The Heaton File

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:42-43)

Seeking The Wrong Glory

After nearly three years of ministry to large multitudes of people, healing thousands, and forming a band of twelve men to carry on His work, Jesus was facing great opposition. The forces working against Him were centered in the Jewish leadership, but a greater problem came from those who were tired of His teaching and were offended by His harsh doctrines. Many of His disciples turned and walked with Him no more. He had fed more than five thousand people in a single day with a young boy’s lunch, and when the Lord refused to replicate the miracle, He was condemned. Many rulers believed in Jesus as the Son of God. They accepted His teachings as that from the heavenly Father. Their hearts were moved to accept the man from Nazareth as the Word, God in the flesh, and Savior of the world. Tragically, their faith would not allow them to confess allegiance publicly to Jesus because they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

The word of God had pricked the hearts of many rulers, and realizing what they would have to give up accepting the teachings of Jesus, denied Him. It was a great conflict to be moved by the words of Jesus and then turn away from Jesus. The accolades of men with the honors of being a ruler among the people had more influence on their hearts than accepting the word of God. It was hard to give up the prideful positions of power, knowing they would lose their place of prominence and power. Pride is a powerful drug that traps the souls of men to believe in a false god and deny the only truth that will save them. They enjoyed walking the halls of power and are called by men as rulers with authority. The destitute heart fills itself with the selfish desires of the carnal man. Every evidence of truth is rejected so the pride of man can walk a deluded path of human wisdom to its own destruction. The peer pressure of the Pharisees prohibited believers from confessing Christ lest they should be kicked out of the synagogue. Loving the praise of men is a strong influence that damns the soul of the weak.

There are many peer pressures influencing believers today. The Pharisees are gone, but their influence remains. Many people believe that Jesus is the Christ and will fain allegiance to Him but in their hearts deny him lest they be labeled religious. Their lives will be measured by mediocrity, unwilling to let anyone know they are a Christian. They keep the same sinful habits following the same sinful crowd and may attend worship services but are never committed. There is pressure to keep a façade of religion on one side while maintaining the character of worldliness during the week. They want to keep their friends and have their fun refusing to confess Christ lest they be put out of the circle of friends. The influence of worldly friends is immense. Seeking the praise of men more than the praise of God is a constant battle. The praise of men wins, and the praise of God fails.

Serving Jesus Christ demands commitment and change. Refusing to be committed will never bring about change. Jesus said to be worthy of discipleship demanded carrying a cross. Many believe in Jesus as the Son of God but do not want to carry a cross. They want to have a relationship with Christ without the cost that He Himself had to bear. Heaven becomes a place for anyone to enter without commitment or expectation of obedience. Instead of few being saved, the majority are thought to be saved who never surrendered their will to the Father. Loving the praise of men is temporary. There is no hope of joy for those who refuse to commit to Christ fully. Those who seek the glory of men will be rejected by God and find eternal darkness in perdition. The reality of human glory is that it is short-lived. If a man lives his life attaining the greatest accolades of men with history filling its pages with his accomplishments; what does it matter when he dies? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Facing God is what life is about. Seeking the praise of God may not bring honor in this life, but it will bring joy in the next life.

So many waste their lives in the futile pursuits of the world, making no preparations for death. Death will inevitably come. All men face the mortality of their souls, and there will be no exceptions. Seeking the wrong glory will bring eternal heartache. It is sad to watch precious souls live their lives filled with their demands, their wishes, and the unwillingness to obey the word of God, and then death comes. What then? Outer darkness and eternal suffering. The praise of men will have no meaning then, and the soul will cry out in eternal hell for a second chance, and none will be given. Your life is measured by what you seek. Believing Jesus is not enough. It requires confessing His name in your life, even if it means you get kicked out of the synagogue. Let me be reviled by men now so that I may receive honor from God in death. Whose glory are you seeking?

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)

Grow Where You Are Planted

Life never turns out the way it is planned. Someone said reading the book of Ecclesiastes is defined as “Life is hard and then you die.” There is truth to the idea that life can be an arduous journey fraught with many disappointments. From early childhood, certain ideals are hoped for and plans made to follow a certain course with definite expectations only to find the changing sands of time erase those dreams into a harsh reality. No book illustrates the uncertainty of life than the stories from the Bible. Adam and Eve could not have imagined how much their world would change by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Cain did not get up one morning and decide to kill his brother. Noah was not prepared for the message of destruction that would annihilate every person he knew and every human on the face of the earth. Abraham was 75 years old when he was told to leave his family and spend the rest of his life as a vagabond.

One of the great classic stories of the inequalities of life is found in the story of Jacob’s son, Joseph. As the privileged and much-loved son of Jacob, Joseph had an incredible life waiting for him. His father adorned him with a coat of many colors as his mother doted on him. It was a fateful day when his brothers sold him as a slave to a caravan going to Egypt. It would be twenty-two years before he saw his family again. During that time, he was sold like an animal in the slave market of Pharaoh, treated not as a boy of privilege but a slave, and then when life seemed to be turning around for the young Hebrew, he was framed by his master’s wife and thrown into prison. Joseph had every reason to hate God and despise his captors. Instead, Joseph grew where he was planted. His life had turned from the luxuries of a wealthy family to the harsh desert of human bondage. He loved and served God first, and the Lord blessed him. It took a long time for Joseph to understand why he was in Egypt, but he saw his life as a blessing from God.

Daniel and his three friends found their lives changed dramatically as they witnessed the fall and destruction of their beloved homeland and then the long journey of bondage in Babylon. Their early life saw the nation’s rebellion against the cries of the prophets to return to the Lord. They could not imagine they would be taken away from Jerusalem, never to return. The captors demanded they learn their language and culture and changed their names from honoring the one true God to the gods of the Babylonians. Part of the cultural training required they eat of the king’s delicacies, but they refused. This would have brought swift death by the hand of the captors, but God delivered them. Their faith would be tested again when the king built a large idol demanding his citizens bow down and worship it or suffer death in a burning fiery furnace. They refused and again were delivered by God. Daniel faced certain death many years later as an older man when his peers tried to destroy him by his faith. He held true to his practice of prayer and was cast into a den of lions. An angel of the Lord shut the mouths of the lions, and God delivered him. Life for these young Hebrews was nothing like what they would have imagined.

Twelve men were leading varied lives of fishing, government work, and one was a member of a radical group seeking the overthrow of the Roman powers when Jesus came along and called them to be His apostles. Their lives would never be the same. A young man devoted to the cause of the Lord God was intent on destroying a religious sect that denied the word of God found in the Law of Moses. He helped kill one of their disciples and then began a campaign of terror to destroy those of the Way. As Saul of Tarsus approached the city of Damascus, his life changed when the same Lord he sought to destroy called him to be his most ardent messengers of hope. As Paul was walking down the road or sailing in a ship during the midnight watch, did he ever stop and reflect on how different his life turned out?

In all the stories of these life-changing moments, the constant is how the men and women changed their lives. Peter admonishes those whose lives had been disrupted, turned upside down, and moved in a direction they could never have imagined, to do one thing that was important: grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Noah believed in the word of God and saved his household. Abram trusted in the word of the Lord and believed in the promises. Joseph grew daily in his knowledge of the love of God, as did Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. It was a tragedy that Judas killed himself, but the remaining eleven faced hardships and died the martyrs’ death and changed the world. Life can be hard and feel like a burning desert with no hope. An unlikely tree stands amid the seemingly endless dunes of the Rub’ al Khali desert in the Arabian Peninsula. It grew where it was planted. Wherever you are in life, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God will bless you.

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:17-21)

Singing Is The Will Of The Lord

Authority is necessary for everything that is to be done in the church of God. Jesus was given all authority by the Father, who had the power to give such authority. The New Testament church established a pattern of authority through the writings of the disciples who were moved by the Holy Spirit directed by the will of the Father. Authority is necessary for the government as a structure of an organization to establish law. Without authority, anarchy would rule, and the people would suffer. Within the government of the church of Christ, authority is necessary to comply with the will of God, or spiritual lawlessness will reign. One such area of rule that is called the will of the Lord is the type of music authorized.

Paul wanted the saints in Ephesus to understand what the will of the Lord was concerning their worship. He reminds them God is a spirit and is seeking those who will worship the Lord in spirit and truth: this is the will of the Lord. True worship does not come from the satisfaction of the carnal nature like imbibing in wine but the spiritual experience of worship from the heart. When Paul discounts wine as a means of appeasing the Lord, he directly points to the desire of the carnal heart to find ways to appeal to the flesh. It was not uncommon in the pagan worship to make merry with loud music and drunken feasts. Entertainment was the highlight of the worship men would engage as they fulfilled their carnal lusts. Religion today has become cousins of the pagan worship of old as they seek to entertain, impress, and create an atmosphere of fun-filled worship to draw people to their numbers. Paul indirectly condemns the use of instrumental music in worship as the pagans would use in their worship.

The Jews were proficient in the use of instrumental music in worship. David had a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, and cymbals when he brought the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant to Jerusalem. God commanded instruments to be used in worship under the Law of Moses but never commanded the use of instrumental music in the New Testament church. The will of the Lord changed regarding music as much as the will of the Lord changed regarding salvation. Using an instrument of music is like requiring circumcision. Paul wanted the Ephesians Christians to understand what the law of God required in their worship. Ephesus was home to the Temple of Diana, and the citizens were familiar with the pagan rites and worship, including the loud music. The church in Ephesus did not use instruments of music in their worship because they were doing the will of the Lord.

Understanding what God required was submitting to each other in the fear of the Lord. Authority for the type of music defined whether worship was acceptable before God. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs was the only authority of the New Testament church. Singing and making melody in the heart was the pattern of the early saints that desired to obey the will of the Lord. Hearts filled with thanksgiving sang the psalms of old as the first-century Christians followed the divine pattern of singing. Paul never suggested or hinted that instrumental music was a part of the early church. None of the other writers encouraged their readers to use instrumental music to worship the Lord. Historically speaking, it would be hundreds of years after the first century before the first hint of instrumental music was given and nearly fifteen hundred years before instrumental music was officially accepted in the apostate church.

Singing is the will of the Lord. The form of worship is opening the mouth and singing praises to the Lord. He is not interested in whether a person can carry a tune in a bucket but whether there is music in the heart. Refusing to sing is defying the will of the Lord. Music is at the heart of worship as an expression of the joy to serve the Lord God. Jesus said that salvation comes from doing the will of the Father. Singing is the will of the Lord. Praise God with the voice. Lift up the heart to sing praises to God until that eternal day when all God’s saints sing before His face the eternal glories of His majesty and beauty. And above all things, sing.

But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” (Luke 4:4)

Living By The Word

The devil began his attack on Jesus in the same way he attacked Eve in the garden. When the serpent spoke to the woman, he questioned whether the word of God was true. Satan knew if he could convince Eve to doubt the word of God, he would secure her heart to follow his deception rather than trust in the will of the Lord. The instructions to Adam and Eve were simple. They could eat of every tree of the garden, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden. Eve understood the word of the Lord, going so far as to emphasize they should not touch the fruit. Sin came when the word of God was ignored, and life changed forever. As many thousands of years since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, one thing has never changed: the devil uses the same ploy to destroy souls as he has for millennia.

God has always given humanity His word to live by, obey, and subject their lives to His will. Life comes from the word of God. The word of God created the world, it is held together by the word of God, and one day the world will dissolve with fervent heat by the same word. God spoke His word through the patriarchs, and men like Abraham believed unto righteousness and obeyed His word. When Israel was separated as God’s own special people, He gave them a law written down in the code of the Law of Moses. Jesus came into the world as the word and the only way to the Father. The words that Jesus spoke were the words of His Father. Through the teaching of the word of God, the New Testament church was established, propagated, and confirmed throughout the ages as the divine pattern of God’s will. The Holy Spirit canonized the Bible to afford humanity every word of God so that all men could come to the only truth and know how to find redemption before a wrathful Lord. From the writings of Moses to the final message of the Revelation, the mind of God is revealed for all mankind to read and understand the mystery hidden before time but now revealed. The word of God is the spiritual manna of the Father that gives life to all who spend time in His word.

Jesus defeated Satan by reminding the adversary that man does not live by the things of this world. Salvation can only come when a man lives by the word of God. Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy where Moses reminds the new generation preparing to enter Canaan that obedience to the word of God will give life. Throughout the forty years of wandering, the Hebrews learned to trust in the Lord and live by His word. God told them to be careful to observe all the commandments, and they would be blessed. He allowed them to be hungry but gave them the manna so they would not die. In a spiritual parable, Jesus shows the hunger of man can only be supplied with the manna of God’s word. Life is found in the manna. It comes from God and is all that is needed to sustain life. Like the manna of old, the manner of gathering the manna and consuming the manna was paramount to life. So it is with the word of God.

Life comes from nourishment. No greater sustenance can a man find than the word of God that tells him everything he needs to know to live. This is the way a man will live by the word of God. Jesus reminded the devil to live by the desires of the world will only bring death. Life is found in living by the word of God. Only through the mind of God will a man know how to live and walk in the dark world of sin. Bread is necessary, but there is more to life than bread. A man can live all his life eating bread and die. If he has not been seeking the living word of God, his life is useless and without merit. The figure of bread is the essential part of life that consumes the soul. Often, more time is spent preparing and eating the manna with no time spent in consuming the word of God. Eternal life is not found in the bread. It is found in the word of God. Living for the word of God is seeking those things that are above. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, they will never thirst, and they will find eternal life.

The answer of Jesus to the devil is the answer of where I find myself. Am I living from the word of God or seeking the bread of the world? Too often, souls are busy seeking the carnal pursuits of the world with no interest in the word of God. The Bible is the manna of God to a world starving from nourishment. Abiding in the manna of God’s word will bring life and give joy. Living by the word of God is an active and daily walk. The body requires nourishment every day of the week. If some people fed their bodies as much nourishment they feed their spiritual bodies, they would have died long ago. Grab a chair and have a seat at the table of the Lord. Prepare a feast of the word of God and live by every word. It is then – and only then – you will find life.

The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 3:6-10)

God’s Warnings Come From Examples

One of the most effective tools of learning is found in the examples of others. Solomon declared there is nothing new under the sun, and when it comes to learning from the mistakes of others, the examples abound throughout history. The mind of God has not changed from the beginning. When sin exalts itself, the Lord measures the will of man by the same rule and meting out the same consequences as before. This is clearly stated when the nation of Israel was divided, with Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Every king (without exception) of Israel was evil, and judgment would come against the people of God in 722 B.C. when Assyria destroyed Samaria. The prophet Jeremiah began his ministry around 627 B.C. With their northern brethren being gone for nearly 100 years, Judah was not learning from the mistakes of Israel.

Israel had embraced idolatry with full fervor. They rejected the word of God and despised all his warnings. The people worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. Israel followed the example of the nations around them who worshipped the Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of heaven. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire, consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery, and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger. Prophets like Amos and Hosea warned the leaders of impending doom, but they took no heed. Finally, the Lord sent the army of Assyria and removed the ten tribes from His sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah alone. The greater tragedy was that while Judah watched all that happened with her northern sister, Israel; they refused to change.

God begged Israel to repent, but they did not and faced the wrath of God. Judah saw it and refused to repent. The Lord showed Judah how Israel had backslidden with all her wickedness, and God walked away from her – Judah did not listen. There was a spiritual divorce between the Lord and Israel; warning Judah the same thing would happen to them – they did not listen. No matter what God did to His people, the remnant saw, took note, and refused to repent. One hundred sixteen years after Assyria captured Samaria, the Babylonians take away the first group of captives from Jerusalem. Twenty years later, Jerusalem is destroyed, and the Temple burned. If Judah had taken the example of Israel years before, they would not have suffered the same fate. Refusing to be admonished by the example of Israel, Judah would be crushed and nearly destroyed.

Examples are important lesson tools. The problem comes when examples are not used for their intended purpose. God has never changed His mind about the condition of man. When sin separates the will of the Lord, and the will of man, the examples of scripture help find the correct path to follow. If God punished Israel – His special people – what makes anyone think today that God will not punish them? No matter what version of the Bible a person reads, sin remains the same, and the way the Lord deals with sin remains the same. Judah should have learned from her sister Israel, but she did not believe God would do the same thing to her. They were wrong. To their surprise (and regret), the Lord brought the Babylonians and punished them. The only saving grace of Judah was the remnant of the righteous that preserved the seed promise of Christ.

The Bible is a book of examples. On every page is the will of the Lord exercised over the will of man. The stories of the Bible happened thousands of years ago, but the manner of God’s judgment remains the same. Failing to read the Bible is refusing to see the examples of God’s goodness and severity. He exalts a nation that is righteous and destroys a nation that forgets Him. The grace of God will save a lost sinner, and the wrath of God will condemn a sinner. There is an example for every motive of the Lord in the Bible. Examples teach. Listen and learn.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

The Fruit Of Our Lips

God knows the heart of man, but He desires to hear the voice of man. There is nothing hidden from the mind of the Lord. He knows every thought, every action, every motive, and every intent. The darkness does not hide Him. There is no place a man can go that God is not there. Before a man is born, the eyes of the Lord are upon him. Life comes from the hand of the Creator and is preserved by the hand of the Eternal Judge. With all that God knows about the way of man, He desires to hear the voice of His creation. In the garden of Eden, God and man talked with one another. The Lord spoke to Noah and told him what to do to be saved from the flood. Abram heard the word of the Lord and obeyed. Throughout the centuries, God has spoken in various ways to the world and has in these last days spoken through His Son, Jesus Christ. But God continues to desire to hear the voice of man.

There is nothing the Lord does not know about the heart of man, and in that knowledge is the desire for the creation to praise the Creator. A worthy sacrifice is as old as the earth. Cain and Abel offered sacrifices. Noah built an altar to thank his God for deliverance. The journeys of Abraham can be traced by the smoke of his altars. Throughout the Law of Moses, sacrifice is required. The book of Hebrews declares the covenant of Christ has taken away the earthly measures of grace to find fulfillment in the sacrifice of a true heart through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no comparison to the law of Christ. The Law of Moses fails, and the attempt by the Gentiles to be a law to themselves is useless. Only in the sacrificial blood of the Son of God is there the promise of hope and redemption. God has provided His Son as the means to redeem man from sin, and the Lord wants to hear from the lips of His people thanksgiving. It is not enough to be saved. The fruit of the lips is the expression of praise to the Father for the eternal grace and mercy to allow the prodigal to return home. This is an action of mouth born from the seeds in the heart.

Giving thanks to the name of the Lord God is something that must continually take place. There were daily sacrifices made under the Law of Moses as the smoke rose to the throne of God. Under the law of Christ, those sacrifices become the daily words of praise to the Father for His kindness to not punish man according to what he deserves but to save rebellious man. This is an act that every child of God does every day because there is something to tell God thank you for every day. Prayer is one means of expressing praise, but there is more to it than that. The fruit of the lips is to talk with God throughout the day, sprinkling words of praise in daily conversation and acknowledging the blessings of the Lord continually. While the world uses God’s name in vain, the child of God uses His name in praise. Hearts that are filled with grace cannot help but speak words of praise to the Lord. The fruit of the lips comes from the tree of life living in the soul of a person who loves, adores, worships, and is daily thankful for the blessings of God in his life. Talk to God. Let Him HEAR your lips of praise. He knows all things, but He wants to hear them from us.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Jesus Is My Lord – Maybe

There is a fundamental truth that every child of God must accept in coming to Jesus Christ. It is essential to have faith in Him and to believe he lived, died, and was buried and raised the third day by the power of the Father. His teachings must be accepted as the divine word of God. The miracles preserved by the Holy Spirit declare He is the Son of God. All the prophets point to Jesus as the fulfillment of the Seed promised given in the Garden of Eden. Jesus is the Anointed One and Messiah. All authority has been given to Jesus, and His gospel is the power of God unto salvation. For the most part, these aspects of the life of Jesus are readily accepted by most believers. The language of believers is filled with Jesus is Lord, but many do not understand what they mean when they say Jesus is their Lord.

The term “Lord” is foreign to most Americans and is actually an objectionable term. Back in 1776, the patriot Americans kicked King George out of the country for imposing taxation without representation. In the political sphere, this is not very appealing to lord over a people taxes without consideration of individual rights. Freedom-loving souls want the democracy of free speech, allowing them to exercise their rights and privileges in a society open to individual choice. This is desirable for citizens of any country, but amazing as it might sound, this is not how the kingdom of God is structured. One Lord and one King rule the nation of God’s people. His word is all the word that matters. The will of King Jesus is the only will. None of the laws of Lord Jesus can be countermanded. What Jesus said is all authority. There is no free speech in the kingdom of Christ. When a man and woman obey the gospel of Lord Jesus, they give up all (that is spelled A-L-L) rights, privileges, and opinions. There are no appeals, no changes in the directives, and no courts to reverse the laws or change the laws of God. When the Father speaks, the children listen and obey.

When God raised Jesus from the dead, He gave His Son ALL authority. In the act of baptism, when God raises the sinner from the body of death, the saint has NO authority. He now becomes a slave to Lord Jesus to serve Him and obey Him in every word. Like a soldier in an army, the child of God becomes a soldier of King Jesus with the laws of God guiding every part of his life. When an individual decides to join the military, they take an oath to serve, protect and obey the military laws of justice. Disobedience to the Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM) will bring judgment against the offender. In the army of King Jesus, there are no lawyers, appellate courts, review boards, and trials to change the will of the Father. Jesus is Lord, and that is the final word.

To put into practice the Lordship of Jesus is more than just saying Jesus is Lord. Too often, people who want to be a disciple of Christ do what is required of them as long as it is not expected they bow in service to one Lord. They live their lives as Christians but never submit to the will of the Lord Jesus, who is King Jesus. Serving Jesus as Lord means the Christian does what Jesus tells them to do because He is the only ruler. In the monarchy system of divine government, the kingdom of Christ has only one King, and He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Citizens of the kingdom of Christ are expected to be fully obedient, submissive, and subservient.

The apostle Paul defined the Lordship of Christ in his life when he said he suffered the loss of all things. Paul said Jesus was “my Lord” because he accepted the rule of Lord Jesus in every part of his life. The apostle emptied his life to serve the Lord Jesus. Christians must pattern their lives as Paul did to the lordship of Jesus. There can be no half-hearted service to the Lord. He demands all. When Lord Jesus speaks, the Christian obeys. Is Jesus your Lord – really?

Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. (1 Samuel 8:1-6)

Give Us A King

After the conquest of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, the people of God were ruled by judges. There was no central government such as a king for nearly three centuries. When the people would do wicked in the sight of the Lord, they would be delivered to the oppression of an invading army who subjugated them for many years. In a continual pattern of rebellion, repentance, and restoration, the children of Israel lived under judges who first delivered them and then ruled over them. The last great judge of Israel was Samuel, son of Elkanah and Hannah. He was an old man when he gave leadership to his two sons, Joel and Abijah. As great a judge Samuel would be remembered, his sons did not walk in his ways. Joel and Abijah were greedy for money, took bribes, and perverted the law of God to their own gain. Finally, the people had enough and told Samuel they wanted a king to rule over them. All the nations around Israel had the pomp and circumstance of a kingly leader, and the people of Israel wanted to be like the nations around them.

The request for a king came as a disappointment to Samuel, but it was not a surprise to the Lord. When God gave the law to Israel, He had told them one day they would desire a king to rule them like the nations around them. The desire of the Lord was for the people to always trust in Him to win their battles, provide all their needs, and protect them from harm. Canaan was conquered by the power of God. The land of Canaan was a place flowing with milk and honey by the provident hand of the Lord. When peace came across the land, it was by the will of God. Everything the people needed, God would provide. He promised to bless them without measure if they obeyed Him. As a nation, Israel was the most powerful, prosperous, and protected people on earth, but it was not enough. Time and again, God delivered them from their enemies, and they soon forgot. After many years of judges, the people demanded a king.

God granted the request for the people to have a king. Three kings ruled over a united kingdom for one-hundred-twenty years. And then the wheel came off. After the death of Solomon, the kingdom was divided into ten tribes to the north under the leadership of Jeroboam and the remaining tribes ruled by Rehoboam. Over two hundred years later, the Assyrians would capture Samaria, and the ten tribes disappeared completely. Three hundred forty-five years after the death of Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar would burn Jerusalem and destroy the temple. It took less than five hundred years for the people to demand a king and then watch as the nation of Israel enter bondage that would span seven hundred years. The Babylonians would enslave the people of God for seventy years. Then the Persians, Greeks, and Romans would keep the nation of Israel in a subservient role of slavery until the final blow in 70 A.D., when the Roman general Titus would destroy the temple and effectively end the Jewish nation.

The people wanted a king, and God gave them what they wanted. Their first king was an enraged despot who spent most of his resources to chase after a shepherd boy. Saul would die in battle by his own hand. David and Solomon would raise Israel to a rich and powerful nation, the marvel of the world. During the divided kingdom, the kings that ruled the northern tribes were all evil – without exception. Only in the southern kingdom were there periods of peace by those who walked in the way of the Lord. This did not keep the nation from being destroyed and taken captive. If the historian would have reflected upon the history of Israel leading up to the Babylonian conquest, he would well observe the decision to have a king was not a wise choice. It did not bring joy to the people as they thought. They would become like the nations around them, but like the nations around them, they fell into disfavor with the Lord. When the people of God become like the nations around them, they become like the people of the nations around them. This led to their downfall and eventual destruction.

Israel wanted a king, and God gave them many kings. The challenge for the Christian is to trust in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with no desire to have the kings of the world lead them. So often, the kings of materialism, self-gratification, indulgences, pride, arrogance, and human wisdom rule the hearts of God’s people. Seeking to be like the people of the world, the child of God submits to the failed view of the sensual pleasures thinking that joy and happiness can be found apart from God. The people of Israel desired a king and were destroyed. When the heart of the Christian tries to serve God and be like the world, there will be no happy ending. It is sad to watch souls seeking kings in their lives without serving King Jesus. There is only one king that will bring joy and happiness, and His name is I AM. Seeking after other kings will never bring what is desired. Read the history of Israel and decide if wanting a king was a good idea. Examine your life and see how well the kings of this world are serving your needs. If the answer is not clear now, it will be when you die. The eternal question will be: which king did you serve?

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples, he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all. (Acts 19:1-7)

Disciples But Not Christians

A disciple is someone who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. He is a convinced adherent of an individual. In the New Testament, a disciple is a learner who follows a teaching such as those who were disciples of Jesus. They believed in His doctrine and sought to imitate His example. Luke writes in the Acts that Paul came to Ephesus and found some disciples of Jesus in the city. Paul was constantly seeking out those in the community who exemplified the characteristics of the disciples of Jesus. Luke does not tell how Paul made that distinction. He may have gone to the marketplace as a commonplace to meet and discuss issues. Often, the apostle would go to the local synagogue where many devout people were found. The city of Ephesus was no small city. It bore the title of “The first and greatest metropolis of Asia.” How Paul found disciples in such a large and bustling city is unknown.

There was something that set a group of men apart from others in Ephesus. Whatever the distinction noted by Paul, the apostle concluded the twelve men were Christians. He was excited to find these devout men and asked them if they had received any special manifestations of the Holy Spirit. To the astonishment of Paul, the men were unaware of any blessings from the Holy Spirit and did not know who the Holy Spirit was. Puzzled, Paul asked them into what they were baptized. The answer cleared up the apparent confusion. When Paul found the twelve men who acted like disciples or followers of Jesus Christ, he assumed they were Christians, members of the kingdom of God. Actually, they were adherents of John the Baptist and had only known the baptism of John. Paul’s visit to Ephesus was a little over 25 years after the death of John and Jesus. Men like Apollos were still teaching the baptism of John.

When Paul realized the twelve men were disciples of John, he told them they needed to be baptized into Christ. And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Now they were Christians. Paul laid his hands on them and gave them the gifts of tongues and prophecy. The men the apostle thought were Christians were disciples, but being a disciple of Jesus did not make one a Christian. Everything the twelve men were doing and saying sounded and looked much like what a true Christian would do and speak. It was not that dishonest men fooled Paul. Rather, from outward appearances, the spiritual dozen acted much like those in the body of Christ, but they were not Christians. They had not been baptized for the remission of their sins. There is no salvation in acting like a Christian, looking like a Christian, and talking like a Christian, if, in fact, one is not a Christian.

If Paul were preaching in America today, he might think a lot of people are Christians. He would see many adherents to Jesus Christ, disciples of the Son of God, and churches filling the landscape of those who love and adore the Son of God. His impression of so many people would be they must be Christians, but like in Ephesus, he would find they had not received the remission of their sins. Most religious groups (Protestant churches) deny the essentiality of baptism, accepting a faith-only doctrine of salvation. Paul would recognize them as disciples but not Christians. Denying the New Testament plan of salvation, the work of the church, organization of the kingdom of God, and the teaching of the Bible is what separates those who call themselves followers of Jesus and those who do the will of the Father. Being a disciple of Jesus does not make one a Christian. Acting like a Christian does not make one a child of God. A Christian is someone who has been baptized for the remission of sins in the blood of Jesus Christ. They have obeyed the will of the Father. Anything else is falling short of salvation. Are you a disciple only, or have you put on Christ in obedience in the waters of baptism? It makes a difference. Just ask Paul.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

God Spoke

Communication is the basis of any relationship. God did not create man and leave him to his own devices. In the beginning, the Lord spoke to Adam and Eve instructing them to eat of every tree of the garden except for the forbidden tree. Communication was the means of God passing His will to Adam and Eve, and they understood the word spoken to them. The spoken word by the serpent challenged the commandment of the Lord, and sin entered the world. Even though man rebelled against the will of the Lord, God did not abandon Adam and Eve. He spoke to them and explained the consequences of their sin and the hope of a seed that would come to restore the relationship of God to man. The bridge between the Creator and His creation was the communication of the spoken word. This would become the foundation of everything man would know to save himself because without the spoken word, there would be no knowledge of the mind of God.

There has never been a time in the history of humanity that God has not spoken to His creation. Noah learned of the impending destruction through the spoken word. Abram was called by God through spoken word to leave his family and journey to a place he did not know. The promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah was given repeatedly through the spoken word. Moses delivered the Hebrews from captivity after the Lord God spoke to him from a burning bush. When the children of Israel encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Lord spoke to Moses, and the man of God wrote down the words of God with ten words inscribed on tablets of stone. The written law was given to Israel to read and obey, while the Gentiles understood the will of the Father through an oral law. From the time of Adam until the coming of Jesus Christ, the Father revealed His word through chosen men and women who revealed the will of God for the people to hear and understand how to save themselves from the wrath of God. Knowledge came through the means of the spoken word of God.

There is never a time that man can plead ignorance to the will of God. The Lord used various means of communication to reveal His will to humanity. At times, God would speak directly to a man. He would use visions, dreams, and revelations to explain future events. Joseph dreamed of things that would define his life. God used unbelievers to carry out His will, such as the Pharaoh of Egypt having visions from the Lord about the coming famine. On one occasion, the Lord used a donkey to rebuke Balaam when God opened the animal’s mouth to speak to the prophet. Regardless of the means of communication, the Lord never left man without a witness to the will of the Father. The means of revealing His word changed over the centuries, but the one constant remained that God always held men accountable to His will because He told him what he must do to be saved.

The greatest example of divine communication came when the Father sent the Son into the world as the Word. In the Greek language, the mean of “word” is “LOGOS.” Jesus was the embodiment of the fullness of God’s word. Throughout His ministry, Jesus preached the message that His words were not His own but the Father’s. The kingdom of God was built upon the will of the Father. Jesus was not only the divine manifestation of the love of God, He was the divine expression of the word of God. The early church writers took the story of Jesus and wrote down the word of God. John would reflect that if everything known about Jesus was written one by one, the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. The word of God is so expansive, the human mind can barely grasp the hem of its garment. Without the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus would remain an enigma. Luke tells the story of the early church to produce for all men the pattern of sound doctrine (words) of the divine plan for the church. The New Testament is a book of letters written by Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John presenting Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Through the writings of the New Testament words, the reader will see the Old Testament reveals the nature and character of the Christ. God revealed Himself and His Son through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for all men to read, understand, and obey.

There is only one means of divine communication today. No prophets remain, and all revelation outside the Bible ended nearly two thousand years ago. Despots who claim to have a divine revelation of the will of God are liars. In these last days, God has spoken by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only hope of eternal life because He is the Word of God. He has been given all authority – without exception. When a man rejects the Bible as the divine word of God, he walks away from the only ark of salvation offered to man. Unbelievers are trusting in rowboats to save them from the flood when the only hope of salvation is found in the ark of gopher wood instructed by the Lord God. The Bible is that ark. It is the spoken word of God. Read it to be wise. Obey it to be saved. God spoke.