The Heaton File

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:39-40)

He Could Have Come Down From The Cross

Crucifixion was the final step before death. When a man was crucified, he remained on the cross until he died. Death would come through time (some could last three or four days), or death would be hastened by crurifragium or breaking the legs of the victim. At the crucifixion of Jesus, two men were crucified next to Him, one to His right and the other to the left. The men crucified with Jesus were criminals and robbers found guilty by the Romans and sentenced to death. One of the criminals admitted guilt on the part they shared with one another for the crimes committed.

When a crucifixion took place, crowds would gather to gawk and ridicule the victims. A crowd of onlookers, including the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jewish council, watched Jesus as He died on the cross. A small group of faithful disciples gathered before Jesus, including His mother and the apostle John. As the people ridiculed the condemned, they shouted out for Jesus to save Himself. They blasphemed Jesus, wagging their heads at the pitiful sight of the one who claimed to be the Son of God. The crowd jeered at Jesus with contempt, shooting out the lip at Him, speaking evil things of Him. As the Son of God hung on a cross, stripped of dignity and treated with great contempt, the people made fun of Him, suggesting He could save others but could not save Himself.

The people taunted Jesus if He was truly the Son of God to come down from the cross. No man could wiggle his way out of crucifixion. The hands were spread and nailed to the cross, and the feet were also nailed. It was an impossibility for anyone to release themselves from the nails. There was no escape. Crucifixion was the final act before death. Jesus had performed many miracles during His ministry. He healed diseases, walked on the water, and raised the dead. The chief priests mocked Jesus to save Himself like He saved others, saying if Jesus would descend from the cross, they would see it and believe in Him. Also, the two men crucified reviled Jesus in the same manner.

The chief priests did not fully realize that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, and He had the power to come down from the cross with the authority of twelve legions of angels. No man has ever had the power to come down from the cross until that day outside Jerusalem. Thank God Jesus did not come down off the cross. The people mocked Jesus to come down, and if He did, they would have been filled not with awe and wonder but with horror and fear. That moment would have changed their lives. But God’s grace and the love of Christ kept the divine sacrifice nailed to a cross, suffering for the sins of those who blasphemed Him.

The death of Jesus took place two thousand years ago, but people still blaspheme and mock Jesus to come down from the cross. They do not believe He is the Son of God and blame God for the misery of the world. When the people mocked Jesus, they failed to understand Jesus was the answer to their eternal destiny. He was dying for them. Jesus begged the Father to forgive those who mocked Him and derided Him. His words fell on deaf ears of those who mocked Him. Jesus will not come down from Heaven to show some special sign to get people to believe in Him. The revelation of God contained in the Bible is all man will have to save themselves. If they do not believe the words of Jesus, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead (or come down from Heaven).

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:23-24)

Put On The New Man

Learning about Christ will change the heart of a man who is seeking the grace of God. There are many things that will be removed from the old man of sin to renew the spirit into the image of Jesus Christ. The transition from the old man to the new is where the character of the world is left behind as the soul embraces the new character of a Christian. There is a needful change, and there will be a responsive change. Learning from the word of God helps to identify the things that need to be removed, such as lying, cursing, stealing, sexual immorality, and all those things that corrupt the mind in ungodliness.

The new man must be put on in the renewal of the spirit of the mind. A transformation takes place when the babe in Christ feeds on the milk of the word, maturing over time to take on the solid food of the Spirit to grow thereby. The new man is renewed from a spirit of righteousness that speaks the truth in love instead of lying. There is no longer a desire to steal but to work diligently with the hands to care for family and others. Speech patterns change from corrupt words to things necessary for edification.

A Christian is a role model of kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness. They walk in love toward others. Jesus is the light of the world, and the new man of Christ walks in the light with goodness, righteousness, and truth. Wisdom is on the lips of the new man of Christ as they are filled with the Spirit of God. There is a clear difference between the life of the Christian and those of the world. The new man is molded into the image of God and His Son according to the words of the Holy Spirit. Time is spent meditating on the word of God to learn how to form the new man. Prayer is the means of transforming the heart to be a new man in Christ. Fellowship in the body of Christ encourages the new man to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

God wants His children to grow to maturity. By the grace of God, the saved have been transformed from the old man of sin to the new man of God’s love. Everyone must strive to be a new person in Christ to enjoy the blessings of God’s love. The fruits of the Holy Spirit change the heart with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Living in the Spirit is the new man. Learning in the Spirit is the new man. This is how the old man is done away with, and the new man is entrenched in the hearts of God’s people.

Changing the old man to the new man takes time and effort. God created the new man to conform to the lives of His children. Each day should be an awakening to a new part of the new man created in Christ Jesus. Through a study of the word and devotion to prayer, the heart will change, becoming more like Jesus. The goal should always be to become more of the new man each day rather than remaining in the spirit of the old man. There is no hope and glory in the old man. Put off the old deeds of the flesh and put on the new man of the armor of God.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. (Ephesians 4:20-22)

Get Rid Of The Old Man

There are two kinds of people in the life of the Christian. The “old man” is the life past, and the “new man” is the life present. One of the key elements of a child of God is the translation from a life outside of Christ to a life in Christ. Through this translation, the individual’s heart, soul, and mind are changed dramatically. When asked what to do to be saved, the apostle Peter first told the Jerusalem crowd they needed to repent. The first word of the gospel has always been repentance or change of life. No one can come to God without emptying themselves of their previous life.

Using the image of old and new, Paul shows that life before one obeys the gospel is an old life that must be replaced with a new one. When the heart learns about the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a change occurs where the habits of a corrupt and wicked life are replaced with the habits of a good and righteous life. The change comes from knowing God’s word or learning about Jesus Christ. When the gospel is preached, one hears the message of truth learning the truths of God’s grace to forgive sins through the blood of His Son. All truth resides in Jesus Christ. Coming to the blood of Christ demands a change take place.

The old man must be removed from the life of the Christian. Paul describes the old man as one who lies, steals, curses and is filled with bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, and all types of evil behavior. These qualities are not to be found in the heart of the child of God and must be removed. The old man engages in fornication, uncleanness or covetousness, filthiness, and drunkenness. These things should not be named among those who profess a love for God. The old man walked according to the pattern of the world, fulfilling the lusts and desires of the flesh and mind. Christians cannot live with these things.

Paul calls the previous life of the Christian an old man because it needs to die. The need to put to death the deeds of the body is paramount to the character of those washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. In the waters of baptism, sins are washed away. The challenge of sin will always tempt men to disobey God, but the old man must be continually put away to purify the heart. If the old man is not put away, the Christian begins a spiritual death.

When a person is baptized into Christ, they have been united in the likeness of the death of Jesus. In the waters of baptism, the old man is crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with. The old man needs to remain dead. Too often, the old man is resurrected and the Christian lives in the image of the old man rather than being renewed in the spirit of the new man. Learning about Jesus is where the knowledge of removing the old man comes from. The daily work of the Christian is to remove the old man, not allowing his presence to be a part of the new life. Put to death the old man so the new man can live.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. “I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, let them show these to them. Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.” (Isaiah 44:6-8)

There Is No God Like Jehovah

In the story of God and man, it is not man that is at the center of the universe. At best, he is a dash between God, who is first, and God, who is last. God existed long before man was created. The vacuum man lives in is a blink in the millisecond time of eternity where God knows nothing of time. Man was created an eternal being and will dwell with God in the infinite reality of eternity. What has challenged the mind of man is his belief that he is his own god and that he can determine his destiny apart from the One who formed him. Throughout history, God reminds man of his place by showing man how great God is.

God is the first and the last. There is nothing greater than the One who is before and will be after. He is not encumbered with the chains of days, weeks, months, and years. God is infinite, having been the Almighty before Adam was created by His hand. Every generation has been overseen by the eyes of the Lord God as the Lord raises a people and destroys a nation. Throughout the course of history, only the Lord can see and know the affairs of men. Every promise made by God came true. He prophesied the fall of nations like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. God also prophesied the destruction of Israel. Those prophecies still ring true today.

To look at God is to look at someone who is not like Him. There is nothing to compare to what the Lord has done. Critics have tried to destroy the Bible and continue to fail at every corner. The church has been attacked for two thousand years and remains the bastion of righteousness as it was in the early church. Although men have written their own forms of truth, truth has not changed. The main story of humanity is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This story is two thousand years old and more powerful each day. Jesus Christ is Lord, and as King, He rules over the Kingdom of God.

It is a fool’s errand to try and deny God and His power. There is no hope for a man so foolish to reject the Creator and Sustainer of life. His heart has turned away from the only answer to the questions of life. There is no human wisdom as full as the word of God. The efforts of man amount to nothing compared to the purpose of God. When we realize how small we are in the vast cosmos of God’s universe, it is then we learn how to stand before God. It is the Lord God who is first and last, and by God’s grace, we are allowed to come into His presence to acknowledge Him. On the final day, when all men stand before the Lord, all men will be standing on their knees, prostrate and humbled.

There is no fear serving a God so great. What is there to fear when we place ourselves next to the Creator of the world and proclaim Him as our Rock and Salvation? Nothing the world can do to us will remove the awe and wonder of how great God is. His will is going to be accomplished in this world without the input of human wisdom. God will fulfill all the eternal plans according to His divine will and word. Besides Him, there is no God. Period.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27-28)

God Rules Over The Nations

It is comforting to know that in the chaotic world of global politics, wars, unrest, and uncertainty, there is a God who is in control over all nations. Despots throughout history have tried to leave a name for themselves, but they are forgotten in a short time. A generation arises that knows nothing of the conquest and accomplishments of the previous regimes. All despots die. The Lord rules over all nations, and He never dies. Consider the fact that God ruled over the world when the united people decided to build a tower to the heavens. They wanted to make a name for themselves, fearing they would be forgotten. The tower they began to build is dust. Their memory is preserved in the record of the God who spread them across the planet.

The tower of Babel is a warning to all who seek to dominate the world. There will never be a nation or people who will rule the world. God rules over the nations, and He will never be deposed. The Roman Empire was great, but it is no more. Tyrants have ruled in the modern world and are now gone. New tyrants rise only to fall another day. They are forgotten, and their kingdoms are dispersed. God rules over the nations.

There is comfort in knowing who rules in the affairs of men. It can become a daunting task to take in all the news that fills the mind with the strife, anger, hatred, prejudice, and inhumanity of humanity. Nations fight against other nations. There are fears of worldwide destruction and death. Millions upon millions of people were killed in the World Wars. Many more have been lost in the wars that followed. There will never be a time on earth when there are no wars because sin will always fill the minds of depraved men seeking their carnal desires.

God rules over all nations and will not permit man to destroy the world. The threat of nuclear war is real, but it will never come to the point of the total destruction of humanity. There is nothing man can do to destroy this world and all of humanity. God rules over the world’s nations, and it is only through His will that the world will be destroyed. It is in the mind of God when to allow a nation to rise and when to bring a nation down. God is not political and cares nothing for political preference. His word is the only measure of truth. The will of God is what preserves the world as it is. It will be the voice of God that brings the world to an end. He works among the nations to His will.

A day will come when all the ends of the world will know and recognize the glory of God. For most, it will be a day of reckoning, judgment, and righteous indignation. No nation follows God. The last nation that followed God was Israel, and God destroyed them because of unbelief. History reveals the character of a loving and just God as He deals with nations. The history of nations should be a warning to all peoples of how God deals with the world. For the child of God, there is great comfort in knowing God rules over all nations and will accomplish His will to His glory. It does not guarantee safety from persecution but promises eternal life. In Heaven, there will be no nations and divisions of people. Everyone will stand before the throne of God equal as one people united before the presence of the Lord God Almighty – ruler over all the nations.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:21-23)

Dead In Sin

While a preacher presented a lesson on the burden of sin, a youth from the audience interrupted him by saying, “You tell me about the burden of sin. I feel none. How heavy is it? Eighty pounds? Ten pounds?” The preacher answered, “Tell me, if you laid four hundred pounds weight on a corpse, would it feel the load?” “No, because it is dead,” replied the youth. The preacher said, “That spirit, too, is dead which feels no load of sin.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse)

The death of Jesus Christ can only be measured by how much a person feels the weight of sin. When the Jews cried out for Pilate to crucify Jesus, they felt no guilt for killing the Son of God. The Romans heartlessly carried out the will of the Jews and killed an innocent man. Only a few of the people gathered at the cross felt the weight of the man dying in the middle. On the Day of Pentecost, three thousand devout Jews were pricked in their hearts when they realized the Son of God had been crucified. Throughout the stories of the Acts of the Apostles, thousands felt the weight of sin and obeyed the gospel. Conversion comes from conviction.

Sin has little impact on those who do not recognize the weight of the cost to redeem the world. The truth is that most people have no consciousness of sin. They are callous to its reality, denying it has anything to do with them. The sacrifice of Jesus means little or nothing to them because they do not understand the weight of sin and the wrath of God against all ungodliness. Conversion comes to the heart when a man sees sin for what it really is. It is then the sacrifice of Jesus comes into focus. Sin is not a mistake – it is the action of rebellion against the Most Holy God. A sense of fear comes from understanding the depth of sin and its consequences. There is a reality to an eternal answer to sin.

When a man denies such a thing as sin and ignores it, the heart becomes hardened. Like a dead body bearing the weight of four hundred pounds, there is no feeling. The gospel can be preached to a large crowd, and most will leave unimpressed and unimpacted by the message of grace. They leave thinking they are okay and there is nothing to worry about; not realizing the burden of sin weighs heavy upon them. If they do not realize the gravity of sin, they can become a corpse of spiritual refuse bound for perdition.

Sin does not have to destroy the soul. Jesus came to bring salvation through His blood. Until you realize the weight of sin, you will die in your sins. God has provided the remedy of sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)

The Holy Arm Of God

When God wanted to describe Himself to humanity, He used many metaphors illustrating His power and might. There are references to God as a shepherd, potter, fire, flood, rock, king, light, fortress, bridegroom, and many more. In Isaiah’s book, the Lord describes Him displaying His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. This metaphor is taken from the warriors who would bare their arms to prepare for battle. A bare arm shows the bold courage of a warrior to fight without the encumbrance and protection of armor. There is no mistaking the purpose of God to show all nations that He rules and reigns in the affairs of men.

Israel was in a downward spiral because they had turned away from God. They had rejected His word, killed His prophets, and filled the land with idolatry. The wrath of God would bring nations against Israel to punish them, and baring the arm was a symbol of the Lord’s judgment. All the nations would see the power of God working in the nation of Israel as the Lord punished His people and the nations of the world. There is an unmistakable image of the power and authority of the Lord God that His will is accomplished in His way. For His foes, this would bring terror. To the faithful remnant of the Lord, it would instill faith and hope, knowing how great and powerful their God is.

The greatest illustration of the holy arm of God is when He raised Jesus from the dead. As the miracle of miracles, the resurrection is the clear evidence of how powerful the will of the Lord is. There is nothing in the arsenal of men that can compare to the absolute authority of the Lord God. When He bares His arm, there are consequences. To the enemies of the Lord, there is fear and trepidation. For those in covenant with God, the holy arm of the Lord is protection, security, and hope. The holy arm of the Lord will bring destruction against all who oppose the will of the Father. Jesus taught the consequences of His Father’s holy arm as eternal punishment. He also showed His disciples there is nothing to fear because the holy arm of His Father will protect His people.

One of the joys for the Christian is knowing that Satan has no power against those protected by the holy arm of the Lord. There is no greater power. The devil is useless against the will of the Father. Sin does not have to have dominion over those who stand in the shadow of the holy arm of the Lord. When the child of God faces the trials of life, God’s arm comforts and soothes. As the world seeks to persecute and revile the holy people of God, the holy arm of the eternal Father bares itself as testimony to faith, hope, and love. There is nothing to fear. No power can overwhelm the holy arm of the Lord when He bares His might against all those who seek to destroy His children.