Day 222 “If God said it, you can believe it and react with faith.”

Day 222 Matthew 26:31-35 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples. As I read this passage, I cannot help but wonder why Jesus said that the disciples would stumble because of Him. After all, He is going to the cross for us; He had no need to suffer and die, he could have made another race on another planet, yet still He bore the complete burden all on his own. Yet no matter how many hypothesis or ideas one has as to why Jesus says these words, there is truly only one conclusion, for He gave us the answer. The reason Jesus said that we would stumble because of him was because it had been prophesied and written in the book of Zachariah, Chapter 13:7; that alone was all of the truth that was needed. You see, the sovereignty of the Word of God is and must be 100 percent truth, for if not, we have no foundation for our belief; we are as shallow as Mormonism, Islam, or any other religion that bases itself upon their so-called Holy writings. All other religions are limited in their foundation. Some are based upon self-professed new truths of the Bible, some upon nonfactual interpretations of the Bible, and others are based upon writings which often have no historical or geographical truth to them. Yet any time the basis for a religion or belief is not held as sovereign, inspired and holy, it has no roots, no base upon which to build. It is shifting sand. The same goes for those who change the meaning of the Word of God or propose new revelations and insights that often contradict the basis of their belief. How can this be? If the God you serve can make mistakes, how then can that god be infallible? In truth, any god who contradicts himself is nothing more than a lying demonic spirit seeking to lead others astray. If Jesus Himself was bound to the Word (and He was), then how can any man professing to serve Him change that very Word in the name of the God who would not? Am I taking this too far? Am I off track? No, I don't really think so. The purpose of this study is and always has been to learn more of Christ. To know Him is to be able to follow Him, and to follow Him is to change our world and rescue those who have yet to hear and receive the truth. Jesus, by obeying the Word of God and surrendering to His death, knew beyond a doubt that every scripture ever written about His death and resurrection would come to pass, as they did. If the disciples had seen this obvious truth, their responses would have been much different. Maybe Peter would have asked how many times he would deny Christ. Maybe they all would have sought His forgiveness beforehand but, you see, they didn't get it either: no man can change the plan of God, no man. If something has been prophesied and written in the Word, then, yes, it is infallible, yet when it is prophesied by man, it must be weighed against the Word before it can be accepted as truth. There are many these days who tell people that God is speaking truth in a prophetic way through them when, quite often, I fear they are simply sharing a feeling or an intellectual thought. Yes, God still speaks through men but God never contradicts Himself, and that, my friend, is the truth! Daily Prayer: Father, thank you that we can test all things against Your Word and know the truth. Teach us, Lord, to recognize those things that are not from You, and help us, Lord, to help those who have gone astray. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “If God said it, you can believe it and react with faith.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor