ARGUING WITH THE LORD

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ARGUING WITH THE LORD

• Job 401-5, Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and
  said, 2 Shall he that cavilleth contend with
  the Almighty? He that argueth with God, let him
  answer it. 3 Then Job an-swered Jehovah, and
  said, 4 Behold, I am of small account What
  shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.
  5 Once have I spo-ken, and I will not answer
  Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.

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Rom. 920, Nay but, O man, who art thou that
repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say
to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me
thus?

• Introduction
• God commands, and men counter-propose. This is
  a reflection on Gods wisdom! It exalts mans
  wisdom above Gods!
• Rom. 1134-36, For who hath known the mind of
  the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35
  or who hath first given to him, and it shall be
  recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and
  through him, and unto him, are all things. For to
  him be the

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glory for ever. Amen.

• 1 Cor. 120-31, Where is the wise? where is the
  scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath
  not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
• 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the
  world through its wisdom knew not God, it was
  God's good pleasure through the foolish-ness of
  the preaching to save them that be-lieve.
• 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks
  seek after wisdom 23 but we preach

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Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and
unto Gentiles foolishness 24 but unto them
that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God.

• 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser
  than men and the weakness of God is strong-er
  than men.
• 26 For behold your calling, brethren, that not
  many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not
  many noble, are called 27 but God chose the
  foolish things of the world, that he might put to
  shame them that are

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wise and God chose the weak things of theworld,
that he might put to shame the things that are
strong 28 and the base things of the world, and
the things that are despised, did God choose,
yea and the things that are not, that he might
bring to nought the things that are 29 that no
flesh should glory before God.

• 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was
  made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness
  and sanctification, and re-demption 31 that,
  according as it is written, He that glorieth, let
  him glory in the Lord.

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I. GODS WAYS ARE NOT MANS WAYS

• Prov. 1412, There is a way which seemeth right
  unto a man But the end thereof are the ways of
  death.
• Jer. 1023, O Jehovah, I know that the way of
  man is not in himself it is not in man that
  walketh to direct his steps.
• Isa. 558-11, For my thoughts are not your
  thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
  Jehovah. 9 For as the heavens are higher than
  the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
  and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as
  the rain cometh down

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I. GODS WAYS ARE NOT MANS WAYS

• and the snow from heaven, and returneth not
  thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it
  bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower
  and bread to the eater 11 so shall my word be
  that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not
  return unto me void, but it shall ac-complish
  that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
  thing whereto I sent it.
• Isa. 652, I have spread out my hands all the
  day unto a rebellious people, that walk in a way
  that is not good, after their own thoughts.

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I. GODS WAYS ARE NOT MANS WAYS

• To reject Gods will, revealed through chosen
  earthen vessels (2 Cor. 47) reject GOD! 1
  Sam. 87, And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken
  unto the voice of the people in all that they say
  unto thee for they have not rejected thee, but
  they have rejected me, that I should not be king
  over them.
• We dont reject the preacher, but God!
• Lk. 1016, He that heareth you heareth me and
  he that rejecteth you rejecteth me and he that
  rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me.

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II. CASES IN HAND 1. Zacharias

• Lk. 113,18-20, Fear not, Zacharias because thy
  supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth
  shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
  name John. And Zacharias said unto the angel,
  Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man,
  and my wife well stricken in years. ltHe argues
  with the Lordgt 19 And the angel answering said
  unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the
  presence of God and I was sent to speak unto
  thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. 20
  And behold, thou

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II. CASES IN HAND 1. Zacharias

• shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the
  day that these things shall come to pass, because
  thou believedst not my words, which shall be
  fulfilled in their season.
• (By faith he could have said The Lords will be
  done, but no, he argued with the Lord! To do so
  is to show unbelief)

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II. CASES IN HAND 2. Lot

• Gen. 1917-20, And it came to pass, when they
  had brought them forth abroad, that he said,
  Escape for thy life look not behind thee,
  neither stay thou in all the Plain escape to the
  mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18 And Lot
  said unto them, Oh, not so, my lord 19 behold
  now, thy servant hath found favor in thy sight,
  and thou hast magnified thy loving-kindness,
  which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life
  and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil
  overtake me, and I die

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II. CASES IN HAND 2. Lot

• 20 behold now, this city is near to flee unto,
  and it is a little one. Oh let me escape thither
  (is it not a little one?), and my soul shall
  live.
• So, Lot was smarter than the angels! Or, was
  he?
• 30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the
  mountain, and his two daughters with him for he
  feared to dwell in Zoar and he dwelt in a cave,
  he and his two daughters.

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II. CASES IN HAND 3. Naaman

• 2 Kgs. 510-12, And Elisha sent a messenger unto
  him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven
  times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee,
  and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was
  wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I
  thought, He will surely come out to me, and
  stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God,
  and wave his hand over the place, and recover the
  leper. 12 Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers
  of Damascus, better

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II. CASES IN HAND 3. Naaman

• than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in
  them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in
  a rage.
• Counter-proposal, substitution, addition /
  subtraction, modification, human helps, methods,
  means, ways, modes, etc. arguing with the Lord
  disobedience! Gods Word is clear and easy to
  be understood.
• Examples of this Infant baptism, sprinkling,
  use of instruments of music in worship,
  cen-tralization and institutionalism,
  contemporary worship, etc.

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II. CASES IN HAND 4. The rich man

• Lk. 1627-31, And he said, I pray thee
  there-fore, father, that thou wouldest send him
  to my father's house 28 for I have five
  breth-ren that he may testify unto them, lest
  they also come into this place of torment. 29
  But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the
  pro-phets let them hear them. 30 And he said,
  Nay, father Abraham but if one go to them from
  the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto
  him, If they hear not Moses

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II. CASES IN HAND 4. The rich man

• What sinners need hear Gods Word!
• But no, many want modern-day miracles to be the
  convincing medium.
• Even miracles in Jesus day didnt convince
  some! -- Jn. 1210,11, But the chief priests took
  counsel that they might put Lazarus also to
  death 11 because that by reason of him many of
  the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. They
  tried to destroy the evidence!

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II. CASES IN HAND 5. Peter

• Mt. 1621-23, From that time began Jesus to show
  unto his disciples, that he must go unto
  Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders
  and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and
  the third day be raised up. 22 And Peter took
  him, and began to rebuke him, say-ing, Be it far
  from thee, Lord this shall never be unto thee.
  23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee
  behind me, Satan thou art a stumbling-block unto
  me for thou mindest not the things of God, but
  the things of men.

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II. CASES IN HAND 5. Peter

• Jesus calls Peter adversary (Satan) be-cause
  Peter argued with Jesus, showing that he was
  adverse to what God had said!
• Man knows better than God?
• From the human perspective ones hero does not
  willingly submit to death by the enemy! What
  movie or novel would attrack great popularity and
  monetary return if it fol-lowed that theme?

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II. CASES IN HAND 5. Peter

• Acts 109-16, Now on the morrow, as they were on
  their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter
  went up upon the housetop to pray, about the
  sixth hour 10 and he became hungry, and
  desired to eat but while they made ready, he
  fell into a trance 11 and he beholdeth the
  heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending,
  as it were a great sheet, let down by four
  corners upon the earth 12 wherein were all
  manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things
  of the earth and birds

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II. CASES IN HAND 5. Peter

• of the heaven. 13 And there came a voice to
  him, Rise, Peter kill and eat. 14 But Peter
  said, Not so, Lord for I have never eaten
  anything that is common and unclean. 15 And a
  voice came unto him again the second time, What
  God hath cleansed, make not thou common. 16 And
  this was done thrice and straightway the vessel
  was received up into heaven.
• Peter said No to the Lord! Well, would not any
  good Jew have said the same thing? Makes sense
  doesnt it? Or, does it?

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II. CASES IN HAND 6. Ananias

• Acts 911-13, And the Lord said unto him,
  Arise, and go to the street which is called
  Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for
  one named Saul, a man of Tarsus for behold, he
  prayeth 12 and he hath seen a man named
  Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him,
  that he might receive his sight. 13 But Ananias
  answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this
  man, how much evil he did to thy saints at
  Jerusalem 14 and here he hath authority from
  the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy
  name.

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II. CASES IN HAND 6. Ananias

• Ananias argues with the Lord! But, he was
  right, was he not?
• No, God is the Omniscient One and so He knows
  best. We are to walk by faith, not by our own
  human wisdom and judgment.
• What would you or I have said in reply to the
  Lord had we been in his place?
• How many Ananiases are there in the relig-ious
  world who know better than the Lord as they
  follow their own human wisdom in the affairs of
  life?

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II. CASES IN HAND 7. Men called to follow Jesus

• Lk. 959-62, And he said unto another, Fol-low
  me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and
  bury my father. 60 But he said unto him, Leave
  the dead to bury their own dead but go thou and
  publish abroad the kingdom of God. 61 And
  another also said, I will follow thee, Lord but
  first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are
  at my house. 62 But Jesus said unto him, No
  man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking
  back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

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II. CASES IN HAND 7. Men called to follow Jesus

• Many are willing to follow Jesus if they may
  FIRST do something deemed more important!
• FIRST our jobs and the financial benefits and
  securities derived from them!
• FIRST our kinsmen and justifying them right or
  wrong!
• FIRST our ease, leisure, vacations,
  family-activities, our holidays, our courtships,
  our trips, our head-aches and pains (that dont
  keep us from jobs, school, trips, etc.)
• Jesus says, Youre not fit! No heaven for you!
  Where are our priorities? Whats first?

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II. APPLICATIONS

• A. To the alien sinner
• Baptism is not essential to salvation
• No salvation in any church
• Devil is not in the organ
• B. To the church
• Individuals responsibilities. No, shift it
  to the local church
• The responsibilities of the local church. No,
  shift it to the Sponsoring Church or to the Human
  Institution (centralized agency)

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C. It is not only senseless to argue with the
Lord, it is also futile and self-destructing.

• D. Many claim to be walking by faith who are
  merely doing their own thing!
• E. God is not mocked, but man does deceive
  himself. Any addition to, subtraction from , or
  modification of, Gods will for us today is a
  case of ARGUING WITH THE LORD!
• F. I need to ask myself, and answer honestly
• Am I arguing with the Lord?

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