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 The Saints and the Ain't Saints Please pardon the language of the title. There probably are more sophisticated ways of saying it, but probably none more graphic. In the previous lesson, in this series, we discussed the concept of robbing God of His rightful glory by taking it to ourselves, and we learned that we were saved in order to give glory to God, not for our own benefit. And we learned that there are only two kinds of people on the earth, those who give God His rightful glory (the Saints), and those who do not give Him His rightful glory (the Ain'ts). Let's first of all, in this lesson, look at some Ain'ts. A universal characteristic of the Ain'ts is that they fail to recognize or acknowledge the working of God in their lives. They always think that their salvation, deliverance, and security are in what they themselves do or accomplish rather than in what God has already done. This is the primary way in which they rob God of His glory.
Moses, while in Horeb, brought water from a rock (with God's help) by striking it with his rod, and all the people gave glory to God. Num. 20:1-12 "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam [Moses's sister] died there, and was buried there. (2) And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. (3) And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! (4) And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? (5) And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. (6) And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. (7) And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, (8) Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. (9) And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. (10) And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? (11) And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly [showing God's grace], and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. (12) And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." Moses, at least this one time, thought that salvation was based on his own efforts, and in so doing, he and Aaron took God's glory for themselves. They missed their entrance into the promised land as a result.
One day, King Nebuchadnezzar, while going for a walk in the palace in Babylon had a little talk with himself. (Dan. 4:30-34) "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? (31) While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. (32) And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. (33) The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. (34) And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation." The king (and a great king he was) thought his salvation and security were in his ability to conquer, subdue, and rule, and as a result, he praised himself instead of God. Sometimes, we think that we deserve all of the creature comforts that we have. We have even been known to demand them, and complain if we don't have enough of them. But they are all gifts from God, and He has the sovereign right to remove them at any time. If we attain some great status in our lives, we had better not think that it is because we are so great, or smart. It is a gift from God. Smarts, power, good looks, great personality, or any other blessing, is nothing but a blessing from God.
King Herod thought his salvation was in his ability to speak. He must have been good at it, too. (Acts 12:21-23) "And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. (22) And the people gave a shout, saying, 'It is the voice of a god, and not of a man'. (23) And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." He was a good enough speaker to persuade the people that he was a god, but not good enough to persuade God.
Let's look at the case of the rich foolish farmer in Luke 12:16-21: "And he spake a parable unto them, saying, 'The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? (18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. (20) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward [or, in his relation to] God.'" The farmer based his salvation on what he had done. He refused to give God His due glory for what He had done. He took the credit for his blessings. He thought he had earned them. He had, no doubt, plowed, planted, and reaped the crops himself, or paid someone to do it for him. And he had every right to partake of the fruit of his labors, and reap the rewards of his labors. But that did not give him the right to take credit for his rewards and leave God completely out of the picture. We must remember the words of Moses in Deut. 8:18 "Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth...." Our security for salvation (be it temporal or eternal) is never in what we have done - it is always in what God has done! Notice the case of nine of the ten lepers: (Luke 17:12-19) "And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: (13) And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. (14) And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. (15) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, (16) And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. (17) And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? (18) There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. (19) And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." The other nine lepers seemed to have determined that their cleansing was based on their good fortune rather than the power of God. They failed to recognize the working of God in their lives. Their prayers were answered, but they appeared to have forgotten that they had asked the Lord for healing. They evidently thought that their healing had just happened of and by itself. There was no glory for God in something that "just happened." I no longer believe that things "just happen." There are two forces in this world, God's and the devil's. We give in to one of them at all times. We often refer to blessings as "luck" or "fortune." We refer to situations and events in our lives as "fate." Do we realize what we are really saying? Here is the dictionary definition for the word fortune: "A hypothetical force or personified power that unpredictably determines events and issues favorably or unfavorably." It comes from Greek Mythology, the goddess Fortuna. To wish someone good fortune is to give glory to the Greek pagan gods. Here is the dictionary definition for the word fate: "The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events." It comes from Greek and Roman Mythology. It was the name of the three goddesses who governed human destiny. To attribute something good or bad to 'fate' is to ascribe the power of God to the Greek and Roman pagan gods, the three Fates:
To ascribe the events of life to fate, fortune, or luck is to take God's power and glory and give it to the pagan gods! Yet, we commonly wish one another "Good luck" instead of "God's blessings to you" or "God be with you." We divert attention away from God, and give it to the pagan gods. Is it wrong to wish someone "Good luck"? I do not believe that God immediately condemns us to hell when we say that, but ask yourself this question: Why would you want to say "Good luck" instead of "Godspeed"? Is God really withdrawn from the affairs of men? NO! He rules in the kingdoms of men, and "gives them to whomsoever He will." Notice this warning to those who considered God to be uninvolved in the affairs of men: (Zeph. 1:12) "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.'" (NIV) How can Rom. 8:28 be true if God is really sitting with His arms folded, uninvolved in our lives? Notice: (Rom. 8:28) "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." This could never be true if things "just happened." Also notice James 4:15: "Ye ought to say, 'If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.'" That implies that God is in control, and active. If He isn't in control, then either WE are in control, or the DEVIL is, and it makes no difference which one. If we are not doing the Lord's will, we are automatically doing the devil's will. The fact that God rules in the kingdoms of men does not take away our independence as free moral agents. The bible certainly teaches that we are free moral agents, able to make our own choices, and choose our own destiny. But, somehow, in ways known only to God, He chooses us as well as surely as we choose Him. That's why He is to be glorified for our salvation. If it was all left up to us, then the glory for salvation would be ours. The results of choosing to live for Him are that we become saints instead of ain'ts.
And now, let's look at some Saints - those who did give glory to God. A universal characteristic of saints is that they always give glory to God for every situation they find themselves in, regardless of what it is. They always give credit to God for their salvation, and they see every event that happens to them as being the working of God. Consider Moses at the Red Sea: Exodus 14:13 "And Moses said unto the people, 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you this day.'" They didn't build boats to try to get across on their own efforts. They stood still and waited for the 'salvation of God.' And they gave God the glory for the victory, and sang a great song of praise. Ex. 15:11 "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the Gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" Moses knew the source of salvation.
David even as a shepherd boy, knew the source of salvation. Before his fight with Goliath the giant, David said (1 Samuel 17:37) "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." David could have thought that it was his own ability to run and fight that allowed him to escape the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, but he gave the credit to God. It was the realization that God was the source of his deliverance that gave him the courage to face the giant. Here is the lesson: If we are working for God's glory instead of our own, and we realize that the victory comes from Him in the first place, then we will have courage to do things that we would never have otherwise done.
Notice Joshua at the walls of Jericho: For six days, the children of Israel marched once around the city, keeping totally silent except for the continual blowing of the seven trumpets of ram's horns by seven priests. And on the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times, (Joshua 6:16) "And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, 'Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.'" They no doubt shouted "Glory to God!." Joshua knew who won the victory for the children of Israel, and Who delivered the city into their hands.
Notice Gideon and his battle with the Midianites, where the army, reduced from 32,000 to 300 men, left their weapons behind and shouted "The sword of the Lord." The Midianites rose up in fear, and killed one another. Gideon knew where salvation came from, or he would never have done such a seemingly foolish thing as reduce his army so drastically, and then take away the weapons from the few men he had left.
Notice the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace who feared not for their own lives. They sought only to bring honor to God, and would do so even if God did not deliver them. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:17-18) "If it be so [if it's according to the will of God], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. (18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." They knew where salvation came from, and that gave them courage to stand tall. That kind of courage comes from living for God's glory instead of our own. We haven't learned to really live until we have found something worth dying for. Notice the results of their courage. After they were delivered, the king said (vs. 28) "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." The lesson in each of these cases is that God did the work of salvation. He saved the lost by His grace (He's always saved by grace), and He was glorified as a result of His work, not the work of those who were saved. This is the same thing that God was doing when He sent His Son to die on the cross. The greatest glory ever brought to God was brought by His Son Jesus. John 13:31-32 "Therefore, when he [Judas] was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him." The Father was glorified in Christ in at least these two ways: (1) by Christ's obedience to all that His Father had asked Him to do, and (2) by bringing salvation to mankind. Jesus is still bringing glory to His Father, even now as we petition Him. John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the son." (Note: Don't be so simple that you think that all you have to do is say the words "In Jesus's name" at the end of your prayer and God will be obligated to answer it. We can never obligate God to anything. Praying in Jesus' name means far more than merely reciting the words.)
"But WAIT!" you may say. Doesn't the bible say somewhere that we should "work out our own salvation?" Yes, it does, in Phil. 2:12. "My beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Whatever Paul was doing for them while he was with them, he tells them to do for themselves while he is gone from them. What he did was teach them about Jesus by explaining the scriptures to them. He was telling them to do their own study to understand their salvation. He was not telling them, in any way whatsoever, to work their way into heaven, a concept that he rejected in very strong terms on numerous occasions. And lest we still don't understand, and get the idea that, after all, it really is us working our way to heaven, Paul says in the next verse, "(13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
God's glory has been visibly evident on the earth on several different occasions. It appeared on Mt. Sinai, then on Moses's face. Then God resent His glory in the form of His Son (John 1:14), then on the mount of transfiguration, and again in the person of Jesus, and He's coming back in great glory. But how is God's glory to be seen today, in this present time? Eph. 3:20-21 "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church [How?] by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." God, then, is today glorified by His children, who make up His church. As we've said many times already, God's glorification should be our life's goal as long as we are here on earth. Notice the following verses: 1 Pet. 4:11 "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ: to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever." 2 Cor. 4:6-7 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure [gospel] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." Today, God is glorified in the lives of believers, but soon, perhaps very soon, He will return. And when He does return, Mark 8:37 says He will come "in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." 2 Thess. 1:7-12 "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God [the Ain'ts], and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; (10) When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (11) Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of goodness, and the work of faith with power: [NAS-and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.] (12) That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
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