Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/63

Contributor - T. Hogerwaard

Title - How Matters Are ....And How They Could Have Been

Topic -

Isaiah 48 vs. 17-19

When we are born to a great extent our life is already determined by our circumstances. The Lord may have given us an excellent head for learning, or He may not. You may have been born in a Christian home where love and peace prevails, or you may have been born into a home where the money goes to strong drinks, where hatred, poverty and misery is found; you may have been born as a white child from well-to-do parents or you may have been born as a negro child in the Southern part of the United States or South Africa; all these circumstances determine what your chances will be, what your future is likely to be. It is simply not true that all men are born equal or have an equal chance in life.

But now the great question is: in how far do these circumstances determine what our life will be, what our attitude will be, what the outcome of our life will be. When you observe matters keenly you may discover that our life is not to such an extent determined by our outward circumstances as at first sight may seem.

For if that were the case the development of persons who were born in practically the same circumstances must of necessity be the same. Then all persons from broken homes must look forward to a miserable life; then all children from Christian homes must grow up in the fear of the Lord, blessed by the Lord and a blessing to others. And that is what we do not see in life. There have been persons who had all odds against them in life, circumstances as bad as they could ever have been and yet, these people were touched by God, called by Him: their lives have been lives of fullness and joy, a blessing to others.

On the other hand there are persons with circumstances as favourable as could be, from excellent Christian homes who went the wrong way, indifferent to the Lord and not willing to listen to Him, to obey Him.

When we say that it is God who determines our life, that no one come to Christ unless it is given to him by the Father, then it is true, but the Bible makes it very clear that this is only half of the story.

Some people complain that their lives are so determined in advance by the circumstances in which they find themselves; the truth is, that it is just the opposite. We have a possibility to choose which is really frightening. So much is left to us, so much depends upon our choice how our life will be that this in itself can fill a person with fear, can drive him to God to pray most fervently that it may please God to guide him in everything, to make known to him His holy will, that He may be obeyed and that we may not perish in the foolishness of our choice.

Scripture makes it very clear that God's purposes will be carried out, regardless of obedience or disobedience of the people. One way or another God has used Hitler for His ends - however hidden, they be to us - God has also used the apostle Paul, but what a difference: to work in God's service as His beloved child and servant, or to carry: out God's will as God's enemy, looking forward to eternal misery.

We cannot change God's purposes, we cannot prevent God from carrying out what He intends to do, but it depends upon our choice what our place will be in God's plans: willingly and gladly obeying Him or stubbornly resisting Him- Therefore Scripture is so ful of urgent admonitions: Listen to God, turn to Him, obey Him ! It is therefore that so many promises of God start with the conditional word IF. If you go My ways, if you obey Me, ff you do not serve other gods to your own hurt, then I will take care of you, then I will bless you, then I will be your God and you will be My people.

That little word "if" is most important in our relation to God: God lets indeed many things depend upon the choice we make, upon our willingness to listen to Him, to obey Him. We often think: "As matters are, so they are willed by God; He is the almighty One, who can resist His holy will ?" This may sound very pious, but it is not it is anyway not what Scripture has to say. Our whole life we have to make decisions, whether we will do a certain thing or not, whether we will speak out or keep our peace. Every time again it is the choice what will come first in our life: God's will or our desires, our interests. What a person is at the age of 25 is determined by all the decisions he made before he reached that age; what a person is when he has reached the age of 50 is again determined by the choices he made in his life. What we are is determined by the choices we made.

It is even visible in people's faces Now and then you may meet a person, mostly an old one, whose face is a pleasure to behold: inner peace joy and love is reflected in that face, a face which makes you think that our Lord may have looked like that. Were those people born with those faces ? No, they were not. A whole life lived with God was required to form those features, this expression of peace and joyful expectation of the joy, this fulfillment of God's promises.

There are other faces. Take the face of a beautiful film star, idolized all over the world. Study those features, see how empty they are, how artificial and false the smile, how utterly egoistic the expression.

Study the faces of the great captains of industry and finance, the powerful honoured men. You may be frightened by the hard and cold expression on those faces, men living for money, for power, with not a trace of the grace of God in them. Shortly before he died Voltaire's face was the most ugly and repulsive one a person can ever see with a devilish cynical leer on it. If a person serves Jesus Christ during his days on earth, something of the features of Jesus Christ becomes visible in his face; when a person dedicates himself to the devil's service then again the features of his master show up in his face. Voltaire was not born with a face like that, it was moulded over the years by his rebellion against God, by his mockery of everything that is holy.

What we become does depend upon our decisions, whether we listen to God and obey Him or not.

You have no say about the sort of face you are born with, depends upon the family in which you are born, but what sort of face you will have when you are 25 does indeed depend upon yourself. The more you begin to see this, the more you are frightened by the awful responsibility, by he enormous liberty which God nas given you to choose.

Is it unavoidable that all things as they are in this world are this way and not another ? No, not at all. In the same way as we individually shape our faces and our lives by our decisions, so the destiny of Churches and peoples is shaped by their decisions, right ones or wrong ones.

This fact is clearly and incisively expressed in the words: "If only you had given ear to My orders, then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea; your seed would have been like the sand, and your offspring like the dust, your name would not be cut off or come to an end before Me." Isaiah 48 vs. 17-19

Not God, Who had different plans with them, only the Jews themselves were to blame for the hard circumstances in which they found themselves. In the N.T. it is the same. In some places Jesus could do no mighty works "because of their unbelief." Again and again we read that Jesus asked persons about their will and desire: Do you want to be healed ? What do you want Me to do ?

The men traveling to Emmaus had to urge Jesus to have a meal with them. In Revelation the risen Christ says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come to him," Otherwise not. The willingness to do God's will was made by Jesus the only yardstick to discover whether He was the Christ or not.

What was said in the preceding lines applies fully to us as well, What we are at this moment we are on account of the right or wrong decisions we have made in life. We too have heard the message that God has done everything tor us, that in Jesus Christ we may nave forgiveness of sins, a share in Christ's own righteousness and holiness, that we may be guided by the Spirit, that we may have fullness of life without worries or fear, trusting in God Who in Jesus Christ is willing to be our Father. The Spirit is ready to teach us Who God is. To know God in Christ means life; apart from Him there is only misery and death. But now we have to make our choice, not once but everyday again and again. It is up to us to attend the worship services where God's Word is preached, it is up to us to read the Word of God or not, to pray fervently to God to lead us in all righteousness, to make known to us His ways.

We can also refuse to do that. We can keep the Bible closed, we can limit our prayer to a few seconds before and after meals. We have the choice - given to us as a privilege - to partake by means of prayer and gifts in the work of God, mission work, relieving the sufferings of the underprivileged; we have the choice to do it or to leave it alone. We can say "yes, I will do it " or "No, I will not;" we can forgive those who did us wrong, we can also refuse to do it, preferring to satisfy our pride. We can put ourselves at God's disposal for the work to be done in His name. We can also say: "No, I will not bother, let another do it." We can serve God and our neighbour in a thousand ways, we can refuse to do so in as many ways. We can make a choice, we are not forced into God's service. You may, if you want to.

We have a choice, yes, that means too that we are the only ones who carry the responsibility for it. If you want to spend your whole income for yourself with only an odd dollar for the Church and Missions, who can prevent you? Indeed, but one day you and no one else will have to answer to God for that. You may be unwilling to forgive, yes, but the Lord made it clear to us that in that case we need not hope for forgiveness from God's side either.

The Spirit of God forces no one. He only comes when and where He is invited to come. If you want to live your life without Him, He certainly will not force His company upon you. He speaks with a small still voice only, nothing easier than to close your ears to Him, yes, and nothing more deadly too. Ask yourself: How could my life have been if only I had given more time to the communion with God and less to the vain things of this passing world? Any time is the right time to start a new life with God, to dedicate your person, your time and money to Him, any time is the right time to invoke the Spirit to take possession of your life. Things as they are in your life need not remain that way. The Lord says: "I make everything new." He is also wiling and able to renew your life, to fill it with His blessings, joy and peace. He is willing. The great question is: Are you willing too ?

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