The Heaton File

You who rejoice over Lo Debar, who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?” (Amos 6:13)

Trusting In Lo Debar And Karnaim

The folly of idolatry is that every idol is created by the one who will fall before its own creation and call it their god who has delivered them. Isaiah describes the foolishness of idolatry when a man cuts down a tree to build a fire for warmth and fashions an idol from the same tree as a god to deliver him. An idol never speaks. It never reveals knowledge. Anything an idol does is measured by the wisdom of its creator and the will of its creator. When an idol reveals knowledge, it is the will of its creator – man. So man creates an idol to be his god when man must be the god of his own creation to bend to his whim. Folly.

Amos describes idolatry as nothing and powerless. The word Lo Debar is the Hebrew for nothing. Karnaim literally means “horns,” a symbol of strength. A man forms an idol which is nothing. It has no life. Idols are inanimate objects without life, dead and dumb. Why would a man fall down to a dead object and call it his strength? Human wisdom is the greatest folly. The pride of man rejects the only truth that will save his soul for the foolishness of his own knowledge. History is filled with the consequences of humanity falling at the feet of Lo Debar and Karnaim. Every time men seek to find answers within themselves, they fail. This is without exception. The sad reality is that every generation believes it has improved on the past’s failures, yet it keeps repeating them.

There are still many cultures that worship idols. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church continue to defend the use of icons, which are nothing more than idols. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism are founded on idol worship. Idolatry in the literal form has been around since the beginning of time. The nation of Israel was plagued by idolatry from the beginning. At Sinai, when Moses delayed on the mountain, the Hebrews demanded Aaron make them a god to worship. Drawing on ancient Egyptian idolatry, Aaron formed a golden calf as the people’s god. Three thousand men lost their lives as the Lord brought His wrath against the people. Idolatry would eventually destroy Israel.

Idolatry remains a challenge to the people of God today. Few people would consider bowing down to an idol, but many things men serve are idols. Paul wrote that covetousness was idolatry. One of the works of the flesh that will bring the wrath of God is idolatry. The kind of idolatry that challenges the heart today is what men worship or put forth as first in their lives.

Most people worship their jobs above God’s will. They believe their job is more important than keeping the word of God. In a world filled with the ego of self-image, idolatry is found in those who worship their bodies. As they grow older, they want to look younger. While physical fitness is commendable for good health, it is easy for men and women to worship their bodies as idols. America is a land filled with many blessings. Idolatry comes in the form of wanting the best of everything. Wealth and possessions become the idol of the day. Having the best things in life becomes more important than having a relationship with God.

If Amos were alive, he would preach the same message. Trusting in nothing is foolishness. The mad dash to live in a world given over to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is a life of nothing. No reward is given. Men seek after nothing and find nothing, because everything in this world becomes nothing. Death separates man from his folly and wisdom. He will spend his whole life seeking after nothing and will find nothing when he dies. How sad. Jesus came to offer an abundant life. For life to be full and filled with hope, the heart must turn to the one true God. True life can only be found in Jesus Christ.

“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “Return to Me; and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, ‘the Lord lives,’ in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory.” (Jeremiah 4:1-2)

How to Return To The Lord

Israel always struggled in its faithfulness to God. From the moment they left Egypt, Israel saw the power of God every day and still managed to rebel. At Sinai, while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law from God, the people demanded Aaron make them a golden calf to worship. When the Lord brought Israel to the land promised to Abraham, they refused to enter. God punished the people with forty years of suffering. Conquering the land did not improve their faithfulness. Allowing the people to have a king marked the beginning of Israel’s end. The prophets warned the people to return to the Lord, or God’s wrath would destroy them.

Jeremiah tried in vain to turn the nation back to God. His message was a mournful lament of the consequences of sin and the feeble hearts of the unrepentant. The prophet explained what Israel needed to do to receive God’s blessings. They refused to listen, and God destroyed them. Israel served as a pattern to show God’s longsuffering, love, and grace toward sinful men. God’s people also serve as a pattern for how one can return to the Lord and receive the abundant blessings of forgiveness. Israel could not accept God’s grace without acting on it. They had to return to the Lord on His terms, not theirs. Under the covenant of Christ, returning to the Lord follows the same pattern.

The penitent sinner needs to know that God wants him to return to Him. God is not willing that any should perish. The divine will is for all men to enjoy the blessings of a loving father. Jeremiah reminds the people to return to God. Repentance comes with conditions. God’s people must put away their abominations or detestable things. Idolatry was an affront to the holiness of the Lord God. The people must stop what they were doing and give up their evil practices. God will not accept someone who does not repent and change his life. Too often, someone wants to come to God on their terms and conditions. They mistakenly believe that God wants them to be happy so they can continue in the path they desire. God demands repentance. Anything short of repentance, and there is no forgiveness.

Another aspect of repentance is swearing allegiance to the Lord. This oath is based on God’s divine pattern of sovereignty. Jeremiah demanded the people acknowledge that God is the only true and living God (emphasis on living). Idols are dumb. Truth comes from the living God. There is no truth in idolatry. The judgment of the living God is the only true judgment. Idols can never render judgment. What is right is what God says is right. Idols only speak the wisdom of their creator. Human wisdom is a failure.

Returning to the Lord demands obedience. God determines right and wrong. Eternal life comes only from the Father. Christ died to save all men, and that salvation can only come from those who follow the will of the Father – on His terms. Repentance demands change. The heart must see the soul darkened by sin, and the only cleansing is the blood of Jesus Christ. When the early church began to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, they proclaimed the first word of the gospel to be REPENT. Come back to God.

Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. (Proverbs 14:13)

Living In Two Worlds

The most tragic event in the history of man is when Eve reached forth with her hand and took the fruit forbidden by the word of God. In an instant, everything changed. The world of complete fellowship with God ended. All the beauty and peace infused into the new creation disappeared. Adam and Eve immediately felt shame and guilt. The joyous communion they shared with the Lord God was shattered. God pronounced the consequences of rebellion upon the man and woman. Eve would live a life of sorrow, bearing children. Adam would toil, in the sweat of his brow, to provide for his family. Life would be hard.

Whatever sorrow Adam and Eve felt when removed from the Garden of Eden, that overwhelming sadness would be magnified one hundredfold years later when they found their son Abel dead. As if the story could not grow worse, the parents of Abel learned that their firstborn son, Cain, killed his brother. Adam and Eve faced for the first time the gravity of the consequences of sin. Death filled their hearts with an unimaginable pain that tore their souls apart. As they buried their son, they pondered the reasons why and how to move through the feelings of grief. Cain and his family would disappear and become fugitives and vagabonds on the earth. In time, Adam and Eve welcomed another son. Eve called him Seth, meaning that God appointed for her another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him. In the midst of sorrow came joy.

The two worlds of grief and joy would forever mingle in the hearts of men. During the flood, Noah’s heart was broken for all the lives lost, yet he rejoiced in the salvation of his family. David and Bathsheba faced the certain death of their child and mourned his passing. Joy returned to the heart in the birth of Solomon, meaning “Beloved of the Lord” (Jedidiah). The widow of Nain was overwhelmed with grief when her son died, yet found the joy of God’s grace when Jesus restored his life to him. Mary and Martha were grieved with the death of their brother Lazarus, complaining to Jesus that if He had been there earlier, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus wept! Then the Son of God took their sorrow away and raised Lazarus from the dead.

Paul calls death a sting, something destructive and painful. The metaphor is like the sting of a bee or scorpion, or the venomous sting of a serpent. There would be no death without sin. Death comes upon all men because of what happened in the garden. God does not allow Satan to roam the earth killing people, nor does God carry out His justice by “taking” people. The Lord is not in the business of killing people. Natural laws bring about death. Falling off a cliff will bring death because of the law of gravity and the misjudgment of the victim. Disease kills millions because the body is a corrupt vessel. There is hatred, prejudice, and violence that kill untold numbers of people. Death brings sorrow and seldom gives answers.

The wise man noted the character of two worlds in contrast with one another. Laughter can conceal a heavy heart. The face may show a sense of peace, but inside the heart, feelings of grief swirl, unbearable to accept. When the laughter ends, all the emotions of grief remain. Understanding the conflict between these two worlds is where man’s faith is tested. Job’s friends saw the immense grief in his heart after losing his ten children. The loss of his property was not central to his grief. Job mourned the loss of those servants who had been killed. Death filled his soul to the filling point. When his health deteriorated, his grief was magnified. He could regain his possessions. His health may improve. The ten children would never be seen again. His prayers for them ceased. Mrs. Job was stricken with a grief only a mother who bore ten children could bear.

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. Everyone knows there will be times of joy in the birth of a child and there could be nights of sorrow in their deaths. There will be times of weeping, and there will be times to laugh. Joy and sorrow go hand in hand. A person’s grief may be overshadowed by times of joy and laughter, but the grief remains. There will never be a time of getting over or moving on from the pains of grief. Laughter is a false positive that betrays the heart’s true feelings. God has blessed His people with His love and grace to give joy to the downtrodden. For the child of God who trusts in the blessings of the eternal Father, an acceptance of sorrow becomes real. In the midst of the deepest grief comes the joy of the Father’s love to soothe and temper the pains of grief. The hope that resides in the hearts of God’s people is the moment in death when God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of His children. And then, what a moment – eternal joy begins without sorrow, pain, and tears. Lord, come quickly.

This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23)

New Every Morning

Jeremiah’s lament is a mournful dirge telling the story of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Chaldeans. Jerusalem was the city of God and the city of David. It was the heart of Israel, with its gleaming Temple showing the blessing of God upon His people. It was inconceivable to think the city could ever be destroyed. In 586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed the city along with the Temple of Solomon. The words of the prophets came true.

Lamentations is a book of poems reflecting the significance of the divine judgment against the people of God. Israel was the chosen nation of the Lord God, and because of their rebellion, God destroyed them. The book also carries a message of hope amid the people’s suffering. Zion was under the judgment of the Lord. Jeremiah examines suffering and how sin brought it upon the nation. He concludes the lamentations with a prayer. In the midst of the lamentation, the prophet shows the glimmer of hope and the kernel of joy that can be found in the storm of sorrow.

Sorrow can take away hope, but hope can be found in sorrow. With all the sorrow surrounding the prophet, he still found hope. Jeremiah did not blame God; he accepted God’s will, and his faith in it gave him hope. Suffering does not have to destroy the soul. Enduring pain can bring hope when the heart turns to God. Life’s trials can strengthen faith. Seeing God’s hand in guiding and protecting us is a positive way to view suffering.

Job struggled with his faith, but he never lost sight of God’s love. His pain was deep. The grief was immense. No words could describe or explain what he and his wife (the mother of ten children) endured. The book of Job can be viewed as a book of suffering or as a message of hope that in the darkest hour, God has never abandoned His people. Job and his friends tried to rationalize and explain his suffering, but only when the Lord came and challenged Job with 72 questions did the man of God realize God’s incredible grace. Suffering challenged Job and his wife for the rest of their lives, but their hope remained in God.

When the heart trusts in God, each day is a new day of beginning. The book of Lamentations is about suffering. Joy can still be found in the book. Jeremiah knows that God’s lovingkindness is endless. His gracious love overshadows the faithful. The mercy of God is everlasting. His faithfulness is great. The mercies of the Lord God Almighty are fresh each morning. What Jeremiah, the mournful prophet, reminds the people of God is that each day is a fresh day to begin anew and see the glory of the Divine in their lives. Each day is new – make it new with God.

Jesus came to bring the abundant life to those who would follow Him. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, guards the heart and mind in the valley of darkness to see the eternal light of God’s love. Suffering will darken the day but should never darken the spirit. God allowed a wicked world to mistreat, abuse, mock, spit upon, beat, scourge, and then torture His Son on a cross. Jesus said He could bring twelve legions of angels to deliver Him. God did not move. Jesus did not move. The twelve legions of angels never moved. In the darkest hour in the history of man, Jesus suffered so that His people could find joy in the midst of grief. God lives. He loves. Jesus died to redeem His people to Himself. Find joy in sorrow. It’s a new day.

Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. (Joshua 24:11-12)

What God Did For Israel

The history of Israel was never about what Israel had done. It was always about what God had done for Israel. The Hebrew descendants of Abraham formed the nation of Israel. Formed from the twelve sons of Jacob, the Hebrew people numbered seventy-five when they moved to Egypt at the invitation of Joseph. Over a few hundred years, the Hebrews multiplied to the point that the Pharaoh feared them because of their number. Pharaoh tried to deal with the Hebrews by oppressing them, but to no avail. The king decided to thin the ranks of the people by killing all the boys born to the Hebrews. This did not prove successful.

As the Hebrew people suffered under the bondage of the Egyptian ruler, God sent Moses to deliver them from the harsh king. Ten plagues came upon the Egyptian nation that destroyed their economy, military, religion, and spirit. All these events came by the hand of God. In a final act of rebellion, Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt through the Red Sea. God parted the waters to set the people free. For the next forty years, the Lord God delivered the Hebrews from their enemies, winning every battle fought except for Kadesh-Barnea. God gave the people food and water. Their clothes never wore out, and the shoes did not wear down. Everything the people needed, God provided.

The Hebrew people did not deliver themselves from Egypt. God brought them out of bondage by His powerful hand. The crossing at the Red Sea was not a weather event but the hand of God. Every victory over the enemies of Israel came by the hand of God. When the Hebrews gathered at Sinai, God made them a nation. Israel was born of God, not man. The Lord gave Israel a law from His mouth. Israel did not write a declaration of independence to establish itself as a nation. Only God created Israel, and only God could destroy Israel. When Joshua led the nation into Canaan, God defeated all their enemies.

The great battle at Jericho was where God showed His might and power to Israel. Jericho and the surrounding area were a virtual stronghold, well defended with soldiers from the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. Israel was a nation made up of second-generation bricklayers. Their victories came by the hand of God. Israel did not win their victories by their swords or bows. Victory came from the hand of God. The land they would inherit was given to them by God. It was called the Promised Land because God promised it.

God created the world and established its laws. Man was created by God to have dominion over the earth. The sun rises by God’s power, and each star is in its place because of God. Every breath comes from the hand of God. The world remains as it is because of the will of its Creator. There is nothing man can do to destroy the world. God reigns as sovereign over His creation. The larger problem man faces is how to prepare for death. Eternal life comes from the hand of God. Jesus is the gift of God. Man has done nothing. God established a law of grace to save man, and if a man chooses to obey the will of God, he will be granted eternal life. Everyone can choose to obey God or refuse. God has given man the free will to choose. That is what God has done.

So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home.” (Joshua 2:17-18)

Hope Is A Line Of Scarlet Cord

The army of Israel amassed outside the walls of Jericho, a strong Canaanite city. Its walls were so large that houses were built upon them. Israel would fight not only the residents of Jericho, but the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. Before approaching the city, Joshua sent two men to spy secretly to view the land, especially Jericho. The men entered the city and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, where they stayed. When the king of Jericho heard the men had come into the city to search the land, he sent men to search for the Israelite spies. Hiding the two men on the roof among stalks of flax, the men went undetected.

Before the men lay down, Rahab came to them and asked to be spared when the attack began. She was not born when Israel crossed the Red Sea, but as a child, she grew up hearing the stories of the Israelites in the wilderness. The people were terrified of the Hebrews. Rahab came to believe the Lord God of Israel was the God of heaven and earth. She asked the two men to spare her and her family from destruction. The men promised to spare her and her household, but with conditions. Rahab must bind a scarlet cord in the window, and anyone to be saved had to be in her home. Anyone not in the home would die with the rest of the inhabitants.

The Hebrew word for the scarlet cord means “hope.” It comes from the Hebrew, “bind together.” Rahab put the scarlet cord out her window in the hope and expectation that when the army of Israel attacked the city, she would be spared. It was a few days before Israel returned and began the siege of Jericho. Rahab did not know the battle plan. When she saw the army approach the city, her heart believed the word of the men that she would be spared. She had gathered all of her family on that first day, expecting the Hebrews to attack at any moment. Instead, Israel marched around the city and left. They did this for six days. No one knew the battle plan. Was Rahab’s heart tested? Did she doubt the promises of the men? Why did Israel not attack?

On the seventh day, everything changed. Israel again approached the city and marched around seven times. Then the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua told the people to shout, for the Lord had given the city to them. As the people shouted, the walls of Jericho fell flat, and the people of Israel swarmed across the doomed city, killing all the inhabitants. As the walls of the city fell, a great noise filled the house of Rahab. The earth trembled, but her house did not fall. Soon, two men appeared at her door and led Rahab and her family to safety outside Israel’s camp. Jericho was burned to the ground.

Hope is a scarlet cord that carries God’s promises. The Lord kept His promise to spare Rahab. Her faith saved her and her family. In the days before the fall of Jericho, Rahab looked at the scarlet cord as a promise the God of Israel made to save her. She believed to the saving of her household. Her hope lay in the impossible. Hope bound her heart together to believe the promise of salvation would be her salvation. Her scarlet cord was a covenant between her faith and the Lord God.

Christians have been given the greatest hope through Jesus Christ. Instead of a scarlet cord, the crimson blood of Jesus Christ is the assurance of the promises of God. When Jesus returns, He will be looking for those resurrected in the blood of Jesus Christ. Each person who has placed the crimson cord of Jesus Christ in their heart will be spared the destruction of the wrath of God. All who are outside the church will be destroyed. Only those in the body of Christ will be spared the eternal destruction. Rahab found salvation in the hope of the scarlet cord. The only hope given to the world is the crimson blood of Jesus Christ. Hope is a crimson cord of faith.

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

The Grateful Sinner

Leprosy was the scourge of the Bible world. There was no cure. No medicine would heal it. The disease came with a death sentence. It was a horrible way to die. The body begins to crust over with white scales and causes terrible sores and swellings. Leprosy becomes more horrific as the disease eats inward to the bones, rotting the body progressively, leading to a final relief in death. Under the Law of Moses, leprosy was regulated by the priests who determined the severity of the disease. Leprosy was considered unclean, and lepers had to live alone.

Many lepers lived in the days Jesus taught and performed miracles. A leper appealed to Jesus to heal him, and the Son of God reached out and touched the man and healed him. Jesus sent out the apostles with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal lepers. When John the Baptist asked if Jesus was the expected one, Jesus sent messengers to tell John that great miracles were being done, including healing lepers. Scripture records many miracles, but many more remain unwritten. Lepers were among those who received Christ’s compassion and were healed.

As Jesus approached a certain village, there were ten lepers camped outside the town. They had heard of Jesus and knew of His power. When the Lord came by, the ten cried out to Jesus, calling Him “Master,” and sought His mercy. They believed He had the power to heal them. When Jesus saw them, He told them to show themselves to the priests. He did not heal them immediately, but as they went, they were cleansed. What a remarkable feeling to have the scourge of leprosy removed from the body in an instant. The cleansing was complete, whole, and powerful. What no man could do, Jesus did by directing the men to those who served the law of God.

The Law of Moses required a man who thought he might have leprosy to show himself to the priest and receive the blessing that cleared him of the dreaded disease. This would allow the man to return to his family, his place in society, and his place in the Temple. To be cleansed of leprosy was the most powerful demonstration of God’s grace toward disease known to man. From a disease that meant only a death sentence to the joy of having all the leprosy removed and cleansed of the horrible disease. Ten men went on their way healed, whole, and cleansed.

As one man went his way, he realized what had happened beyond the leprosy. One man turned and came to Jesus to glorify God with a loud voice, giving thanks for Jesus’ compassion, His love, and His abundant mercy. He had been healed of leprosy. There had been no hope. He had hope. There was no compassion. He felt the compassion of Jesus. There was no cure. Jesus took his leprosy away. He wanted to praise God for the cleansing. His heart was filled with thanksgiving because he no longer lived under a death sentence. He had risen from the putridity of disease to the healing by the hand of God.

All men suffer from the same disease. Leprosy is a horrible, disfiguring, painful, stench-filled experience that leads to certain death, but it is only a disease of the body. What all men suffer from is the disease of sin. Sadly, most do not look at sin as a horrible disease. They cannot see how it disfigures the soul. There is little pain in sin because it is such fun. And the stench of sin to the nostrils of God does not bother the sinner. When the one leper realized what Jesus had done, he returned to honor God. Sin, like leprosy, has no cure. The end is death. Yet Jesus came to take away the disease of sin from those who will come to Him for healing. Jesus has the power to wash away all sins. He will turn a death sentence into an eternal life sentence. Through the blood of Jesus, sin can be washed away.

The one leper shows the heart of thanksgiving. Everyone who has washed their sins away in baptism knows the feeling of cleansing. What may be lacking in many hearts is the heart of gratitude suggested by the lone returning leper who came to give God the glory. There must be a deep gratitude for what Jesus has done. Being cleansed of sin is a joyful, thankful time that must never fade. The healed leper rejoiced the rest of his life for what Jesus did. Do you rejoice that Jesus washed away your sins? Listen to the lone leper. Glorify God. Thank God. Show thanksgiving in the way you live – washed from your sins.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, M God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” (Matthew 27:46-49)

Killing Jesus And Calling For Elijah

More than eight hundred years before Christ, the prophet Elijah battled the wicked duo of Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah was a powerful figure who courageously stood against Israel’s king for all his wickedness. Ahab would call Elijah the “troubler of Israel” because of his relentless attacks against the king and his wife, Jezebel. Elijah killed eight hundred and fifty of the prophets of Jezebel who served Baal and Asherah. Israel suffered a drought that lasted three years and six months because Elijah had asked God to withhold the rain. The Lord did.

During the reign of Ahaziah, king of Israel, he injured himself and inquired of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover. God sent a message through Elijah that Ahaziah would not recover, and the king sent fifty of his warriors to arrest Elijah. Elijah called fire from heaven to consume the men. A second group of fifty soldiers came to arrest Elijah, and God killed them with fire. Only after a third group was spared did Elijah go to the king to confirm Ahaziah would die. When the Lord was about to take Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah met with Elisha to pass his authority on to Elisha. After receiving a blessing from Elijah, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

During the last half of the fifth century B.C., Malachi (contemporary with Ezra and Nehemiah) prophesied of the coming of Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Malachi prophesied that this Elijah would turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord. Jesus told His disciples that John the Baptist was the promised Elijah who came to prepare the way for the Messiah. Now at the cross, the people have rejected Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ and, through hatred, delivered Him to the Romans to crucify. As Jesus dies on the cross, the people mock and deride Jesus. Taunting the Son of God, they laugh with contempt, saying maybe Elijah would come down in his fiery chariot and save this man from Nazareth from the cross.

Some misunderstood the language Jesus used to cry out, thinking He cried, “Eli, Eli.” They thought He was crying out for Elijah. Others thought that if Jesus were the Son of God, Elijah would appear from the sky and save the man in the middle. Their mockery hid their fear. They mocked Jesus by asking for Elijah, but if the prophet had appeared, they would have ceased mocking. Jesus lived among His people, performing signs, wonders, and miracles, yet they did not believe He was the Christ. His teachings astounded the multitudes, and they refused to accept His words. Out of envy, they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” And the Romans crucified the Son of God.

The crowd gathered that day, mocking Jesus, and asked for Elijah to come down, not realizing who was being lifted up. Like Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, so Jesus was lifted up to save all men. Elijah’s appearance would not have saved anyone. Thank God Elijah did not come and Jesus did not come down from the cross. Jesus died, and redemption through His blood would unite Jew and Gentile into the body of Christ. The veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom at the death of Jesus. Elijah did not come down, but God did. He established His divine plan to save all men through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14)

It Takes Diligence

In Peter’s final message to the saints, he reminds them of Jesus Christ’s return and the need to give all diligence to be ready when that day comes. In his second letter, Peter began by exhorting the people of God to give all diligence to add to their faith the essential ingredients of character to be fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The early church faced persecution from false teachers who brought destructive doctrines into the Lord’s church. Many had forsaken the right way and gone after the desires of the world, loving the wages of unrighteousness above holiness. Peter warns the saints that Jesus would return, and they would be wanting before God.

Remaining faithful takes effort. The Lord never suggested that once someone is saved, nothing more is required. Peter is writing to children of God who had tasted the good word of God and been enlightened to the truth of Jesus Christ, but were now turning away from that truth. The warning is that if they did not repent and change their ways, Jesus would return, and there would be no hope. A need for a diligent heart to resist the temptations of the flesh, the false doctrines of men, and the desire to cast off their allegiance to Christ was ever present in the first century.

To live the Christian walk requires walking, not sitting. The character of the child of God is an active spirit of diligence to remain faithful. A persistent mind to follow the word of God needs an active faith that seeks truth from God’s word. Divine knowledge does not come by osmosis. Paul reminded the Roman Christians that faith came from hearing the word of God, suggesting the need for diligence. The industry of seeking God is putting Him first in all things of life. There can never be a casual approach to divine knowledge. Peter ended his second letter admonishing the saints to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and this requires diligence.

Faith is proportionate to the diligence put forth to grow in Christ. Many Christians remain in a spiritual kindergarten because they have made little effort to study the Word diligently. Bearing fruit requires work, effort, energy, and exertion. A lazy man will hope the crops grow and bear fruit, but he will die because of his slothfulness. So it is with the word of God when a man is too lazy to spend time in the Word to know God. Everyone should give diligence to be found by Jesus Christ in peace, without spot and blameless.

Jesus did not return in Peter’s lifetime, and He has yet to return after two thousand years. This time of longsuffering leads men to ignore the warnings and refuse to be diligent about their faith. They become lazy and slothful in faith – and then Jesus comes. The ones who will be saved are the diligent ones. Those who are lost were not diligent. Serving the Lord God takes diligence. Workers in the vineyard of God are expected to be working. Be diligent. Jesus is coming.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

Finding Purpose In What I Am – A Sinner Needing Saving

Finding abundant life in Jesus means knowing He came to save all men and give them eternal life. Jesus said He is the door, and all who enter will be saved. Like a shepherd, the Lord will lead the obedient to pastures of green along the still waters. All of those in the flock of God will be fed abundantly, protected from the ravages of wolves, and be secure hearing the voice of the shepherd calling their names.

Jesus is not just a shepherd. He knows the frailty of the human spirit. In the beginning, man was created in the image of God. Through the Father’s promise, Jesus came to give His life as the good shepherd because all men needed the saving grace of Jesus’ blood. Animals could not redeem sinful man. No works a man could do would save him. God so loved the world that He was willing to give His Son as the blood sacrifice to redeem sinful man.

Finding purpose in Christ alone begins with man seeing himself for what he is. First, he is an eternal creature. Second, he is a failed eternal creature. When Eve took of the fruit and gave it to Adam, the tragedy of man’s story was highlighted in the requirement of a blood sacrifice to redeem them back to God. Through the ages, God allowed sacrifices to lead men to Him for salvation. All these sacrifices, multiplied by thousands, could not remove the debt of sin. Jesus is the abundant life because He abundantly gave of Himself to redeem those who killed him.

Sinful man can never find the grace of God until he admits he is a sinful creature. A man who refuses to acknowledge he is lost does not change his circumstance but shows the folly of not recognizing the state he is in. Jesus came to give the abundant life of salvation in the gospel. On the Day of Pentecost, no greater acknowledgment is given than those who cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Everyone is a sinner needing saving. Only through the abundance of God’s grace can a man imagine eternal life.

Finding purpose in life is understanding what I am. There is nothing I have done to merit the grace and love of God. All that a man can do in life is empty compared to the goodness and severity of God. “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22b-23). The abundant life in Christ Jesus comes with a cost. It cost God His only begotten Son. Saving man required the death of God’s Son. The reason for the death of Jesus on the cross was because of sin. He paid the final cost to redeem man because there was nothing sinful man could do. Man was a creature needing saving.

Life must have a purpose to be full. The Christian has a full life as they see God’s grace in their hearts, cleansing them of sin, lifting them from the dregs of wickedness, and blessing them with the eternal message of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Salvation does not come from works, lest anyone boast. Sinful man has been saved by the grace of God to be His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). That is where the abundance of God dwells. Jesus came to bring the abundant life to save a sinner from the wrath of God. Thank God for Jesus Christ.