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Let us ask ourselves WHO was responsible for the thorn in the flesh of Paul. By Pauls's own words, It was Satan.

When God said to Paul in response to his pleadings: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.", maybe God was waiting for Paul to take note of James's words:

James 4:7; Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

or maybe God was waiting for Paul to understand and apply the following:

Mark 11:24; Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

or maybe God was waiting for Paul to follow his own words:

2 Corinthians 5:7; For we walk by faith, not by sight.

or these words from Mark;

Mark 9:23; “If you can?” said Jesus

“Everything is possible for one who believes.”

or these words:

Hebrews 11:1; Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and

assurance about what we do not see.

or these words:

Ephesians 3:20; Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly

beyond all that we ask or think,

according to the power that works within us,

Instead, Paul maintained his weaknesses, did not flee from the devil, and did not express the faith necessary to take advantage of God's grace.

ANOTHER DEFINITION OF 'THORN IN THE SIDE'"

There is a possibility the "thorn in Paul's side referred to peoples. See definition by Merriam Webster:

a person or thing that repeatedly annoys someone or something or causes problems

He's been a thorn in my side for years.

a thorn in the side of the industry.

We use this definition today.

Some people say that God allowed Satan to upset Job's life and that is why this happened to Paul.

There are 2 things wrong with that theory. 1. there is no reference to a visit to God from Satan in Paul's case. Presumably Satan learned his lesson when he was unsuccessful with Job. 2. Paul says "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me". If the power of Christ rested upon Paul and Paul believed it, then Satan's thorn would be gone, because Satan would be unable to maintain his presence in the light of Christ, providing there was faith.

2 Peter 1:3-4; His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

This says "having escaped the corruption".

God wants to share His divine nature: "Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in His divine nature."

God's divine nature does not have 'thorns' in it'

(See 'UNDERSTANDING GOD') to discover more of what God is like.

(See 'THE BEGINNING OF MANKIND') to see God's original intention when He created His first 2 spirits and the environment He created.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SATAN'S CHARACTER:

John 10:10; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Satan, on the other hand, "comes only to steal and kill and destroy;"

Then is it Satan who is the author of death and lies?

(See 'SATAN, WHO HE IS').

John 8:44;You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Then is it Satan who is the author of death and lies? Then it could not be God?

John 10:10; Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

Then is it man who brings "wars and fights"? Then it could not be God?

ARE WE STILL OPERATING UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES?

Romans 6:14; For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

This verse is telling us that we are "not under the Law" (since the death of Jesus), then we are released from sin which mastered us because of the Law of Moses. That we are under the Time of "Grace"

Romans 11:6; But if it is by grace,

it is no longer on the basis of works,

otherwise grace is no longer grace.

The Law of Moses was based upon the 'works' we did and we would get rewarded because of these.

Grace (since the death of Jesus) is not this way.

Titus 2:11-14; For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

God has brought us "salvation" through this Time of Grace.

Romans 3:24; ... and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God made us "justified" through "redeemed" in this Time of Grace.

Definition by Merriam Webster of 'justified' : to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation

God justifies with his forgiveness and grace the man who comes to him

Definition of 'Redeemed': To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge

Ephesians 2:8; For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

We have been "saved" because of this Time of Grace.

(See 'GRACE AND THE LAW').

SUMMARY

If God's character is as stated above:

These four verses tell us that God does not change.

That God has "unfailing love" and "faithfulness".
God wants only "welfare" and "not calamity" for us.
From God "every good and perfect gift is from above".
"God does not change". This is to say God is always "good and perfect".

and the character of Jesus, who is an exact representation of God, as stated above, and Jesus heals everyone He comes across, then why would God or Jesus bring any form of harm or sickness to us?

In the Old Testament God certainly did intervene in our lives, but in the New Testament, under the New Covenant, He does not. We have been saved, justified through redemption, and received redemption.

See "ARE WE STILL OPERATING UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES" above.

Since Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us if we ask Jesus for it.

Ezekiel 36:27; And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

John 16:13; When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

1 Corinthians 2:12; What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.