The Heaton File

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. (John 13:1-4)

How Jesus Prepared To Die

Death was not a stranger to Jesus. As Creator, He knew the sadness of death was born from the tears of sin. When Abel was murdered by his brother, death became real to all humanity. Methuselah enjoys the notoriety of the longest recorded man in history but the scriptures say he died. When God brought the flood upon the earth, untold millions of souls perished. Disease, famine, wars, inhumanity, natural disasters, and life itself loudly ring the chimes of time that death is inevitable. Cemeteries are stark reminders of something no man can change. Everyone has a tombstone with their name on it.

The knowledge of death has not been the struggle with the human spirit. How to prepare for death is the more pressing concern. Since the beginning of time, men have searched for the proverbial fountain of youth. Few find answers in the wisdom of men. Jesus knew He was going to die and He knew how He would die. What prepared the Son of God for His death was the knowledge He shared with the heavenly Father.

Jesus knew the Father had given Him authority over all things. The relationship between Jesus and His Father was the endearment of trust. Jesus came in the flesh born of a woman. He had to learn to walk, talk, and learn about the Heavenly Father. Jesus was tempted in all points yet without sin. At the beginning of His ministry, Satan tried to deceive the Lord with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Jesus attached the wiles of the devil with the word of God. Throughout the life of Jesus, the word of His Father was foremost in His speech, words, thoughts, and actions. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to perform miracles, heal all diseases, and raise the dead. Jesus had complete power over the demon world. Satan was subject to the will of the Son of God.

The day before Jesus would die on the cross, He gathered with the twelve apostles a final time. He would wash the feet of the twelve to show them the true act of love was found in being a servant. Judas watched as Jesus washed his feet, knowing what he was about to do. Jesus knew what Judas was going to do and when. The events of that night were constructed according to the authority of God, the will of the Son of God, and the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Nothing happened that did not fall under the sway of the redemptive plan to save mankind. Jesus knew what was about to happen was the will of His Father.

Jesus prepared to die because He knew two things: He had come from the Father and He was going back to the Father. Before time began, Jesus was with the Father. Coming to earth, Jesus knew He would live in the flesh and suffer the temptations as all men do but a day would come when Jesus would be nailed to a cross and die. He knew this. It was not a mistake or a cleverly crafted plan by the Jews. The death of Jesus was according to the will of God. What gave Jesus comfort to face such an ordeal was to know He came from God and that death was nothing more than the avenue for Him to return to the Father. He faced death knowing it would bring Him closer to seeing His Father face to face. With confident courage of faith, Jesus went to the cross and died. And then Sunday came.

Death is a fearful thing to face. Most men dread it. A Christian can face death with a joyous spirit knowing that with the authority of the word of God, promises have been made that transcend the joys of this world. Like Jesus, who knew the Father had given Him all things, the child of God can live knowing that God has made eternal promises and that God cannot lie. Through the word of God and faith in the promises of God, life is not as precious here as the life found in eternity. Death is no longer feared when the Christian knows that he is created by the hand of God and that death will take him to see the Father face to face. Jesus knew that He had come from the Father and was going to God. The fear of death is removed when the heart of love knows they come from the Father and they are going to God. Then, death is a welcome guest. How you face death will be how you face life. Be prepared to die but do so with joy.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:24-27)

Worry Serves The Wrong Master

The nature of humanity lends itself to focus on one thing and this is how God has created man. While multitasking is a gift of the human will, it boils down to a choice of serving the will of God or the will of the human spirit. Man has always been a free moral agent. Adam and Eve had a choice and allowed the spirit of mammon to rule their hearts. Sin is the harvest of the field of avarice. Confidence in the fleshly side of man is the predominant desire that turns the heart away from serving the will of the Father to the carnal desires of the moment. Eve looked on the forbidden fruit with a passion of desire that could only be whited by disobeying God. Her love for the flesh overpowered her love for God.

It is a profound truth that man cannot serve two masters. The heart of man is singular in its nature. When a man seeks to serve God and mammon, he falls into the trap of hypocrisy. There is no room for God when the heart is filled with the desires of the world. Loyalty is not divided – it is singular. If a man decides to serve the desires of the flesh, he removes himself from the will of God. The Lord will not allow a man to say he loves Him and at the same time devote his life to the needs of the flesh. God is a jealous God and His name is Jealous because He cannot and will not accept anything less than total allegiance from men. It is impossible – with bold assertion – to serve God and mammon. Men try it all the time and fail without exception. Trying to serve God and mammon is like trying to walk backward to the moon.

Worry is the excessive concern for things of the world. An inordinate concern for the things of life can take the heart away from trusting in the blessings of the Father. Life can be difficult and demanding and Satan has no greater desire for men to spend their lives worrying about and fussing over the minutia of things that have no significance. Life for the worrier becomes an obsession with what to eat and drink and what to wear and matters of no lasting value. The heart is taken away from God and men begin to serve mammon rather than the Creator. Jesus put a ‘therefore’ between the admonition of God and mammon and the need not to worry to emphasize the hypocrisy of trying to love God and trusting Him so little. Covetousness comes from trying to serve two masters. Worry springs from trying to serve two masters. Fear fills the mind when God is no longer the master of life.

There are many things to be concerned with in life. God promised to feed the sparrows but He never suggested He would bring the food to the nest. There is a need to work and labor to care for life but the overabundance of trust in the things of mammon leads to the people of God filling their lives with an inordinate desire and concern for life. There are many in the church of the Lord that have allowed a fear of a virus to consume them with anxiety and distrust of the care of God. It is sad to watch children of God cower at home with fear refusing to obey the will of the Father. Life has become a pattern of fear. Serving mammon will not bring joy. Worrying cannot add one value to life. Jesus appeals to the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns because God takes care of them. We are far more valuable to God than the birds. Can all my worries add a single moment to my life? When I serve God and reject mammon, I will see more clearly the protective care and blessings of the Father. Worry serves the wrong master.

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them.” These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. (John 12:37-41)

They Saw The Signs And Did Not Believe

The miracles of Jesus exhibited the power of God over nature, time, distance, demons, and death. There was nothing the Holy Spirit could not do through the hand of Jesus to heal every disease, including leprosy, restore maimed limbs, make the blind to see and the deaf to hear, and cause the mute to speak. Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead at Nain, the daughter of Jairus and brought Lazarus from the grave after four days. At the beginning of His ministry, the man from Nazareth turned water into nearly 180 gallons of wine. Jesus walked on water, calmed the tumultuous storm and found a coin in a fish’s mouth. From five barley loaves and two fish, the Son of God fed five thousand men, not including women and children. He would feed four thousand men, besides women and children, with seven loaves and a few fish.

During the time of Jesus on earth, demons possessed men and women. All of the demons were subject to the command of Jesus as He cast them out of the possessed. On one occasion in the country of the Gadarenes, the Lord cast out the unclean spirit named Legion. Jesus forbade the demons to declare He was the Son of God. No demon refused the command of the Lord. Jesus exercises dominion over the world and the demon world of Satan. His miracles were done to prove He was the Son of God. The people responded initially with awe because no man could do the things Jesus was doing unless He came from God. With signs, wonders, and miracles, Jesus of Nazareth was attested by God to be His Son. But not everyone believed in the miracles.

The apostle John only offers seven miracles of Jesus in His book. John writes at the end of his gospel, there were many other signs Jesus did in the presence of His disciples which were not written in his story. John did write to convict the heart that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Each gospel writer tells the story of the death of Jesus on a Roman cross which will become the greatest miracle on the first day of the week. No sign compares to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the knowledge that Jesus still lives and sits at the Father’s right hand. The resurrection of Jesus is the message of the gospel to save men from sin. Nothing will compare to the implications of one single act as God bringing Jesus out of the grave.

When Jesus walked on the earth, many people believed in Him and became disciples. As Jesus neared His death, fewer people accepted His teachings and turned away from Jesus. Despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most people did not believe in him. How is it possible to see a man come from the grave and not believe Jesus is the divine one? The thousands of people that were healed of every disease would testify to the evidence of God’s Son, but people did not believe in Jesus. Multitudes received the blessing of healing from Jesus, yet their hearts were hardened against Him. Their eyes could not see His power and their hearts were hardened with deceit. Although Jesus did all those miracles, the people did not believe in Him.

No miracles are done today. There is no one to heal the sick, raise the dead, calm the storms and walk on water as Jesus did. The power of the Holy Spirit ended when the revelation of God was completed. Although the power of signs, wonders, and miracles ceased, the message of the greatest miracle still resonates for the modern man. Jesus rose from the dead and many do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. There can be no greater sign than the one given of Jonah or Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. The cross of Jesus is the miracle of the resurrection of the Son of God and most do not believe. It seems incredible that anyone would deny the power of Jesus when they see first-hand a miracle and not believe it. The Bible is a miracle and most reject it as they do the miracles described on its pages. Jesus is the Son of God and the world ignores Him. The words of Isaiah still ring clear today.

Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. (Acts 15:32)

A Man Named Judas

The name Judas is synonymous with betrayal as the apostle of Jesus betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. The Lord chose Judas Iscariot to be in the inner circle of the disciples of Christ. He was a good man who stood out among his peers as a leader and someone that was to be groomed for the great work of establishing the church. The circumstances of his calling to the apostleship are unknown. Jesus had retreated to a mountain to pray and called those He wanted to serve as the Twelve that He might be with them and send them out to preach. Judas Iscariot was part of that number.

As part of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot was a gospel preacher. The Lord sent him out to preach the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Spirit gave Judas the power to cast out unclean spirits, heal every sickness and disease, cleanse the lepers, and raise the dead. Judas went out with the eleven to fulfill the command of Jesus. The son of Simon was a part of the ministry of Jesus to carry out the kingdom of heaven message to the nation of Israel. Judas helped pass out the bread and fishes when Jesus fed the five thousand. He was in the boat when Peter walked on water. Lazarus came out of the tomb, and Judas was there to witness the miracle. Jesus taught the multitudes and challenged the Jewish leaders, and Judas was there for every occasion.

Somewhere along the way, Judas, son of Simon, lost his way. His heart turned in pride to covetousness and greed. For whatever reasons that will never be known, he agreed with the chief priest to hand Jesus over to the Jewish leaders for thirty pieces of silver. He led the mob to a place where he knew Jesus would be. It was a place the Lord often went to pray. How sad that Judas would use a familiar place of prayer to betray Jesus. The mob carried the Lord away and killed Him. Judas was overwrought with grief. He returned the silver and went and hanged himself. The four gospel writers would later refer to Judas as the betrayer.

Judas had a good name, but his deeds manifested a spirit of betrayal for which, two thousand years later, he is remembered. There were other men named Judas in scripture. Jesus had a brother named Judas. One of the twelve apostles also was called Judas but is better known as Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus, the son of James. Gamaliel tells the story of a Judas of Galilee who rose up in the days of the census (probably started by Caesar Augustus B. C. 8 to 6) and drew away many people after him. He was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing. When Saul of Tarsus came to Damascus after being blinded by the Lord, he stayed in the house of a Christian named Judas, who cared for him until Ananias arrived. Judas witnessed the new birth of the apostle Paul. And finally, there was a Judas (surnamed Barsabas) who was a prophet sent to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Judas was a leader in the early church. Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith. They stayed for a while, and then the believers sent them back to the church in Jerusalem with a blessing of peace.

What is in a name? Judas Iscariot had a good name but his actions defined his life with betrayal. A man like Judas Barsabas is remembered as a devout disciple who was influential in the development of the early church. The character of a man defines how his name will be remembered. It is not in the accolades of human wisdom that last through the centuries but the influence of a godly character that is eternal. God knows the names of those who are His. God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and He knows their names.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16)

Complaining And Arguing

There has been a lot to complain about in the past two years. The virus pandemic has changed the landscape of the world in terms of economics, political rhetoric, health concerns, and, sadly, the character of the local church. Churches were slammed in 2020 with a reality that no one could have foreseen or planned. With limited knowledge of the power of the virus, churches reeled under the scrutiny of the government with mandates, laws, regulations, and health guidelines. Whether all of these things were necessary will never be known. Slowly, the church began to gain its footing again and focus on the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a new year dawns upon the horizon, hearts look on how to regain the local church’s work to teach the gospel and encourage the saved.

The year 2022 can be a year of incredible change. Persecution and hard times have always benefited the church making it stronger than in times of prosperity. When Saul of Tarsus sought to destroy the church, the people of God went everywhere preaching the gospel. The effort to destroy the church only made it stronger. Later, when Paul was confined to a Roman jail, he pens a letter to the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi and exhorts them to rejoice and have joy living in Christ. He encourages them to have a like mind together, be of the same love and not do things through selfish ambition. The example of Jesus is put forth to show a pattern of faith. Paul wants the saints to grow in the work of the Lord as a united church.

Salvation is an individual effort by the grace of God. Paul tells the Philippians saints to consider the fear of the Lord and, with deep reverence serve Him. The church in Philippi is blessed when God is working with them but there is a way the work of the church can be hindered. When murmuring, disputing, complaining, and arguing find their way into the church, the work can be hindered. Paul instructs the Christians not to complain about the hardships. Complaining about the persecution does not help build the work up and edify the saints. Murmuring about how the church deals with difficulty is a sinful attitude that tears down rather than builds up.

The world is a crooked and perverse place with people who do not believe in God and do not serve the Lord Jesus Christ. In the midst of trial, the church of Christ must shine forth as a united front against the wiles of the devil seeking to destroy the influence for good and the propagation of the gospel. When saints murmur against the work of the church, they present the church in a bad light. Complaining about leadership decisions is sinful. The nation of Israel continually complained and murmured against Moses and the will of God for forty years and perished because of it. God was not well pleased with the complainers. He remains adamant against the spirit of murmuring.

Nothing could have prepared the church for the pandemic but it happened. Decisions were made in the best effort to fulfill the work of the Lord. What is lost in the translation of the COVID virus is the Lord’s work must continue. No virus will change the will of God. The church cannot adapt to government regulations because of a virus. The assembly on the first day of the week was not an option that can be easily defeated by a virus or the ease of being a couch Christian watching on TV. Discerning the body of Christ is a collective part of the assembled worship. The COVID virus did not rewrite Paul’s letter to Corinth. Complainers are not the workers. They are part of the problem. The Lord said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.” ‘ And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down. (Isaiah 38:1-8)

The Power Of Prayer

As the twelfth king of Judah, Hezekiah is remembered as one of the most righteous kings of the divided kingdom. His father was a wicked man but at the age of 25, Hezekiah took the kingdom of Judah back to God through his reforms to remove idolatry, including the worship of Nehushtan (the bronze serpent made by Moses). Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and walked according to commandments given to Moses. Assyria had subjugated Judah and early in the reign of Hezekiah, the king rebelled against the Assyrian king, refusing to pay tribute. This brought an immediate response by the Assyrian king Sennacherib who came up against Jerusalem. Through the assurance of the prophet Isaiah and the prayers of Hezekiah, Jerusalem was freed from the siege of the Assyrians when the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 of the enemy. Sennacherib returned home and was assassinated by two of his sons.

At the age of forty-one and the height of his power, Hezekiah is sick near death. Isaiah comes to tell the king to put his affairs in order because he will die. The king turns his face toward the wall and prays earnestly for God to deliver him with bitter tears. As Isaiah is leaving the king’s chamber, the Lord tells the prophet to return to Hezekiah and tell him he has been granted fifteen more years to live. Assyria will be expelled from the land and Jerusalem will be at peace. As a sign of the promise of God, the sun would move back ten degrees on the sundial of Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz. So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.

Hezekiah recovers from his illness and sings his praise to the mercy and grace of God. Answered prayer is one of the greatest experiences known to man. God always answers prayer but for Hezekiah, it was fifteen years of life. The power of prayer is not that God cowers to the whims of men. David and Bathsheba prayed earnestly for the Lord to deliver their newborn son but he died. Hezekiah sought the blessings of the Lord with bitter tears and was granted life. The power of prayer is found in the heart of the one praying who accepts and trusts the Lord’s answer as true and righteous. Every prayer offered to the Lord in faith will be answered by the measure of the wisdom of God. This is not a guarantee the answer will be desired by men but rather to accept from the mind of the Lord what He grants. Fervent prayers have been offered to the saints of God who have a dire illness of which they do not recover. Did God answer the prayer as He did with Hezekiah? Absolutely and without a doubt. When someone is in danger and prayers are offered for deliverance, they are delivered; did God answer the prayer? Every time and without a doubt.

The power of prayer is found in the heart of the one seeking the favor of God to believe the answer is the will of the Lord. No man knows the mind of God. There are many questions about why some live and some die and why suffering comes on some and blessing on others. Fervent prayer is braced with trust, hope, and faith. Jesus knew the power of prayer when He begged His Father hours before His death. His faith was defined by the words, “Thy will be done.” Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and was granted fifteen years to live. What a blessing for Hezekiah but fifteen years later, he died. Life is not about finding answered prayers for things below but opening doors of things above. The most important answered prayer is: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter in.”

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:5-6)

God’s Love In Discipline

Pain is the way the body tells a person they are alive. It serves as a mechanism to warn the mind that harm is coming to the body. When the hand comes in contact with fire, the sensation of pain signals to the brain warning that if a change is not made, the flesh will be destroyed. God created the body to withstand the elements of the world but pain is the system of protection to keep the body from suffering loss leading to death. Pain also serves as a means of correction. Parental discipline is a means to correct the behavior that will harm a child. A disobedient child becomes his own worst enemy and, without discipline, becomes an unruly and rebellious adult. Successful discipline cannot be accomplished without pain.

In the spiritual world, God uses pain to correct His children. Chastening is never a pleasant experience but it serves an essential role in developing the Christian character. The world may frown and even try to remove discipline from the social conscience but the Lord demands it and requires it in the body of Christ. The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes those who are His children. Sin is the danger that will destroy a soul. Like training a child with punitive discipline, God demands children of God who follow a path of rebellion to be punished in the hope of saving the soul.

The Bible is filled with stories of discipline. Adam and Eve were punished for disobeying the command of God. Cain was punished, the world of Noah was destroyed, Nadab and Abihu were killed instantly, Moses denied entrance to the Promised Land, David and Bathsheba watched the baby die, and the Assyrians and Babylonians conquered Israel. In the New Testament church, Ananias and Sapphira suffered an immediate punishment for lying to God. Herod was struck dead by an angel of the Lord for not giving glory to God. Paul delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan so they would learn not to blaspheme. The list continues.

In the city of Corinth, the church was thriving but it had a problem. A man had his father’s wife and the church had done nothing about it. Paul demanded action be taken against the couple to deliver them to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. The purpose was not to destroy them but to save the spirit in the day of the Lord Jesus. The saints carried out church discipline at Corinth and Paul rejoiced with them in his second letter to the Corinthian church. At the admonition of the apostle and command of the Lord, the church exercised punitive discipline against sin and glory to God came from it.

God said if discipline is not exercised, the church and individuals do not love the person. Inflicting pain on a child is never joyful but it yields a harvest of right living for those who are trained by it. Church discipline will serve the same purpose. There will be pain involved and if pain is not involved, it is not punitive discipline. Pain leads to repentance in some but not to all. The church must exercise the will of God and pray for the soul that is lost. Through God’s grace the soul can be reclaimed when the sinner repents. The Lord loves whom He chastens and punishes those whom He receives.

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who had need of healing. (Luke 9:10-11)

Speaking About The Kingdom Of God

Jesus was a masterful teacher. Multitudes came to hear Him speak, enthralled by His demeanor, demonstration, and declaration of God’s word. The people were astonished at His teaching. Jesus did not speak as the scribes or religious leaders of Israel but as someone with authority. His message implored the people to see the word of the Father as truth with clear implications for obedience. The teaching of the Jewish scribes had watered down the message and changed the force of the law to personal liberties, binding heavy burdens hard to bear. Hypocrisy filled the ranks of the religious leaders as they sought the praise of men. Jesus did not come boasting, bragging or berating the people. His message was clear, concise, and commanding.

The kingdom of God is the core message of the gospel. Jesus had taken His disciples to a deserted place to spend time with them. When the multitudes (at least five thousand) found where Jesus was, they followed Him. Taking any opportunity to share the word of His Father, Jesus accepts the crowd and begins to speak about the kingdom of God. The Lord also goes among the thousands and heals any who had need. Afterward, Jesus will feed the huge crowd with five loaves and two fish with twelve baskets of the leftover fragments remaining. Following the miracle of feeding more than five thousand people, Jesus again goes off for some private time. The crowds find Him the next day, chiding the Lord for leaving.

Jesus knows why the people had come. He spent the day speaking about the kingdom of God and while He performed many miracles that day, His purpose was not to heal the sick and feed the hungry. The bread they ate the day before was gone and they were hungry again but the manna of God’s word is what sustains eternal life. Food was the people’s desire, and they missed the power of the message. Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God and the crowds did not follow Jesus to hear more about the kingdom but rather to find something to eat. They had missed the greatest miracle given to humanity – the word of the kingdom.

The kingdom of God is the fulfillment of the eternal plan of God. Jesus taught the kingdom of God because that is what saves men. He did not focus on healing the sick, raising the dead, or feeding the multitudes bread and fish. Those things would perish in time. The real message of Jesus Christ is the kingdom of God. When men spend more time talking about the bread and the fish, they will spend less time talking about the kingdom of God. The church must preach the whole counsel of God, but it must preach the kingdom.

When the life of Jesus is examined, it is evident that He healed many people and performed a lot of miracles. Jesus did not rise from the dead for men to seek after bread and fish but the power of the manna from above. The kingdom of God is the word of God. Salvation will only be granted to those who do the will of the Father. Paul told Timothy to do one thing: preach the word. That is preaching the kingdom of God.

Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

Kill The Wolves

Error has appealed to the nature of man since that moment in Eden when Eve partook of the forbidden fruit. When Eve looked at the fruit, she did not think a little bite would make much difference. The fruit did look appealing. There was a rush of self-worth to think of how the fruit might empower her and so Eve took of that which God forbade. Adam followed suit. Sin has a deceptive appeal that does not come out with blaring horns and marching bands but in small, subtle and unremarkable tones of fulfillment. Satan is a crafty tempter allowing men to believe in God but recreating Him in their own image. The word of God is not always something the devil wants a man to reject but to rewrite the gospel message to fit his own ideals. False teaching comes from truth covered with a mantle of deception. As long as Satan can get a man to dabble in error, the end will be the destruction of the soul.

There were false teachers among the saints of the first century. Paul warned the Ephesian elders of the ravaging wolves that would come in among the flock of God. Peter writes of the false prophets among those of like precious faith that would secretly bring in destructive heresies. In only a few centuries, the apostasy of error had taken full bloom from the seeds of error and the world has never been the same. Devout men failed to stand up for truth, allowing false doctrines to permeate the church’s teaching. It did not happen overnight. The apostasy was a gradual decline when the gospel was no longer defended with urgency and allowed to be replaced with a false notion of truth. Slowly, truth became eroded with the philosophies of men.

Error comes from cowards. To speak the boldness of the gospel takes courage. It requires men and women standing firm on the word of God, unyielding in its defense. The temptation of Satan is to encourage the people of God to embrace error to teach truth. Compromising the purity of the gospel serves a larger audience and gains greater acceptance. The truth must fit the needs of the people rather than allow the word of God to change men. Through compromise, error is accepted in the false notion of using a false doctrine to teach the gospel. This is a mockery of the gospel Jesus died to establish.

Roger Shouse said, “Maybe it’s time we stopped dancing with wolves, flirting with the devil and tiptoeing through weeds of error and get back to the Bible and change our hearts and ways.” He is right on so many levels. In modern ideals, there is a tendency to embrace a little bit of worldly wisdom to promote the gospel. It becomes an effort by spiritual cowards that do not believe the gospel is powerful enough to save and needs propping up by accepting error that has changed the landscape of the church. The gospel is too hard so men try to soften it up. Converting sinners has become placating the consciousness of the weak. It is better to dance with the wolves than to destroy them. A little flirting with error is acceptable. The weeds of error fill the heart choking out truth, righteousness and spiritual courage. God’s word will not change but the heart of men must change. Too often men try to fit the gospel to their wisdom by embracing error to teach truth. It has always failed and it will fail again. Until courageous men and women stand up for truth and refuse to allow the seeds of error to grow, the cause of Christ will suffer. Courageous souls will stand for truth – no matter what! Kill the wolves, stop the flirting and get rid of the weeds. Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord.

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” (Joshua 24:25-27)

The Stone Of Joshua

Monuments have been a common means to bear witness of an event, a person, or establish a covenant. When Joshua brought the people across the Jordan River to begin the conquest of Canaan, the Lord told him to take twelve stones and set them up as a sign of the covenant made between God and Israel. This memorial would constantly remind how the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt and brought them to the promised land crossing the Jordan River on dry land. The unknown author of the book of Joshua notes the twelve stones remained visible as a memorial.

At the end of Joshua’s life, he challenges the people to affirm their covenant with the Lord by writing their words in the Book of the Law of God and taking a large stone as a witness to their covenant. Joshua places the stone under the oak that was the sanctuary of the Lord to serve as a testimony of the fidelity of the people. It would be a constant reminder of the promises they made that day. They had promised to serve God and to obey His voice. The stone of remembrance would be a testimony of their oath. Joshua told the people the stone had heard their words of the Lord given that day and their promise. It would be a witness to the people lest they deny God and turn away to the gods around them.

Following the covenant made at Shechem, the people returned to their homes. Israel was faithful to the word of the Lord all the days of Joshua and the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which had been done for Israel. After the death of Joshua, a period of chaos characterized the story of Israel. For three hundred years, Israel was ruled by Judges who delivered the people from the oppression of foreign armies sent to punish the rebellious nation. There was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The stone of Joshua remained in its place, crying out the words of the covenant made in the days of Joshua, but no one was listening.

Israel was granted a king and then David and Solomon ruled the kingdom. After the death of Solomon, Israel fell into civil war with a divided kingdom of Israel to the north and Judah in the south. It only took two hundred years for the northern ten tribes of Israel to be destroyed by the Assyrians and 130 years later, Jerusalem would be burned and the temple destroyed. What had happened to the glorious nation of God’s people who proclaimed allegiance to the word of God? They forgot the stone of Joshua. It remained unmoved but no one cared. It was ignored, neglected and covered with weeds. The word of the Lord cried out from the stone and no one listened. Joshua’s memorial was forgotten.

God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son and Jesus established a covenant to remember His sacrifice. Few know about the memorial stone of Jesus that was written in blood on a wooden cross. The cross of Christ remains a memorial and the world ignores it. Sadly, many who have made a covenant with Christ do not see the importance of the supper of the Lord. Jesus instituted the supper as a memorial to be remembered each first day of the week. If work gets in the way, the supper is ignored. Assembling on the first day of the week is a matter of convenience. Like the Israel of old, people turn their hearts away from the memorial of God in time.

The twelve stones set up by Joshua when the people crossed the Jordan and the memorial stone placed by Joshua under the tree will be a testimony to all Israel. Jesus established a memorial to be remembered. The Bible is a memorial to the word of God. God has given humanity every reminder to know Him and to obey Him. The choice of obedience is whether men want to listen to a stone. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.