However, as you know from part one, this has a much broader application than just an earthly father and his earthly son. Because, if you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, God Almighty is now your heavenly Father. And as a good Father, he has given you explicit instructions, he’s given you his words; and what God is looking for, from his children, is for us to make his heart glad. But now, how can we do that? Look at the verse again – he says: “My son, be wise…” Now, let’s follow the same analogy I was using just a minute ago, of me, Joshua and Jordan. Do you know what God’s adversary says to him about you? The same thing your adversaries say, about how you’re raising your kids. Why are you doing that? What’s so wrong with that? Why don’t you want them around those people? Don’t you know that all that separation is going to make them anti-social and peculiar? But here’s the problem: When God the Father does for his children, what the Bible says he does – and yet those children are not wise – do you know what that does? Well, first of all, it doesn’t make God’s heart glad. And second, it gives him no answer when his adversary reproached him. For example, the devil says: “Now, why’d you go through all that trouble to inspire, and preserve your words? It looks like to me, that your children care so little about what you think, that they don’t even read that Book you’ve given them!?” Now, when the Father’s adversary says that to him – have you personally given God the Father an answer back? In other words, can he say: “Oh yeah, have you considered my son ‘So ‘n’ So’? Because, even though I’ll admit, I do have a lot of black sheep in this family of mine – he or she is an exception! “They read my words, and they study my words – and they care about what I think!” In other words, can God think of you, have his heart glad, and answer the devil upon those charges? Read the verse again – it says: “My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.” In spiritual application, that means that the devil is questioning God on how he’s raising you. He’s saying to God, what the world and the worldly says to you; you know: “What’s so wrong with that? Why all that separation?” The devil looks at God the Father, and he says: “What’s so wrong with Hollywood? What’s so wrong with the worldly TV and movies? What’s so wrong with secular music? What’s so wrong with being a sports junkie? It’s just harmless entertainment – don’t you want them to have any fun?” And do you know what God is forced to do, when it comes to many of his sons and daughters? Because they’ve not come out from among them, and because they’re not clean and separate from this present evil world… With a heavy heart, God is forced to bear the devil’s reproach, because of a bunch of sottish children, proving the devil right! I hope you’re not like that; I trust you’re not. Moreover, I’d ask for your prayers, that I’d not be that kind of foolish son myself! Instead, I want to be wise; I want to make my Father’s heart glad; I want him to have an answer, when the devil reproaches him. I want my Father to be able to respond: “Oh, it doesn’t work, does it? I’m just wasting my time, am I? I’m just old-fashioned and don’t let my children have any fun, do I? Satan, have you consider my son ‘So ‘n’ So’? Because, while I’ll admit that many of my children are anything, but wise – that’s not true of all my children.” The question we must ask and answer, is: Can God point to you, as being an exception to this devilish rule? Can God point to you, and say: “My method of child-rearing sure worked with him / it sure worked with her”? What’s God looking for from his sons and daughters? He wants us to be wise. And if we’d be wise children, walking in his counsel and admonition, two things would happen:Number 1: We would make God’s heart glad, and Number 2: We would give him an answer, when the accuser of the brethren, brings against him his railing accusations. And let’s add two last passages of instruction to this, and then wrap this up:(Proverbs 2:1-9): “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.” (Proverbs 4:1-7): “Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." And so, plainly and simply, God says to us, his children, tonight: “My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.” And this is how you can make glad the heart of God. |
