Refusing to Believe

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”

Luke 24:10-12

It’s hard for those of us who have heard the story of the resurrection of Jesus all of our lives to fully grasp what it felt like to those who had mourned for three days and three nights over His death. The intensity of their loss was still fresh when the women who had gone to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, but had met the angel who told them He was alive, rushed in. Though the news they were bringing was good news indeed, the disciples thought it was too good to be true and refused to believe it. They were not comforted until later when Jesus Himself appeared to them. These disciples missed out on the joy that could have been theirs.

The promises of God are not empty words. They are sure and steadfast, and worthy of our full trust. When our faith fails and we refuse to believe what He says, we miss out on so much. The only sure foundation we have been given is not found in our feelings or in our circumstances but in the Word of God. When we do not believe, we do not harm God, but we do harm ourselves. We lose the power to overcome the world when we lose our faith, and we miss out on our rewards. This is why Hebrews 10:35 admonishes, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” Instead we should boldly and confidently act on and claim the promises of Scripture.

Today's Growth Principle
When we fail to believe the promises of God, we rob ourselves of both power and joy.

Old Testament Reading

Jeremiah 46-47

CHAPTER 46

¹ The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles; ² Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah. ³ Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle. ⁴ Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. ⁵ Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD. ⁶ Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. ⁷ Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? ⁸ Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. ⁹ Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow. ¹⁰ For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. ¹¹ Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

¹² The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together. ¹³ The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee. ¹⁵ Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the LORD did drive them. ¹⁶ He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword. ¹⁷ They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed. ¹⁸ As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come. ¹⁹ O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant. ²⁰ Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north. ²¹ Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation. ²² The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood. ²³ They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable. ²⁴ The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north. ²⁵ The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him: ²⁶ And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD. ²⁷ But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. ²⁸ Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

CHAPTER 47

¹ The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza. ² Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl. ³ At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands; ⁴ Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor. ⁵ Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself? ⁶ O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still. ⁷ How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.

New Testament Reading

Hebrews 6

CHAPTER 6

¹ Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ² Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³ And this will we do, if God permit. ⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ⁷ For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸ But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

⁹ But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. ¹⁰ For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ¹¹ And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: ¹² That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. ¹³ For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, ¹⁴ Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. ¹⁷ Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: ¹⁸ That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: ¹⁹ Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; ²⁰ Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Proverbs Reading

Proverbs 9

¹ Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: ² She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. ³ She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, ⁴ Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, ⁵ Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. ⁶ Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. ⁷ He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. ⁸ Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. ⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. ¹¹ For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. ¹² If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. ¹³ A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. ¹⁴ For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, ¹⁵ To call passengers who go right on their ways: ¹⁶ Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, ¹⁷ Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. ¹⁸ But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.