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The Family Of Jesus

The Family Of Jesus

 It is not every day that one can say their older brother is the Son of God. For James, Joseph, Simon, Judas and at least two sisters the family of Joseph and Mary enjoyed the blessing of Jesus being a son and a brother. Thanks to the Papists of long ago and the continuing doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church many people fail to realize that Jesus had brothers and sisters and lived a very normal life as a man. One of the great testimonies of God’s wisdom is the manner by which the Almighty embedded His Son into the world of humanity. The wisdom of man would have such royalty to come in grand measures of pomp and circumstance and God’s Son could only be of noble birth to noble parents and live life in a noble manner. Not so the life of Jesus. He came to save all men and to share the message of hope with the common man.

Joseph and Mary were poor folk living in Nazareth scraping out an existence in the work of carpentry. When the days of purification were complete Jesus was brought to Jerusalem at forty days to be presented at the Temple “and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons’” (Luke 2:24). The Law of Moses required a lamb to be presented but if the family was unable to afford a lamb a “young pigeon or a turtledove” could be presented “as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting” (Leviticus 12:6).

Jesus would be born of obscure parents in the eyes of men but royal spirits in the eyes of God. Luke records the message of the angel Gabriel to Mary, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" (Luke 1:28). The coming of the Son of God was the eternal plan of the Father and the question would be given to whom would receive the blessing of bearing the child into the world. Joseph and Mary were chosen not for their place in the world but in their place in the heart of God. Joseph was a just man (Matthew 1:19) and Mary would bear the child of Deity for nine months and in the natural manner of creation the Creator would be born. Luke would give the details of the birth in Luke 2 when as Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem “the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7). One has to express a sense of admiration for Joseph and Mary as alone in an animal’s crib the cries of labor and birth are echoed in the natural manner of birth for all men. Jesus entered the world in the manner of the pain decreed in the garden when the Lord said to Eve, “In pain you shall bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16).

Cutting the umbilical cord, cleaning the newborn and wrapping him in swaddling clothes, Joseph and Mary laid God’s Son in a manger of hay. As the newborn child lay in the manager some strangers approached to behold the new child. Shepherds from the field had come to see the newborn and marvel at “Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The King of God’s people did not come to the world in the palaces of power but the power of God’s grace in a crib of poverty.

Remaining in Bethlehem for nearly two years the little child would learn to walk and talk and play with the wooden toys Joseph would make for his little boy. What a marvelous time that would be for Joseph and Mary as they woke in the night to feed little Jesus, changing his ‘diaper’, helping him see the world about him, taking the little boy to the market place, laughing and smiling as this precious gift given to them by God would fill their lives. And how precious this gift was in so many ways. Joseph and Mary knew the little face that looked back at them and giggled with toothless grins was the Son of God. Luke points out in the genealogy record of Jesus that was Joseph was the “supposed” father of Jesus (Luke 3:23). Joseph knew he was not the father. How he loved his little boy. What a beautiful time for Mary to caress and care for the Son of God.

The day came when more strangers would enter their lives. Wise men from a faraway land would seek the young child and leave great gifts of wealth for the family (Matthew 2:1-11). What did this all men for Joseph and Mary? The answer would come when “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt” (Matthew 2:13-14). They would remain in Egypt away from the massacre of the innocent in Bethlehem and the bloody thirst of Herod (Matthew 2:16-18). When Herod died the family would return to Nazareth and live a quiet and peaceful life in the work of carpentry.

During this time at Nazareth Jesus’ brothers and sisters were born. Matthew records the names of four brothers and suggests at least two sisters of Jesus. “Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters … (Matthew 13:55-56; see also Mark 6:3). On a number of occasions the family of Jesus is mentioned. “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You’” (Matthew 12:46-47). The gospel writers speak of the brothers of Jesus in Mark 3:31-32; Luke 8:19-20; John 2:12; 7:1-10. Luke again refers to the brothers of Jesus in Acts 1:14. Paul includes the reference to the family of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1:19. It is commonly accepted the book of James is written by the brother of Jesus.

It is clear that some time before Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23) that Joseph had died. Mary is found with her sons or often alone with Jesus. How difficult that must have been on the family with the loss of such a wonderful husband and father. On the cross Jesus reflected that feeling when he prayed John would care for His mother (John 19:25-27). John also writes that there was a time the brothers of Jesus did not believe on Him (John 7:1-10). Yet we find in Acts 1:14, 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1:19 the brothers were an integral part of the early church.

Jesus grew up in a normal Jewish family. He ate with his family and worked with his family in carpentry and was subject to the same joys and sadness of life that all men experience. Hebrews 4:15 shows He faced the same temptations as His brothers and His sisters yet without sin. He partook of flesh and blood and shared in the same and was human just like you and me (Hebrews 2:14-18). He cried, laughed, hungered, experienced pain physically and mentally, was challenged by a sinful world and lived as human a life as any man since Adam.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Son of God was flesh and lived in the world as all men and died in the flesh to save us from sin. He was like us so that we can be like Him. “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). Thank God for the life of Jesus in the form of man.

Make Your Mother Proud

Make Your Mother Proud

No, this is not an article of showing your mother what a good job you have done or how you have finally grown out of your adolescence to adulthood or that you finally found a job where you can move out of the house. There are many things we should do as children to show our mother how we have learned to stand on our own two feet. However, the idea of making our mother proud of us is found in a most unlikely place but not that unusual. Driving through my neighborhood on Monday mornings there are large blue recycling bins with the words inscribed on the side, “Make Your Mother Proud.” Let me say at the beginning the principle of recycling is very good as I have my blue bin by the side of the road filled with all those wasteful elements of a modern society. But the idea that recycling plastic and paper and aluminum is somehow connected to a mystical mother of nature is innocent at first but deceptive in conclusion. Who is the mother earth? How can we understand earth to be our mother without acknowledging the Creator as the only creator of our world?

The beautiful world that we are stewards of belongs to our Father. This is my Fathers world that he has given to me to share and the world shows the glory of our Father. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). “He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion” (Jeremiah 10:12). “I have made the earth, and created man on it. I--My hands--stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded” (Isaiah 45:12). The glory of the earth is praise to the Creator for His divine will established its order, its design and its purpose.

Given honor to “mother earth” is to give honor to the elements of the world as created through an evolutionary process of natural adaptation. The world is established through the word of God and held together by that same creative word (2 Peter 3:5-7). “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The man was given task to “fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over … every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). He was also told to “tend and keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15) when he was placed in his first home. As a consequence of sin the ground was cursed where man would toil by the sweat of his brow to bring forth crops (Genesis 3:17-19). Following the flood man was allowed to eat meat and again was told to “fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1-7). A covenant was established by God with mankind and with the animals and with the earth. Man is accountable to the Father for care of creation; not a mystic mother.

The stewardship of the earth is seen in how man learns dependence upon the Father. Considering this is the world of the Father one can see the “invisible attributes” (Romans 1:20) of God and come to worship the Father through the revealed word of His revelation. The righteousness and wrath of God is revealed in His word (Romans 1:16-18) as the thumbprint of the Creator is found in the evidence of creation (Romans 1:20-23). Giving honor to the Father is to give honor to the one true Creator of heaven and earth.

It seems irrational to the human mind to consider the Father and the Son without suggesting a mother. However, the glory of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1) concludes with only the reality of the Father and the Son to determine how great our Father is and how so unlike He is to man (Psalm 50:21). "’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

One day this world will all be burned up and destroyed (2 Peter 3). It is winding down. “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished” (Isaiah 51:6). Recycle our world to help care for the earth but spiritual recycling is eternal (Acts 3:19; Romans 12:2).

Noah, Daniel and Job

Noah, Daniel & Job

Of all the great examples of faith in the Bible, no three men strike a more imposing image of faithfulness than Noah, Daniel and Job. The wickedness of the world of Noah was so great the Creator chose to destroy all mankind. Noah and his family were the only ones saved from the flood (Genesis 6-9). He was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) who walked with God and obeyed the warnings saving his household (Hebrews 11:7).

Daniel is the character of Babylonian and Persian heroism who defied the king to serve the one true God. He was faced with the challenge of the king’s delicacies and won the victory through his trust in God (Daniel 1). Death faced him in the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and again the Lord delivered him (Daniel 2). Later Daniel was cast into a den of lions for doing what he had always done since early childhood and the angel of the Lord closed the mouths of the beasts to save the aged man of God (Daniel 9)

Who can think of suffering and not think of the story of Job and the calamities that befell him. How much can a man take and retain his faith in God? Job was “blameless and upright and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). His devoted faith helped him endure untold misery in this suffering and to receive the blessing of the Lord in the end.

What do these three men have in common? The prophet Ezekiel uses these three men to describe the condition of a land that is filled with rebellion and wickedness. "Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord God ... Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness." (Ezekiel 14:13-14, 19-20).

Ezekiel’s use of Daniel is especially important to see they are contemporaries and the impact of Daniel’s righteousness was already well established in the hearts of the people of God. The sad part is how the wickedness of the people was so full that the presence of these three righteous men would not stay the judgment of God. “Even if these three men were in it” (Ezekiel 14:16) there would be no hope.

While Ezekiel shows the sinful nature of the people he illustrates the power of influence that a righteous person can have. Yes, the Lord said that judgment would come regardless if Noah, Daniel and Job were there. But the point is also made of the lasting example of character embedded on the pages of history by the lives of righteous men and women. We should live that our names would be lifted by the Lord as “lights in the world” in a “crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15).

Peter's Walk Of Faith

Peter’s Walk Of Faith

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:22-33)

Peter’s walk on the water is one of the powerful stories of scripture that show the faith of a man who trusted in the unknown because of his faith in the known. Peter, Andrew, James and John were seasoned fishermen. They had spent their lives on the water and understood the dangers of storms. How familiar the other eight men were to sailing these rough seas is not known but this night twelve men of Galilee were in the battle for their lives as their boat was tossed by the wind and waves. In the early morning mist of early morning they witnessed a most terrifying scene. They thought they saw a man walking on the water. They thought it was a ghost.

PETER WAS AFRAID OF THE UNKNOWN (V26). A lifetime of fishing had given Peter the assurance that men do not walk on water. He had fallen in the water a few times no doubt and heard of friends who perished drowning in the sea. Being battered about with a storm will tax the nerves and fray the consciousness of any sailor. But then to behold in the midst of this tumult a figure of a man walking on water would bring certain fear. Along with the eleven, Peter cried out in fear. This unknown terrified the heart and went against all logic and reason. They were seeing things as all men view the unknown; with trepidation. There could be no explanation for such an event. Fear is the worry of what we do not understand. When we live our lives in fear it is often because of what we do not know or understand. There is a result in living without knowledge that finds itself in the love of God.

PETER WAS UNAFRAID OF THE KNOWN (V27). Jesus reassures the disciples there is no need of fear because what they are seeing is not a ghost but rather their Lord. The day before Jesus had shown his power by feeding five thousand men (not counting the women and children). The Lord had shown the disciples the miracles of healing (Matthew 4:23-25; 8:1-17; 9:1-8) and had previously exhibited His power over the wind and waves (Matthew 8:23-27). Jesus exhorts the fearful men there is no need to fear because “It is I.” The apostle John would later write, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear because fear involves torment” (1 John 4:18). Peter was in the midst of a storm watching a man walk on water and he was not afraid because it was Jesus. How calming the reassurance of the presence of the Lord will remove all fear.

PETER WAS WILLING TO ACCEPT THE UNKNOWN (VV28-29). Remarkably and almost immediately Peter sees an opportunity to experience the same power of his Lord. Without hesitation Peter accepts the realities that if Jesus can walk on water then it will be possible for him to walk on water. His mind was clear in seeing through faith the impossibility becoming the possible. He asked a most incredible favor. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” The other disciples must have looked at Peter and thought him crazy. Peter was leaning over the bow of the boat talking to a man standing on water in the midst of a violent storm and he wants to step out of the boat and walk on water? Some men seize the moment and some are seized by the moment. Peter steps over the railing and puts his foot on the water. His eyes must have filled with wonder as he placed both feet on the tempestuous sea and began walking. Did he turn for a moment and look at the faces of the eleven staring in disbelief? Would his heart be able to endure the excitement of the unknown being accomplished? His faith had given him the courage to do the most impossible thing. In that moment of rarified air the disciple walked with his Lord. He was endued with the same power of His Lord. When we have the faith to step out of the boat and trust the Lord we can accomplish anything. It takes a lot of faith to put the leg over the side and stand on the impossible. Jesus will remind the twelve of this later when He said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Peter was moving a mountain in the midst of the sea.

PETER WAS UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THE KNOWN (V30). What started as fear turned to courage failed for lack of faith. Only Peter had stepped out of the boat. Only Peter could tell disciples later that he walked on water. But it was Peter who would have to tell the “rest of the story” of when in the moment of his greatest victory of faith he took his eyes away from the source of his miracle to the realities of the storm. The waves were splashing around him soaking him and the wind whistled in fury as the foam of the water hurled itself in torrents of rain. He had the courage to ignore those realities when he first stepped out of the boat but now as he walked on water and confidence grew in his heart his faith began to waver. Fear returned but instead of fearing the unknown he feared the known. Sinking in the storm Peter cries out for the Lord to save him. The measure of his faith shrank in the face of what he saw with his eyes. He doubted the protection of the Lord. His trust began to be in himself. He was sinking in his own disbelief. It took great courage to believe he could walk on water and greater faith to make that first step. But faith must continue in the face of adversity. Our faith will be tested at times in the moments of our greatest victories to take our eyes off of the Lord and focus on ourselves. Without the power of God in our lives we will sink in the despair of our own pride. The only salvation we have is to trust in the Lord. Peter cried out to the Lord and he was saved.

There are many things in life that bring fear. The unknown is a universe of questions that can fill the heart with dread. Man alone facing the unknown can only find fear. Jeremiah reminds us “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). With all of our wisdom man is still made “a little lower than the angels” (Psalm 8) and limited in time and space. Our fears are real and without an answer will fill life with the uncertainty of human experience. Only when we realize He who walks on water as the Son of God and trust in His voice, His power, His love and His grace will man find his worth. What separates man from animals is prayer. Only man needs to pray and can pray and through this experience learns dependence upon the Creator. Wisdom is not found in man but God (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Peter feared the unknown but gained strength when he realized it was the Son of God. Our lives can only be realized when we recognize the power of Jesus Christ and His power to walk on water, raise the dead, heal the sick, calm the storms and die on a cross for my sin. In the face of great victories we must never lose sight of whose power we live by. As Peter took his eyes off of Jesus to see the world as it was so we must not look at this world as our home. Faith can be destroyed when we begin to trust in this life and not the power of the life to come.

Peter walked on water. He walked by faith and he walked with courage. We can walk on water in faith and pressed by courage given to us by our Lord we will overcome. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

The Thrill Kill

The Thrill Kill 

The senseless killing of an Australian student in Oklahoma has stunned the nation as details emerge for the motive. Citing the reason for the killing as for the “fun of it” three teens are charged with killing the 22-year old while jogging. No matter the age of the gunmen the propensity of man’s cruelty to others is a reflection of the moral climate generated by a society that views man as an animal and denies the accountability of life. Satan’s tempting of Eve is the battle cry for the destruction of the moral values and belief in God. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'  Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:1-5). Satan tempted Eve to look at herself and believe that she is her own god and that like the animals there will be no consequence to life. She believed the lie and Satan won the day.

Fast forward to the moral climate of today which is no different since the victory of Satan in the garden. The ‘thrill kill’ by these three young men is how society views humanity. Everyone is enraged of a “senseless” killing yet abortions continue unabated daily as millions of unborn children are slaughtered on the altars of convenience. Humanism has taken man and made him no different than an animal. The sanctity of life is not treasured as precious but worshipped in the gory details of a glorification of death.  Violence is the thirst of society. Why are we shocked by the Romans who built grand coliseum’s to slaughter humans in gladiatorial battles and today we revel in the glut of blood flowing from our televisions? What are the popular shows of our day? In the old days of television death was sanitized when someone was shot because you never saw a bullet hole. Today through the marvel of creative minds we are able to watch a CSI event unfolding before our eyes as the body is opened up in bloody details to the joy of viewers. The more body parts blown apart in violence the better. Body counts sending ratings higher as killers (or aliens) slaughter everyone in sight. Death is a trivial thing.

This does not suggest that death should be sanitized. We have made great strides to lessen the impact of death. Hospitals and funeral homes have taken much of the sorrow of disease and death away from the home. Bodies of loved ones would be cared for by the family and buried in family plots in times past. But when society begins to accept death as entertainment and exalts in the death of one person Satan has found his way in the hearts of man. He wants man to view death as nothing better than killing a dog. While cruelty to animals should never be accepted the truth remains that God has given the animals to man for food (Genesis 9:1-17). When a man kills a cow to eat it is not murder. Animals are not eternal beings as they have not been made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Killing another human being is murder. "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). The three teens in Oklahoma did not believe this. They were taught that man is an animal and to shoot this young man was just a sport and would be “fun.” No different than shooting a dog running along the road.

The sanctity of life can only be measured by the reality of death. When someone is killed there are myriads of consequences to consider. An eternal being has been killed. Not the eternal nature of man of course but the mortal tabernacle. As this young man was jogging along the road he had so many things in life he wanted to accomplish. It was his Senior year of college, he had a girlfriend and he had family and friends. In the split second of life he hears a pop and feels an incredible pain falling to the ground. His mind begins to cloud and a strange feeling overwhelms him as life slowing slips from his body. Hearing the sounds of those trying to save him he struggles to understand what is happening. And then in an eternal moment he dies and enters the realm of eternity. That happens each time someone dies. And yet society lusts for the blood of others to satisfy their deep desire for the morbidity of death.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4). The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul what has been true since the Garden of Eden. Man has not changed his nature he has only changed his method. When men love themselves they seek their own gratification and thrills. Driven by material lusts they boast themselves as gods exalting with pride their power and dominion over others. Blaspheming their own nature they deny the one true God and reject the counsel of the hoary head. There is nothing to be thankful for as they force their will on others through their own wickedness. What love did these young men have for another human being? Speeding away from their victim lying in a pool of blood they sought to find another thrill to shoot. They are living for self in a pitiless spirit that denies the meaning of good. Their power is in their ability to shoot a man down and with arrogant spirit of self-imposed greatness brag to one another of the thrill. Pleasure is a momentary thrill while suffering is left on the side of the road. God is not a part of their lives.

The most popular video games are those that allow the gamer to kill without conscience. Movies like “Hunger Games” exalt the pretense of killing others for sport or survival. Does death only matter if it impacts my world? If one person is killed does it matter? The way we view death as a society will govern what we do with death as an individual. Man is an eternal being but when man and animal are put on the same level then we have done nothing more than clambered a little farther out of the evolutionary green slime of humanism. Ironically animals are being exalted to the level of humans while humans are degraded to the level of animals. It would not be surprising if there are more laws protecting animals than man. The killing of a human being was a greater thrill than shooting a dog because there is the innate conscience of these three young men that understood that human life was holy. Denying that reality they chose to shoot a man down like a dog. To them that is all he was. So much for the moral code of our enlightened society that permits abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia.

From the reports as to what motive they had in killing the man it seems as trivial as watching him run by their house and the decision to take a gun and shoot him. As the events began to unfold with finding the gun and getting in the car and driving by the unsuspecting victim the reality of consequence never entered the mind. The thrill they expected was the nature of sin. Live for the moment because there will be no consequence to your actions. Satan told Eve, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Eve was convinced that her actions were without concern and that God had lied to her in not allowing her to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eat, drink and be merry because what you can do - you do by your own pleasure and tomorrow will never come is how Eve was persuaded to take the forbidden fruit. In every case of sin (without exception) the fruit of the moment can be enjoyed without the fruit of consequence. Why did Cain kill Abel (Genesis 4)? He did not believe there would be any consequence and in the heat of anger slew his brother. What drives the passion of man but the denial that what I am doing now will have a consequence later!

It must be pointed out the consequence that is important is not the mug shots of the three perpetrators of this terrible crime. The “thrill” they thought they would have is gone in the police portraits. Their lives are not fun and the freedom they had hours earlier is taken away. What must be understood is the consequence of their actions was lost as they made plans to shoot their victim. The consequence of their lives is now marred by murder. Why did this happen? “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man” (Matthew 15:18-20). It is sad these three young men did not have the training of the heart to know the evil of murder. But the reality of parental and societal influence created these hearts. When the world rejects God and becomes a God-less people then senseless killings will continue.

Ironically we have clarion calls to remove any vestige of God from our land and as we remove the Creator from our world the chaos of God-less values exalts the inhumanity of man against himself. What happens when man becomes his own god?

“Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:21-32).

Man worships a greater god when he worships himself because he becomes his own lawgiver. His futility is measured by how great he thinks he is. His totem becomes his own passions and desires rejecting the nature of an eternal being who is his Creator. Homosexuality is exalted now as a normal way of life as women exchange the natural use for what is against nature and men leaving the natural use of the woman burn in their lust for one another. The nature of wickedness is there is no consequence to life. In all that Paul wrote in Romans 1 the key is the failure of man to recognize the “righteous judgment of God” (verse 32). Whether murder, homosexuality, evil-mindedness, covetousness or whatever passion man follows there will be consequence. “Futile in their thoughts … became fools … dishonor their bodies … vile passions … against nature … shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due … debased mind … worthy of death” (Romans 1:21,22,24,26,27,28,32).

Whether it happens in this life is of no consequence but the reality of eternal God who demands justice is the greatest reality man must understand. Shooting a man in the back brought consequences. A man is dead. A family is impacted in no way any family should be. Three young men may spend their lives in prison. A nation of hypocrites is shocked by the crime while glorifying the godless values responsible for a culture of death. Joseph understood the nature of his actions when he declared to the wife of Potiphar, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God" (Genesis 39:9)? The son of Jacob knew that life was about a relationship with God and that sexual immorality had greater consequence than being found out by Potiphar or the possibility of a sexual disease. “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4) because it is against the nature of the holiness of God. Judgment will be meted out to all who fail to understand the nature of God and the consequence of sin. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

We should grieve and pray for the family of the young man killed. Our prayers should be towards the lives to the three young men who live without God. As a nation we continue to spiral into the depths of a godless society driven by the passions of human wisdom. The wisdom of God will last long after the United States of America is gone. We believe that we will always be “one nation under God” but the deterioration of those fundamentals truths will destroy us from within. In truth all that matters is when we reach the shores of eternity. The consequence of my life will be the only thing I am concerned about in that day.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:16-21).

I Am Willing

I Am Willing 

“Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’” (Mark 1:41). Leprosy would be an indescribable disease to live with to say nothing of the reality there is no cure. Yet a leper comes to Jesus and asked the impossible. Begging the Lord on his knees, the penitent man implores the blessing of relief from Jesus. Three words fell upon the ears of the man and then a most wonderful thing happened. Jesus touched him. Two miracles happened with the touch. How can one live without contact from another? The cruelty of leprosy is the abandonment of others. Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. In that touch the miracle happened. Jesus took away every horrible, miserable, painful and disgusting putrid feeling of the disease. Cleansed! Cured! Living with joy! Redemption! Relief!

Compassion moved Jesus to heal the man as He did on so many occasions. The Lord offered Himself on the cross but He had prepared His gift of servitude throughout His life. Jesus healed multitudes (Matthew 12:15; 15:30; 19:2; Luke 5:15; 9:11). He was tired, weary, exhausted and yet He came to serve and was willing to give of Himself in life and in death. “I am willing” is why He came to earth. “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

The mystery of godliness Paul spoke about in 1 Timothy 3:16 is the willingness of Jesus to heal man of his worst disease – sin. He was willing without our regard for Him. We were “without strength” and Jesus died for us (Romans 5:6). The hatred of men nailed the Son of God to a tree but He was willing to die for me. In the garden, “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will’” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus was willing only to do the will of His Father.

Jesus was willing to “touch us” in our filth. As leprosy alienated one from any contact or fellowship, sin estranged us from God and abandoned us to destruction. He is willing to reach forth His hand and touch us because He loves us with deep compassion. Before the cleansing power of His blood cleanses us the thought that Jesus is willing to touch us should destroy any pride or arrogance on our part. The Son of God will touch me. He will reach out and offer compassion to me. I who am untouchable was touched by the hand of Jesus. Thank you Lord.

Living with leprosy was a life filled with misery every minute of the day and every day of the year for a lifetime until death mercifully took the pain away. But now at the touch of the Master’s hand the pain was gone. The ugly deformed body was now whole again and pain free. When Jesus takes our sins away we are free from the sting of death and the victory of Hades. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). The painful nature of sin is removed as the Lord has taken our sins and removed them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

What does it feel like to be pain free? How does life smell now without the putridity of death’s stench filling our nostrils? We are whole again as a newborn baby (John 3) and the disease of sin will no longer have dominion over us (Romans 6:14). Thank God for His healing. Thank God for His compassion. Thank God for giving hope in His Son (Romans 5:1-5).

Jesus told the cleansed leper to “’say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction” (Mark 1:44-45). If you were cured of the worst case of cancer known to man would you not tell someone? Would it be possible to hold back the good news of your cleansing and how wonderful you felt to be cleansed of such a dreaded disease? Sin is so much worse than the most deadly disease known to man. Being cleansed of our sins how can we not be like the leper of Mark 1 to proclaim freely and spread the good news of cleansing to everyone we know? There were those who did not believe the man but there were those who did. Their lives were changed by the life of a cleansed leper. As children of God we are all cleansed sinners who need to tell the story. Jesus was willing. Am I?

"Capital punishment is a controversial issue. Both sides of the argument cry out with ever increasing fervor. Regardless of which view you hold, there is one common ground. When a convict is strapped to a gurney, an electric chair, or the porous gas chamber, everyone recognizes that a heinous crime has been committed. Capital punishment is not administered to MARGINAL OFFENDERS of the law. The cross of Jesus Christ should stir the same emotions that are triggered by capital punishment. We should be reminded of the SEVERITY OF OUR SIN. Jesus didn't die because we were MARGINAL OFFENDERS of God's law. He died because we have committed the most serious offense of all: rebellion against God. It's a crime worthy of death, but thankfully, Jesus took our place on the hill of execution." (Author Unknown)

 

Nehemiah's Prayer

Nehemiah’s Prayer

The depth of character can be found in the heart of a man’s prayer. When a man of God approaches the eternal throne the heart is laid open with the true nature of the relationship shared with the heavenly Father. Nehemiah son of Hacaliah was a man of prayer who found himself born in a world literally foreign to his upbringing. Some seventy years earlier his family had been taken away from the homeland of Israel to the captivity of a Babylonian king. Raised in a world given over to paganism Nehemiah was blessed with parents who instilled in his young heart a love for Jehovah and the holy city of Jerusalem. Everything around him was in conflict to what he learned of the Holy Scriptures. Yet his heart was filled with the Law of Moses and the grace of God.

In manhood he took his place as a servant of the king and queen. He would walk among the nobles in the palaces and serve as the cupbearer to the king. The temptations would be immense to walk with the great powers of the kingdom of Assyria and to see nothing but the glory of men in marble houses of nobility. But the heart of the son of Hacaliah was burned upon the pages of God’s word. His deep love was for a place he had never seen but knew the significance of the passing glory taken away because of sin.

While serving the king in the citadel of Susa, Nehemiah met Hanani one of his brethren who had returned from Jerusalem. He asked “concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity and concerning Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 1:2). The news was not good. There was great distress among the people and the city still lay in ruin with the walls broken down and the gates burned with fire. The news was so terrible that Nehemiah could not withhold his great sorrow and remorse. “So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). This for a city and place he had only seen through the eye of faith. His remorse led him to prayer.

HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. There is a striking similarity to the Nehemiah’s prayer and the prayer used by Jesus in the sermon on the mountain (Matthew 6:9-13). In his grief Nehemiah acknowledges how “great and awesome” (v5) God is. The reason God’s name is holy is because of the faithfulness of the Lord to keep His “covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments” (v5). He understood the relationship of faithfulness is not based upon the action of the people but upon the grace of God. His grief came at the cost the people paid for their wickedness and the righteous judgment of the Lord who kept faithful to His promises (Jeremiah 25:11).

FORGIVE OUR SINS. A powerful message in the heart of Nehemiah was his acceptance of the wrong committed by his father’s generation that caused the people to be in bondage. He prayed for the children of Israel and confessed the sins of the people “which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned” (v6). It is difficult to get people today to see their own sins and yet here is a man of God acknowledging the sins of a few generations – including himself. Nehemiah was not even born with Nebuchadnezzar took the captives to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36). Seeking forgiveness he acknowledged his sin as acting “very corruptly” against the Lord and all the commands given by the Lord (v7). Nehemiah’s prayer was one of godly sorrow that led him to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).

PLEADING THE PROMISES OF GOD. Prayer is acknowledging the promises of God whether good or evil. Nehemiah recounts the promises made in the Law that God would grant life to the people if they obeyed Him but punishment if they disobeyed Him (Deuteronomy 28-30). The people deserved the punishment of seventy years because they had rebelled against the Lord and received the just measure of God’s grace in punishment. Included in the pronouncement of judgment the Lord had also shown His mercy by offering redemption if the people would turn their hearts back to Him. Nehemiah pleads the promise of Deuteronomy 30:1-10 as Daniel acknowledged in Daniel 9. The people had shown a heart of trust again in the Lord. The Temple was rebuilt and through the leadership of Ezra the people had begun to turn their hearts back to Jehovah.

YOURS IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER. The cupbearer for the king affirms the redemption of the people was only possible by the power of God and His strong hand (v10). The decree of Cyrus (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1) to return the people to Jerusalem was not through man’s wisdom but by the providential care of the Lord. Prayer necessitates man to know the Lord is great and powerful and the breath of man is held in the hand of his Creator (Daniel 5:23). Paul described it to the people of Athens when he declared, “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). If there was any hope for the people it would only be by the grace of God.

THY WILL BE DONE. The conclusion of Nehemiah’s prayer is specific in what is in his heart. Hearing the news of despair from Jerusalem Nehemiah has determined in his heart to go and help restore the spirit of the people. He knows that as cupbearer he will have to gain permission from the king and his prayer is directed toward that plea. “Be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man” (Nehemiah 1:11). This was a bold plan on Nehemiah’s part to consider going to a place of desolation and he needed the blessing of God to accomplish it. It was not until the month of Nisan that Nehemiah was granted permission by the king to undertake the journey to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2). By God’s grace and the courage of Nehemiah, the walls of Jerusalem were built in 52 days.

PRAYER REALIZED. Jesus taught the power of faith and prayer when He said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6). Who would have imagined a cupbearer to a foreign king would come to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls in less than two months? Only if this man was a person of prayer devoted to the mercy of God and faithful in the word of the Lord. The prayer of Nehemiah paves the way for all of God’s people to trust in Him fully and rely upon His power and mighty hand to accomplish great things in their lives. The measure of our lives will be determined by the measure of our prayers.

Some Ridicule And Some Humble Themselves

Some Ridicule And Some Humble Themselves

The nature of man from the beginning has changed little. What a wonder the world must have been through the eyes of the first generations of man. Following the expulsion from the garden, Adam and Eve bore two sons named Cain and Abel. In time Cain became angry with his brother and killed him (Genesis 4). When the Lord punished Cain he still showed a rebellious heart. He did not seek forgiveness but complained his punishment was too great. The mark placed on Cain was the sign of grace from God but of what value to Cain? He cared nothing for the word of God.

In the days of Noah the world had become so corrupt it would be destroyed by a repentant Creator (Genesis 6). Man refused to acknowledge the message of God and seeks his own wisdom. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:20-21). The message of God would be ridiculed and rejected to their destruction. Only eight souls would humble themselves and seek the Lord (1 Peter 3:20).

The pattern of men has always been to seek their own wisdom and turn away from the only true hope given for salvation. During the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, the people of God would follow the same path of rejection. Hezekiah sought to restore the worship of Israel to the pattern of the Law. It was agreed to proclaim throughout all Israel that everyone should come to Jerusalem to “keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner” (2 Chronicles 30:5). Sending couriers throughout the land the message of worship was announced. The message was simple: return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel; do not be like the rebellious fathers of old; “yield yourselves to the Lord”; worship in truth (2 Chronicles 30:6-10). The runners went from town to town announcing the call to worship.

Satan went ahead of the message and disheartened the spirit of the people. “But they laughed at them and mocked them. Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 30:10-12). How could the people of God – the chosen people – laugh and scorn the message of hope? They even went so far as to mock them with scorn and contempt. These were the holy people of God set apart from the promise to Abraham (Genesis 12). How sad but how common in the spirit of men today.

Preaching the good news of salvation is likened to trying to rescue someone from a burning house or sinking ship. It would seem incredulous that a person trapped in a burning house would refuse to hear the pleas of those trying to save them. The natural instinct of survival drives men to take drastic measures to save themselves in situations of peril. But the powerful persuasion of the devil is able to convince a drowning man that he is not in jeopardy or a person being consumed by fire that all is well. Hezekiah’s messenger had the right message and the only hope possible yet the people ‘laughed them to scorn and mocked them.”

So often a person can come to worship services and sit in the pew singing with the congregation and ‘going through the motions’ and yet has no interest or desire to make changes in their lives. The message of salvation is preached and they (in a figure) laugh to scorn the message. By their lives they mock the efforts to bring them to Christ and turn away from admonitions to effect change in their hearts. Like the soil of Jesus’ parable, the heart is the wayside or stony ground that bears no fruit (Matthew 13:4-6). In time they leave seeking their own way apart from the grace of Christ.

The message of Hezekiah’s day is still the same for the gospel today. There is a need to “return to the Lord” and seek His favor and blessings. Preaching the gospel is exhorting people to not repeat the history of those who rejected the Lord and became stiff-necked in heart. “Yield yourselves to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 30:8) is the same sermon preached by Paul in the Roman letter. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:12-13).

Sadly the rejection of the people in Hezekiah’s day and in our world today is only a temporary rejection. While men will refuse to honor God now they will honor Him in death. For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (Romans 14:11; Isaiah 45:23). Those who laughed to scorn and mocked the messengers of Hezekiah are not laughing now nor mocking the word of God.

Within the people of God remained a faithful remnant who “humbled themselves” (2 Chronicles 30:11) and came to worship in accordance with the pattern of the Law. Many people responded to the call of repentance and “there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven” (2 Chronicles 30:26-27). The rarified spirit of man lifted up by the singleness of heart in praise and worship to God filled the city and spread throughout the land. What a wonderful time for those who trusted in the Lord and rejoiced in the message of hope.

How special the time we spend together lifting up our voices in praise and worship seeking the favor of our benevolent Father. Paul and Silas filled the prison in Philippi with their worship showing us the pattern of faithfulness in a dark world (Acts 16). Trusting in the power of the Lord the people of God remain faithful to the pattern laid down by the early disciples. The restored worship of Hezekiah is a lesson in bringing people back to the one true God. What a joy is found in walking in the old paths of righteousness. The word of the Lord is enduring throughout the ages. With humble hearts we submit and yield our spirits to the will of God and He will bestow on us the riches of heaven. David writes, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalms 122:1). Let us all “rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

When Pride Rules In Place Of God

When Pride Rules In Place Of God

Uzziah (Azariah) was sixteen years old when he became king of Judah (2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 26). His reign spanned more than half a century and was characterized by his faithfulness to the Lord. “He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper” (2 Chronicles 26:5). The king was able to subdue the Philistines, Arabs, Meunites, and Ammonites with his fame reaching even the palaces of Egypt. His army was a super power of his day lead by 2600 “chief officers of the mighty men of valor” and 307,500 soldiers “that made war with mighty power” (2 Chronicles 26:12-13). It was an army of well trained and well equipped soldiers who could defeat any foe. What began as a period of righteousness and favor from God would end with the defeat of human pride.

Being the king of a powerful army makes one feel invincible. Marching against the Philistines and defeating them with great power can excite the blood of man. Realizing that no power can overthrow you, the spirit of man begins to falsely listen to the siren calls of self-indulgent arrogance. Uzziah looked upon his well-trained, well-disciplined fighting machine of death and breathed deeply in his own power. The king of Babylon later in history would fall to the same lie of Satan: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty” (Daniel 4:30). Nebuchadnezzar and Uzziah were charmed by their own power and the honor they were given by the world.

The text says of Uzziah, “But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense” (2 Chronicles 26:16). The reason he was strong was not because of his own might but the power of God. He failed to listen to the admonition of what Isaiah declares in Isaiah 31:21 – “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!” Ironically people of God need to have strong hearts but the strength of heart should come from the Lord and not one’s self.

Uzziah was so emboldened he decided that he did not need any man to serve as intercessory to God and that he could change the law of God to fit his own power. If he was powerful enough to destroy any man on the face of the earth then most likely God Himself would bow before him. He enters the temple of God to burn incense which was forbidden by any but the Levites. Azariah the priest along with 80 other priest withstood the king for committing such an abomination (2 Chronicles 26:16-18). What courage these priest had to stand against such a powerful king but they knew they must serve God and not men (Acts 5:29). The king became furious. How dare these puny priests defy the great king Uzziah? Did they not know who he was and how powerful he was? He now regarded the servants of the Lord as nothing in his own eyes. The Levites were the descendants of Aaron the High Priest but to Uzziah they were nothing.

The angels of God are amazed by the pride of men (Psalm 8:5). In the midst of his fury, Uzziah came face to face with Jehovah. “While he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar” (2 Chronicles 26:19). He was a leper until the day he died. The great king of the super-power Judah would be cut off from everyone because of his pride. Even in death he was buried in the field of burial which belonged to the kings because he was a leper (2 Chronicles 26:21-23).

How sad when men leave their hearts of trust in the Lord to lean upon their own understanding. “My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones” (Proverbs 3:1-8). Pride is the center of man’s fall with shame, strife, foolishness, destruction, evil and dishonor.

All rebellion against the Lord is rooted in selfish pride to do what I want to do. Satan first tempted Eve to challenge the word of God by asking, “Has God indeed said” (Genesis 3:1)? In other words Eve, ‘You should rely upon your own wisdom and reject the counsel of God. Obviously God does not know what He is doing so you must take charge of your life. Live for the now. Do what you want to do. Enjoy life on your terms.’ And that has been the lie of Satan to exalt the pride of man over the favor of the Lord. Uzziah filled himself with his own pride and lived a leper shunned by man.

Why are there so many different avenues of faith in the world? Why are there so many churches? What reason can be found for men failing to worship the one true God? How does man live with himself in his rejection of the Bible and the truth of Jesus Christ? Why do men fill themselves with the passions of the flesh? The foundation of sin is pride. As in the final days of the Judges, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). But like Uzziah all men will find that life is not about the pride of man but the final word from the Lord. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Death is a reminder that God is in charge. Man cannot control his destiny because the breath he possesses is held in the hand of God (Daniel 5:23). What is man that makes him fill himself with such arrogance that he can escape his Creator? Submitting to the Lord is all we can do for we are all subject to His power. Try as we might we cannot resist the judgment of God. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).

And The King Listened To Them

And The King Listened To Them

Joash (Jehoash) was seven years old when he became king. He was nearly killed in the slaughter of the royal heirs of the house of Judah by Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah. Jehoshabeath (Jehosheba) the daughter of Ahaziah rescued Joash hiding him in the bedroom of his nurse. For six years he lived in the house of God while Athaliah reigned over the land (2 Chronicles 22:10-12; 2 Kings 11). Through the courage of Jehoiada, the high priest (and his uncle), Athaliah was killed and Joash was crowned king.

The reign of the boy king would last forty years. He is remembered as one of the good kings of Judah. “Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles 24:2). He repaired the Temple of God restoring it to “its original condition and reinforced it” (2 Chronicles 24:13). This golden time of Judah was filled with the burnt offerings presented in the house of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

The story of Joash takes a tragic turn when Jehoiada dies at the age of 130 years. Following his death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Their actions seem to show their lack of honor and respect to Jehoiada the priest. Immediately following the death of Jehoiada Joash decides to following the advice of his leaders in contrast to all Jehoiada had stood for and established throughout the land of Judah. “And the king listened to them. Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen” (2 Chronicles 24:17-19).

No one can doubt the influence of Jehoiada as long as he lived. The people honored this priest by burying him in the “City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house” (2 Chronicles 24:16). Sadly it seems the tomb was barely sealed when the people decided to abandon all of the good done by Jehoiada and pursue their fleshly desires. The Lord sent many prophets to the king and the people to turn them back to righteousness but they would not listen. Finally the “the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, ‘Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.' So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, ‘The Lord look on it, and repay!’" (2 Chronicles 24:20-22).

By the providential hand of God Joash is rescued as a baby from death and hidden for six years. At the age of seven he is made king and under the tutelage of a great man of God is known for the good he does for the kingdom of God. Almost immediately at the death of his mentor, the king lets loose the passions of the people and murders the son (his cousin) of his best teacher and guide. No explanation is given for this severe change of heart save his willingness to listen to the people rejecting the counsel of Jehoiada.

John the apostle wrote in the Revelation how the example of those who die in the Lord live through their lives imprinted upon those who remain. But the key to that influence is following the right counsel of those who show righteousness in their lives. Jehoiada had a profound impact upon Joash but only while he lived. The Lord blessed the king as long as he followed the righteous counsel of his uncle. At first he listened to the counsel of his leaders and followed their advice. But why would he reject the continued counsel of the prophets sent to him by the Lord? When so many righteous people are advising the king to make better choices would he not listen? Would not the volume of righteous notes of exhortation bend the ear of the king to do the right thing? His frustration seemed to increase when Jehoiada’s son also condemned the king for his unrighteous life. Now the boy king resorts to murder. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

There are many children of Joash today. Those who under the careful guide of parents live a life of righteousness and then leave the Lord when that influence dies. Sadly how often at the death of the parents or grandparents the family deteriorates into moral decay as children leave the Lord, their mates and the example of faithfulness left as a legacy by those who stood for truth.

A lesson is found in Joash about whom to receive advice. He listened to the wrong crowd and the nation suffered for it. “If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his servants become wicked” (Proverbs 29:12). Solomon listened to the wrong crowd (2 Chronicles 10:6-19).  The Chronicles tell of the last days of Joash the king with mournful tones of defeat. “For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings” (2 Chronicles 24:24-25).

Who will you listen and seek advice? The advice of men will not bring you happiness. Jesus asked the twelve if they would leave him and Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Only the Lord has words of eternal life and not the counsel of men. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful” (Psalms 1:1). History proves with each generation the wisdom of men brings misery and the knowledge of God brings hope. Godliness is profitable for this life (1 Timothy 4:8) because our Creator has given us the words of real truth.

Lessons From The Son Of Abijah

Lessons From The Son Of Abijah 

In the days of the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah, few kings of Judah were righteous kings. Among the few good kings, Asa son of Abijah was one of bright stars of the people of God. He did what was “good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 14:2) removing the trappings of idol worship and commanding Judah “to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4). But more than giving commands Asa proved his own devotion by example. When Zerah the Cushite marched out against Judah with a vast army and 300 chariots, Asa “cried out to the Lord his God, and said, "Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!" (2 Chronicles 14:11). Judah destroyed the army of Zerah (2 Chronicles 14:12-15).

Following the great victory over Zerah, Azariah son of Oded came and prophesied to Asa reminding him that “the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). Azariah confirmed to Asa the blessing and curse of the Lord (Romans 11:22) when men choose to follow the will of God and when they chose to follow their own will. This gave Asa courage (2 Chronicles 15:8) as he continued to purge the land of unrighteousness. Because of the power of God working in the land of Judah large numbers of people had come over to Asa when they saw the Lord his God was with him (2 Chronicles 15:9).

Declaring their faithfulness to the one true God, Asa assembled all Judah and Benjamin together in Jerusalem to enter a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul. This covenant was emphasized in a most remarkable manner: “whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman” (2 Chronicles 15:13). Asa was not a man after God’s heart in word only but in action. The righteous sought the Lord “with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around” (2 Chronicles 15:15).

The story of Asa that began with such promise however had a tragic end. For unknown reasons the king used the wisdom of man to protect the land against the army of Baasha king of Israel. Making a treaty with Ben-Hadad with the silver and gold Asa had put in the temple of God, Asa sealed his final years with war. Hanani the seer warned Asa that rejecting the council of God for his own wisdom was folly (2 Chronicles 16:7-9). Had the king forgotten the great victory over the Cushites and Libyans? “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).  Angered the king put Hanani in prison and brutally oppressed some of the people.

“And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign” (2 Chronicles 16:12-13). There are lessons to learn from the son of Abijah.

COEXIST

Coexist

A popular bumper sticker reflects a growing trend for religious and social tolerance combining symbols of Islam, Judaism and Christianity with variations suggesting tolerance of paganism, sexual equality, Eastern religions and homosexuality. COEXIST has become a mantra of equality for all systems of belief and the acceptance of any lifestyle. The meaning of “coexist” is to live in harmony with or alongside of others disregarding differences in the basic tenets of faith and any condemnation of a sexual preference. Is it possible to ‘coexist’ with other faiths based upon the teachings of Islam, Judaism, Christianity or other Eastern religions? At least one of these systems of faith denies the possibility of coexisting in harmony without regard to differences in faith.

Jesus Christ taught His disciples in John 14:6-7, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” The Son of God taught the only way to God is through Him. Christ Jesus affirmed the only truth that would save a man was Himself. Jesus denies eternal life to anyone apart from Him. In a very clear and demonstrative manner the Lord Jesus Christ removed all other avenues to the Father except through Him. Just on face value the reader of John’s gospel will realize that Jesus removes the possibility of being saved by Mohammed or Islam and to a Jewish audience foretells the removal of Moses and the Law as a means of salvation.

The foundation of Jesus’ teaching was to prove that He (and only He) was the true Son of God. Later the apostle John writes, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). The signs and wonders performed by Jesus prove that He is the only way, the only truth and the only life. Mohammed cannot claim this, nor Moses, Buddha, Confucius, the Pope or Joseph Smith. The Bible teaches the impossibility of coexisting in accepting all faiths as valid. Paul the apostle affirmed to the pagans of Athens there was only one God and “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). The “Man” Paul spoke of was only Jesus Christ.

Is it possible to “coexist” with homosexuality as an accepted lifestyle? For the believer of Jesus Christ this is an impossibility as the Lord condemned sexual immorality from the beginning of time (Romans 1:18-32). Other systems of faith and churches can embrace homosexuality and attempt to paint a picture of acceptance but this does not change the mind of God who in love condemns those who serve their own vile passions and deny the knowledge of God.

COEXIST is a fraud attempting to dissuade the minds of people to accept anything based upon the personal belief of man. This error leads to a false religion of hope where everyone does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).  Jehovah God said, “You thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you” (Psalms 50:21).

The Kingdom Of God Is Poverty

The Kingdom Of God Is Poverty 

No man seeks to be poor. Sustaining life is a constant challenge man has faced since creation. Through blessings and circumstances, many have reached great levels of comfort and wealth while others continually struggle with maintaining the basic needs. Man never desires poverty. Jesus uses the idea of poverty to declare the nature of His kingdom. To the multitude gathered on the mountain He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The kind of poverty used by Jesus does not suggest one who is so poor he must struggle to exist but rather the poverty that declares a dependency upon others for support. The kingdom of God is about man having reliance upon the Creator.

Wealth has a way of making man believe more in himself than in God. This wealth can come from the material gain or from ones on pride. Regardless, to be part of the kingdom of God, man must empty himself and depend upon God for everything. To be “poor in spirit” requires the emptying of self for the acceptance of the Father. Later in the sermon on the mount, Jesus exhorts the multitude to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), serve only God (Matthew 6:24) and learn poverty of spirit by giving the heart solely to seeking the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:25-34).

To be poor in spirit is to have the heart of a child. Matthew 18:1-4 records, “The disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” Children understand the nature of spiritual poverty. They have hearts pure and innocent that depends upon others to take care of their needs. When we enter the kingdom of God, we are to empty our hearts of our pride and dependence of self to a willingness to accept the will of God in every way.

Those who submit themselves to the Father characterize the kingdom of God. Paul reminded the church at Corinth, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26). The church is not about the wisdom of man. The kingdom of God will not be for the glory of man. God has always required those who follow Him to submit their wills completely to Him and to Him alone. Poverty of spirit recognizes that without God, nothing can be done in life.

To be “poor in spirit” is to know that by God’s grace we have the blessings of this world. Whether great or small, all that we have is dependant upon God. Our hearts are not lifted up in pride but filled with the humility of trust we have in God. Paul writes of his own poverty: “Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13). His poverty of spirit allowed him to sing in prison (Acts 16:25), declare righteousness and truth before kings (Acts 26) and have confidence in the crown of life that awaited him in death (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Our thanksgiving should abound for the blessings we enjoy. The opportunity to labor with our hands, enjoy a portion of health, find comfort in our homes and look to a bright future can only be measured by the poverty of spirit we find in the kingdom of God. The wise man said, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” (Proverbs 29:23). May God enrich our lives with poverty of spirit. “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).