The Heaton File

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men. (2 Corinthians 3:2)

Reading The Letter Of Your Life

Every soul on the face of the earth has an influence. Like ripples on a pond, each life is a force that impacts others. The existence of a person determines influence. It does not matter whether the person is outgoing, quiet, reserved, boisterous, or known by many, each time a baby is born the world changes by one. The greatest power a person can have is the ability to influence others. This can be a good thing or this could be a bad thing. A person can’t lose their influence but rather they may negatively impact others but the negativity is an influence. In the kingdom of God, one of the most important parts of the character of a child of God is the impression they have on others. Jesus taught that men are like a light set on a hill shining before men or like salt seasoning the world in which they live. The purpose of the disciple of Jesus is to glorify the Father.

The challenge of influence is to remember the impact of that influence. Paul suggested the Christian is like an epistle or a letter of recommendation known and read by all men. That is a pretty serious charge. It is clear that everything a person says and does is known by God. What is also important to the nature of being a child of God is to see how others look at the life of those who profess a holy devotion to the Lord. When a man puts on Christ in obedience to the gospel, he becomes a follower of Jesus. The world will now view the life of this man through the lens of critical judgment if he is like Jesus. Like a book, the life of the man will now be examined under the microscope of how he molds himself to the principles of righteousness. Will he show his faith in the principles of the Bible or will he change little from the trappings of the world? What is remarkable is how perceptive men of the world are to those who profess to be followers of Jesus that do not live like they follow Jesus.

A book is something that is read and measured by the merits of its content. The life of a Christian is like living in a glasshouse. Their actions and manner of life will be judged more harshly because of their profession to the name of Christ. The life of the Christian must reflect the image of God so that all men will see grace, truth, and love instead of the carnal nature of the world. When the Christian woman dresses immodesty in the fashion of the world, they are presenting to the world an epistle of worldliness with no desire to please Christ. Unclad women do not profess godliness. If a man continues to drink socially he declares in epistle form that he is unchanged in his character from the world. He does not profess Jesus Christ in his life. The Christian that continues to use foul language, coarse jesting, and crude jokes will not be a good book to read. Facebook (and other social mediums) are spiritual World Book Encyclopedias of the character of many people who profess to be righteous disciples of Christ yet in their postings filled with political poison, prejudice, hatred and filthy language show the world they are not devoted to Jesus Christ.

People read the epistles of men. Paul exhorted the saints at Corinth to live in such a manner that when their lives are read by the world, what is found is the grace of God and the power of His glory. No greater tool of evangelism is found than the letters of daily living from those who dedicate themselves to letting their lights shine brightly in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. People will read your epistle whether you want them to or not. The question is whether what they are reading is devoted to God or if you are still wallowing in the mire of carnality. Influence is a powerful tool and can lead someone to eternal life. It can also help someone continue to reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and lose their soul. You are a book. What do others read about you? Tough question. Hard answer.

He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number. (Job 9:7-10)

Look Into The Heavens

The Hubble Space Telescope (launched in 1990) has opened vistas of deep space far beyond the imagination of men. Through the lens of Hubble, worlds never before seen appear in the darkness of space. One of the great lessons of the space telescope is to show man how vast and impenetrable the universe is in size and depth. The best man can do still cannot reach the finite edge of all that is found beyond the furthest star. Modern technology is not the first venture of man into space. From the beginning of time, men have peered into the darkness of space and seen the incredible wonders of the majesty of its Creator. From the Bible, a man called Job understood the powerful testimony of God as he gazed into the heavens.

Astronomy is the science of understanding the celestial bodies, the dark recesses of space, and the physical universe. Some writers put the time of Job before Abraham. He spoke of arrangements of stars well-known to those of his day. Replying to Bildad the  Shuhite, Job challenged the effort of man to contend with the Lord showing how great the creative power of God is found in the heavens. The sun rises and falls according to the will of the Lord. All of the stars are at the command of their Creator. Everything in the world above and the earth beneath move according to the will of God. Job acknowledged the Lord created the Bear, the Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. His wonders are without number. It is significant to see that Job declares the astronomical understanding of the heavens as the power of God.

Four constellations are referred to by Job. The Bear is highly visible in the northern sky (called Arcturus in the King James Version). This series of stars is known as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor with the North American name, the Little Dipper. Orion is another prominent constellation found on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. The Pleiades is a cluster of stars sometimes called the Seven Sisters that is most visible to the naked eye. Job also mentions the chambers of the south as the abundance of stars found in the southern skies without any reference to any specific group of constellations. Astronomy is not a modern science and while limited compared to modern technology, early man recognized the heavens declared the glory of God.

When God created the world He placed the sun, moon, and stars in their places to show His creation how vast, powerful, and beautiful their Maker was. The psalmist David proclaimed the heavens affirm the glory of God and Job could see the power of his Maker when he looked at the stars. There is ample evidence the world is created by a Master Creator and the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south cry forth His majestic character. Technology has given us greater knowledge of the universe but it has also dimmed our knowledge of God. In a world filled with artificial light, few venture out in the darkness of night to gaze upon the heavenly bodies and contemplate how vast the canopy of God’s creation unfolds before the human eye.

One of the greatest testimonies to the existence of God is what is found on earth and the heavens above. Abraham Lincoln said, “I never behold them (the heavens filled with stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible to look down upon the earth and be an atheist – but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, ‘There is no God.’” The chaos of men fills the earth with despair and hopelessness but man cannot touch the heavens above. Job declares the presence of God when he looks at the night sky. It would be well to go out into a field at night away from the lights of the city and gaze into the face of God. He is found in the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. (Psalm 9:17-20)

What Has Happened To America?

Violence is permeating the fabric of the American culture. Rioting, looting, burning, and vandalism is a common scene portrayed through the lens of a corrupt and immoral media streaming hours of unrest and unprecedented acts of domestic extremism against innocent citizens. It seems the world has been engulfed in a fury of hatred and directed prejudice against others concerned more about self-indulgence than justice. Authority at every level is being challenged. Attacks against law enforcement are at an all-time high with police officers being targeted for murder. Communities are seeking to remove legal restraints of authority opening the way for an unrestrained disorder to rule the mobs. The political arena is a sewage pit of toxic platforms seeking to undermine and destroy the foundational principles of the republic. Adding to the whirlwind of unprecedented chaos is the pandemic of COVID-19 that has pitted citizens against one another in anger, assault, and verbal abuse. Taking a view over the past year and the landscape of the American culture, the question must be asked to what has happened to America?

The answer is simple and direct to the cause of America’s demise but the obvious is ignored. Amid all the violence and chaos, a single thread of reality permeates the reasons the world has turned upside down. A king who lived 2700 years ago understood the principles of leadership in ruling a nation when he said that any nation that forgets God will be brought to ruin. There is a natural conclusion to everything in the world. For example, the law of gravity is undeniable. A man can ignore the law but the consequences will remain the same. Certain things in life are immutable. A nation that forgets God will be destroyed. The wicked will go down to the grave and all nations that reject the Lord God and seek to live under their wisdom or laws will fail.

What David said about the nations can be learned in history. One of the most flagrant lessons missed by men is what happens to a nation when God is taken away. The great empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome were destroyed because they were godless refusing to acknowledge the one true God. Even the nation of Israel, whose God was the one true God, was destroyed when they rejected the Lord for Baal, Asheroth, and Molech. Stalin murdered millions of citizens in a world created to be godless. Hitler created a Reich built upon an ungodly alliance of mass exterminations, a war that killed millions and cast the world in a darkness that is stilled felt in the hearts of modern men. Japan tried to build an empire in the East using the same godless means as all tyrants, despots, and dictators tried who rejected the worship of the one true God. All of these nations went down to the grave and were destroyed.

America is on the same path historically traced in the annals of wicked men. The United States of America is not God’s nation because His kingdom is the spiritual body of Christ. There was a time in the fabric of American culture when there was a respect for the Bible and a reverence for God. These were the golden years of America because society was built upon the principles of what is good and holy. Slowly, the spirit of liberation began to change the culture when women refused to abide by the roles given to them by the Lord, babies in the womb were murdered in the millions and sexuality was open for divorce, adultery, homosexuality, and sexual perversions such as pedophiles, transvestites, and open sexuality were accepted and in many cases protected by law.

What has happened to America? Why are the videos filled with violence, hatred, and murder on a daily basis? The answer is there is no God in America. When prayer is abandoned, the Bible refuted and religion nothing more than a mockery of social acceptance, America is destroyed. It will come as no surprise that America will disintegrate into a mire of unholy, ungodly, and immoral acts because without God that is how a nation turns. Abraham Lincoln summed up the problem of America during a speech given in 1838 to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois. He said, “At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” True words for today. Without God, America is destroyed.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” (Lamentations 3:22-24)

It’s A New Morning

Jeremiah was the last great prophet during the final four decades of the kingdom of Judah. He is remembered as the weeping prophet because Jerusalem was doomed and while a respite of some twenty years came in the reign of Josiah, there was no hope for the people of God. Captivity was inevitable and coming very soon. If Jeremiah is the author of the Lamentations, he inscribes upon holy writ the mournful cry of a city lost and hope destroyed as the people witnessed the burning and destruction of the House of God. Divine judgment was meted out upon a rebellious people in the form of the Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and razed the Temple to the ground. Zion was filled with sorrow at the devastation. Seventy years would pass before the people of God would return to the broken city. A remnant would be the divine hope and relief of God’s mercy. In the midst of tragedy, the glimmer of hope flickered in the heart of Jeremiah.

The northern ten tribes of Israel were destroyed. Assimilated into the Assyrian culture, the remnants of the Jews would become the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. Only the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin would preserve the seed of the Messiah. In the face of God’s wrath, the nation of Israel would not be consumed. The faithful love of God would not allow His people to be destroyed. Because of His mercy, the Lord kept a remnant to show His great love and grace to an undeserving people. The mercy of God is never-ending. His faithfulness is great. The joy of God’s grace is to know that His mercies begin afresh each morning. His anger is not forever nor His wrath without mercy. Jerusalem would be laid waste but God had not forgotten His love for His people.

Every day brings its own set of challenges. There are days of joy and prosperity. Often these times are interrupted by the realities of problems, disappointments, discouragement, and defeat. The city of Jerusalem had many days of happiness before the horrific times of destruction. Not all the people of Israel were wicked and disobedient. Caught up in the captivity were men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Ezekiel. These were faithful servants of the Most High God who suffered along with the rest because of the sins of the nation. They did not lose their faith. Jeremiah lived through the destruction of Jerusalem and was treated cruelly by his brethren but he never lost hope in God. The message of the Lamentations was that no matter how dark the day and troubled the night, God will not forsake nor leave His people without hope. There was joy in the awakening of each morning because a new day dawned with new hope. It may not change the reality that the Babylonian army was burning the city and defiling the Temple. The judgment of God came as told by Jeremiah. What made a difference in the lives of the faithful people of the Lord was to know that each morning brought a new blessing filled with hope.

The world can be a very dark place with uncertainty, misery, despair, and tragedy. It should not come as a surprise to the people of God who know that life can be difficult. What makes a difference in the heart of those who love the Lord and trust in Him is to know that with each new morning there is a new hope and a new promise. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, there is an inheritance that gives hope and love in the promises of the Father. Trials cannot take this away. This world is not the dwelling place of the faithful who look for a city without foundation whose builder and maker is God. Each new morning is a reminder that God still rules and there is something to hope for. Good morning – today is going to be a great day!

For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

Why I Am Redeemed

Forty years had passed since the Hebrews came out of Egypt by the power of God. They stood at the edge of the promised land for the second time and with a heart devoted to serving the Lord. Four decades earlier, their parents arrived at the land promised to them and through unfaithfulness were rejected by God and punished with a long wilderness journey. Moses was retelling the history of Israel admonishing the new generation to follow the word of the Lord. This new nation of God’s people were very special because they were the ones who would cross the Jordan River and fulfill the long-ago promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel was a holy people to the Lord. Through the grace of a compassionate God, Israel had been plucked from the slavery of Egypt to become the special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. No nation on earth had the blessing of the Lord God Almighty as their King, Savior, and Lord. The Law of Moses was unique among all peoples giving the Hebrews the eternal thread of redemption that would one day bring the Son of God to earth. Israel was the crown jewel of God’s plan to save all men, the apple of His eye.

Lest the Hebrews would think more highly of themselves in their station of grace, Moses reminds them they were not chosen because of any special merit on their part. As a nation, they numbered only a few million souls. They were small and insignificant people compared to the nations of Egypt and the surrounding nations. There was nothing special about Israel that made them more powerful against their enemies. They were a small multitude of nomadic herdsmen that had wandered in the wilderness for forty years with no home of their own. What separated them from all other peoples was not because they had embraced the Lord God with tender love but that God Himself had chosen them and saved them.

First and foremost Moses tells the Hebrews they had done nothing to deserve the love of God. They could not and did not save themselves from the Egyptians. Giving the Ten Commandments to the people, the Lord begins by reminding them that it was He who delivered them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage by His mighty hand. There was nothing the Hebrews could have done to affect their release. God delivered Israel because He loved Israel. Love was the motivating factor of their salvation based upon the grace and mercy of the Lord God. If it had not been for the love of God, Israel would still be enslaved. Secondly, the Lord had made a promise to Abraham the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants. Forty years earlier the people rejected that promise. Now a new generation with hearts of courage was willing to follow the Lord across the Jordan and take the land promised by God. The Lord never failed on a promise He made. Israel was a nation because God had said He would deliver them and He did. Redemption came for the Hebrews because of God’s love and God’s promise.

The nation of God is no longer defined by the borders of rivers, mountains, and seas. God’s people are those found in the church. On the Day of Pentecost, the Lord added to the church those who were saved. Only in Christ are the spiritual blessings found. The joy of redemption is given to all who will obey the word of the Lord subjecting themselves to His grace, love, and mercy. Like Israel of old, the church is called the holy nation of God, a chosen generation, and His own special people. Every Christian is a special priesthood in the presence of the Lord. Through the mercy of God, deliverance from sin is granted to hearts that submit to the will of the Father. Is a man saved because he is a worthy candidate or deserving of the forgiveness of sins? In many ways, he is less deserving than Israel to be redeemed from sin. God’s love delivered Israel from Egypt at the cost of a lamb on the night of the Passover. It cost the Son of God His life to save all men from sin. This sacrifice was never because any man deserved it nor was worthy of the price paid for redemption. The redeeming of sinful man came because God loved man – period.

There is nothing man can brag about. All men deserve the wrath of the Lord God but He chooses rather to show love. The sacrifice of Jesus did not come from the mind of men but the heart of a loving Father. Jesus died in fulfillment of a promise made in the Garden of Eden that when sin first destroyed the fellowship of God and man, redemption would come in the form of the Seed. Only through the Son of God would the word of God be confirmed. Jesus died to fulfill the word of His Father. Love was the reason for Jesus dying and no man deserves such love; and yet it must be embraced to be saved. There is nothing you can do or will be able to do that merits the love of God but He has offered His Son to save you. When you obey the grace of God you will find redemption and in that redemption, you will find eternal love. Know that the Lord is God, the faithful God who keeps His word. He loves you – yes, He loves you.

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:1-12)

Jesus Claimed To Be God

The fundamental truth of salvation is to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. If a man refuses to accept Jesus as God’s Son, there can be no salvation. John writes in his gospel that Jesus was the Word and He was God. The miracles were written to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing there would be life in His name. Critics suggest that Jesus never claimed to be God. During the first year of His ministry, the Lord is in Capernaum teaching in a home crowded with disciples. It was so crowded; there was no room to come in the door. Four friends brought a paralytic seeking Jesus to heal their friend but they could not find a way into the house. They uncovered the roof and let down the bed with the man upon it. Jesus, seeing their faith, forgave the sins of the man.

Jesus did not heal the man at first. He chose to forgive the man’s sins and then He perceived what the crowd was thinking. Those gathered included the scribes and the Pharisees. The Jewish leaders kept a constant attack on Jesus challenging Him with His teachings. They never denied His miracles. When Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven, the Jewish leaders were incensed. What they thought was correct and in accord with the will of God. They thought Jesus spoke blasphemy to forgive sins. On the surface, the scribes and Pharisees were correct to say that no man could forgive sins because only God has the authority and the power to remove sin. Sadly, what they failed to see was the power of God affirmed the authority of Christ.

The paralytic man remained on his bed without any healing. He remained in the same condition physically as he had when he arrived. Jesus, knowing the hearts of the people, challenged them with the proclamation that anyone can say they forgive sins but who among men can show the power to raise a paralytic from his bed? Turning to the man He said, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” The man did. Immediately. There was no hesitation, no therapy, and no long lapse of time. It seems the man was near death when brought by his friends and yet now he immediately arises, takes up his bed, and goes out in the presence of the crowd. Jesus proved He could forgive sins because He healed the man.

No man can forgive sins unless they are God. Jesus demonstrated that He was God when He healed the paralytic. The miracle proved Him to be the Son of God. He claimed that right to be God and forgive sins. When Jesus was crucified between two thieves, He forgave the sins of one thief as he begged for mercy. How could Jesus forgive the thief? He was God. The power and authority of God gave Jesus the right to forgive any person of sin. No record is given of others Jesus may have forgiven but the healing of the paralytic establishes that Jesus affirmed to the multitudes that He was God. Refusing to believe Jesus is the Son of God is refusing the avenue of salvation for the forgiveness of sins. There is salvation in no other name.

And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. (Acts 19:18-20)

Let The Word Of The Lord Prevail

The work of the apostle Paul in Ephesus was filled with incredible success and severe opposition. Arriving in the region, the apostle met twelve men he thought were Christians but discovered they had only known the baptism of John. What a joy it was for Paul to baptize the twelve in the name of Jesus. For three months Paul arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God in the synagogue of Ephesus until he had to yield to the persecutions of those who spoke evil of the Way. He left the synagogue and continued teaching at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.  During the years Paul was in Ephesus, the Lord worked unusual miracles among the people with many believing in the name of Christ. There was great joy in the city of Ephesus as disciples of Christ were made through the teaching of the gospel. Persecution would arise from the silversmiths of Ephesus who saw their trade being impacted by the preaching of Christ. Paul would leave Ephesus after three years.

Preaching in Ephesus was a daring and difficult work. One of the great sources of income for the city was the temple of Diana. As a chief city of the province, Ephesus was the “center of the mother goddess worship of western Asia. The goddess was known to the Greeks as Artemis and to the Romans as Diana. Ephesus boasted a theater that could accommodate 24,500 persons, and the great temple of Diana, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world” (Homer Hailey; Commentary on Revelation). This would have been a most unlikely place to have success and yet Paul was able to establish a thriving congregation of fully devoted saints in this city.

What makes the story of Ephesus so remarkable is the faith of the new converts. Those who believed confessed their deeds as unrighteous as they repented of their sins publically. More extraordinary is the action of those who had been practicing magic and sorcery. When they became children of God they brought their incantation books and burned them in the sight of everyone. The value of the books was 50,000 pieces of silver or several million dollars in modern coinage. Imagine the shock on the faces of people of Ephesus as they watched them burn books worth incredible amounts of money. What impact did this have on the city? The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

To the mind of the worldly person, burning books of untold value is a waste. Those who practiced magic could have sold their books, stored their books, or used them as collateral for others means. Realizing what they were doing was against the word of God; these practitioners voluntarily burned and destroyed all vestiges of their past life – regardless of the cost. They made a statement. Their conversion was not a whimper – it was an explosion. God had broken the hold of sin in their life and they demonstrated their faith in clear terms. They abandoned their former life. There was no desire to keep a shadow of their previous lives because they were now children of God. It was clear to everyone of their abhorrence to their former path of life and they wanted the world to know it. Abandoning their magic books was an incredible financial sacrifice but for these noble Christians, it was a blessing to burn their books.

Conversion is not an easy thing to do for many. There are trappings of a past life that hold on alluring the soul to retain the former things. When the heart is fully devoted to the Lord, burning books worth millions is a small exchange for the eternal hope of glory. As a result of these saints in Ephesus, the word of the Lord grew mightily. Everyone could see what Christ had done in the lives of these former magicians. God was glorified because these saints had shown their faith in the world. The gospel of Christ prevailed in a chief city of the Roman Empire filled with idolatry because the hearts of the Christians were fully dedicated to the cause of Jesus Christ.

There are many reasons the gospel of Christ has not impacted the communities of churches throughout the land. The world has changed, false religion has diluted the message and Satan is busy adding more souls to his band of condemned. Sadly, one of the reasons the word of the Lord does not grow can be found in the lives of God’s people. They are unwilling to remove the shackles of their former life and devote themselves completely to the word of God. The life of a Christian is so often identical to the life of the non-Christian. There is no change, no distinctive pattern of righteousness, or refusal to be a part of the world. And the word of God dies. If the word of the Lord is to grow and prevail, it begins with a bonfire. Burn the past and embrace the future was fully devoted disciples of the Lord. Let the word of the Lord prevail and let it begin with your life.

Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing? (Isaiah 44:10)

Does God Profit You?

The idea of idol worship is foreign to those who believe in Jesus Christ as the nature of Christianity is not based upon the image of a piece of stone, wood, or totem. Baal and Asherah worship common in the time of the Old Testament derived its strength from the idols, groves, and high places where sacrifices were made. During the reign of Manasseh king of Judah, a carved image of Asherah was put in the Temple of Solomon. During the final days of Judah, prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah denounced the nation for following after idols and rebelling against the Lord. The foolishness of idolatry is they are created by man to become a god to man. Idols are useless, prized objects that are worthless. The people who worship idols cannot see the folly of bowing down to an idol that a moment earlier was a tree used to build a fire and bake bread. It becomes a shame to trust in something that cannot save itself and cannot help a man in any way.

Isaiah declares that only a fool would make his own god—an idol that cannot help him one bit. Men create totems that resemble their own image to fall down and worship a carving they believe will profit them and save them. This is foolishness. The key to seeing the difference between the one true God and an idol is the value of each. An idol is dumb, cannot move on its own, has no mind, gives no blessing, and has no will of its own. When danger threatens it is the man who saves the idol; not the idol that saves a man. The Lord God Almighty – on the other hand – is a great God of value because He speaks, moves through the universe and through time, possesses all knowledge, is found abundant in blessings, and declares His will to man to find happiness, peace, security, and hope. How can one compare the greatness of God with a trinket or image? Nothing man has created can bring such blessings and value as the presence of God.

Idol worship in its basic ideal may not be a common temptation for the modern man but he must not be deluded into believing that idol worship is not a problem. The foundation of idol worship is whose allegiance a heart gives itself to and to whom it owes its existence. Isaiah defined idolatry as foolishness and it would be easy to see why. Sadly, idols take on many forms and there are many idols that ply for a man’s heart with greater consequences than a piece of wood. Satan is very capable of luring Christians to believe that falling down to a piece of wood is wrong but then allowing their hearts to be filled with the cares of the world and pursuits of life to take their hearts away from God. Idolatry did one thing against God – it took the heart of the people away. Carnality and worldliness are the modern versions of Baal and Asherah.

The church is continually battling against the hearts of brethren who fail to see a need to devote themselves to the cause of Christ. Idol worship takes on many forms today. Immodesty is an idol of fleshly allurement where the heart is more intent on the glare of others than the glow of God. Social drinking is the Asherah of the church where indulgence of the flesh is accepted as part of the Christian’s life. Recreation is of greater importance than diligence to worship the Lord on the first day of the week. Assembling with the saints is only a matter of convenience when vacation or weekend trips come up. Social standings are gods of self-importance. Wealth is the familiar god of temptation that divides churches, destroys families, and drives people to seek after everything that will never go with them in death. The gods of men are of no profit and yet they blindly follow them with great urgency.

There are two choices in life: either a man will seek after something that will bring him great profit or he will follow after dreams that end with empty promises. History is abounding with the bones of failed lives scattered across the expanse of broken promises and failed hopes in the pursuit of what could never be. Men sought after gods that profited them nothing. Only in God can a man find completeness. Hope comes from the only true God. The way of righteousness is right because it has a profit. Its value is found in its author. He gave His only begotten Son to give all men the hope of eternal life. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and then in death lose his soul? How sad. He followed the wrong path and found no joy. The only path to follow that has value is the way of the Lord. All who walk that road will find life.

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. (1 Corinthians 4:6)

Thinking Beyond God

The universe is an expanse of space that limitless. Scientists admit that all that is known and seen of the universe is only a microcosm of what is beyond the known worlds. The sun in the earth’s solar system is 92 million miles away from where light takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds to traverse and yet it would take a spacecraft months to arrive near the sun. This is not possible with modern technology as no provisions exist to come close. There are billions upon billions of stars in the known universe and the closest star, Proxima Centauri, is a short trip of 4.244 light-years away from the sun. A light-year is how fast light travels in one Earth year (nearly 6 trillion miles). An enormous blue star nicknamed Icarus is the farthest individual star ever seen and it takes light 9 billion years to reach earth.

Man has uncovered an immense system of stars and worlds that will never be explored. Through instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope, the human eye can gaze upon worlds never before imagined but that is all he will ever accomplish. Paul told the Athenians two thousand years ago the habitation of man is determined by the will of God. The earth and the expanse of the universe testify to the power of God, His determined will, and the nature of man. Gazing into the heavens is a canopy of the Creator’s eternal brush of who He is and how incredibly great and majestic He is. The universe is not given to man to show how huge the world is but how small man is. At the height of man’s wisdom, he knows nothing.

When the heart of man accepts his place in the world and that all that makes up the small blue dot in a vast expanse of black emptiness is his domain, God becomes so much greater. So why does man continually believe that he can go beyond the word of God? The amazing part of man’s failure is the exalted pride that he believes he is greater than the One who holds the known universe (and more) in the palm of His hand. Paul rebuked the saints at Corinth for changing the word of God. They sought to go beyond the will of the Father. Their carnal minds caused division, disharmony, and destroyed the word of God. They needed to learn to not go beyond what was written. How could a man have greater wisdom than the Creator who formed the universe and allows the world to continue by the command of His voice?

The nature of apostasy is the incredible audacity of someone to believe they know more than God. Critics of the Bible say it is corrupted, changed, perverted and there can be no reliance on its message. It must be remembered that anyone who charges the Bible with being a corrupted book does not believe in God. On the one hand, a man will say he believes in God but then teach the Bible is not the divine word of God. That is contradictory at its highest level and hypocritical as one believes in an eternal being that is not wise enough to create a book and protect it. If men can’t travel to the sun or even to Proxima Centauri, what makes him believe he can go beyond what is written? The Lord God Almighty is plenty powerful enough to give all men a book that can be read and understood and that His message remains uncorrupted through the centuries. Men need to stop believing the lie of Satan and embrace how great God is and perfect His book is. If you do not believe the Bible is the divine word of God you do not believe in God. When you go beyond what is written you are on an impossible journey that will not end well. Stay home and read your Bible.

Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:57-58)

How Old Is Jesus?

The gospel writer Luke is an eminent historian of the highest quality. His story of Christ is considered a masterpiece of investigative research that was careful with the depth of attention given to details of the life of Jesus. Only in the gospel of Luke is the age of Jesus revealed when the Lord began His ministry. Luke writes that Jesus was about thirty years of age when He began a public ministry that would last for less than three years. While we are never given any concrete descriptions of what Jesus looked like, Luke offers a glimpse into the imagery of the Christ as He was seen by His fellow Jews. Near the end of his ministry, the Jews remark that Jesus was not yet fifty years old when He claimed to have known Abraham. It could be conjectured that Jesus looked much older than His age due to his rigorous work of teaching, healing, administering, and facing His ultimate death on the cross.

After the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus taught some very hard lessons about the will of the Father. The Jews were increasing their pressure upon Him and the Lord knew the time of His departure was quickly coming. His teaching offended many of the disciples and they turned and walked away from Jesus. The Jews were seeking ways to kill Jesus. His brothers did not believe Jesus was the Christ. There was confusion to whom Jesus of Nazareth was whether He was the Prophet or the Christ or another man. The Jewish leaders rejected Jesus and tried to trap Him when they brought a woman caught in adultery before Him. Failing in their attempt, they sought the more to kill Him.

The Jewish leaders continued their attack on the teaching of Jesus. They said Jesus had a demon because He appealed to Abraham as proof of His character. Was Jesus making Himself greater than Abraham? It was obvious that Abraham had been dead for many centuries and yet Jesus claims to have known the patriarch. The Lord told the Jews that Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to the coming of Christ and he saw it and was glad. This puzzled the Jews because they looked at Jesus and considered he was not yet fifty years of age so how could He have seen Abraham? Jesus explained that before Abraham was born, Jesus existed with the Father. He said that He was the I AM.

To call oneself I AM was to invoke the imagery of God. When Moses was told to go to the Hebrews in Egypt, he was told to tell them the name of the Lord was I AM WHO I AM and that I AM has sent him to lead the people. The name I AM articulates absolute, and therefore unchanging and eternal Being. Jesus claimed to be I AM saying that before Abraham was, He existed. All the Jews could see was a man in His thirties who looked like a man in His fifties claiming to be someone thousands of years old. They took up stones to throw at Jesus for claiming to have literally known Abraham. Sadly, what they could not see was the real age of Jesus. He was without number of days and years. In the body, He was in His thirties but in reality, Jesus was eternal. John would write that Jesus was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among men and they beheld the glory of the only begotten of the Father but most men could only see a man in His thirties.

Jesus must be seen for how old He really is. He is not a historical figure that lived two thousand years ago who went about doing good and performing miracles but the Son of God who looked down upon a space of nothingness void of God’s love and watched as the Father created the heavens and the earth. Jesus formed Adam from the dust of the ground because He is God. He has no age. Unbound by the fetters of time, Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Knowing how old Jesus is will help a man see that God so loved the Lord He gave His only begotten Son for the redemption of man and that this same Jesus is coming back for the final day of reckoning. Before Abraham was, I AM.