The Heaton File

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Windshield Or Rear-View Mirror

Life is like driving a car. Moving forward requires looking out of the broad windshield in front or to remain idle by staring through the rear-view mirror at what is behind. The reason automobile manufacturers make such a large front windshield is to afford a broad view of what lies ahead. Without this picture, it would be difficult to see where to go and what dangers may be ahead. A clean windshield improves visibility and modern glass is manufactured to be resilient to heavy abuse and even designed in such a way to reduce injury in case of catastrophic damage. Needless to say, the windshield is a very important part of enjoying a Sunday afternoon drive through the country. On the other hand, the rear-view mirror is very small and is placed in a position to give a small glimpse of what is behind. The purpose is not to use what has gone by as a means of going forward but to reflect on what has been but is no more. Everything in the rear-view mirror grows smaller and disappears in time if the car is moving. Both the windshield and the rear-view mirror are essential and vital to the safe operation of the vehicle but each serves different purposes with one allowing progress and the other a matter of reflection.

Life is like driving a car. Moving forward requires looking out of the broad view of what God has placed before us to see the opportunities and blessings of His grace. The vistas of life are filled with new roads to travel and exciting places to be a part of. Finding fulfillment will only come when the eyes are on the road ahead as the eyes peer through the windshield. It does not do well to try and drive looking through the rear-view mirror. Paul had many things in his life that could discourage him and cause him to quit. He had severely persecuted the church with the zeal of destroying any who called themselves of the Way. His purpose in life had been to arrest, imprison, and cast his vote of death against all the blasphemers of God. The grace of God changed his life. Everything in the life of Paul was viewed through the windshield of how much God had loved him allowing the redeeming blood of Jesus to wash away his sins. The apostle declared that he had put his past behind him and that he would press forward to what was before.

Life is like driving a car. As you look through the windshield the small view of what is behind is there but it slowly moves out of sight. It is good to see where we have been but only to see where we are going. Paul said he was focused on one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. He did not suggest he wiped his memory completely of his past as near the end of his life he told Timothy he considered himself chief among sinners. Paul’s view of his past was small compared to the expanse of what lay before him in Christ. It is good to look in the rear-view mirror on occasion but the focus is ahead. Understanding how we have been saved by grace through faith in the promises of God will help us to keep our eyes on the road. Growing in Christ will diminish what lies behind as the blessings of God open up before us.

Life is like driving a car. The final lesson is to know there are only two roads a man can travel. One is a broad boulevard of ease, pleasure, and self-satisfaction. The other is a narrow, difficult, and winding way. Driving on the broad way is easy and fun but the warning signs that line the road warn of the impending doom at the end. Sadly, most of the drivers on the broad way ignore the warning signs until it is too late. The few who heed the warnings and accept the challenge of going on the narrow way find joy and eternal life at the end of the road. It was a journey filled with storms, dangers, and difficulty but with the encouragement of fellow travelers, the grace of a loving God, and an eternal map with all the right information contained therein – Heaven is found. Only those who use the windshield of God’s grace will find eternal life. How is your driving? Which road are you on today?

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. (John 10:11-13)

I AM The Good Shepherd

When the disciples saw a man who was born blind sitting and begging, they asked Jesus if he had sinned or his parents. The Lord reminded His followers that sin did not cause this man’s blindness but that this occasion would be a time to reveal the glory of God. Jesus spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He then told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Following the instructions of Jesus, the blind man went to the pool, washed, and received his sight. He was then called before the Jewish council to answer how he received his sight. His parents were called in to testify but deferred to their son to plead his own case. After a heated exchange with the Pharisees, the man was cast out from the assembly. Jesus found the man and asked if he believed in the Son of God and the man answered he did. As the man worshipped Jesus, the Pharisees stood around and Jesus proclaimed that He had come into the world for judgment and those who could see would be made blind. He was referring to the blindness of the Pharisees who rejected the miracle of the blind man receiving his sight. They asked Jesus if He thought they were blind. The Lord affirms their hypocrisy by telling them the story of the shepherd.

Jewish history is filled with allusions to God’s people being the flock of God. The leaders of Israel were called shepherds in the writing of Ezekiel. One of the severe charges made against the leaders of Israel during the captivity was their failure to feed, tend, and care for the flock of God. Ezekiel 34 is a stinging rebuke of the utter failure of the shepherds of Israel. Jesus uses this reference to show the continued hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders of His day and what Jesus came to offer all men. The hierarchy of Israel cared more for themselves than the people they were supposed to serve. Like the failed shepherds of old, the Jews mistreated the blind man and cast him out. How could they treat a fellow child of God in such a manner? It was reprehensible the way the elite Jewish leaders prided themselves with vanity, self-glory, and self-righteousness. Jesus was not that kind of shepherd.

The division of John 9 and 10 is an unhappy placement that takes away the importance of how Jesus compared Himself to the Pharisees and Himself. The Pharisees were thieves and robbers who tried to climb over the wall with their righteousness; unable to come in the door of the sheepfold. The one who enters by the door is the true shepherd. Only through the will of the doorkeeper will the shepherd be allowed to come in and take his sheep. The sheep hear his voice and they follow him. They will not listen to the voice of a stranger but flee from him. The shepherd will lead his flock to green pastures and beside still waters. Only the true shepherd will care for his sheep. A hireling will not have such care. His concern is to be paid with little or no concern for the safety of the sheep. His will is selfish. The good shepherd will give his life for the sheep because he cares for them.

Jesus said that He was the Good Shepherd. I AM the door and I AM the good shepherd is the distinction Jesus makes in what He came to do for all men and how the Jewish leaders treated their fellow citizens. Like a true shepherd, Jesus comes by the authority of the Father to do His will. Healing the blind man on the Sabbath affirmed the authority of Jesus to do the will of God. The miracle testified He was the Son of God. When the blind man received his sight, he could see the glory of God. The Pharisees could see with their eyes but were blinded by the message of the Good Shepherd. Jesus came to be the Good Shepherd for all men to come and find the joy of knowing the Father. He was willing to die for His sheep when these same Jews cried out to Pilate, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” The death of Jesus was the Good Shepherd dying for His sheep. He was the Lamb of God who took the scroll and broke its seals. Jesus was the Chief Shepherd who would guide His church. It was through the sacrifice of the Lamb the Gentiles were part of the flock of God. There was only one Good Shepherd. Thank God for the Shepherd.

The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 14:12-14)

Noah, Daniel, And Job

Righteousness exalts a nation but sin will destroy any people. The nation of Israel had been the apple of God’s eye before falling headlong into such immorality they surpassed the wickedness of the nations around them. Warned by the prophets to repent and change their ways, the people of God were persistent in unfaithfulness. Through the providential will of the Father, Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian and Babylonian empire. At the time of Ezekiel’s writing, the northern ten tribes had been gone for more than one hundred years and Jerusalem was on the brink of total destruction. The priest Ezekiel was in captivity among the Hebrews warning them of the impending doom of the city of God. He tried unsuccessfully to convince the Jews the sinfulness of Judah had reached a point of no return and the wrath of God was coming. The house of Israel would be punished if they did not return.

The magnitude of the wickedness of Judah was highlighted by a bold illustration of three men. Ezekiel is speaking to some of the elders of Israel and he warns them the sin of the people is so great that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would save no one but themselves. Noah lived in a period of history that was so evil, vile, and wicked; the Lord destroyed every living thing on earth that had the breath of life. Only Noah and his family were saved. Noah was a righteous man but his righteousness could not save the world. In a later time, God comes to Abraham and tells the man of God that Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed because the cry of wickedness was great. Abraham sought to intercede that if righteous people were found in the city, the mercy of God would spare the cities. But there were no righteous people to save the cities and only Lot and his family escaped. Ezekiel is showing the mercy of God when righteousness lives in an ungodly world and yet even Noah could not stop the global destruction.

Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel. He was taken captive during the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim. When Ezekiel is writing his prophetic word, Daniel has been in Babylon for nearly fifteen years. He has made a mark of distinction for himself as a man wholly devoted to the Lord. His three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, also had shown themselves faithful in their devotion to God. Ezekiel uses Daniel as a present-day example that as righteous a man as Daniel, he could not change the will of the Lord to punish the house of Israel. The people had become so wicked there was no hope to save them although there were righteous people like Daniel who continued to be faithful to the Lord. The contrast of character is stark. Daniel is faithful and Israel is unfaithful.

Job is another great patriarchal example of faithfulness and devotion to the Lord in the face of adversity. Every Jew was familiar with the story of the righteous man who endured incredible sufferings yet retained his faith in God. The righteousness of Job was a sterling example of facing terrible calamities that would have destroyed any man and yet through confidence in the will of God, Job never lost favor with the Lord. It was a struggle but Job endured.

Ezekiel uses Noah, Daniel, and Job, to illustrate how perverted the land had become. He notes that in the present time, only these three men would be delivered. During the flood, Noah was saved along with his family. If he were alive in the captivity of Israel, he would not be able to save his family. This was also the case with Daniel and Job. This is how bad things had turned when God looked around for righteous people. The warning was clear: unless the people repented, the wrath of God would be unleashed among them. Sadly, this became their history. A few years later Jerusalem will be burned to the ground including the House of God.

If Ezekiel were writing today in modern-day America, he may paint a similar picture. Thankfully there are more than three righteous souls in this great land but they are becoming fewer. There will come a time when the land of the free and the brave will be the land of lost and the cowardly who love the siren songs of immorality rather than the righteous tunes of godliness. The threat is real and the danger always present. Righteousness exalts a nation. Unrighteousness destroys a nation. If Noah, Daniel, and Job were living today – who would be saved with them?

I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart. (Psalm 40:8)

Obedience Begins In The Heart

David was a remarkable man whose heart was fully trusting in God. He showed great courage in facing Goliath, exercised restraint in harming King Saul when he had more than one opportunity to kill him, and as a king showed himself to be a wise and beneficent ruler. His sin with Bathsheba marred his character and the stain of its shame would remain for the rest of his life. David faced many enemies finding himself often the object of scorn, ridicule, and even treason by his sons. The occasion of writing the fortieth psalm is uncertain but whatever it was it had put him in a pit of despair. He was thankful for the kind mercy of God to rescue him from his mire of despondency noting the blessing of God’s word guided his heart to seek the Lord. There were so many blessings David could enumerate but he was unable to recount them all. He was a man filled with the word of God.

Obedience comes from the knowledge of knowing what to do and how to do what God requires. None of the commandments of the Lord are burdensome. The Lord has never asked a man to do anything he was unable to do. Doing the will of God has always been the hallmark of the faithful character, godly spirit with a devoted and true heart. The key to obedience is not just in the doing but where the direction of the heart instills submission. David took joy in doing the will of the Lord because the word of God was written in his heart. Obedience cannot come from an empty heart. Seeking the will of the Lord requires the knowledge to know what is right and what is wrong. Without the word, there can be no obedience. The result of those who seek to obey God without a knowledge of His word will find themselves measured by the standards of human wisdom rather than divine will.

David understood that obedience begins in the heart. Jesus would later say that all things that make up a man’s character begin in the heart: good or bad. The things that corrupt a man come from a corrupt heart. Righteousness is the blossom of the divine flower of truth that spreads its aromatic fragrance of God’s character throughout the soul of the man possessed of the law of the Lord. Truth begins in the word and when the word is planted deep in the heart, the result is a man who delights to know the will of the Lord. Faith comes from hearing the word of God as it is implanted in the soul of man. That is where true delight comes when the heart is filled with the word of God.

Obedience follows from the seed of God’s word planted in the heart. This process cannot be done by osmosis or transference of minds or boring a hole in the head and pouring it all in. Knowledge comes from much study and while much study can be a weariness of the soul, the spirit of the soul will grow stronger. What is implanted in the heart guides the mind of a man to do the will of the Father. Recognizing the opposite is to see the reason that many Christians struggle in their faith because they seldom (if ever) spend time in the Word. A man cannot teach what he does not know. Faith cannot be resident in the heart of the Christian if the Christian has no interest in knowing the Bible. God has given to all men a complete guide to know His will: the Bible. Reading the book and finding ways to mold a character according to the divine pattern will bring about eternal consequences. It must begin with the word in the heart.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)

God Is My Shepherd

There is nothing unfamiliar about the 23^rd Psalm. It is one of the most recognizable poems in literature, secular and divine. David is known as the “psalmist of Israel” and nothing embodies the character of the shepherd as David’s prose on the relationship of a man and his sheep. When God created the sheep He defined the character of humanity. Sheep are defenseless, unable to care for themselves, and require protection, care, and nurturing by a shepherd. The many aspects of the needs of a sheep are given in David’s description of tending a flock. They are brought to green grass by the knowledge of the one who tends them. Still waters are sought after as sheep are frightened of turbulent rivers. Many dangers are lurking about like lions and bears that will kill and destroy a flock. Sheep are easily distracted and can become lost requiring the love and skills of a devoted shepherd to find them. When injury or disease happens, the soothing oil of relief comes from the gentle hand of a shepherd. There is a close bond between the sheep and the shepherd that cannot be lost as the sheep endear themselves to the protective care of their master.

Examining the psalm closely there are many lessons shown from the needs of the sheep and the care of the shepherd. What can be lost in the reading of the psalm is the most important part of the story: God is the shepherd and there is no other. David begins by establishing there is one shepherd and He is the Lord alone. There will not be more than one shepherd to confuse the sheep. His voice alone will guide the flock to green pastures and still waters. The keen eyes of the diligent shepherd will watch for danger over His flock. Only in the arms of the shepherd will the sheep find protection. David understands the necessity of putting God the Father first in his life and fully gives himself to the will of the Father. There is no other that he will trust.

Sheep for the most part are docile creatures. On occasion, a sheep will be rebellious and stubborn. The story is told that when a sheep becomes unruly the shepherd will break a leg of the sheep and then carry the creature in his arms until he is healed and able to walk on his own. From that time forth the sheep will never wander far from the shepherd. This is a hard thing to consider but the sheep must learn there is only one voice that is commanding and obedience is required. David explains there is one shepherd and as the Father, God has all authority. The man after God’s own heart learned this lesson first-hand when he sinned with Bathsheba. God disciplined David and carried him in His arms while he healed. David never lost his love for the Father.

The 23^rd Psalm is known by almost everyone in the world but few know the Shepherd of the psalm. It is easy to quote the words of the psalm. The challenge is to accept the first line that God is the shepherd, the only shepherd, and His word must be obeyed. Obedience is not found in singing a beautiful psalm or memorizing a stanza of Hebrew poetry. Salvation is determined by submitting to the Shepherd of the psalm and His will. Through the grace of God, the divine shepherd of David sent His only begotten Son to die for all men. Like a lamb, Jesus was led to the slaughter for the sins of humanity. Jesus would become the Good Shepherd because He gave His life for the sheep. The words of Jesus are the words of the Father and when one obeys the words of Jesus, they submit to the will of the great Shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. As a sheep, I must listen to the voice of God alone.

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ (Acts 17:26-28)

The Christian And Global Warming

There are a lot of worried people who fret about the condition of the world leading to an apocalyptic end of life on earth. Global warming is the hot topic of political debate, community concern, and deep fears in the hearts of many scared individuals. This phenomenon is defined as “a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.” All of this comes from the human impact on the planet through the waste of industry, technology, and pollution. There is a belief among many that in time man will destroy the earth and all life will die. Because of the lifestyle of humanity, the pollutants will slowly erode the protective coating surrounding the earth and the Sun will become so hot the Earth’s oceans will boil. At this point, life on earth will be rendered impossible and the end of all life will come. The good news is (as suggested by some) this may not happen for another billion years or so. On the other hand, some worry that by 2035 or 2050 (or some future date) man will have depleted enough of the global footprint that all life will be endangered with rising oceans, famines, limited freshwater, and economic disaster.

One of the joys of being a Christian is having a source to find answers to everything that involves the story of man. The Bible does talk about the two main questions of global warming: what is the impact and can man destroy the world? To answer the first question we have to be reminded of what Paul told the Athenians two thousand years ago. God is the one that determines the habitations and boundaries of all men. The root of error in human wisdom is to assume humanity as the power to change the course of the stars and to impact the earth in such a manner to (in a figure) knock the world off its axis. Man is not in charge of the world. By the authority of God, he has been given dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. He can subdue the earth but he cannot destroy it.

The limitation of man to destroy the world is found in the only time every living being on earth was destroyed (except for eight people) it was brought about by the Creator. God looked at the heart of men and saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord prepared Noah and his family to be saved from the destruction but then through the power of God alone, all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air were destroyed from the earth. God did that – not man. After the flood, Noah and his family left the ark where Noah built an altar to the Lord. Smelling the sacrifice, God promised to never destroy the earth as He had done. And then He made a promise: while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night SHALL NOT CEASE. The diligent student of the Bible knows that when God makes a promise that promise will be kept without exception.

Since God promised the world will continue with seasons and day and night, why should anyone believe that global warming is going to change that? The scientists who put forth the destructive theories of global warming will not believe the world was created by God. They accept the false notion that man came from slim in some primordial world of chaos. The word of God means nothing to them. Global warming can happen as much as global cooling. The earth goes through cycles throughout history. There are ways that man can impact his environment and he must be a responsible caretaker of the world, but man can’t destroy the world and bring life on earth to an end. There is no nuclear bomb or strain of a virus that will destroy all life. Can man kill millions with a bomb? Yes. Is it possible for evil tyrants to develop a virus that kills millions of innocent souls? Yes. Can man destroy all life on earth? No. First, God will not allow it and second, the Lord has left that task to Himself.

The earth will come to an end one day. It will not be through global warming, world wars, and man-made plagues. Jesus, the Son of God, described the end of the world when He returns with His holy angels as a time of total destruction. Every scripture in the Bible that speaks about the end of the world describes the destruction is by the hand of God. The world is held together by the word of God and the world will be destroyed by the same word. This world is reserved for fire until the day of judgment when ungodly people will be destroyed. Every man must be a good steward of his planet and should take every care to nurture the world gifted to him by the Almighty. At the end of the day, the power of God will destroy the world – not man. There is no way man will have the ability and/or the power to effect such a change on the earth to destroy it. That is in the mind of God. And that is the joy of being a Christian. The answers are found in His word.

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. (John 16:31-32)

I AM Not Alone

As the dark shadow of the cross surrounded the heart of Jesus, the Son of God began to feel to emptiness and void of bearing the sins of all humanity and the incredible pain attending His sacrifice. Within hours, He would be betrayed by Judas, arrested, and maliciously tried before handed over to the Romans for execution. There can be no darker picture than the image of the only begotten Son of God facing a sentence of death, desertion by His disciples, and the will to live but submitting to the will of the Father. Jesus had come to earth to die and the time was nigh. From the eternal realm of His Father’s glory to the dark recesses of humanity’s sinful nature, Jesus was to face the horror of crucifixion alone. There was only one place for sacrifice. Two criminals would be crucified with Him but Jesus died alone as sin paid the full ransom in the blood of God’s Son.

Following the feast of the Passover, Jesus taught His disciples about servitude in washing their feet. He instituted a memorial feast that would commemorate and honor His coming death. Judas would be identified as a betrayer and leave to bring about his deceit. Jesus would spend His final hours with the eleven promising a Helper who would come and guide them and bring them peace. Love and joy would be perfected in the love Jesus had for the world and the disciples would find that love and joy among themselves when they cared for one another. The world was about to kill the Son of God and those who would follow Jesus would be hated also. God had a plan to bring His will to all men through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not dissuaded in His work and knew that He would return to His Father. He spoke plainly now to His disciples and they understood.

The eleven understood that Jesus knew everything and they were not going to question Him because they believed with all their hearts that Jesus came from God. They showed great courage in the face of a future they knew nothing about. Jesus knew what was about to happen by the eleven could not imagine how their lives would change in the next few days. Reassuring His disciples, Jesus tells them the time is coming when they will be scattered and Jesus will be left alone. Judas will bring the Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders to Gethsemane where Jesus will be arrested and dragged off to spend the night before the Jewish council and Roman Governor. The eleven would run away in fear and hide. Jesus would be left alone to face His accusers. Even Peter would follow at a distance but deny he knew the man Jesus. It seemed the Son of God was left all alone. But Jesus knew that while the disciples would leave Him, His Father would never desert Him.

Facing the cross took the eternal courage of Jesus to be assured that His Father would not leave Him alone. “I AM not alone” was the voice of the Son of God facing a terrible death for the sins of the world and to suffer alone at the hands of those He created. The world came to Golgotha to destroy Him who created the world and all humanity. Man killed God. No one came to defend Jesus. The legions of angels were stayed by the hand of God from interfering. All the heavenly hosts assembled around the cross outside Jerusalem and watched as the Son of God was beaten, tortured, and nailed to a tree. God the Father watched as His Son cried out to Him and begged for mercy yet never changed His will. Jesus died alone but He was never alone. He knew that He must suffer and He faced His death with the assurance that it was the Father’s will and because of love, the Father allowed man to kill His only begotten Son. The peace Jesus had in the Garden of Gethsemane and facing the trial and execution of the cross was the knowledge that it was all for a moment and that He had never been deserted by His Father. He knew when it was finished; He would see the Father again.

The life of a Christian can be filled with many trials and sorrows but a child of God is not alone. There is never a time when a child of God does not have His Father to comfort him. Jesus overcame the world so that His disciples could overcome the fear of being alone. As long as God rules, no Christian will ever be alone. If the Father did not abandon His Son at the most climatic time in human history then God will never leave or forsake His children. I AM not alone is the knowledge that Jesus is the I AM of security and hope. There is nothing that can and will separate the love of God which is in Christ Jesus from those who serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Take heart. We are never alone when we have God. Jesus overcame the world. I can overcome the world. God is with me. I am not alone.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (Galatians 4:28)

A Child Of Promise

To the people living around Abraham and Sarah, it was an incredible and almost unbelievable sight to behold. While still a woman of great beauty in her 70’s and 80’s, no one would have believed Sarah at the age of 90 would be pregnant. But there little Sarah was walking around with a baby bump and talking about all the joys of pregnancy. More remarkable was that Sarah went full term with her baby and delivered a healthy boy full of life. They called him Isaac. Sarah survived the pregnancy at the age of 90 and would live for 37 more years watching her little boy grow into a strapping young man who would be the joy of any parent. The imagination fills the mind as Sarah caressed her newborn that came from her body and with each birthday watched Isaac grow from an infant to a toddler learning to walk and then a young boy the apple of his father’s eye. No mother could be more proud of her son. Who else in the world enjoyed a newborn child at the age of ninety?

There was a fateful day that came in the life of Abraham regarding his son Isaac. God came to Abraham and told him to take Isaac to a place He would show him and offer the son he loved as a burnt offering. The man of God did not hesitate and delivered his son as an offering for the Lord. Stayed by the hand of an angel, Isaac was spared death but the faith of Abraham was secured in the mind of God and Abraham took his son back home. The Lord had promised Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. They waited twenty-five years for the promise to come and through the power and might of a kind and merciful God, a child of promise was born. Isaac was not just a son but a son of promise. He was special because he came into the world by God’s grace. The womb of Sarah was dead and Abraham was not able to bear children at the age of 100. Yet the man of God was not weak in faith and he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief. He was fully convinced God would bring about the promise made for a son and God made that promise come true. The birth of Isaac was the power of God. There was great joy in the birth of their son and they never took their eyes off of Isaac without thinking of how special a son he was to them. What was impossible was possible and Isaac was the evidence of God’s great love.

Every Jew knew the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. The promises of God to Israel were established through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Nothing was more fundamental and necessary for understanding the will of God than the story of Sarah giving birth to a son at the age of 90. Isaac was the son of promise. Only through the power of God were Abraham and Sarah able to conceive a child and deliver Isaac to full birth. He became the son of promise through the eternal word of the Lord to bring about the impossible. The apostle Paul uses the story of Ishmael and Isaac to show the joy of being a Christian. When Sarah had doubts about the will of God, she encouraged Abraham to have a child with her handmaid, Hagar. This was not the son of promise because he was to be born of Sarah. The Lord worked the mistaken plan of Sarah into His divine will but the son of promise would come through Isaac, not Ishmael. Hagar was a slave wife and Sarah was a freeborn wife. Ishmael was born through the wisdom of man but Isaac was born through the fulfillment of God’s promise. Paul uses the story to show how the Law of Moses (Hagar) and the law of Christ (Sarah) are the two covenants. Ishmael was not the son of promise but Isaac was. Those born under the law of Christ are children of promise because they are brought forth through the will of the Father.

There was nothing man could do to destroy sin. It was impossible for humanity to live a perfect life whether under the law like the Jews or law to themselves like the Gentiles. The sin debt was paid for by the Son of Promise realized in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Unlike Isaac who was offered up as a sacrifice and spared at the last minute, Jesus was offered up as a sacrifice and died for the sins of all mankind. Through the grace of God, all those who are in Christ through obedience to the gospel message of immersion become children of promise. Every Christian should view themselves as children of promise through the love of God who brought about the miracle of redemption through Jesus the Firstborn of all creation. There can be little doubt Isaac was amazed at the story of his birth and how special he felt to be a son of promise. How can any Christian look into the mind of God and not stand in amazement at the hope of eternal life as a child of promise? I am a Christian – I am a child of promise.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:27-29)

Demanding Equality

What is equality? It is the state of being equal sharing the same rights, treatment, and valued equally to all others in a specific group. Under the law, they share full equality regardless of any differences in gender, race, beliefs and moral persuasions, or preferences. Demanding equality is an age-old question answered by wars, riots, demonstrations, and protests. The United States was founded on the principle of rejecting the rule of an English king for a republic of self-governing citizens demanding their rights under their own laws. Throughout the long history of civil liberty, the cry for equality continues under the banner that all men are created equal. The problem with the language of equality in the arena of human wisdom is that equality is a relative thing. Women were not allowed to vote until 1920 when the 19^th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution granted a woman the right to vote. Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1776 that “all men are created equal” but it would take 144 years for women to vote. Human equality is a strange beast.

Trying to find equality in the laws of men is a minefield of prejudice, hatred, bigotry, pride, and failed wisdom. Every nation believes they have laws of equality as long as the majority rules the minorities. A tyrant rules with an iron fist forcing his equality on others. Even democracies struggle to find fairness for all of its citizens. In the framework of human wisdom, there will never be true equality. The reason for the disparity is simple: man-made equality is subjective. Many of the equal rights marches and protests seeking equality destroy the rights of others who may see the force of the movement as negative to their beliefs. One group seeks equality but the result is that others are made unequal. There is no common ground as one movement seeks justification for what matters to them and all the while trampling the beliefs of others. No matter how hard man tries, he will never find true equality in human wisdom.

Jesus Christ came to show all men the nature of true equality. As part of the creation, Jesus formed all men from one man and one woman. Every human being on the face of the planet finds their origins to the same man and the same woman. Adam called the Woman Eve because she was the mother of all living. It does not matter what color skin a person has, his nationality, gender, and moral persuasion, all men are created equal under the creative power of God’s hand. The real tragedy of human conflict is the nature of brother fighting against brother. Sin destroyed the early world and after the flood men again tried to unite against God. The tower of Babel is not just a story of where languages begin but the establishment of nations that would show the world that no one group of people would rule over the earth. God divided the world among the nations and Jesus Christ came to bring all men together under the same language of grace, love, and mercy. What was lost in the garden is found again in Christ. All that was taken away in Babel was united again in the death of Jesus.

Seeking equality can only be found in the word of God. The message of the gospel is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes without deference to Jew or Gentile, slave and free, and without regard to male and female. In Christ, all are one. Sworn enemies can be united in love with one another when they accept the love of God. The nature of the kingdom of God is equality without reservation. This equality is according to the word of God in obedience to the will of the Father. Prejudice is sinful because it destroys the unity of the one body. Sexual immorality is condemned as the law of God declares the bed is undefiled and fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Equality should never be confused with the desires of men overlooking the commandments of the Lord. There is only one equality: God’s word.

Jesus Christ is the head of the church and no man can take that rule. Within the work of the church, there are differing talents, abilities, and works for all to do but all are equal in the eyes of God. In the church of God, there is equality on an eternal scale. The judgment of God will bring all men, great and small, before Him and all men will be judged in the same exact and divine manner. When a man and woman obey the gospel of Christ, they are in Christ and they become part of the seed of Abraham. All of God’s creation is one in Jesus Christ and heirs according to the promise. If you are seeking equality, come to Jesus Christ. That is the only true equality you will find.

Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

God’s Word Is Pure

The nature of the word of God has always been the nature of the One who gave it. In the beginning, the light was created on the first day before the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day. The sun became the expression of what had already been created. Each day the sun rises over the eastern horizon, it spreads its natural light over the world. Light would exist without the sun but the sun is the manifestation of that light. Like the sun, the word of God is the manifestation of the word that existed before the world was created. Every word of God is pure because God is the quintessential expression of holiness, righteousness, and purity. Of necessity, the word of God is what it must be. What flows from the Bible is the same nature of the author who penned the words for all men to see His character.

Over the many centuries of God’s revelation, men wrote down the message of the Divine for all to read and understand the mysteries of the Father. The Lord chose to open His word over time showing through a chronology of historical reference the immutable counsel of His wisdom. Moses penned the first five books establishing the relevance of the word to the needs of all men. Subsequent writings declared the glory of God and the failings of humanity until the Son of God could be revealed in the flesh as the living Word. Through Christ, the world came to know the power of the word and the exemplification of purity. Over the last two thousand years, the confirmed word has declared the wisdom of the Father to send His only begotten Son to die for the sins of all men. The Old Testament introduces the coming Christ and the New Testament reveals His earthly journey and eternal teachings. From the beginning of the Bible until John’s final words in the Revelation, God’s word is pure.

The nature of God’s word being pure is that it is a complete record of everything a man needs to know to see the Father. Critics of scripture seek to find contradictions and stories contrary to one another. Like an anvil of days gone by, the hammers of dissent have broken into pieces over the centuries but the purity of God’s word remains untouched. Nothing will ever challenge the word of God to be in disagreement. Purity suggests an unmixed and undefiled character. The word of God has always been without a mixture of human wisdom. Men have added to and taken away from the word but this has not changed the word – it remains the same. Seeking to change the word makes God a liar. His truth remains. Believing the world is flat does not make the world flat. It only makes the believer mistaken. The purity of God’s word endures through the centuries unmoved, unchanged, and constant.

Considering the powerful nature of the word God, a man must look into the word and trust it with all confidence. It will become a shield to those who trust in the word because it has been given by the Father to guide His people, protect His children and bless the hearts of those who accept His word without reservation. The commandments of God are never burdensome and always designed for the happiness and eternal promise of those who trust in His word. Allowing the Bible to mold and guide the heart will bring contentment, joy, and peace. At the end of life when the dark shadows of death appear, there will be no fear because the word is pure and a shield for those who trust in the word. With the word of God in the heart, a man will find fulfillment. Without the word of God in the heart, a man will find nothing but misery. Let the word of God dwell in your heart. Your life will never be the same.