Shall We Blame God Or Give Glory To God?

Text: Matthew 13:18-23 Speaker: Pastor John Ude Festival: Trinity Passages: Matthew 13:18-23

Matthew 13:18-23

We’re living in what has been called a post-Christian culture with hardened hearts openly attacking God in a thousand ways. We’re living in an evil, sin frustrated, universe that scorches the hearts of others. We’re living in the midst of a vast thistle patch, richly fertilized with the moral manure of people doing what is right in their own eyes choking the faith in others. So, shall we blame God or give Glory to God?

Our human nature suggests that if God really wants to establish His Kingdom, He needs to write His name across the sky, to provide a dynamic display of shock and awe against the wicked, earthquakes that shake the world to wake the dead, thunder and lightning that burn up every distraction, or atomic blasts that blow away every hiding spot. But wait! Would that not just fuel more blaming of God? And wait, wouldn’t such a dynamic onslaught justly devastate us as well? Would we then give glory to God?

Do you remember the drill if your clothing catches on fire? Stop, drop, and roll. Well, what about when our spiritual clothing catches on fire? Stop, drop, and listen! Consider the familiar account of Mary and Martha. Martha is in the kitchen getting more and more frustrated with Mary failing to help her. Maybe she bangs a few pots, slams a cupboard, until she bursts out, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” (Lk. 10:40 NKJ) I doubt that she realizes that although she loves Jesus and wants to serve Him, she is really blaming Him. How often do we get frustrated with others, so whether we realize it or not we are really blaming Jesus for not making them be what we want? Unrepented frustration over the cares and concerns of life is a fertile thorn patch choking out faith. We need to stop blaming god, drop in repentance, and listen to Jesus words, “forgive even as I have forgiven you.”

Luke 12 tells about a man who cried out to Jesus, “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me fairly.” How often have you complained about siblings not sharing or borrowing your things and not returning them? This man’s whining was really claiming that the things of this world are the treasures he deserves and blaming God for not providing them. Interestingly Jesus answered, “Who made Me Judge over you?” Jesus will of course judge the world. But He did not come in order to be our Judge but our Savior. He’s warning that making the things of this world the treasure we primarily rely on is choosing Jesus as Judge rather than Savior. Jesus then tells the parable of the man who had a great harvest and built bigger barns to make it all secure, so that he could rely on those treasures to eat, drink, and be merry. Jesus said, “You fool, this night your soul will required of you and whose will all those things be?” And Jesus continued, “Whoever lays up treasure for himself and not God” is such a fool. When we whine about not having what we feel we are owed, are we blaming God for not providing fairly? When we are relying primarily on the things of this world for our security, we are blaming God for not being reliable enough. Being sun scorched by the delusion that God is not fair, that He’s not giving me all the treasures I deserve, desiccates, dries up, faith. We need to stop blaming God, drop in repentance, and listen to Jesus. (Matt. 6:33 NKJ) “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

What about when Lazarus died and (Jn. 11:21 NKJ) “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” How often do we similarly blame God in our grief? And how often do we try to outpace the pain by alcohol or pills, by burying our grief in work or hedonistic pleasures. All such attempts to outpace the pain may carry us to a valley where we temporarily feel no pain, but it’s ultimately a loveless valley of death. Grief seeking refuge in ungodliness is a pile driver hardening out heart, so the birds have a field day. We need to stop blaming God, drop in repentance, and listen to Jesus. (Jn. 11:25 NKJ) “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

So, let’s face it, we have blamed God in many ways. Yet let someone get in our face specific reprimanding us for blaming God and what a string of excuses can ooze, like the slime they are, from our minds and mouths. But think about it. Every lack of love on our part is really blaming God for not loving us enough so we are satisfied in Him. We need to stop blaming God, drop in repentance, and listen to Jesus. (1 Jn. 3:1 NKJ) “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! 

So shall we blame God for failing to send the destruction of shock and awe on all sinners or give Glory to God for speaking now in the seed of His Word, the still, small voice of His grace: “Your sins are forgiven.” Eph. 1:7 “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” 

Jesus says the fact that the Seed of the Kingdom is the Word is V.14 a mystery. Yes, this word of grace appears unimpressive, unspectacular, and insignificant to natural man. So, to their own doom people often ignore it, remain absorbed in the things of this world, or even daydream and sleep right through the Word of His Kingdom. And that’s happened with us, hasn’t it? The coming of Christ’s Kingdom in this saving word seems unimpressive foolishness to the wise of this world – unspectacular weakness to the mighty.

And yet Jesus explains that this mystery is simple. If we’re really hungry, we need to eat. If we are hungry to enter His kingdom, we need to eat, to hear His word. But Jesus further indicates that “whoever has ears to hear” is also part of the mystery of the kingdom. For by nature, we do not have ears to hear. This parable is not about how we can make ourselves the good soil but about the power of the seed of His word to make us heirs of His kingdom, so take heed how you hear. V.11 indicates we have to be given those ears to hear the coming of His kingdom in His Word. And that seed of the Kingdom, “Jesus died for you,” contains within it the spectacular power to germinate faith and life, and produce the spectacular gift of ears to hear.

Still the scattering of the seed appears to be a haphazard failure. What farmer would plant this way? Three quarters of the parable describes failure. Why doesn’t God drive away all the birds, clear out the rocks, zap the weeds, and plant only in good well-turned soil? Because by nature there isn’t any good well-turned soil. But more the failures are man’s rejection of God’s love. A love so great He gave His only begotten Son into death for ungodly rebels like us. A love so great that despite natural man’s universal rejection Jesus continues apparently recklessly scattering His seed everywhere. A love so great that He allows the mockery by rebels to continue in the desire to save even one lost soul. So, shall we blame God because He has chosen to bring His kingdom by scattering His seed everywhere or give Glory to God that He has scattered that seed for us and given us ears to hear?

Yes, weeds will continue to choke, the sun will continue to scorch, and birds will continue to devour seeds from hardened hearts. But, people’s very rejection and mockery of God spotlights the amazing miracle of our present grace. Discredited by the intellectuals, the Word of the Virgin born is victorious winning hearts to His love. A love that has made you the Spirit born children of God. Attacked by a thousand Goliaths, the Word of the Son of David is victorious, preserving hearts in the love of His cross. A love that so cleanses you that it cuts off Satan’s ability to accuse you of even one sin. Appearing unimpressive, unspectacular, and insignificant the word of the King of Kings brings forth a miracle harvest, thirty, sixty, one hundred times what was sown in everlasting life through the eternal resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Yes, earthquakes may shake the foundations of the world causing devastation, but only that still quiet voice of God’s redeeming love in Christ creates for you an eternally unshakeable foundation. Thunder and lightning may set mountains ablaze like the fires that have been ravaging California, but only that still small voice of God’s forgiving love in Christ sets hearts ablaze with eternal joy. Winds may bring torrential rains flooding areas like Florida, Texas, and the whole path of hurricane Beryl, but only the still small voice of God’s saving love in Christ is the refreshing rain that brings forth the fruit pleasing to the LORD through faith in Christ. So shall we blame God because man mocks God, because we’ve failed to be holy, or give glory to God that trusting in Jesus’ holy, precious blood we / you have been washed clean? Because enabling us / you to follow Him, He is bringing forth a victorious harvest in you. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Amen. To God alone be the Glory.