Gal.4:4
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son”

I remember waiting and working to purchase a car and my grandfather telling me that working for the car was more fun than possessing it. He was right! There was more enjoyment from waiting, thinking, and imagining than from the actual possessing. Waiting maximizes enjoyment.

When a child is given everything he wants and not made to wait, the parent is actually cheating the child out of a blessing. We are made in the image of God, and God enjoys waiting. He waited for the fullness of time to send His Son. Why did He not send the Son the instant Adam and Eve fell? Waiting adds maximum enjoyment and benefit to the gift of the Son. He still sends the Son, in the fullness of time, into hearts of men today. So, wait in faith for the salvation of your child or husband or for personal freedom.

“If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing.” I Tim 6: 3, 4

Do we let people be deceived? There are four issues here. First, we are to confront those things that are false and warn others.

Second, a false teacher can be followed in two ways. We can follow and agree or we can follow the teacher to rebuke. Either way we end up following him and not Jesus.

Third, often false teachers are not creating wrong hearts but revealing wrong hearts. If a teacher gets a following of people when he teaches that Jesus wants us rich, what kind of people are they? What are their hearts for the Lord if they perceive the goal of Christ’s suffering as our wealth?

Fourth, everyone works for us. Let people follow what life will not support, and when they come to the end of themselves, and the end of their trust in others, we will be there to offer Jesus.

“And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, My son, your sins are forgiven. But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone? And immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your pallet and walk’?” Mark 2:5-9

Men are kingdom builders. Kingdoms need subjects. We are raised to be subjects. It is said, “You don’t have to respect the President but you must respect the office of the President.” Translated, “whatever you do, you are not to come out from under our kingdom! What would a kingdom be without subjects?” Kingdom builders must offer you something. If they can’t, the subject might go elsewhere. Now, kingdom builders never give you anything of substance. All things of substance are horded for themselves. They give something with the appearance of substance to keep you a subject. Religion is a kingdom. Those in charge must keep you in subjection. Out of necessity they must give you something, something you can’t get elsewhere. But, remember, it will just be the appearance you are getting something; you never really get anything but more bondage.

Every man, everywhere, knows they have sinned and fallen short. Within is a deep fear of the consequences. The Scribes and Pharisees were offering forgiveness, restoration, and freedom. The catch was that you had to jump through all their hoops. No matter how many you jumped through, they were always able to produce one more. The vast majority of people, wanting what was promised, continued to be in subjection. The kingdom went on.

Then, came Jesus and in one little sentence He destroyed it all. He brought “whosoever will” out from subjection. The sentence: “My son, your sins are forgiven!” He didn’t say “will be”, or “keep trying”, or “check with me next week”, “complete your memory work”, or “have a little more prayer time.” No, “Your sins are forgiven!” No more hoops, no more bondage, and no more need for the kingdom of man! No more religion! Religion destroyed it’s foundation. You are in bondage to no religion. Jesus has forgiven you! He has given what others promised in exchange for your devotion and servitude. You are free! You belong to no kingdom but His.

“for they had not gained any insight from the {incident of} the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” Mark 6:52

We often assume that when Jesus picked the twelve, He was picking the best, that He picked men that were above the rest, men that were holy, and men who were especially talented for the task ahead. Yet, here we read that these men all had hearts that were hardened. They had just participated in Jesus feeding the five thousand and calming a storm, and yet, they still had a hard heart.

It is proof again that Jesus doesn’t expect us to meet Him at the top rung of the ladder. He comes to the bottom rung to get us.

There have been times when I knew my heart was hard. Whenever we choose the flesh, we have a hardened heart. What sticks out to me is that even after all the miracles and a hard heart, Jesus kept working with the men until they had a soft heart. More had been given and more was required. They were witnesses of a miracle and yet Jesus didn’t get anything. If Jesus doesn’t give up on men who have seen miracles and remain hard, how could it be possible that He would give up on those of us who have seen no miracle and yet our heart is hard? The bottom line is if He didn’t give up on them, He sure hasn’t given up on you!

“He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.’” Heb 4:7

Man, for certain, possesses the present and in a measure the future. Man does not possess the past, ever! If we choose to live in the past, we choose darkness, and we exclude God. God will not move to the past with us.

Therefore, every time we venture into the past we venture there alone. In fact God calls us, always, to move from the past. To dwell in the past is to find yourself dwelling in a place where there is no hope. The Jews were in the world without a hope. That is, they were trusting on the things of the past, the law, the security of ritual and formula, neglecting what God was presenting to them in the present–Jesus.

Doesn’t it make sense that God wants to be the God of the NOW? We speak of a personal relationship. How can a relationship be personal if it is not a present relationship. To move into the past is to move away from God, and it is sin. Many today are counseled to relive the past, to mourn over it, work through it, and even warned that if they do not their life will remain in constant turmoil.

Here is my question. If the past created my problems why would I want to go back and live there again? In my office I spend up to one hour looking at the past. The lone reason, being, to understand it so we will never go back to it. Living in the past will always thwart growth. Start acting like a five year old and see how much those around enjoy you.

We are called from the past into the present. In the past you had wonderful successes and terrible failures, times of victory and times of defeat, times of great joy and unbelievable depression. Fine, now what? Today, hear his voice! The issue is today.

God says do something today and don’t live out of the past. “AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” Heb 3:15 You provoked Him in the past, true, but I refuse to discuss that. I want to discuss today. Yesterday is no excuse for today! Many use it as such. “I can’t love today because of emotional hurt yesterday,” “I can’t give today because of all my rejection yesterday; I need to take”, and “You wouldn’t expect that from me today if you only knew about yesterday.” As the plumber once said to the distraught lady, “Sorry, that just won’t flush”! It just doesn’t flush that past behavior and experience are keeping you away from a God who lives in the present.