Apologetics

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HEAR IT ALL


One of the greatest hindrances to the Church today is the underlying vein of unbelief that seems to be flowing within the Body of Christ. The majority of Believers confess that Jesus is Savior, but very few profess that Jesus is Lord. The language of a confessor deals basically with past tense grammar. There is no disputing the significance of the historical Jesus, but as to His everyday Lordship, there is a hesitation to venture beyond reason, emotion, and human understanding. Confessors display “selective hearing.” They hear only that with which they are comfortable. When a teaching takes them into a realm of faith without comprehension, it is immediately shut down, and their defense reaction mechanism kicks in. The case in point is the disciples’ failure to hear Jesus speak to them about His Crucifixion and Resurrection. They heard Him say He would die, but they failed to hear Him say that He would rise on the third day. In Matthew 16:16, Peter makes a proclamation of faith by stating that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Shortly after that, Jesus shared with him that He would suffer many things, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. (Mt. 16:21) Peter rebuked Jesus to His face by insisting that He would not be crucified. He had not heard all that Jesus had said, because he had selective hearing. Soon after Peter’s rebuke, Jesus took him along with James and John up a mountain where God spoke to them through a cloud, saying that Jesus was His beloved Son and that they were to “hear ye him.”(Mt. 17:5) Many times Jesus would share with His disciples about His last days, but they did not hear. Today, if a sermon or teaching treads on areas that conflict with carnal comfort, there is resistance and immunity to the Truth.

What should have been a celebration of Jesus Resurrection was overshadowed by a parade of unbelief which featured a group of women carrying their vessels of anointing oils. They were going to the tomb to pour their embalming fluids on Jesus body so that it would not smell when it decomposed. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already coated Jesus body with their100 pound weight of oils. (John 19:39) Instead of displays of unbelief, the garden tomb should have been ringing with sounds of excitement, for the King of Kings was going to rise from the dead! Soldiers should have been called for crowd control. Where were the Believers? The Disciples had gone into hiding. Instead of the Disciples going to the Resurrection party, Jesus met them in their secluded hiding place and rebuked them for their unbelief. (Mk. 16:14)

How many Believers today go to their spiritual hiding places (churches) carrying their problems, heartaches, and other displays of unbelief? They hear about the historical Jesus, but fail to hear and experience the Living Jesus! How many have missed the True message by failing to hear the “rest of the story?” The stone was rolled away, not to let Jesus out, but to let His followers in to witness its emptiness, thus confirming the reality of His resurrection. Many confess that Jesus is Savior, evidenced by the blood stained cross, but fail to profess the reality of the living Lord, evidenced by the accepting of His word. Thank God for Calvary and the empty tomb, but let us not stop there. Let us see Him on His Throne in all His majesty and glory. Let us learn to read and listen to all the Scripture, knowing that everything He said is important.

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