The Death of the Testator

The Death Of The Testator

A will is a legal document that sets forth the manner an individual entrusts his inheritance to be carried out following their death. Contained within the wording of the will is language that clearly states the means of inheritance, promises given when the testament is carried out and all declarations pertaining to the wishes of the one executing the will. The single clause that makes a will binding or not is whether the person is still living. Before death a will can be changed innumerable times but after death cannot be changed. In death, the testimony of the will is enforced.

The writer of Hebrews explains what happened when Jesus Christ died on a cross outside of Jerusalem. “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives” (Hebrews 9:15-17).

Hebrew (Jewish) Christians were struggling with their faith and had suffered great persecution (Hebrews 10:32-34). The writer pleads with them not to “cast away your confidence which has great reward” (Hebrews 10:35). They had come so far and enjoyed the blessings of salvation in Christ and needed endurance to receive the promise (Hebrews 10:36-39). What they had to focus on was the new covenant of blessings enjoyed in Christ. They had a better hope (7:19), a better covenant (7:22; 8:6), better sacrifices (9:23), better possession (10:34), better country (11:16) and better provisions from God (11:40). The Law of Moses could promise none of these and only in the salvation of Jesus Christ would redemption be found (9:15).

The death of Christ (the testator) affirmed His will for all mankind. Jesus died to take away the curse of the law and the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Man can no longer be saved by keeping the law as Noah or Abraham followed. Salvation will not be found in the Law of Moses (including the Ten Commandments) because “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The death of the testator Christ established His will and nullified all covenants before the cross.

Salvation is in the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13) and the will of the Father is established in the death of Jesus when the new testament of grace was enacted.  Those who live in accordance with the new testament of God’s will enjoy the blessing of inheritance (Romans 8:15-16). Affirmed by His death Jesus created the avenue of redemption under the law of grace. The Jew can no longer be saved by Moses’ law nor modern day Sabbath keepers. Seeking justification by the old law will find one outside the legal parameters of the binding nature of the last will and testament of Jesus Christ.

In Philippi the jailor asked, “Sirs what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord” (Acts 16:30-34) to them in accordance with the will of the testator Jesus Christ. As proclaimers of His WILL we must do the same. Preaching the word is preaching the WILL of Christ. If we do not preach the WILL of God then we are teaching a false document of hope.

Gratitude Is The Memory Of The Heart

Gratitude Is The Memory Of The Heart

To be thankful for something is to remember in the heart a kindness or blessing shared by others whether deserved or not. There is so much to be thankful for in our lives. The land we live in was founded by those who sought a better life and established principles of morality to guide a young nation to be a great people. We live today as recipients of thousands who died to keep liberty free. Untold myriads have labored with their hands to forge out a land filled with prosperity and bounty. An unknown author said “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”

Thanksgiving has three eyes that look back at the sacrifice of others who make possible today with promise of tomorrow. As a nation of states united under one flag we enjoy the victory of battles fought to keep a union of freedom as the United States of America. The challenge of any nation is to find the courage to keep alive the passion of freedom which is quickly eroding into an atmosphere of distrust and fear. A heart of gratitude is to remember what others have died for so that we can treasure the present in the freedoms of liberty.

Few nations have enjoyed the level of prosperity as this country. Fields abound with crops and technology has allowed the wealth of our land to be used to fill stores with every imaginable creation known to man. Communities thrive with homes, automobiles, computers, communication devices and gadgets that marvel the science of modern man. The comforts of home have evolved into a world unknown by most countries and civilizations past. A heart of gratitude is to be thankful for the bounty of thanksgiving.

But is the spirit of our holiday Thanksgiving only about the freedoms we enjoy or the material opulence overwhelming our lives? In truth the liberty of our land is being challenged on every side and one day will largely be taken away. History is a cruel teacher to remind us what men do with power. The bounty of our land has made citizens to be selfish, self-centered and uncaring for others. Thanksgiving often becomes the token of kindness given one time a year but lacking any commitment to helping others the other 364 days of the year. What is the real meaning of thanksgiving?

To find the worth of something we must examine the content and character of what we have. Freedom is taken away, wealth is lost and life itself will end. “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28). A thankful heart will fill with the memory of what our Creator has given us as Paul said in Athens so long ago: “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28). Of all the things we should be thankful for it is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the bounty of our blessings in Christ and the anticipation of the return of God’s Son.

All men will die and all men will stand before God in Judgment. The sacrifice of Christ was given to save us from the penalty of sin and give us hope for His return. Our breath is held in the hand of God (Daniel 5:23). Thank you Lord for your enduring love and for the promise of eternal life beyond the grave. Death is no longer feared and that by itself is the greatest victory we have in thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Our praise is echoed by those in Revelation 7:12, “Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 7:11-12). Gratitude is found in the memory of our hearts reflecting upon the hand of God through the ages making possible our hope in the promise of God.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name … and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Psalm 100:4; Colossians 3:15). Thank you Lord for all you have done. Thank you Lord for what you give us each day. Thank you Lord for what you have promised. Thank you Lord.

The Spirit of Solomon

The Spirit Of Solomon

In the early days of the reign of Solomon, the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord. While there, God appeared to Solomon and asked him, “What shall I give you” (1 Kings 3:5)? The answer of the young king is revealing into the purity of motives and humility of heart impressed upon the son of David. Solomon praised his father David for his faithful walk with the Lord but now that he was king Solomon recognized the immense burden of leadership that now rest upon his shoulders. He would not ask of God riches and power but rather something that he understood was more important than anything found in the world: an understanding heart to judge the people. This request came from the spirit that dwelt in his own heart as he told the Lord, “I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” (1 Kings 3:7).

Children have a purity about them that comes from the innocence of age. They are fully trusting and dependent upon others to guide them and take care of them. No child can survive left alone and as the heart of the child grows it learns how to walk and talk and care for itself. When the child grows into maturity it leaves off that dependence and seeks its own way. Jesus described the people of God like children when He said, and said, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). The disciples wanted to know who would be great in the kingdom and Jesus reply is a child.

In our spiritual life we are never to mature to the point we no longer need God. We should always be children in our hearts like Solomon. Our confession daily must be we know not “how to go out or come in” and “I need thee every hour” (Annie S. Hawks). Our troubles come when we no longer think and act like a ‘child of God’ and are no longer little in our own sight. The predecessor of Solomon and David was Saul of Kish who in the beginning of his reign had the heart of a child. Then he took upon himself the role of thinking for God and in the final insult to God did not destroy the Amalekites as commanded by the Lord (1 Samuel 15). In his rebuke the prophet Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:17)? Saul lost his child like heart.

David wrote of the child’s heart in Psalm 131 – “Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalms 131:1-2). As children of God we follow the will of God without question and through our love for our Father. We are but children and with the spirit of a child’s heart we learn dependence (Matthew 6:25-34) and trust (Proverbs 3:5-8).

There are only children in the kingdom of God. No one is greater than another and we all serve one another as we serve one Father. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). Children learn to wash feet as Jesus shows in John 13. Children understand forgiveness (Mark 11:25-26). The spirit of a child is filled with love (1 John 4:7-11). Be like Solomon: “I am a little child.”

What is wrong with life

I think the biggest problem with life is that there is no background music.

Good News Voters - God Is Still In Control

[The following article is for the Thursday publication following election day]

 

Good News Voters – God Is Still In Control 

The election is over and all the tallies have been totaled. Many are disappointed because only one can fill the chair and the elected official enjoys the success of victory. From the dawn of time man has positioned himself into places of authority and power as nations rise and fall. Some seek power and fail while others gain notoriety unknown but through the circumstance of position. This process of rule is found in the ruthlessness of dictators and despots to the freedoms enjoyed by a democratic society allowing citizens to choose their kings and presidents. We are blessed with the privilege of voting for a candidate and hoping they will win. To cast a ballot is to cast a choice.

As the dust settles over the election of this year one thing will remain constant that has been true since the beginning of time. It is best explained by King David long ago when he wrote, “For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). Whether we understand the workings of God the final truth rest upon the hand of God upon all the nations of men (Psalm 47:8).

Daniel reminded King Belshazzar that it was God who had established Nebuchadnezzar as ruler of a kingdom and gave to him “all people, nations, and languages” that would tremble and fear the Babylonian ruler (Daniel 5:18-20). He also told the king that God holds the breath of all men in his hand (Daniel 5:23). No king can escape the power of God nor shall any man. “That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17).

In the city of Athens the apostle Paul said that God “has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:26-28). As Creator the Lord God has made all men and determined the boundaries of their power. No man shall ever rule the earth as many of tried and failed. God’s will is accomplished in every nation.

If God is in control does this suggest there is nothing I can do about those elected? This is much like prayer as someone may ask why pray if the Lord knows what we have need of before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Prayer is the manifestation of my faith toward God seeking His blessing and as prayer can change the course of events (James 5:13-18) so can my involvement in government help to sway the course of history. Why else are we admonished to offer “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)?

What happened Tuesday finds itself in our part as people of God to those elected to office. “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17).

Work

I have found the more work I do the more work gets done.