The Heaton File

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.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

God Is

There is something intrinsic about the manner the Holy Spirit begins the revelation of the mind of God. Everything that follows the first day of creation defines the nature and character of who God is, what He is, and how He will interact with His creation. There are no bold assertions requiring proof or evidentiary discussion. At the beginning of the world, God existed, and the world as it is known to man did not exist. God spoke, and light was created. That is all that happened on day one. From the first day of creation until the final day of the existence of the universe, the words of God creating light define the nature of the Divine. Every word recorded in the Bible speaks to a single thought and remains constant to one idea. John will conclude the revelation of God with the light of the eternal glory of God, filling the city of God with His glory. As the Finger of God transcribes the Creator’s words throughout the ages of man’s history, two words are repeatedly confirmed and explained: God is.

The contrast between God and man is without measure. When the Lord created the world, He spoke it into existence. Nothing man has done or ever will be able to do can match the nature of God’s power. Sin destroyed the character of men and highlighted the heart of a forgiving Father. When the wisdom of men failed, God destroyed the world in a flood, saving eight souls by His mercy and grace. A man named Abram was called to establish a seed promise that would require many generations of failed attempts by humanity to save itself. God raised up a nation to be His special people, and they failed to keep His commandments. The world was spiraling into an abyss of self-destruction until a child was born in the city of Bethlehem. Thirty years later, the Son of God appeared before men to show the will of the Father and the love of a forgiving Creator. Envy led the Jews to kill the Son of God. Three days later, God raised His Son from the dead, and the world has never been the same. Hope fills the earth with the promises of forgiveness and mercy. The wisdom of man fails, and the wisdom of God saves. Man is hopeless because of two words: God is.

One thing separates God and man. God is and man is not. The failing of human wisdom comes from man’s refusal to believe that God is not a man. God has spoken and His word remains unchanged, unmovable, and eternal. God is a consuming fire, the God of gods, and righteous when men are not. The promises of God are always kept, He is love, He is just, and He is good. God has promised to always be with His people because God is a Father. He is a Spirit that must be worship as Spirit and should not be mocked or treated contemptuously. God knows all things, and He cares about every man, woman, and child dwelling on the face of the earth. Through His word, God promises to be the strength and power for His people as a God who is able and who is faithful. There is a steel and velvet character of a wrathful God with consuming fire but a God of love who forgives and forgets the failings of His children. Two words define the character of the Holy One: God is.

When Moses asked the Lord His name to tell the Hebrew people, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” The name of God is I AM because everything about the Lord God is that GOD IS. He was not nor will be but He is I AM and HE IS. The nature of man thinks that he is something when he is nothing. Only by knowing the fullness of God as HE IS can man come to know how small his boat is in the vast ocean of God’s universe and power. Man is nothing. GOD IS.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Faithful Witnesses

Life can be tedious to the point the soul becomes discouraged, despondent, and feeling left alone in a world given over to immorality. It is clear the world has been a place of spiritual conflict since Adam and Eve lost paradise. The world of today is no different than any other time. It is easy to say how bad the world is becoming, but the truth is the world has always been bad. Sin destroyed the peace and happiness of man with God and continues to ravage the spirits of men. Life is hard, and that should not surprise someone desiring to live godly in this world. Swimming upstream against the tide of unrighteousness has never been easy. God never promised life would be a bed of roses. In fact, quite the opposite if a man lives a holy life. The mistaken idea that God wants a man to be happy fuels many people’s discouragement when life turns against them. The Lord is not so much interested in the happiness of His people but their holiness. It is only in the holy character of righteousness that true happiness is found.

Holding the banner of Christ in a dark world is a daunting task. The writer of Hebrews is trying to encourage the souls of God’s people to not give up on the covenant of grace. There is no comparison between the Law of Moses and the covenant of Christ. Everything is better because Jesus is the Son of God. Numerous examples are given of those who faithfully served the Lord during times of hardship and persecution. Abel became the first to experience the horror of sin when his brother murdered him. The world Enoch lived in was about to be destroyed, yet he was found to be pleasing to God. Noah watched the wrath of God annihilate the entire population of the world. Abraham was told at the age of 75 to go somewhere he had no idea where to go and to believe in an impossible promise. Moses became the leader of the people of God when he esteemed the reproach of righteousness higher than the reward of Egyptian power and wealth. The Hebrew writer continues the story of faith with the conquest of Jericho and the faithful like Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. All of these obtained something better than what they experienced in life because they believed God would provide something better for them in glory. Life was hard for them. It was not easy. Faith had to take on wings of courage.

All of the saints of glory died believing in the promises of God. Their stories would become the backdrop for all those who would follow Jesus and claim His name. A great cloud of witnesses is permanently embedded in the ceiling of the throne room of faith to encourage God’s people to remain steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. The witnesses were not visually watching the lives of the saints, but the stories of their victories are models for all who seek to walk in a dark world like Enoch and Noah or face the uncertain future like Abraham. God has never failed on any promise He has made. The chapter of faith is a testimony to the unwavering hope that all that God has said will come to pass. In a dark world, He is a light. When the tide of immorality swells around the souls of the saints, the commander of the Lord’s army is there to protect and defend. Faith is the victory over doubt and the blessed assurance of hope.

The faithful witnesses grow each day as the number of godly men and women find their moment of glory. Their lives are testimony that overcoming is possible. When the heart is despondent about the pandemic, the economy, the future of the world, health concerns, and the general tediousness of life, look to the witnesses that lived before and know there is something greater coming. If there were no witnesses, there would always be the One. Look to Jesus, the author, and finisher of faith, who sits at the right hand of God. He overcame because of the promises of His Father. God never left His Son, and He will never leave you.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:41-45)

Pride Has No Place In The Kingdom

During the final weeks of the ministry of Jesus, a dispute arose among His disciples. After a few years of teaching, exhorting, showing the power of God through miracles, signs, and wonders, Jesus was beginning His journey to Jerusalem where He would suffer and die. His apostles had been with Jesus much of the time as He groomed them for the work they were yet aware was coming. With a growing sense of confidence, James and John went to the Lord and requested to be placed at His right hand and His left when the supposed earthly kingdom would be established. The disciples had a mistaken idea about the true nature of God’s kingdom. They thought Jesus had come to restore the kingdom of God as it was in the olden days. The kingdom of God was not of the world but a spiritual kingdom. James and John had failed to understand this, and thinking Jesus would soon organize His kingdom, the sons of Zebedee (along with their mother) sought to place themselves in a position of prominence.

It was a reckless request by James and John to become so prideful of their ministry with the Lord. Throughout the teaching of Jesus, the Son of God showed humility and grace in His action, His teaching, and His instruction to the twelve. Faced now with two of His disciples wanting places of power, the Lord gathers the twelve and teaches them a final lesson about the true nature of greatness. The ten apostles were very angry at James and John. Jesus must show them the failure of the request and at the same time admonish His disciples to see the true nature of His kingdom.

Greatest does not come from a proud heart seeking power. True greatness in the kingdom of God comes from a servant’s heart. The world is filled with power-hungry souls who thrive upon the position of authority, demanding respect through pride. Some men live all their lives to be the biggest or most influential men of their time, and to what end? They enjoy the limelight for a time and then fade away and are forgotten. Sadly, some seek power within the church of God demanding respect from prideful hearts seeking to be men of greatness. They become as John would later write about Diotrephes, who loved to have the preeminence among the brethren.

Jesus describes greatness in the act of serving. It must have been a difficult time for Jesus to deal with James and John seeking glory when He Himself was about to show the greatest act of greatness by suffering as a servant on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, did James and John feel ashamed for asking so much from the Lord? There are only children in the kingdom of God. Sometimes those children try to become adults to lord over others but to be great in the kingdom is to serve others with a child-like heart. Jesus did not come to lord over others. He came to give His life a ransom for many. Dying like a criminal, Jesus took on the sins of all men and left a pattern of servitude that is required for all those who call on His name. When a man desires to be great in the kingdom of God, he has failed – miserably. Seeking the path of a slave and serving with a heart of humility will exalt one in the eyes of the Father.

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him. (1 Chronicles 9:20)

The Lord Was With Him

Five words. One of the great epitaphs of holy writ is found in the five words describing the grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar. Phinehas is an unsung hero who was a man filled with moral righteousness and impeccable integrity and a devoted follower of the Lord God. He took the courageous action of killing Zimri, the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites who brought a Midianite woman named Cozbi before the people when Israel committed whoredom with the women of Moab. Phinehas took a javelin and thrust both Zimri and Cozbi through the body, which also stopped the plague sent by the Lord, which killed 24,000 people. Later, he would succeed his father Eleazar as High Priest of Israel.

One of the jobs of Phinehas was officer over the Levite gatekeepers. It is in the genealogy of the gatekeepers the Holy Spirit says that the Lord was with Phinehas. Of all the accolades of honor bestowed upon a man, nothing is of greater value than to know his life is characterized by the overshadowing hand of the Lord. Little is known about the life of Phinehas, but all that can be known is found in the knowledge that whatever he did, God was with him. His life was an example of devotion to the will of the Lord. After he killed Zimri and Cozbi, he was blessed with the promise of the Lord to be a covenant of peace throughout his generation. Phinehas was zealous for the Lord. He was the one who took action against the blatant sin of Zimri. His action was swift, decisive, and immediate. It did not take him a committee to decide if what Zimri was doing was right or wrong. Phinehas took immediate action and thereby saved thousands of lives from the plague.

The Lord is looking for souls as courageous as Phinehas. Zimri was a leader among the people, but this did not deter Phinehas. What Zimri did was an insult to the character of God’s righteousness, and there was only one action to be taken. The Lord was inflicting His own special possession with a plague that killed 24,000 people, and many more would have died had it not been for the zealousness of Phinehas. Sin was repudiated that day by the hand of Phinehas. There comes a time when the work of the Lord demands action. Sin cannot be tolerated and accepted. When Paul wrote the church at Corinth, he reprimanded them for allowing a man with his father’s wife to be accepted in the fellowship of the body of Christ. What the church at Corinth needed was someone like Phinehas to stand for Christ. John told the church at Pergamos that someone needed to stand for truth against the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. The church at Thyatira needed a Phinehas to stand against a Jezebel among them.

Courage is faith under fire that stands for truth regardless of the circumstance. Righteousness is that which is right and must be defended courageously. The action of Phinehas comes from a man who has the spirit of the Lord dwelling within him. It is then the Lord will be with this heart and deliver him out of any difficulty. Men like Noah, Job, Abraham, David, Daniel, and his three friends and the hosts of prophets are examples of those who stood for truth in the face of difficulty, and the Lord was with them. The Lord will stand with those who stand for Him. There are no greater words to have said about a life than the Lord is with them. Live for God, and He will be with you. If He is for us, who can be against us?

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)

Delivered Up And Raised

A criminal is a person who is guilty of committing a trespass against the law. To be a criminal is to act against what is forbidden and a violation of the law. The majority of citizens are law-abiding persons who would never want to be accused of living a criminal life in rebellion against society and the laws of the land. While most citizens are good people living good and decent lives, the label of criminal is attached to every person when it comes to sin. Paul declared that all men sin and fall short of the glory of God. This means that all are guilty before the Lord as criminals, charged with the heinous crime of rebellion against the grace of God. The language of the Holy Spirit describes the state of affairs for humanity is clearly defined by the terms of offenses, trespasses, sins, transgressions, and acts of criminality against God. There are no innocent souls before God. No one can stand before the Judge of all men and claim innocence. Everyone is guilty.

Jesus was sent by the Father to redeem sinful man. The Son of God came to live among men and dwell in the fleshly body experiencing all the frailty of temptation. He lived for more than three decades without one trespass of the law of God. The lust of flesh weighed heavy upon Him. Pride and exaltation of self burdened the Lord. The lust of the eyes faced the Son of God each day. With the love and power of His heavenly Father, Jesus resisted all sin and died an innocent man. He was crucified as a criminal, but Jesus was never a criminal. That is not the case with humanity. All men are criminals, and Jesus was sentenced to death because of the sins of mankind. Every person from Adam until the final person born before the coming of the Lord stands adjudicated guilty of rebellion against God. Sin is personal because no one is exempt.

It is imperative that every man look in the mirror and see the reason Jesus suffered on the cross. A criminal is someone who goes against the law and standing before the law of God; all men bear the mark of a criminal – guilty of killing the Son of God. Jesus did not die because of someone else’s sin. Jesus died because of the sin of everyone. The language Paul uses is “our offenses” or “my crime.” The guilty person is the one who accepts the guilt of sin and the price paid to redeem the soul from the wrath of God. Jesus was delivered up so that He could be raised up for the justification of all men. The Lord died because of sin, but He was raised because of mercy. God raised His Son from the dead to remove the guilt of sin from those who come to Jesus and accept the grace of the Father. Jesus came out of the grave to make all men right with God, but all men will not come out of the world to accept the love of the Father. The Son of God was delivered and raised to save the soul. How could anyone reject this invitation?

Jesus fulfilled with the work of His Father when He was delivered up for the sins of humankind. He was raised up to bring justification to those who come to the cross in obedience. Salvation does not come automatically. Justification is found in the blood of Jesus Christ when an obedient heart accepts the grace and mercy of God and finds the cleansing blood of Jesus in the waters of baptism. There is no place justification can be found but in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Paul will describe this process of death, burial, and resurrection as the waters of baptism. All men are redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus only when they come to obey the works of justification. Thank God Jesus came to earth. Thank you, God, for raising Jesus from the dead. I can be delivered. I can be justified.