The Heaton File

A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name. (Psalm 138:1-2)

An Attitude Of Heart

During a time of peace in the kingdom of David, the shepherd king reflected on his cedar house, where he dwelt, and the Tabernacle of the Lord that had endured four hundred years of use. Time had worn the Tent of Meeting heavily. David did not think it proper for the ark of God to dwell inside the tent curtains. God told David through the prophet Nathan that he would not build a house for the Lord because David was a man of war and had shed blood. It would be the son of David who would build the glorious temple for the Lord.

David prepared the material for Solomon to build the temple. It would take Solomon about seven years to build the great edifice honoring Jehovah God. The temple would stand as the grand centerpiece of Jerusalem until 586 B. C. when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it completely. When the second temple was built in 516 B. C., the elderly wept for the glory of the first temple. The Temple of Solomon was a permanent structure. David would never live to see the glory of the temple he desired to build, but his heart looked upon the Tabernacle as if it were a temple. Constructed of wooden planks, the tabernacle was a three-sided structure 45 feet long and 22 feet wide. The roof was made of white linen curtains, protected by successive layers of sackcloth, red ramskins, and goatskins.

David enjoyed a deep reverence for the worn tent of meeting where the Lord communed with His people. Weathered by four hundred years of use, the Tabernacle was not a pristine remembrance of its former days. David was struck by the fine house he lived in while the Lord’s dwelling was unkept. He writes seven psalms about the tabernacle, referring to it as a temple. David saw a tent of meeting, but in his heart, he saw the holy temple of God. His attitude was that the tabernacle was a holy place where he could commune with God. He loved to worship before the Lord in His tent of meeting. It was not so much the material but the place of honor to stand before the Lord with the congregation of God’s people to offer sacrifices to the name of the Lord.

The tabernacle was destroyed along with the three temples that once stood in Jerusalem. There will never be another temple of the Lord because the practices of the Law are abolished, the priesthood vanquished, and the covenant with Israel voided. In Christ, the people of God worship in the church where God is. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, saints assemble on the first day of the week to bring sacrifices of praise to the name of God. Sadly, the hearts of the worshippers are turning more carnal than before. David saw the tabernacle as a temple. For many in the church today, worship is a casual visitation with God, requiring only a T-shirt, flip-flops, and a cup of coffee or an energy drink.

There is no dress code in the church today, but many are going so far as to make worship of God a communal experience rather than a communion. The attitudes of the heart are more disrespectful to the name of the Lord. Carnal denominationalism has filled the church with attitudes of laxity, slackness, and outright disrespect for the remembrance of the death of Jesus. Churches are filled with weakened hearts that want to bring a relaxed, passive view of worship, instead of respecting the reality that the one they stand before (or sit) is the Lord God Almighty. He gets no respect. Jesus is not honored. The Holy Spirit is humiliated. David saw the tabernacle as a temple. Saints see worship as a trip to the beach.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

The Hinge To Christian Living

There are many things the Christian needs to possess in their life to find the full enjoyment of God’s grace. Knowing one is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb should bring the joy of eternal salvation. Life can be hard, but there is a spirit of rejoicing that should permeate the soul of man, knowing that sin will not have dominion over the one who is in Christ. There are two reminders to rejoice in the Lord always. Having a daily up-look of thanksgiving moves the heart to be filled with a joyous song. This joy shows itself in the relationship people of God have with people of the world. There is a forbearance, gentle, and gracious moderation in the example of the child of God to a world filled with the chaos of sin. What the world sees in the life of the Christian is one that keeps passions in control, showing kindness toward all men.

Worry should not characterize the heart of the Christian. Jesus reminded the disciples in the mountain sermon that worry does not add one cubit to life. Worrying about matters of life causes more destruction than edification. The birds of the air are cared for by God. Those who follow Christ are of much greater value than the sparrows. God will provide. He will never forsake His people. Being anxious for nothing fosters a spirit of prayer and thanksgiving for all the provisions God gives. Prayer is the avenue of faith, trusting in the Lord to provide those things needed to give contentment to the troubled heart. God always answers the petitions of His people. The conclusion of such grace is found in the peace of God. There is a calm spirit possessed by the Christian who knows God will continue to guard and bless the hearts and minds of His children.

Center to all of the blessings of rejoicing, prayer, thanksgiving, and the worry-free spirit of the Christian is the blessing that the Lord is at hand. Knowing that the return of Jesus could be at any time is the hinge that fills the heart of the Christian with all the blessings of God. The reason Christians are anxious for nothing is that the things of the world will have no significance, knowing that the Lord is coming. Prayer and supplication are speaking to the One who can appear at any moment. A thanksgiving heart acknowledges that any day, the Lord will return to take His servants home with Him. Knowing Jesus can come at any time does not bring fear or dread, but the peace of God. This knowledge exceeds anything the Christian can imagine.

The love of the world hampers the knowledge of the return of Jesus. Paul reminded the Philippians that the Lord is at hand. His message is for them to consider the blessings of being in Christ and to reflect on whether, in death or at His return, Jesus is near. The hope of eternal life cannot be realized in this life. Eternal life comes in the next life, guarded by death and the unknown day of the Lord’s return. As the Christian walks in the light, he realizes all the blessings of being anxious for nothing because his hope is in the coming of the Lord. Praying to the Father speaks to the day when the Lord will return. No one knows that day when God will conclude the affairs of man and direct His Son to gather all the saved in the eternal home. Until that time, the saints lived lives of glory, basking in the peace of God and praying for the return of Christ.

The hinge to Christian living is how everything depends on the knowledge that the Lord is at hand. Living in Christ is living in the knowledge of His return. He has not returned for more than 2,000 years, but He will come one day. It does not matter what day that will be because Jesus does not know the day. What this means for the child of God is how joyous each day must be to realize the grace of God to share in His peace. Be anxious for nothing because Jesus is coming back. This knowledge brings rejoicing. Prayer ushers in each day as the day the Lord will come. The heart and mind are guarded through Christ Jesus because He is coming back – one day! Rejoice! Again, rejoice!!

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.’ ” (Jeremiah 28:15-16)

The Lord Has Not Sent You

Judah was the final remnant of the nation of Israel that remained, and the Babylonians were expanding their rule over the world, which would include the final destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Jeremiah is the prophet of the Lord sent to declare the final message of God’s wrath upon His rebellious people. He was not the only prophet. There were many false prophets who challenged the word of Jeremiah. Prophets like Isaiah and Micah had faded into history. Habakkuk and Zephaniah brought the word of the Lord to the people. Jeremiah would live in the final forty years of the nation as false prophets preached a message of false hope.

Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, had been taken to Babylon along with the treasures of the temple and the royal palace. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, served the will of the Lord to punish God’s people for rejecting Him. The people of God would be in captivity for seventy years according to the word of the Lord. Faithful prophets would declare the message of doom to Jerusalem, but many false prophets gave the people hope as they trusted in alliances with Egypt and other nations to save them. One such prophet was Hananiah, a prophet of Gibeon. He told the people the vessels of the Lord’s house would return within two years, including Jeconiah and all the captives that had been taken. There was a false hope that Egypt, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Tyre, and Sidon would rise against the Babylonians and crush them. In dramatic fashion, Hananiah broke off the yoke on Jeremiah’s neck to show how God would break off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. All of this was a message of false hope.

Jeremiah told Hananiah that iron yokes would replace the wooden yokes. Hananiah gave the people false hope, leading them to believe a lie. Hananiah died that same year. Egypt convinced Judah to revolt against Babylon, but the revolt was short-lived before the Babylonians crushed it and destroyed Jerusalem. Hananiah promised the people peace and safety, a message that was not the message of Jeremiah, the true prophet of God. Israel had been destroyed because the nation turned its back on the Lord God. Moses foretold the history of God’s people if they rebelled against the Lord. The word of God was clear that rebellion would not be tolerated. Israel was first divided and then destroyed, ending with the complete destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple. Jeremiah would be proven true because his word came from the Lord.

Satan always attacks the word of God. From the day Satan deceived the woman with the words, “Has God indeed said?” until the final moments of earth’s existence, false teachers will claim to teach the word of God. Like the prophets of old, people are given false hope in a lie that will not save them. Millions believe the “sinners’ prayer” will save them. People mindlessly follow the powerful, the popular, and the exciting religious leaders. False religions espouse the teachings of men like Buddha, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, and the Pope. People flock to the doctrines of men that appeal to the intellectual, the fleshly, and the popular. Jesus taught there was only one way to the Father, and He was the only way, the only truth, and the only life.

False teachers abound in the world today. Like Hananiah, the Lord has not sent these religious leaders who make the people trust in a lie. Anyone who trusts in the words of this writer should be cautioned against accepting truth without the word of God. Everyone is responsible for being responsible in examining the teachings of all men. It demands careful understanding of what the Bible reveals. The spirit of examination should always be to speak where the Bible speaks, and to be silent when God does not speak. It’s that simple and yet that complex.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” (Numbers 25:4)

Failed Leadership

In the final months of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, the people camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. Balak, king of the Amorites, was exceedingly afraid of the sea of people covering the land. He was sick with dread that the Hebrews would devour the land and all the people that lived there. Balak sent for Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse the people of Israel. Through a series of efforts on Balaam’s part to curse the Israelites, God would not allow Balaam to bring any curse against His people. Balaam told the king’s messengers that God forbade him to curse the people. Realizing he was unable to curse the people of Israel, Balaam suggested to the king that he allow the women of the land to seduce the men of Israel.

Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people of God began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. The women of the land, notorious for their debauchery, seduced the men of Israel to join in the sensual rites of their worship. Not only did the people engage in sexual immorality, but they also fell victim to idolatrous worship as they joined themselves to Baal of Peor. Angered by the immoral conduct of His people, God told Moses to bring the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord. Leadership had failed the people. The leaders were to blame for failing to reprimand and forbid the people from yielding to the seductions of the women of Moab. Whether the leaders were punished for engaging in the sexual immorality or whether they were punished for not correcting the people, the message of the Lord was clear. Sin will not be tolerated at any level.

Everyone will be accountable for their deeds, but often those guilty are the leaders who stand idly by, refusing to take action against those in sin. The leaders of the people should have exercised greater control over them. They should have stopped them from being tempted by the ungodliness of the world around them. The sin of immorality was so great that Zimri, the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites, took a Midianite woman named Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, the head of the people of a father’s house in Midian, and committed sexual immorality at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he took a spear and killed them both. Those who died in the plague were 24,000 souls.

Leaders have the grave responsibility to guide their followers in the way of the Lord. So often, the people begin to turn away from God, and the leaders take no notice. In the church of Corinth, the leadership was filled with pride, refusing to address the sin that so prominently marked the church. Paul rebuked the leadership when he pointed out the man who had his father’s wife, and there was no action taken to save their souls. Shepherds who ignore their sheep will lose many of the lambs under their care. Church leaders who refuse to address the problem of sin will captain a sinking ship.

God holds responsible leaders who are given the task of watching over His people. The Hebrew writer plainly declares that those who serve as bishops will receive a heavier judgment. Leadership comes with responsibility. God will not tolerate sin, and leaders must follow the same guidance. Leaders who allow people to engage in immorality will be held accountable for their refusal to act against the unrepentant. Guiding the people of God requires diligence in teaching and preaching the whole counsel of God. Those who are sinning must be taught repentance. For those who are unrepentant, they must be shown the error of their way. Leaders hold a higher responsibility before the Lord. Balaam suggested how the people could be destroyed. The leaders should have protected the people from the influences of the women of Moab.

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9)

The Example Of Paul

Putting oneself up as an example for others to follow is an intimidating exercise in self-control. The apostle Paul, on multiple occasions, tells his readers to imitate him as he seeks to imitate Christ. He goes a step further with the Philippian letter to exhort his brethren to do four things that directly come from his life as a Christian. He wants the brethren to follow his teaching and to put into practice what he gave them in the teaching of Jesus Christ. Everything they heard from him and everything they saw in him was on the table for discussion. Paul opened his life wide, inviting the saints to examine his teaching and his life to see Christ living in him.

The apostle did not suggest that he was a perfect example of someone who never failed. Paul struggled as all men do in the battle between the flesh and the spirit. What Paul did was to make every effort to present himself as an example for others. He lived his life for the glory of God, but he also recognized the power of example. His aim in life was first to please God and His divine will. He then wanted his effort toward righteous living to serve as a model for others to follow. Paul had the authority of an apostle to enforce his teachings on others, but he would rather they follow his example. The words of the gospel he gave the Philippians came from God. The things that they learned from him, he wanted them to do as God willed. He taught them the gospel. They must obey the words of the gospel because it was from God.

The saints in Philippi received Paul’s teachings as the word of God. Paul wanted them to be accountable for accepting the teaching in their lives. They had received the gospel from Paul as the authority of the word of God. This made them responsible for accepting the word as truth without deviation. One of the core principles of teaching is to receive the word as authority from the mouth of God. Paul did not want any confusion or division over what he taught as the gospel of Jesus Christ. The saints had received Paul’s teachings as authoritative, and Paul did not want them to dismiss the power of the message.

Paul reminded the disciples in Philippi that what they heard from him was from God. He had shared the gospel with them with the expectation of the saints being doers of the word, not merely hearers of the word. Hearing alone does not accomplish the will of the Father. The things that they heard from Paul required them to do. God gave His word to men to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world. Paul was accountable for what he taught. He knew the gravity of his preaching rested upon preaching the whole counsel of God. What the saints had heard required the preaching to affirm his word as truth. Hearing the word was part of the disciples receiving what Paul taught and then changing their lives accordingly.

Finally, Paul wanted the brethren to look at his life and follow his example. The apostle wanted the saints to be of the same mind and join in following his model of righteousness. Many Christians were walking contrary to the gospel of Christ, becoming enemies of the cross. They were more concerned about their reputations, pride, self-worth, and popularity than preaching the pure gospel. Paul opened his life, telling the disciples to do what they saw in his life. That requires great courage to present oneself as an example of Christ and to exhort others to emulate that life as a pattern of righteousness. The things that they saw in Paul would become the foundation for their own lives.

It takes courage to invite the world to follow the life pattern that exemplifies the personal example before others. Whatever the saints had learned from Paul, received from the apostle, heard in his teaching, and saw in his life; Paul wanted the brethren to pattern their lives after him as he patterned his life after Christ. The apostle had found the God of peace as his role model. Following the example of Paul was following the example of Christ. It was never a perfect model, but that is what Paul strove for. The example of the one can change the lives of the many. There is no greater challenge than to follow the example of Paul and exhort others to see the same in their own lives.

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)

Worship And Rejoice

Serving the Lord is more than ritual, sacrifice, and going through the motions. Jesus taught that His Father demanded worship in spirit and in truth. There can be no exclusion from one of the other. Worshipping the Father only in spirit and not according to truth is false religion. Seeking the truth of God without the Spirit is vain worship. Paul explains to the saints at Philippi the importance of worshipping God in the Spirit, and that worship must include rejoicing in Jesus Christ. Worship to the Father excludes the carnal nature and gives no glory to the flesh. These three parts of service to the Lord are a pattern all Christians would do well to imitate in their lives.

Worshipping God in the Spirit reflects the covenant of grace shared between God and man. When a person obeys the gospel of Christ, their sins are washed away, and they are gifted the Holy Spirit. Apart from the joy of knowing sins are washed away, the gift of the Holy Spirit secures a covenant between God and man, allowing sinful man to approach God with holiness and reverence. Spirit worship is how the Holy Spirit manifests Himself to the soul of man. God created man in His image to worship Him in His image. As an eternal being, man comes before a holy God to honor Him in the Spirit. A reverence for the Almighty is found in humble prayers, a devoted heart to the word of God, obedient lives fulfilling the will of the Father, and a spirit-led life honoring God in every way.

Serving God is the daily manifestation of a godly spirit learning ways to show Christ living in them. The Christian devotes his life to finding ways to draw closer to God through the Holy Spirit. As God is one with His Son and the Holy Spirit, the child of God bathes himself in the glory of the Divine to let His light shine in their lives. Worship to God is in the Spirit. Public worship is in the Spirit. Private worship is in the Spirit. Everything about the heart of the Christian is devoted to the worship of God in the Spirit. There is no greater joy than to experience Spirit worship daily, for the Christian who walks in Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds the Philippians of the message of joy. Throughout his letter to the saints, the apostle extols the virtue of joy and rejoicing. Paul is filled with joy when he thinks of his brethren. This joy is tempered by the knowledge that Paul is imprisoned for his faith, and yet he still rejoices in his suffering. He wants nothing more for the saints to be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. Paul faced death often, but he did so with the joy of being in Jesus Christ. His life was filled with heartache, trials, and suffering, and his heart was firmly anchored in the hope found in Christ Jesus. Paul’s life was a testimony to the joy of being saved from his sins. Each day for Paul was a blessing to serve to the glory of the name of Christ. He faced many obstacles with this devoted joy in his Lord and Savior.

The worship and rejoicing of the Christian can never be experienced until the heart has no confidence in the flesh. One of the hindrances to worship is the appeal of the flesh. God cannot be worshipped in the carnal. There is no rejoicing in the carnal. Trusting in the flesh will destroy the worship of the Father and the joy of Jesus Christ. Too often, worship is attempted based on the fleshly. While it may appear to be righteous, it is not. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth. A committed life seeking to worship the one true God will have no confidence in the things of the world and its fleshly appeal.

The appeal of the religious world lies in the carnal. Hearts are moved by the experience of the flesh, rather than the spirit. Worship becomes a concert of carnal appeals that excites the heart and moves the mind. This is not true worship. God demands that worship be according to the Spirit, which will induce the joy of grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. Life for the worshipping child of God will not be putting any security in matters of the flesh. The joy of salvation is the joy of worshipping God with praise and honor. Praise God.

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. (2 John 6)

Walking In The Commandments

Love is an emotion that bonds the child of God to the Father. The sinner finds grace from God to save him from condemnation and rejoices that God’s love is so great to redeem him. Grace is the measure of God’s love to save someone unworthy. Jesus died for those who blasphemed Him as He endured the cross, seeking the grace of His Father to forgive them for what they were doing. The love of Christ was incredible. Saving mankind was the eternal plan of God. The unmerited favor of the Creator to redeem His creation is the story of God’s love. As a sign of one’s faith, the redeemed show their love for God by walking according to the commandments of the Lord.

One of the great challenges of the religious world is accepting salvation by commandment-keeping. Many reject the idea of salvation through the works of following laws, instructions, and commands. Jesus told His disciples that if they loved Him, they would keep His commandments. Following the Lord’s guidelines or commandments has always been the key to the relationship between God and man. Adam and Eve enjoyed the blessings of God’s love, but they were given commandments to keep. When they did not follow those laws, God punished them. It was not that God did not love His creation, but through His love, He demanded obedience to His word. Throughout Biblical history, God’s grace was showered upon those who accepted God’s grace and love. That same love punished those who disobeyed the commandments of the Lord. The Jews were given a law through Moses that was instructive on how to please God. Grace and love are found in the Law, but when Israel rejected God’s commandments, they were rejected by God.

Jesus Christ gave His life to show the love and grace of God. He affirmed there were commandments to keep in order to be pleasing to the Lord. In the commissions given to the apostles, Jesus emphasized the necessity of keeping the Father’s will. Anyone who believed and was baptized was saved because that was the commandment of God. Jesus told the eleven to go into all the world, making disciples of every nation. They were to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to teach them to observe all the things He commanded them. Observing all things is commandment-keeping. God’s grace is found when He washes sins away in baptism, but then commands the born-again to live according to the covenant of grace. Love is keeping God’s commandments.

Walking in the commandments of the Lord is an active part of the life of the Christian. Obedience is not found in accepting Christ and refusing to follow His commandments. Love for God is walking in accordance with God’s commandments. There is an expectation of obedience to the instructions of the Father. If a person refuses to follow God’s commandments, they do not love God. The Holy Spirit is very clear about defining love when He shows that walking in the commandments of God is necessary. Love is found in obedience. God has never placed upon man commandments he cannot follow. The commandments of God are not burdensome, but they are required. Love demonstrates the willing heart seeking the word of God to know how to walk and then establishing a pattern of walking that follows those commands. Do you love God? Walk according to His commandments.

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:35-37)

Watch. Be On The Alert

The temple was the centerpiece of Jerusalem. Solomon built the first temple, which was destroyed in 586 B.C. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem in 536 B.C., work on rebuilding the temple began. It would take twenty years to complete the temple, which would stand for nearly five hundred years. Under the Roman king Herod the Great, the temple was razed and rebuilt larger than Solomon’s temple. The disciples of Jesus marveled at the beauty of the temple. Jesus shocked His disciples when He told them not one stone of the temple would be left standing. Later, as they sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, some of the disciples asked Jesus what He meant about the destruction of the temple. Jesus warned them not to be deceived by false prophets who would come in His name. The disciples were unaware of what the next forty years would bring. In 70 A. D., the Romans would destroy the temple and the city of Jerusalem.

Jesus warns the disciples to be ready for the coming day of judgment. They could not imagine the great events that would transpire in the coming decades. The lesson Jesus is teaching His disciples is the principle of preparing for the day of the Lord, which no man knows. Jesus illustrates the coming of the Lord as a man going to a far country, who left his house in the charge of his servants, commanding them to keep watch. The master would return without warning. He might come in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning. There will be no announcement of his coming. The warning is that he will return, and he must not find anyone sleeping or not watching. Those who are unprepared will be punished. Only those who are on the alert will be saved.

The parable of Jesus is a lesson when God sends His Son to destroy the world and redeem the saved. Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor Jesus Himself. It has been 2,000 years since Jesus spoke these words to the disciples, and the warning is as vivid now as then. A foundation of Jesus’ teaching was always to be on the alert and ready for the coming of the Lord. There is coming a day when God will send His Son in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and against those who refuse to obey the gospel of Christ. The day of judgment comes without warning and will come suddenly and unexpectedly. There will be no time to prepare. It will be an instantaneous moment when time is destroyed, and man faces his eternal Creator.

The early church taught the need to watch, standing firm in the faith with all perseverance and prayer for the coming of Christ. God is the only one who knows when He decides to end the world and bring His saints home. His word is firm and true. The day of the Lord is yet to come, but it will come. For every child of God, the need to watch and be on the alert is the joy of knowing Jesus is coming to take them home to the Father. Death can come suddenly. Often, there is no time to prepare. While the Christian does not know when he will face the Lord, either in death or His return, he lives each day with the expectation that it is his last. This does not bring sorrow but joy, knowing he will be clothed with immortality.

Watching can become wearisome. With each passing day, week, month, and year, the spirit grows lax in watchfulness and dulls the senses, leaving the soul unprepared to meet the Lord. Faith enriches the eyes to keep looking for the coming of the Lord. Prayer is an expression of the soul of man longing for the Lord’s return. Watching and waiting is the joy of the Christian’s life, expecting any moment for the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the archangel. Faith responds by living each day on alert, watching and praying – Lord, come quickly. Are you ready? He is coming.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. (Romans 1:16-19)

The Righteousness And Wrath Of God

From the beginning, God’s word is a measure of righteousness and His wrath. God told Adam and Eve that they were forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The penalty for disobedience was death. They could eat from every tree in the garden, but not the forbidden fruit. When they disobeyed the word of the Lord, they were punished. Noah preached righteousness to the fallen world of his day. Only eight souls were saved as the wrath of God destroyed everything with the breath of life. Moses gave the Hebrews the law, which contained the blessings and curses of the word of the Lord. He gave them the choice of life or death. If the people obeyed the word of the Lord, He would bless them immeasurably. He warned them that if they refused to obey Him, He would destroy them. The latter became their history.

Jesus died on the cross to establish a covenant between God and man. This covenant was based on the blood of Jesus. As the Prince of peace, the Son of God came to bring salvation to a lost and dying world. The teachings of Jesus highlighted the righteousness of God and the warnings of His wrath. Jesus taught more on eternal damnation than anyone. He taught on grace and love. When the early church began to teach the gospel of Christ, they also taught the righteousness and wrath of God. Paul declared that the gospel is about the righteousness and wrath of God.

The gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. Through Christ, all men, Jew and Gentile, can find salvation through the blood of Jesus. In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Paul wrote about the joy of salvation and that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. John tells his readers that he writes to them to let them know they have eternal life. The righteousness of God is found in the grace of God, His eternal mercy, and His unending love. From beginning to end, the scriptures extol the joy of knowing God is a loving and compassionate God who does not desire for anyone to perish.

The gospel reveals the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Contained within the gospel is the wrath of God. The language is plain. Jesus taught that a man will be condemned by his words. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, the Lord told him that those who do not believe in Him will be lost. He gave a commission to the eleven that those who did not believe in Him would be condemned. Paul wrote that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who engage in fornication, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, sodomy, thievery, coveting, drunkenness, reviling, and extortion will be condemned. The gospel presents the wrath of God against unrighteousness. Not everyone will be saved. Most people will be lost. That is the wrath of God. The righteousness of God is found in those who obey the gospel. In obedience, the wrath of God is removed.

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:35-37)

Criticizing Jesus

Jesus proved He was the Son of God through the many miracles He performed by the power of the Holy Spirit. There was no disease Jesus could not heal. Lepers were cleansed, sight was restored to the blind, the lame could walk again, and the possessed were free from their demons. Jesus walked on water, turned water into wine, calmed the sea, and fed more than 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Through His miracles, Jesus proved He was the Son of God.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany and a dear friend of Jesus. The Lord received news that Lazarus was very sick and near death. When He received the news, Jesus remained where He was for two days. Instead of going to Lazarus immediately, Jesus chose to wait a few days. When Martha heard Jesus was coming, she ran out to greet Him, saying, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” What Martha said was correct. Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus of his disease. He delayed His arrival to show the glory of the resurrection.

When Mary came to where Jesus was, she also complained that if He had arrived sooner, Lazarus would not have died. It grieved Jesus deeply to see Martha and Mary weeping, accompanied by the Jews who had come to comfort the family. Jesus asked where they had buried Lazarus, and when they showed Him, Jesus wept. The Jews saw how much He loved Jesus, but complained that He was able to open the eyes of the blind but could not keep Lazarus from dying. What they failed to understand was that Jesus had demonstrated His power to raise the dead when He raised the daughter of Jairus and the widow of Nain’s son. The Jews believed Jesus had the power to give sight to the blind. They acknowledged His power to perform miracles. Why would it be impossible for someone who can perform all the signs, wonders, and miracles that Jesus did and not have the power to raise the dead?

In a critical time to show the power of God, the Jews complain. Martha and Mary also complained to Jesus, criticizing His delay to come at once. Jesus could have healed Lazarus if He had left when He heard the news. Delaying two days had a greater purpose. Jesus healed many of sicknesses, but to show His power over death, He tarried and allowed Lazarus to die. When Jesus approached the cave with the stone rolled against it, He told the people to take away the stone. Horrified, Martha reminded Jesus that Lazarus had been dead for four days and the body had begun to decay outwardly. The stench of death would have been overwhelming. When Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son, it was the same day he died. Jairus’ daughter was healed the same day she died. Lazarus had been dead for four days.

Jesus delayed His arrival to show the power of God that even when a body has begun the decaying process, God can raise it from the dead. This would foreshadow the resurrection of the dead after Jesus’ resurrection, when many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, went into Jerusalem, and appeared to many. The people criticized Jesus for not healing Lazarus. What Jesus showed them was a greater power than healing. He proclaimed His power over death and the promise of eternal resurrection.