The Heaton File

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

Have The Mind Of Christ

It is beyond the nature of man to live a perfect, sinless life. All have sinned and fallen short of the standard of the Divine. The Son of God took on flesh and became the Savior of all men through His sinless life and the bloodshed for the hope of eternal salvation. No man can come near the perfection of Jesus yet the Holy Spirit exhorts the disciples of Jesus to press toward the desire of the nature of Christ. It is easy to look at Jesus as so far removed from the sinful character of man no attempt or effort is put forth to imitate the character of the Lord. As King of Kings has the Sovereign so removed Himself from His subjects they could never be like Him? Has the wisdom of men dictated that being like Christ is impossible resulting in little or no effort to express the character of Jesus being manifest in the life of His followers? Paul is excited about the saints in Philippi and while he is languishing under Roman guard, the apostle encourages the disciples to have a mind that was like the Son of God. He wants them to have a spirit of servitude showing humility in the relations with others and to possess the consolation of Christ. In truth, Paul suggests it is possible and even expected that the mind of Christ should be a part of the character of the child of God. When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul wanted the brethren to imitate his life as he tried to imitate the life of Christ. He is suggesting they mimic or reproduce the life of Jesus in their own lives. Having the mind of Christ is where the seat of emotions is built upon the character of Jesus. Learning how to think like Jesus requires reading the gospels to see how Jesus dealt with others, exhorted others and on some occasions, challenged the religious norms of the day. God preserved the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to tell the story of Jesus so that His followers would know the kind of man His Son was in the flesh. Ultimately, the example of Jesus should be the kind of example His disciples should possess in every part of their lives. It has been said the life of Jesus is best described by knowing the Sermon on the Mount. He lived every part of it. His life is an open book as He evidenced the character of His heavenly Father. Jesus imitated His Father and His disciples can do no less.

There is a limitation to what man can achieve in having a mind like Christ but these limitations should never hinder the attempt. It can become too easy to fall back on the excuse of human frailty. Christians are human but they are followers of Jesus. If a man imitates the life of Paul (and that is a challenge) then he will be imitating the life of Christ. The goal is to seek the things above and to implement the mind of Christ into every part of life. This can only be done through the agency of reading, examining and study of the word of God. The reason many cannot be like Jesus is that they have never taken the time to understand who He is, what He did and how He glorified the Father. Faith comes from hearing the word of God and knowing about the life of Jesus will only come through a diligent examination of His life. The more a person spends in unfolding the life of Jesus the more his own life will become entwined in the nature of Jesus. Having the mind of Christ is to possess the thinking, attitudes, love, and kindness of the Son of God as He walked among all men and before His accusers. Through this knowledge, the heart will slowly bend to the will of the Father and the character of the disciple will change to be a deeper and godlier influence in the world.

Jesus left an example that can be followed by those who seek His will. His footsteps may seem to be too large but they are there for His followers to place their feet where He has walked. Having a mind of Christ is to love the sinner, forgive the unforgiven, show kindness to others and to live each day in quiet servitude to the will of the Father. He was man full of prayer as His disciples should be. Jesus confronted hypocrisy with wisdom, candor, and truth. His Father’s will was primary in what He said, what He did and why He did what He did. People saw Him for a good man who taught with authority, challenged the norms of the day, spent time with children, talked with those whom others had rejected, forgave all that were offended by Him and died with love on His lips. Possessing a mind of Christ is the heart of a servant. The Father is the purpose of the servant’s life with no other goals in mind. Through the mind of Christ, speech is seasoned with salt and a ready hand is willing to help, hearts are changed and lost souls come to know the glory of the Father in eternal hope. What is wrong with the world is that the minds of folk are on the wrong things. People of God are not living up to their potential because they have not attempted to have the mind of Christ and as a result, wallow in spiritual infancy. Growing up in the spirit of Christ will give strength to the soul and infuse in the heart of the disciple of Jesus Christ the motivation to live more fully before the Lord with greater longing for the last day to come. Jesus looked with joy to the cross because that was the kind of mind He possessed. Having the mind of Christ will help one see death for what it really is: the bridge to eternal glory. Lord Jesus come quickly.

You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. (Deuteronomy 19:14)

Respect Your Neighbor

The land of Canaan was a land promised by God to the Hebrews through a covenant with Abraham. After the bondage and cruel treatment by the Egyptians, the Lord delivered the people of Israel and brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey. It was a good land filled with brooks of water, of fountains and springs. The Lord promised land where the houses were full of good things which they did not build, hewn-out wells which they did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which they did not plant. Everything the people received came by the hand of the Lord and only through His power would the land be delivered for them to enjoy. They must never forget the Promised Land was a land promised by God. To this point the Lord tells the people when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone’s land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property. Nothing is too insignificant for God’s notice. Before the extensive use of fences, property boundaries were marked with depressions in the ground, rocks or boulders put in place to show the area of a man’s land or a post that could be easily moved. Honoring the boundaries of a neighbor was an honor system of respecting the rights of a neighbor. This would be an easy temptation to slowly encroach on a neighboring land giving the dishonest man more land. Without records to prove exact boundaries, it would be difficult to plead for recourse. God prohibited (a number of times in the Law) the removal of the boundaries.

It would seem trivial to include in the Law of Moses the prohibition against moving the boundaries of a neighbor but it speaks to the heart of relationships. A dishonest man could easily move a boundary and gain more land but to what advantage? Covetousness was condemned in the Law and emphasized in the Ten Commandments. The reason the Lord forbade men from moving the landmarks came from the promise God made to the people to receive land by His power. When a man moved the boundary he was going against the will of the Lord because God had given the land to the neighbor. All men were equal in the promise of good land. They all received vineyards to enjoy and the blessings of wells filled with water so what would cause a man to steal from his neighbor something given to them by God? Like Ananias and Sapphira in the early days of the church who kept back part of the price of the land for themselves, the heart is filled with covetousness. Even the Romans declared the death penalty for those who removed landmarks. The people of God were expected to not be like the nations around them and steal from one another but to honor the blessings given to them all by the hand of the Lord. Moving a boundary was changing the will of the Lord. The land given to a tribe was identified throughout the generations as unchanging. When the nation of Israel fell into idolatry it was common to steal and rob the poor and to abuse the widows who were defenseless. Sin brought about the disregard for others including stealing land.

It is not as easy to move the landmarks of property in the modern age of surveys, legal descriptions, and laws to protect the rights of land-owners. The law for the Jews was not about moving rocks, posts or filling in depressions of land to steal a little land. It was about respect for God’s law and respect for others. First, it was a law of God forbidding the moving of landmarks. A man could not ignore the law because he did not agree with it. Moving a post just a few feet was a sin because God said so. To disregard plain teaching of God’s law is sin whether it is considered a minor offense or larger. The Bible is not a book of choices but the word of truth of the Divine. When men view the word of God as a law to be changed at the discretion of the whims of human wisdom they find themselves facing a wrathful Lawgiver. Finally, moving a landmark dishonored a neighbor. When God created Adam He saw it was not good for man to be alone. Bringing the woman to the man, the Lord established the fulfillment of companionship that would reach beyond the marital relationship. The community of relationships has been the foundation of society. There are many laws within the Law of Moses that speak to the relationship of the neighbor. In the Ten Commandments, half dealt with the relationship toward a neighbor. When Jesus taught the sermon on the mountain, He established repeatedly the inter-working’s of men with other men as foundational principles of righteousness. The writings of Paul are filled with admonitions of men learning how to treat others. In his letter to Corinth, the apostle rebuked the saints for taking one another to law against another. God says that it matters if you move one stone for dishonest measures against your neighbor.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The Oneness Of It All

In a world filled with religious diversity, changing faiths, freedom to worship according to choice, insolent attitudes toward God and rejection of the Bible, Paul’s letter to Ephesus is a fresh reminder of the unchanging nature of truth. Whether a person accepts the teaching of the word of God does not change the nature of the absolute truth of the oneness in the doctrine of the Divine. The challenges in the first century were not on the battlefield of teaching the doctrine of one church as much as the response to the pagan world of multiple gods to show there was only one Lord and one God and based upon that foundation there could only be on hope, one faith, and one doctrine. It was radical thinking for the citizens of the Roman world to hear someone proclaim the doctrine of oneness. When Paul was in Athens he noted the city was given over to idol worship and included one to the “unknown god” just in case someone was missed in the tally. Included in the worship of idols was an amoral principle of self-satisfaction leading to a person serving his god in the manner he desired which included all levels of immorality, debauchery, and carnal pleasures. This was not the message of the early followers of Jesus Christ who taught allegiance to one God who was Creator of all men demanding obedience to one faith. The singular nature of the Christian faith was a sweeping indictment against everything familiar to the Roman mind. Religion in the first century was a wide-open acceptance of almost anything the hearts of the people wanted with the choice to serve whatever type of god that would soothe the conscience of the worshipper. To suggest there was only one assembly of saints, one Spirit with one hope serving one Lord and one faith teaching one doctrine and established by one God and Father of all was almost a blasphemous voice in the midst of a forest of religious freedoms where individuals could attend the god of their choice. The apostle Paul would not be favored by many of his day who heard this message of clarity and oneness and if Paul were preaching today he would receive the same response.

Religion has changed its garments from the cloaks of idolatry in the first century to the veil of religious freedom in a world where a person is told to attend the church of their choice. Paul’s teaching of one church or one body is rejected as narrow-minded prejudice. Suggesting a man’s church could be a false body of faith in considered unkind and viewed with disdain if maligning the religious preference of another. Teaching one faith over other faiths in the world is unacceptable in the pulpits of religion. Baptism is neglected to the point of derision by those who deny its significance to salvation. Many claim to follow Jesus Christ but never embrace Him as the one Lord of their lives to follow His teachings on purity, faithfulness, devotion, and holiness. The doctrine of the oneness of the gospel of Christ is now taught as the multiplicity of personal views and interpretations based upon personal preference. Churches dot the landscape as (like in the city of Athens) the world is perceived as a very religious place with worshippers filling the buildings of individual taste and acceptance. The standard of one book with one message from one God is now replaced with the doctrines of men, acceptance of human standards and influx of hedonism guided worship where the carnal is worshipped above all things. Church worship has become a vivid experience of self-satisfaction that is as empty as water spilled to the ground. What Paul wrote to the Ephesian saints is the doctrine of two churches: the church of Jesus Christ with one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, and one faith with one baptism and one God and Father; and then there is the church of Satan that calls itself anything it desires, giving a false hope in a doctrine of eternal security from the Lord of self, creating a false faith rejecting clear teachings of salvation as if they serve the true God. As a result, many people worship in a body that is not from the mind of God but the wisdom of men.

The doctrine of oneness is no more popular today than when Paul penned the letter two thousand years ago. If a man stands in a pulpit and teaches there is one church he is viewed with distrust and prejudice. Teaching the doctrine of the one baptism necessitating the essential nature of obedience to the gospel of Christ is rejected as a failed theology. Most deny baptism has anything to do with salvation thereby filling the rolls of the lost to greater numbers. Faith is not accepted as singular and that all faiths must be accepted for what they are. This again falls in line with the doctrine of apostasy and the great lie of the deceiver himself. Many will claim they believe in Jesus Christ and fill their lives with fornication, adultery, drunkenness, lying, dishonesty, worldliness and carnal pleasures. Paul’s preaching is not welcomed in the diverse world of religion. Teaching a doctrine of oneness is narrow-minded to a fault and rejected by the majority of religions and faiths. The wiles of the devil teach men to reject the plain teaching of God. And yes – there is one God who gave His one Son to build His one church through the one Spirit so there could be one hope and one Lord and one faith established on one baptism. When the day of judgment arrives there will only be one decision that will matter in the heart of men. Did I believe in the oneness of the doctrine of God and did I obey the one truth? The answer will determine eternity.

There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

The Purpose Of The Lord Shall Not Change

There are many absolutes in life. Death is certain, the sun rises and sets apart from the will of man, and nations come and go as wars are fought and won, the seasons will always fill the earth and procreation is only accomplished by the union of a man and a woman. This is hard for humankind to accept as men try to cheat death, change the course of nature, build mighty empires, talk of global warming and accept same-sex unions as natural and moral. The beings that laugh at the calamities of human wisdom are the angels who peer into the souls of men asking why this puny fleshly creature thinks he is so wise and powerful when at best men are made lower than angels. The eternal beings know that regardless of what men do on the third rock from the sun in a vast expanse of the universe, the will of the Lord will always reign supreme. There are many plans made by the force of human wisdom but at the end of the day, the Lord’s purpose will prevail. It always has and always will succeed. The Bible is the historical evidence that whenever men try to make themselves into gods they only succeed in building images of sand that pass away in time. In the early world men embraced every debauchery of the fleshly and carnal spirit to where the wickedness of men was evil continually. The Creator viewed the world with disdain and by His eternal word brought a flood that filled the earth more than twenty feet above the highest mountain. Who survived this cataclysmic deluge? Only eight souls because they believed the will of God would be accomplished regardless of man’s wisdom. When it first began to rain the crafty wisdom of men found ways to stay above the floodwaters but not for very long. Soon, everything that had breath on the face of the earth perished with the exception of those in the ark of safety. Where was the wisdom of man during the flood? After the flood men multiplied and decided to build a tower whose top is in the heavens. They wanted to make a name for themselves so they began to build. The purpose of man was thwarted when the Creator came among them and confused the languages. Nations were born from this purpose of God and have never changed.

The Bible is filled with stories of those who thought they could go outside the habitations of God’s will and serve their own carnal wisdom. Abraham and Sarah tried when Ishmael was born but that was not the plan of God. It seemed to sell their brother into the hands of slave traders was a profitable business but the sons of Jacob did not know how God would use Joseph to show His power in Egypt. Many years later, Pharaoh tried to go against the will of the Lord in the face of devastating plagues and finally all the firstborn of Israel including the animals died in one night. Chasing after the Hebrews into the Red Sea, the will of God destroyed the army of Pharaoh. Israel always found itself into dire straits when they thought they knew more than God. At Sinai, fearful something had happened to Moses, the people pleaded with Aaron to make them gods to worship and three thousand Hebrews died as a result of their rebellion. Arriving at the promised land, Israel refused to enter for fear of the people of Canaan and thinking they knew more than the Lord. Forty years would be punishment for their human reasoning. No matter what they did, God’s will was carried out for the Hebrews. The history of Israel is the affirmation that men plan many things but the counsel of the Lord will stand.

Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of all men. Satan tried to change the plan of God but failed. The Jews rejected Jesus and murdered Him but that was the plan of the Father to be accomplished for the salvation of the world. It became foolishness to those who disbelieved that a crucified man would be the Savior or that disciples would believe in a resurrected Christ. The wisdom of men could not imagine the value of believing Jesus was the Son of God but the counsel of the Lord stands. Many reject the simple teaching of the plan of salvation to follow human reasoning and carnal standards of salvation. Most religious people reject baptism as any connection to redemption. The church is viewed with disinterest and the Bible maligned as out of date. Modern societal norms accept same-sex unions, sexual perversions, prejudice, anti-God rhetoric and rejection of moral codes guided by the word of God. When all is said and done, the counsel of the Lord stands and the purposes and plans of men vanish. There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. (Hosea 6:1-3)

God Will Raise Us Up

The conditions for the prophet Hosea were anything but godly. He lived in a world where the sinfulness of Israel and the religious and political leaders were corrupted by idolatry and the land filled with whoredom. Hosea was tasked by God to bear the burden of the decadence of the nation as he would marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him on numerous occasions. Three children would be born to his wife Gomer but only the first child belonged to Hosea. After Gomer went off to be with her lovers, God told Hosea to take her back and he did. All of his life was a symbolic parable of Israel and God and the everlasting mercy of God to seek the restoration of Israel. Israel was unfaithful to her marriage covenant with the Lord but the promises made by God would always make a way for Israel to return and receive the blessings of the Lord again. There is a deep message of love in the book of Hosea as an example of how often the Lord has shown His love for a rebellious people. The forgiveness of the Lord could only come from hearts that repented and sought the favor of God for cleansing. Using the nations around Israel, the Lord brought swift justice against the people to punish them for their ungodliness. He tore them apart, inflicted many plagues, pestilence, and miseries upon them in His wrath all to convince Israel to repent. Hosea calls for the people to return to the Lord and receive His everlasting mercy. In the face of all their wickedness, God was willing to take them back if they would but return. The door of grace was always available but opening the door would only come from the desires of the people to come to the Lord. Through the prophets, the voice of salvation was heard appealing to the rebellious hearts to seek the favor of the Lord. He had done many terrible things against Israel but they could still return if their hearts were willing.

Forgiveness comes from the mind of God. Although He had torn Israel and injured the nation, His love was able to heal them and bandage the injuries brought by His wrath. All things were done in His time but the wrath of the Lord was followed by His loving care if they would return to Him. The nature of forgiveness has always been when the Lord exacts affliction He is willing to restore and raise up again those who seek Him with penitent hearts. His punishment is not final. There were many terrible things that had happened to Israel and all of those measures were given to rebuke the hardened heart of Israel. This was done to seek their restoration. If the Lord was not so gracious, there would be no reason to seek His pleasure. Like the prodigal son who ran away from his father and wasted his life in a far country, he knew he had a father who was full of love, mercy, grace, and kindness to forgive him if he acknowledged his sin and repented. When the boy returned to his home, the father welcomed him with open arms as he heard the words of repentance. Israel would find the love of God in allowing the remnant of Israel to return because God was a gracious and kind Father. Like the gentle rains of summer that follow the hard days of drought, God’s mercies would fill the earth with His blessings. Forgiveness comes when people repent. What was torn apart will be put back and the afflictions of God’s wrath will give way to His unmeasured grace.

Sin destroys and brings its own measure of misery. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that men could see the eternal love of God to bind what was broken and heal what was destroyed. There is an eternal Father willing to forgive if one would come and return to Him. The action of faith must precede the favor of the Lord. Hosea told the people they must first come before God would heal them. His grace was always there but if they did not take opportunity for His grace, it could not remove their sin. Returning to the Lord demanded a penitent heart and a willing mind to serve the Lord. Through the knowledge of the Lord, truth is found that opens up the pathways of forgiveness. Faith comes from the word of God appealing to the willing mind to acknowledge failure before God, seek His mercy and come to the Lord for cleansing. When a man fills his heart with godly sorrow it will lead him to repentance and ultimately the pleasure of the Lord. Although sin has torn the life of the individual and stricken many arrows into the heart of the righteous, the eternal Father will heal the broken spirit and bandage the wounds inflicted by sin. Forgiveness is the message of God to tell all men that He desires for them to live in His sight. The Lord is not willing that any man should perish but that all men would accept His grace, come and repent and be raised up by His grace and dwell with Him eternally. That is the great message of hope from the beginning of time. Man was created for the glory of God. Sin temporarily tore that apart but through the blood of Jesus Christ, the joy of salvation can be found in His grace and mercy. Come, and let us return to the Lord.

These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. (John 16:1-4)

And You Will Be Killed

It seems certain the eleven disciples remaining with Jesus in His final hours were not aware that within a short time their Lord would be tried, convicted and crucified on a Roman cross. Jesus had repeatedly told them He would go to Jerusalem and die but there was no urgency in the hearts of the apostles concerning these warnings. They had been with their teacher for a few years and it may have seemed there was much work to be done and that Jesus would be leading them for a long time yet to come. Had they known the full truth of what the Jews would do to Jesus by the power of the Romans, they may have tried to defend Jesus and die in a failed insurrection. Regardless, after the Passover (Judas has left to arrange the betrayal) Jesus walks and talks with the eleven on His way to Gethsemane where He awaits His accusers. The conversation of Jesus is a remarkable testimony to the eternal plan of God and how the death of Jesus was foreordained. He openly tells His disciples what is about to happen and why. Not only will the Lord suffer at the hands of the Jews but the eleven are told of things that will take place in their own lives as disciples of Jesus. As the eleven listen, Jesus tries to reassure them of what was about to happen is the will of the Father and there is much work to be done as the kingdom of God is to be established in Jerusalem. He does not want them to be filled with fear and to know the Father will care for them and protect them. However, He does not leave out the reality that when these eleven men begin preaching the gospel of salvation in a risen Christ, they will be persecuted and reviled and killed. As Jews, the eleven apostles were devoted to the ordinances of the Law of Moses and one of the modern avenues of worship was the synagogue. To be put out of the synagogue was to be deprived of recognition by their fellow brethren. Their character would be impugned; the community would treat them with contempt and in some cases deprived of their earthly possessions. It was a very serious charge to be expelled from the synagogue. All of this would happen to the disciples because they followed Jesus.

To make matters worse, not only would the disciples be cast out of the synagogue, Jesus tells them what whoever kills them will think they are doing a holy service to God. Did the eleven hear what Jesus said about being His disciple? Following Jesus could be a life-threatening decision. Why would anyone kill them for being a disciple of Jesus? The answer would come within a few hours. The eleven were getting a spiritual crash course in what it meant to be a believer in the one God, the one Lord, and the one faith. Jesus would be killed for no reason by men screaming hatred and vile things at the Lord. If the world rose up against a man who never committed any wrong, what would the disciples think would happen to them? The emphasis of Jesus was to let the men know that when they went out teaching the gospel they would be cast out of synagogues and in some cases would be killed by religious zealots. They would first witness this by a man who was not an apostle when the Jews stoned Stephen to death. In time, ten of the eleven men walking with Jesus to Gethsemane would suffer a martyr’s death (as told by tradition; John the only one to die of natural causes). When the time came for them to die, the apostles would remember the words of Jesus spoken on that fatal journey to the garden and then to the cross. They would see the face of the Lord as He confronted His accusers and stood against their false charges. The image of the Son of God on the cross would be emblazoned in their minds as the example of faith resolute to the end and find their own courage to accept death. Jesus did not explain this to disciples at the beginning of His ministry because there was much work to do and He was going to be with them for a while.

Recruitment posters are always measured to give the greatest appeal to those who might consider following a certain cause. Jesus tells His own disciples that if they wanted to follow Him they may have to walk the same path to Golgotha. This would be especially true for the eleven who walked and talked with Jesus, seeing His power through the signs and wonders and listening to the voice of the Son of God expound on heavenly matters. These men were told they were going to be killed for the cause of Christ – and they did not flinch or fall back. Eleven examples of incredible courage came out of that garden that day when the apostles fulfilled the word of Christ by going to Jerusalem and establishing the church of Christ. It would cost them their lives, their friendships, their reputations and many things they held dear in life. They did not falter or fall away from the purpose of their mission. James would be the first of the apostles to die when Herod beheaded him. If tradition is true, nine more would suffer a terrible death. Paul would have his head cut off by the Romans at the behest of the Jews. Many, many more faithful children of God would suffer at the hands of the Jews and the Romans in a martyr’s death. Why? Because they loved the Lord more than the praise of men. What price are you willing to pay for Jesus? Loss of job, relationship, friendship or reputation? Following Jesus Christ requires carrying a cross. In some cases, people will die because of their faith. Are you ready to die?

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around. And they went by way of the plain. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him. Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah. He also put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in bronze fetters, took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. (Jeremiah 52:1-11)

Crime Doesn’t Pay And Neither Does Sin

There is an old saying that “Crime doesn’t pay” as popularized by a radio show in the 1930s called, “The Shadow.” While the phrase is of recent coinage, the idea has been eternal in regard to evil. Before time began, God had a plan to punish the devil and his angels which was fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Eve found the deception of the serpent did not bring the happiness she thought would come with eating the forbidden fruit. The early world was destroyed by a world-wide flood because the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Noah and his family were the only ones saved from the wrath of God. If there was a lesson clearly defined by the Lord from the early days of the existence of humankind is that sin does not bring happiness. The story of King Zedekiah is one of the millions where men believe they can live ungodly lives before the Creator and find joy and happiness. He was the uncle of King Jehoiachin and was put on the throne by the king of Babylon (who changed his name from Mattaniah to Zedekiah). Becoming king at the age of twenty-one would have been an incredible accomplishment for a man so young. If he would have looked around at the previous kings and their demise it might have sounded a warning to him to change his way but it did not. His reign would only last for eleven years and would end in the most tragic manner. Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Jehoiakim had done. The king decided to rebel against the Babylonians resulting in the king of Babylon bringing his army against Jerusalem in a seize that lasted for a year and six months. In desperation and with famine setting in, the king and his army tried to flee the Chaldeans but to no avail. Zedekiah was caught in the plains of Jericho with his army scattered throughout the land. They took the king from the king of Babylon who pronounced judgment against Zedekiah. He murdered the sons of Zedekiah in front of his eyes. The king of Babylon then killed all the princes of Judah at a border town called Ribnah. Nebuchadnezzar was exacting the wrath of God against Israel because of the evil that covered the land.

When the Chaldeans captured Zedekiah, did he regret the decisions he had made in following evil? The history of Israel in recent years was filled with wars, chaos, and men serving the carnal pleasures of the flesh. Many prophets like Jeremiah warned the people to repent but to no avail. The testimony of the Lord was clear against those who followed the path of ungodliness. History is replete with the failure of men to find lasting joy in refusing to follow the moral code of godliness as given by God. Each generation believes that it can improve the world by following an amoral system of values and that happiness is found in the pursuit of evil. Zedekiah was brought before Nebuchadnezzar and forced to watch as his sons were killed before him. How did his evil life pay off to watch an invading army slaughter his own flesh? Did he have remorse for his life and plead for the mercy of the Lord too late? The king of Babylon brought all the princes of Judah before Zedekiah and had them killed. Sin did not bring any joy to Zedekiah and certainly brought a tragic end to his sons and the princes of Judah. He did not humble himself to the word of Jeremiah and refused to honor God. The tragic end of his life came when the king of Babylon put out his eyes and made him a prisoner till the day of his death. Evil is fun for the moment but the lasting impact has eternal consequences. Zedekiah learned that lesson in a vivid manner.

Crime doesn’t pay and sin never brings happiness. Criminals may be able to get away with their misdeeds in this life. They will not find fulfillment in the life to come because the wrath of God is against all ungodliness. Justice can be forgotten by men but the Lord remembers all the deeds of what a man has done. Zedekiah learned the lesson too late that all the pleasures he enjoyed had no value when he watched his sons die and the princes of Judah slaughtered. In some ways the sons and princes were more fortunate than Zedekiah because they were dead without suffering the terrible fate of having your eyes blinded by the most horrendous method and then shackled with bronze fetters for the rest of his life in prison. The sad reality is the sons of Zedekiah and the princes may not have been ready to meet the God of Israel no more than the king and found the same lesson about evil in death: sin did not bring the promised joy of the tempter. Millions die with the joys of fleshly pleasures filling their lives only to find in death there is no hope of joy in the eternal. Satan dangles the lures of sin before the eyes of men deceiving them into believing that all fleshly fulfillment will bring lasting joy knowing his lie will secure their souls in eternal damnation. God has warned against the ways of evil and the consequences of rejecting His word. Happiness is not what men find on earth but what they see in the promises of eternal life through the grace of God. Do not live a life of regret where there is no hope and no joy. Evil has never brought happiness and it never will. The price is far too high for anyone to pay. Jesus paid the ultimate price by giving His life to show man the path of righteousness and lasting joy. Come to Jesus and see the gift of life He has offered to those who seek eternal happiness.

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. (Titus 3:1-2)

Kingdom Citizens

The Bible is an amazing library of knowledge that finds its application in every society, generation, culture, and innovation of man. When Paul wrote to Titus encouraging him to be faithful in the work of the kingdom and to exhort the saints of God to live before all men with righteousness, he had no idea of what social media would become in the modern world. Social media has always been around but the technologies have evolved over the centuries changing the means of communications. There has never been a time in history where information is disseminated with such rapidity as the modern form of social media. It has given license to millions of voices who can at the touch of a click send their message around the globe with instantaneous results. For many disciplines, this can be a great blessing. However, it has also been the platform for voices of dissension, hatred, prejudice, and disrespect. To this point it must be added these are not the voices of the unlearned or uninformed but children of God. With the political year of 2020 coming up, the platitudes of political posturing have begun in earnest with many of the holy nation of God pushing themselves in the middle of such trite expression of failed loyalties. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ is made up of citizens of the kingdom of God who are to be loyal to one king and one king alone: Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As citizens of the heavenly kingdom there are guidelines that faithful souls must adhere themselves as representatives of the Divine. Paul addresses these attributes in his letter to Titus that is vital for modern men to take heed and listen.

Regardless of party affiliation, the Christian is a person of integrity who is subject to the rulers and authorities without regard to who sits in the seat of governmental authority. Remember that when the early church began, men like Herod and Nero were in power and their rule was anything but democratic. Yet, in the face of such rulers, the apostles admonished the early Christians to honor the king, submit to the rule of all those in authority and to deny that rule would be denying God. Rulers and those in authority are to be obeyed by the command of the Lord with the only exception if the law prescribed violates the clear Biblical law of God. Paying exorbitant taxes on English tea does not qualify for rebellion. Using platforms like Facebook to spew anger and disrespect to rulers and those in authority is not the example of a faithful child of God. Instead the voice of the Christian should be one that seeks every good work. Paul exhorts the child of God not to slander anyone, and avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone. These rules have served well for two thousand years whether social media was animal skin or electronic media. The character of the Christian does not allow their heart to be filled with the trappings of an immoral, corrupt and angry world. As the salt of the earth and lights of Jesus Christ, the reflections of a humble spirit must be heard in the voices of those who put God first in everything. Subjection to rulers and authorities is one of the most important examples others can see.

Democracy is a wonderful form of rule for men who love freedom. It gives the citizen the privilege of expressing their views, forming opinions that can be used in making changes and affords the freedom of religious belief. While all of the tenets of democracy are appealing to the carnal side of man, the stark reality for the citizen of the kingdom of God is the only freedom found is that which is found in Christ. He is the King that must be obeyed and His will is the only voice. There is no freedom of speech in Christ or the right to live by any standard of rule. Jesus is the only way, He is the only truth, and He is the only life and everything in the life of the Christian is measured by His guidance and wisdom. There is only one way to the Father and that way is Jesus Christ. As citizens of the kingdom of God, the Christian is a slave and nothing more; at best – an unprofitable servant. By God’s grace, He affords salvation to those who will submit their will to His word. Submission to rulers and those in authority is because the Lord demands it. This is not measured whether we like the person in rule or not. Obedience is expressly demanded by the Lord to all those in places of rule. It may be a freedom of the American judicial system to speak evil of those in rule but there is no such rule in the kingdom of God. He forbids it and will judge with righteousness those who disregard His command. The finest examples of American citizens are the citizens of the kingdom who are ready for every good work, live peaceable lives, showing gentleness toward all men and are humble before all.

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. (Acts 17:26-27)

October 13, 2019

It is one of the most innocuous things that everyone does on a daily basis without thought, without planning and without realizing the incredible lesson learned over a course of a lifetime. Writing a date is a harmless and yet vital part of life. It contains a divided portion of a year called months with a specific number day in a specific time of history. Today is the tenth division of the year 2019 on the thirteenth day. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely accepted calendar in use by the world today but regardless of which calendar is in use by society the keeping of days, weeks, months and years are as ancient as the world. God created the world in six days and established the rotation of the sun, moon, and stars as signs and seasons, and for days and years. After the flood that destroyed all life on earth save eight souls the Lord told Noah that as long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer, and winter, day and night. October 13, 2019 proves the word of the Lord spoken at the beginning of man’s history. Writing down the date of the day confirms the covenant God has with the earth and the six billion souls that dwell upon it. It could be said there are no atheists because each time a man writes the date he affirms there is a Creator and there can be no one that believes in evolution as fact because the date confirms the beginning of time in accordance with the word of God. Today’s date accomplishes a remarkable thing unseen by most people.

When the apostle Paul was in the city of Athens, a city given over to idol worship, the preacher of Jesus boldly proclaimed in the midst of a heathen world that God had determined the habitation of all men and that creation itself proclaimed the evidence of the divine being. All men are of the same DNA as created by the hand of God. The Lord has determined the habitation of man in a framework of the earth that cannot change. Man is an earth dweller that is limited in time and space by the hand of the One that formed him from the dust of the ground. The fanciful ideas that men have to live and dwell in the universe like a mythical Captain Kirk defy the reality that when a date is inscribed on paper the affirmation of man is the prison of his humanity. Man was not created to dwell in the ocean or in the vast reaches of space. A man can explore the depths of the oceans but only on a temporary purpose. Exploring space is a marvel of man’s achievements but the reality of his nature is that he can only spend a limited amount of time there. October 13, 2019 proves that man is shackled to the earth as a reminder that he is made a little lower than the angels. There is wonder in heaven by the eternal beings that look down upon men who believe themselves gods. Nothing man will do can change that he is an eternal being formed by the power of God and that he will always be on this earth a creature lower than the angels. Man is bound by days, weeks, months and years. There have always been seven days in a week and the clocks of men may call the days and months by different names but time remains the same for all.

A final word about the date October 13, 2019 is the reality that time is fleeting. It was just yesterday the calendar read the year 2000 or the birth of a child or the day of marriage or fond memories of childhood on a street far away in time. Nine and one-half months have passed in the 19^th year of this millennia with only seventy-nine days left; eleven weeks and two days; less than 1800 hours. Many people who began the year 2019 with great expectations are no longer living. Some estimates suggest 56 million people die every year and it is certain they did not know the day of their birth would be added to the day of their death so soon. Time marches on and death comes to everyone. Tomorrow (if the Lord wills) millions will write the date of October 14, 2019, but will they see God? He has made all men from one blood and placed them on the earth to see the glory of the heavenly. He has determined the preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. What the Lord desires for man to do is to seek the blessings of the Creator and the hope of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. A day will come when the calendar will cease because the world is no more. There will be no days, weeks, months or years. Eternity will span before the vision of all men without end. God is not far from man. He is as close as writing the date. Today is the day of salvation because today is all God has promised. October 13, 2019.

Furthermore, it has been said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.” But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No.” For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:31-37)

Fidelity To The Marriage Vow

The sermon on the mountain is one of the most challenging and impactful sermons to be read and put into practice. Jesus was teaching a great multitude of people a message they had never heard from their own teachers as the Son of God established the foundation of His ministry with a direct statement of absolute truth. The constitution of the sermon on the mount is the description of the life of Jesus as He lived every word with sinless perfection. His message would resonate throughout Israel as the man behind the message. He challenged the corrupted view of the Jewish teachers about the Law of Moses. In the six hundred years since the fall of Jerusalem, Israel had become a hybrid nation of pseudo-religion judged more by the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Jewish leaders than the truth of Moses’ law. Jesus would contrast the meaning of the Law and the prophets with the true teaching of His Father was He came to fulfill the law and establish true righteousness in the hearts of the faithful. A man did not have to take the life of another to commit murder but merely have hatred in his heart to be guilty. Adultery was not only the carnal engagement of infidelity but the thought of such a deed that would bring condemnation. Marriage was sacred from the time when God created Adam and Eve and yet the religious leaders had manipulated the definition of divorce to be for any reason. Jesus restores the principle of the law of God from the beginning that marriage was a lifelong commitment. Divorce for reasons other than sexual immorality would bring the wrath of God. Jesus fortifies His position on divorce when He reminds the people that God takes very serious the keeping of vows.

It had become common for people to use oaths often in their speech. The Law of Moses prohibited swearing by the name of the Lord falsely and profaning the name of God would bring His wrath. When a vow was made from their lips they were obligated to keep that vow. However the common practice had long been held to interject oaths in the common language by swearing by the temple, the head, and heaven itself. This created a dulling effect on the value of oaths and that failing to keep those oaths irreligiously given would be no better than failing to keep the vows of marriage. A domino effect is created when the importance of vows is degraded to be a frivolous bunch of words with no serious effort to keep the oath. The forbidding of oaths by Jesus was to highlight how the hearts of the people had taken spiritual commitment to the place of noncommittal agreement that can be changed if the position dictates. In other words, as fallout from the same practice, making a vow of marriage is viewed as a contract to be broken rather than a covenant to be honored. God hates divorce because a man and woman made a vow standing before Him to honor one another and to honor the Lord. Breaking that vow is breaking a covenant created by God as He joined a man and woman together. Jesus told the Pharisees that what His Father had joined together no man had a right to break asunder. God takes very seriously the vows of men who declare their faithfulness and then break their vows. It would have been better to not make the vow than to have taken the vow with no promise of keeping it.

While there are two distinct problems Jesus addresses in the sermon about divorce and the frivolous giving of oaths, the two are intertwined as a result of one another. Marriage will be sacred because man views the bond of matrimony as a holy communion with God. If the heart of a man looks at oaths as vanity, keeping a vow of marriage will be easily broken. Marriage is characterized by problems but the child of God knows the most important part of their union is the covenant they have made with their spouse as a vow to God. They will not take the words of the marriage vow as a trifling matter but declare their yes and no in faithfulness to the Lord God who formed the union. It will require second-mile allegiance and love beyond the bounds of human understanding but the will of the Lord will be the guiding force in their marriage. Jesus did not suggest the vows were wrong but the attitudes of men can make the promise of an oath to be a trivial matter. This does not characterize the heart of the child of God and this is especially found in the marriages of God’s people. Vows are sacred because words are sacred to God. In whatever station of life a person finds himself, their speech is seasoned with the salt of grace and the foundation of truth in keeping the promises made as true and holy.