Finding a better source than my feelings

“he [my father] taught me and said to me, ‘Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.’”
-Proverbs 4:4

“Keep my commandments, and live.” Stop and think about that statement a minute. How can any man make that claim? How could any father tell a son that, that his words are the way to life?

Do you understand how bold of a statement that is? Seriously. Imagine if I said to you, “You want the way to eternal life, just obey what I say.” The first thing you would ask is, “How in the world are you the authority on life?”

On my own, I can’t even see beyond my next sentence, much less forever. I can’t tell you what the weather is going to be like tonight. Neither could David, who was Solomon’s father. So when David tells Solomon in this passage that his words will bring life, he’s either egotistical to the point of delusion, or he’s got a source greater than himself.

You meet people every day who will tell you, with absolute certainty, what eternity is going to be like. On one side, you have devout atheists who mock those who believe in God. On the other side, you have people who just assume that God is love and will let anyone into heaven.

Ask them where they are getting their information. Ask them about the sources of their “wisdom.” Chances are, it’s just a feeling they have. Atheists cannot disprove God, because it’s logically impossible to prove a negative like “God doesn’t exist.” All you can prove is that you haven’t seen any convincing evidence. So they ultimately have no source for their beliefs, just an instinct. Universalists have come up with a god they like (a warm, fluffy god who doesn’t expect anything of us, like, you know, being a decent person) and believe in him, but that’s only a god based on themselves, not on a reliable source. They too are left with their feelings.

With great arrogance and foolishness they stand and say, “Believe me, and you will live.”

This from people who don’t even know what they will eat tomorrow.

That’s not what David or Solomon is doing here. Not at all. The only way either one would say such bold statements is because they know something outside themselves. They have encountered God – the God who created the world, who moves history, who is the source of all things good – and God told them Who He is. He has given us His Word, a Word that will stand forever.

And beyond that, He stepped into human history as the man Jesus. When we were lost in our sins, fatally fallen from the glory of God without a hope to recover, Jesus died in our place. Do not be fooled by those who say that everyone will get to heaven. In truth, every sin must be punished, because if we were dragging our sins into heaven, we would make it into a hell. But every one will be punished, and that means every lie you have told, every moment of hatred, every lustful glance, every greedy ambition. It will all be punished.

But listen to my words and life – Jesus died in our place. He paid for those sins. If we repent and believe, we will find life.

How can I say that, when I don’t know what shirt I’ll wear this weekend? I can say it because I know God. I have read His eternal Word. I have repented, and I believe in Jesus. I can say this because I have a Source.