The Heaton File

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

Filling The Earth With His Image

Nicaragua is a Central-American country beset with poverty, lack of education and lack of basic needs yet a place of spiritual vitality. Few families enjoy the material blessings of those who live in America. So much of what we expect as a normal part of life is foreign to the majority of Nicaraguans. Many of the children who grow up in impoverished communities rarely have school beyond the age of 14 or 15. Jobs are scarce that would bring economic help to families. The infrastructures of communities lack the most basic needs like electricity, air-conditioning, plumbing and sanitation. In the midst of what Americans perceive as a lack of material blessings is a spirit that is foreign to the land of plenty: there is no lack for a deep and abiding interest in God. It is easy to measure life by what a person has on the outside instead of what is possessed on the inside. Prosperity is gauged by how large a house we live in or how many cars we have. Education is an expected norm that takes us to jobs that we will be able to retire from after many years. In the grand scheme of the difference between those in Nicaragua and the United States there is none. When all is said and done, we are all made in the same image of the same Creator.

In the beginning, God created all men in His image. Through the centuries, one thing has remained constant: everyone is formed in the same spirit regardless of language, culture and gender. The will of the Creator was to fill the earth with people who bore the same image and shared the same relationship with Him. He gave all men the dominion over the creatures of the earth with the express will of God to fill the earth with His image. Nicaragua may be 1200 miles away but in the view of the Lord, it is the same microcosm of humanity. He does not see Americans different from the people of Nicaragua because of prosperity or the lack thereof. All nations will stand before the throne of God in the final day and the same book will judge all peoples. It was by the will of God the nations were formed into different languages and cultures but the image of God remains the same upon all peoples.

Jesus died for everyone. His death brought all men to Him whether Jew or Gentile. The gospel message that saves a man in Kansas will save a man in Masaya, Nicaragua. Sin plagues every American like it does every Nicaraguan. Preaching the gospel in Nicaragua has the same power as it does on Main Street USA. We are all made in the same image of God. The earth is filled with everyone that is made in the same image of God. God created man in His image and His image is spread throughout the whole earth. The needs are the same. The rewards are the same. The greatest joy is to know that when the final day of judgment comes and I walk through those wonderful gates of eternal life, my brethren from Nicaragua will be there also. We will sing together in the heavenly language the joys and glories of a God who created us all in the same image. Lord – come quickly.

Nothing is more difficult than to realize that every man has a distinct soul, that every one of all the millions who live or have lived, is as whole and independent a being in himself, as if there were no one else in the whole world but he. (John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, 1843)

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2:2)

A New Baby

March will be an exciting month for the Heaton family. Our eighth grandchild is to be born and she is to be called Leila. This sounds like a shameless message about our grandchildren (and it is) and how young we are to have this many grandchildren but Leila has been growing in her mommies womb for nearly nine months. Soon she will discover America and begin a life with wonderful parents who will nurture her and help her grow into a beautiful Christian woman. But this does not happen on its own: physically or spiritually. It will take many sleepless nights (her father has no idea), preparing the right kinds of nutrition, examinations, exercise and personal care. Leila will learn early about God and Jesus Christ growing up with the songs of praise, words of the Bible, and images of worship in her mind. She will be taught how to walk, how to speak and how to learn the A-B-C’s. Her life will be a constant process of learning all the things that will help her grow into a mature and godly woman.

As a newborn baby, Leila will not be eating T-bone steaks. Little babies begin with milk and gradually move into solid food before venturing into the world of other types of food. Peter uses the image of newborn babies (probably from his own experience with his children) watching them grow from milk to maturity. Newborns desire the milk to give them nurturing. Spiritually, all Christians begin as newborn babies that must begin with the gentle formula of the word of God. Like a newborn child, Christian’s should have a hungering desire to know as much about God as they can and finding the many opportunities to learn from the word of God. There is a reality found among young newborns such as disease and sickness. Times will come when a cold or virus will bring sickness. Greater maladies may confront the newborn that can threaten their lives. Sickness comes upon a new Christian also. Satan is trying very hard to dissuade and discourage newborn children of God. If a child becomes sick, parents will rush the child to the doctor. Long nights will be spent in caring for the sick child. This same kind of care and diligence must be spent with newborn babes in Christ.

Infancy is a challenging time for newborns. They are dependent on others for their safety and growth. The mature child of God must do everything possible to help the young Christian grow with the pure milk of the word. They need encouragement and prayer. A symptom of sickness is when the newborn Christian forsakes the worship of the Lord. They may become involved with activities that are not helping them grow in Christ. Lack of Bible study and fellowship with other Christians can be a sign of spiritual sickness. Growing as newborn babies is to desire the knowledge of Jesus Christ to strengthen their bodies against the onslaught of Satan seeking to destroy them. As a parent, we will do everything we can to protect our children. Spiritually we must do all we can to protect the newborn babes in Christ from the wiles of the devil.

Growth continues throughout the life of a child of God. We all begin with the milk of the word and mature into the solid spiritual food of the Lord. It is a process that takes us from the feeble dependence as a baby to the growing, maturing child of God who is able to handle aright the deeper meanings of God’s word. The hunger should never leave. Desiring the pure milk of the word must always be a part of our lives. Growth for the child of God never stops. As we grow, let us not forget to help the newborn babies who need our encouragement to grow in Christ. Do not let Satan pull them back into the world. What a beautiful day to witness the birth of a new life. Watching children grow to maturity is a wonderful time. There is rejoicing in Heaven when a newborn is born into Christ. We must do all we can to rejoice with them and encourage them in their new life as a child of God as they grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith seeps out as knowledge seeps down. (John Haynes Holmes, Religion Today, ed. A. L. Swift, 1933)

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (Hebrews 9:27-10:4)

Three Types Of Blood

Death is a reality no man can deny. What is beyond death has been the question humanity has struggled with accepting and believing. Most do not believe in life after death. The humanistic values of man create a world that is void of God and establishes a righteousness of self-worth, lust and pride. Two thousand years ago, the Son of God came to earth and lived in the flesh as a man dying on a cross. His coming was foretold by prophets of old and His death was a gift from the Creator to redeem the eternal nature of man. Sin had dominion over man and nothing he could do would change this. From the fall of man in the Garden of Eden until the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all men were doomed to the wrath of God. What made the death of Jesus the answer to man’s dilemma? The answer is found in the blood.

All of the creatures of earth were created before man. The fifth and sixth days were filled with the creation of fish, birds and land animals. On the sixth day, Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and Eve came from the side of Adam. Man and God lived in perfect harmony until the Serpent destroyed the bond between them. A promise of a Seed was made that would redeem man to God restoring the covenant of peace. Through the centuries, the Lord commanded man to offer animal sacrifices. In the Law of Moses, extensive sacrificing of animals filled the sky with the smoke of their fires. At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon offered to the Lord 22,000 bulls and 120,00 sheep. There can be little doubt through the centuries of time, millions of animals have been offered to God as sacrifice. With all this blood, man could not be redeemed. The blood of animals could not take away sin because animals are nothing more than animals. They have no eternal spirit. Animals are not made in the image of God. Killing an animal is not murder. Their blood is of no value to redeem man.

If the blood of bulls and goats could not redeem man, who among humanity could offer their life to save man? The list might include men like Enoch, Abraham, Moses, David or one of the prophets. These were great men who would have become symbols of truth, righteousness and devotion to God. David was a man after God’s own heart and shedding his blood for the remission of sins would have been a great example of the martyr’s spirit. In the New Testament, some great men might have been Peter, Paul or Timothy. These would have great examples of faith and their blood would have become a powerful symbol of sacrifice. Would the blood of righteous men save man from the wrath of God? The answer is clearly shown in scripture.

The blood of bulls and goats could not redeem man because they are not created in the image of God. All men are created in the image of God as eternal creatures. Animals die and cease to exist. When a man dies, his body decays but his eternal spirit remains without end. The blood of man cannot take away sin because his blood is tainted with the very disease he is trying to destroy. Sin cannot destroy sin. All the sacrifices of man cannot take away sin even if the most righteous man that has ever lived offers himself as the propitiation for man. The blood of man has sin. Redemption can only come from the blood of a man made in the image of God who has no sin. That blood can only be the blood of Jesus Christ. What makes His sacrifice even greater is that He was God who came to be formed in the fashion of man and lived without sin (perfection) and died praying His Father forgive what men were doing to Him. Jesus died a horrible death so we could enjoy eternal life. He had no sin. His blood was pure from the power of sin and through that blood – all men can be washed from the wrath of God.

There is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank God for His love in sending His Son to die for the sins of … me.

We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. (Psalm 78:4)

Telling Our Children The Praises Of God

Children are sponges who take in everything around them as they build their characters and impressions of what they will become in adulthood. Children learn a language not because they are born in a geographical location but what they hear as they form their language. A child born in Russia raised in France will speak French. They learn from the world around them and are influenced by the teaching and instructions of their parents and the world at large. Inherent in the duties of parents is the responsibility to teach their children about God. This knowledge is more than recognition of God but to understand the value of worship the child will develop as they mature. The Lord has always desired for man to approach Him with the reverence and awe due His name. He is to be glorified and given honor as the Creator, Provider and Sustainer of all things in life. Children should learn from an early age the praises of the Lord and all He has done.

Training of children begins at the home. The nucleus of any community is the home and as the home goes, so goes the world. This is also true of the church. The strength and weakness of the church is determined by the value of the teaching done in the home by parents who are teaching their children about God. From the beginning of time, the parents have been the headwaters of a child’s understanding of who God is and what He has done for man. Fathers and mothers are instructed to teach their children the word of the Lord. The Jews were particularly commanded to not hide the story of God from their children but teach them daily the commandments, judgments and statutes of the Lord. Parents today can do no less than guiding the hearts of their children to honor God.

Teaching children about God comes first from the home. It is here they learn to reverence the Lord and worship Him. The church gathers on the first day of the week to worship God and it is here the fruits of the home labor are seen. Children learn to sing praises to the Lord in the home so that when they gather with the body of Christ they will learn to sing with the congregation. Prayer is a vital part of the home as the father leads the devotions in prayer and meditation of the word. Children will be prepared when it is time to pray in worship to bow their heads and sit quietly in reverence as the speaker directs the minds of the church toward the throne of God. Reading the Bible in the home is where the knowledge of God begins in the heart. Parents reading the stories of scripture to their children are developing hearts that will be devoted to the will of the Lord. School homework is important but Bible homework is eternal. Every child should have their own Bible and the fathers should lead the discussion of reading the scriptures and impressing upon the minds of the child the glory of God’s word. During the worship time when the word is being preached, children should be learning to sit quietly and take notes or read passages that are being discussed. The Lord’s Supper is one of the most wonderful remembrances of our worship. It is a time when the mind reflects upon the immense suffering of the Lord as He died on a cross. Two emblems show the body and blood of Jesus as a memorial to His great love and His willingness to die on the cross for our sin. Children learn about this sacrifice at home so that when they come to worship they see the reverence and solemnity of the occasion. This will have a large influence upon their perception of the Lord’s Supper as they grow into adulthood and appreciation for the remembrance of the sacrifice.

The worship of the Lord should not be hidden from our children. Why we worship, how we worship and what the worship means should be imbedded in our children from an early age. Hiding the importance of worship from our children is allowing them to frolic and play during the worship, read books, laugh, giggle and play on IPads, smart phones and computers. It will be difficult to impress on the mind of a child the vastness of God’s glory in worship when we allow them to ignore His glory during the worship. Children can learn to sit quietly during worship respecting the name of the Lord. They can sit for an hour without being fed, watered and allowed to go to the bathroom every five minutes. And they can learn this from an early age. Respecting the worship is important to learn and it must begin at home. What we do in our worship to God is very serious. There are too many examples of how God dealt with those who disrespected Him. Let all of us as parents and grandparents teach our children the praises of the Lord, His strength and the wonderful works He has done.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

Jesus In Six Lessons

Matthew begins his gospel with the evidence that Jesus is of the lineage of Abraham, proving His relationship to the Jewish people. Found in these sixteen words are the building blocks of the story of Jesus and what He came to do. The other gospel writers will open the treasure house of God’s Son as God on earth living as a man showing His power to the world.

1 – The book of Matthew is a book within a book telling the story of Jesus from the beginning of creation. Jesus was before creation and through Him the world was formed. The redemption of man begins with the telling of a Seed that would redeem man from the penalty of sin and each page opens the corridors of God’s grace leading to Golgotha where Jesus died for the sins of all men. Jesus declared how the books of Law, the Prophets and Psalms all declared His character and His message. The early disciples taught Jesus from the Old Testament because all of the sacred writings declared the glory of the coming Christ.

2 – A genealogy is the study of a history linking one person to another. Matthew will confirm Jesus was of the nation of Israel while Luke will trace Jesus to the first man, Adam. The genealogy of Jesus is important because it shows He is the fulfillment of the Seed promise through Abraham as a Jew but also that all men share in the physical nature of Jesus as a man of flesh. John will declare that God became flesh. The genealogy of Jesus traces Him to the beginning of time and God becomes part of the chain of the human experience.

3 – The name “Jesus” was given to Him by His heavenly Father. He was known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus of Galilee, and Jesus Son of David. The gospel writers never refer to the Son of God as Christ Jesus. He is the man from Nazareth who had brothers and sisters and commonly known as the son of Joseph and Mary. He walked among men as a man with no distinction in his visage and appearance. Isaiah suggests that Jesus was as common a man that He would blend into a crowd. God became man to endure the trials of humanity and to feel the searing pain of death like all men.

4 – He was the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus was the anointed of God wearing the title of the Christ. He was the one sent by the Father to bring all men back to Him. John declared Him God on earth showing His power through the signs and wonders. His teaching was forceful with the authority of the Heavenly Father. His divinity proved Him to be the Promised one shown by the writers of sacred text to be the fulfillment of every word. As the Christ, Jesus became the author of salvation.

5 – Jesus was called the Son of David. Three times in scripture, Jesus is referred to as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The promise made to David of the anointed sitting on his throne established the rule of Jesus Christ as the sole authority and head of the church. He is the only way of salvation, the only body of truth and the only life where man will find redemption. Peter will declare on the day of Pentecost that Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross to be raised up the third day declared to be both Lord and Christ. All authority is given to Jesus as Christ and His rule is complete.

6 – Finally, Jesus is of the seed of promise. The significance of Jesus being the seed of Abraham is the eternal truth that God keeps His promise. Throughout the many generations since the first promise made to Abraham, God’s word is true and faithful. Nothing changed that promise. He promised all men would be blessed through the Seed that would come from the loins of Abraham and Jesus Christ was that fulfillment. God cannot lie. What He promises He keeps. Nothing ever fails from the promise of God. If there is one single truth that all men must rest their hope upon, it is the knowledge the word of God is true and complete. Jesus is the embodiment of truth.

Thank God for Jesus Christ, His story, His life; the Son of David; the son of Abraham

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Two Views Of God

The problem with man has always been he has thought of himself more highly than he should. Goliath was an incredible specimen of humanity standing over nine feet tall. Anyone standing in his shadow would have been dwarfed by the size of this behemoth. The young lad David was but a “ruddy youth” compared to this mighty warrior from Gath. As big as Goliath was, there were trees bigger than him, mountains taller and the moon so far away it could not be touched by man. The proportion of man is miniscule compared to the immensity of the Creator. He holds the stars in His hand and numbers each one calling them by name. All the mountains and seas were formed by His word and retain their place in accordance with His will. So why would a man stand and brag to God about how great he is?

Two men came to pray; one to brag, the other to pray. The Pharisee is not unlike most men who have a deep feeling of prideful self-worth. He had a lot to brag about and tell the Lord his accomplishments. His prayer begins with elevating himself to the level of God. It was not an intercessory acknowledgement of humility but a ‘matter-of-fact look-at-me’ statement reminding the Lord God how important this man thought of himself. He thanks God he (the man) is not like other men. Head unbowed and heart lifted up, the Pharisee assumed the position of divinity because of all his goodness and purity. His moral compass was perfect and all knew his actions toward God as he checked off the list of fasting and giving from his abundance. In the heavenly hall of fame, he was a charter member. How deserving of God’s love this man thought of himself. He walked with a smug feeling of religious superiority. And why not? He was God’s man on earth – or so he thought.

The camera moves to the second man. He is not in a place of prominence but off to the side. No one takes notice of this pious man. His head is bowed as his body slumps in humble mercy begging for the Lord to take just a glimpse of his worth. He does not begin his prayer with bragging or explain to God how much good he has done in life and how religious he is. The only thing he can say is how much he needs the eternal mercy of a loving Father. Seven words make up one of the most powerful prayers in scripture. It begins with the acknowledgement of sovereignty. It implores mercy where mercy is not deserved. It ends with the cry of dependence. There is nothing to brag about. This prayer is simple yet powerful because it speaks to the heart of man and God. The tax collector was a despised man among his people but in the eyes of the Lord, he was a giant. His justification did not come with reminding God of how great he was. This man’s heart was grieved for the sin that separated him from his Lord. He only wanted the grace of God to fill his heart and take away his sin. His spirit was not demanding but appealing with tears.

Two men went to pray but only one left with the blessing of the Father. The man who bragged went away with more to boast. With little notice, a man standing afar off quietly returned home a righteous man. Death came to both men. There was great boasting and righteous lamentation for one. They spoke of all the good deeds he had done and how he prayed such beautiful prayers. He kept himself pure before extortioners, the unjust, adulterers and the despised people of his own race. Swelling words from fellow Pharisees rang clear the day they buried their fellow hypocrite. On the other side of town, an unknown tax collector quietly slipped the bonds of mortal flesh and was received by the angels of God to glory. He was justified while the Pharisee found himself in a place of torment. Eternal justification came from a heart that was humble.

The humility of hypocrites is, of all pride, the greatest and most haughty. (Martin Luther; 1483-1546; Table Talk)

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. (1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)

A Big Church Sign

Churches are easily identifiable by the signs out front declaring their allegiance to various faiths and practices. They say a lot about what group the church follows, what they believe and how they practice their religion. Sign makers have long been prosperous in creating elaborate edifices highlighting groups identifying marks. The popularity of having a sign in front of the building is a new novelty in the history of man and development of the many church faiths. For nearly 1500 years, there was only the one true church of the Lord and a few apostate representatives of the early church (Roman Catholic; Eastern Orthodox). It was not until the period of the Reformation that ‘attending the church of your choice’ would become a popular national pastime through the years of protestant branches of the Roman Catholic Church developing in Europe and America. Today there are thousands of different denominations and most of those have signs out front with thousands of different names and descriptions.

Turning an eye back nearly two thousand years to the early church we see a different picture. There was only one church. For nearly six hundred years, the truth of one church remained constant in the minds of men. In the first century of the church Jesus died for there was a group of saints that met in a city just north of Athens, Greece. Thessalonica was a Roman town that had a prosperous and lively group of people who believed in the Father and Jesus Christ as Lord. Paul addressed them as a body of people who were in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not have a name like so many churches today. The sign in the front of their church building declared who they were and what they were and it was a big sign. Okay, they did not have a church building with a sign out front but in a figure that is how Paul identified the church in Thessalonica. He called them a church. The apostle recognized these saints were individuals who knew what it meant to be in God.

The brethren at Thessalonica were models of what the New Testament church should be. The church in this city was full of hard workers diligently sharing the gospel message of salvation to a lost world. Paul commended them for their work of faith and labor of love. These are words of action. Faith and love were not signs out front but signs of the heart. Working and laboring suggested these brethren were active in what they believed. Being a Christian during the Roman period would bring a lot of persecution but these brethren continued the work of God with a patient hope knowing their eternal destination was secure in Christ. The church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ did not need a painted or electrified sign out front to let the world know what they were doing. This province of Greece was being turned upside down by the lives of the saints who knew what it meant to be in God and in His Son.

There was a big church sign in Thessalonica. It was found in the hearts of simple people loving the Lord God with all their hearts, souls, minds and bodies. The Lord Jesus radiated in their lives as men and women, husband, wives, fathers and mothers and citizens of the Roman Empire. Whatever labor they engaged in was measured by the word of God and their faith in His word. Death was not fearful for them as they looked for the glorious coming of Jesus Christ. They faced persecution with the faith of their Lord who was killed on a cross. The church of the Thessalonians was filled with rejoicing, prayer, thanksgiving, the Holy spirit, preaching and abstaining from every form of evil. The coming of the Lord would not come soon enough for these brethren. And they did all of this without a sign in front of a church building. These people were the sign.

And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:27-30)

Carrying For Others

The New Testament Christians did not have a lot of history to look back on for examples or admonition. What they did was fresh, new, and learning as they grew as children of God. On the Day of Pentecost, the first converts were devout Jews. The first disciples of Christ came from the people of Abraham. Gentiles were brought into the kingdom later and a melting pot of cross-racial, social-economic blending of cultures made up the infant church. Growing in their relationships, early Christian learned how to care for one another putting the prejudices of the past behind them. It was not easy. Many of the appeals of the early writers exhorted the Christian not to think of themselves more highly than they should but have the mind of Christ. This was a spirit of sacrifice for their fellow saint supplying the needs of suffering Christians.

The famine that happened in the days of Claudius Caesar highlighted the love brethren had for one another. It is easy to stay disconnected from the problems of those who live far away but this was not the case of early Christians. The disciples, each according to their need or ability, sent relief to their fellow brethren. Whether they knew who these people were is not likely. It did not matter. Their fellow Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ, were in need and that is all that mattered. Brotherly love comes from a heart that wants to help the ones in need. Some disciples could give more than others but the amount was not the lesson. The disciples of Antioch decided to do what they could with what they had to care for the needs of those who were in dire want.

Jesus taught the lesson of the man who helped his fellow man left for dead by robbers. Human nature is on display in this parable when you have the heart of the thieves who say, “What is thine is mine, we will take it.” There are a lot of people like that in the world. The only thing they want out of life is what they can take. And then there is the spirit of the priest and Levite who walk by the injured man with little concern. The priest completely ignores the man and the Levite comes over to see the condition of the man but does nothing. Their spirit is likened to those who say, “What is mine is mine and I will keep it.” This spirit is prevalent among many. There is no love to help others. They blame the man who should not have been on the road in the first place allowing himself to be robbed and so he must suffer the consequence. Finally, a man comes on the scene from a mongrel nation, despised by the Jew, hated because of their half-breed heritage of Jew and Gentile. A Samaritan sees the injured man dying on the side of the road and has compassion. He binds up the wounds, carries him to an inn where he will stay with him all night and leaves the next day paying for all expenses and promises to return to make certain the injured man is well cared for. He did all he could do according to his ability and he cared for his fellow man.

The spirit of a Christian is seeing the sacrifice of Jesus and all He gave for the redemption of man. God’s children are compassionate and caring for others. The early disciples gave of their means to their fellow saints. They did not have much to give but those in the famine had nothing. Being a child of God is an example of benevolent living and giving. The heart is filled with love for others and the hand is the ready agent of change for those who need relief. A great famine afflicted the whole world but the saints in Judea received the love of God through the benevolent hand of their brethren in Antioch. People caring for people. What a wonderful story of love.

Sympathy is your pain in my heart. (Anonymous)

And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them. (Leviticus 20:23)

The Lord God Abhors America

It will be a little over forty years before the children of Israel will cross the Jordan River into the land of promise. Mt. Sinai still looms large before them as the law was delivered to the people through the servant of the Lord, Moses. The Ten Commandments are given as the preamble to the extensive law that would become the whole of the Law of Moses. Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers declare the law given by God to the people with the clear admonition to obey every tenant and design given by the Lord. Among the prohibitions of the law are the practice of pagan worship as characterized by the Ammonite god Molech and the immorality of the many nations surrounding Israel. The Hebrews were to be a separate nation by geography and by morality. Their laws were strict in adhering to principles of righteousness, purity and holiness as set forth by God. Failure to obey the commandments, ordinances and judgments of the Lord were met with severe penalty.

The greatest challenge Israel would face as a nation was to reject the idol worship of the nations around them. It would become their downfall as the kingdom divided following the death of Solomon, who laid the groundwork for idol worship. Pagan idolatry eviscerated the spiritual heart of God’s people from within with its immoral and decadent practices. Human sacrifice was part of idol worship including the sacrifice of children on the red-hot arms of Molech. Sexual whoredom was common in the religious rites of hedonism. Turning away from God and seeking after psychics and spiritualist man worshiped himself. Families were torn apart as children rebelled against their parents cursing them and screaming vulgarities. Adultery was common. Pornography was graphic in the lives of the pagans. Sexual perversion endorsed a man to sleep with his neighbor’s wife, his father’s wife and even his own daughter-in-law. Homosexuality was the norm as men went in with men and women with women. Orgies were the past time of the day. A man married a woman and brought to his bed his mother-in-law. Bestiality was practiced. Incest was common. This was the character of the nation’s God was destroying and telling the Israelite nation to not follow in their path.

Reading Leviticus 20 is a reflection of where our country finds itself today. There can be no denying these practices are common and defended by the laws of the land. Increasingly, the minority of the ungodly are changing the heart of the nation towards the hedonistic voyeurisms of fleshly pleasures. Television flagrantly portrays homosexuality and multiple partners as the only way to find pleasure. Abortion is the modern form of Molech as millions of unborn children are murdered. A snow-flake generation of young people are entering the world believing they are entitled to have whatever they want, rebelling against authority, law and personal rights. Chaos reigns in the streets of America with protesters burning and destroying properties because they did not get their way. Families are decimated by the rebellion of a society gone mad.

Sexual perversion is no longer uncommon. Pornography is destroying lives by the millions with its ease of access and empty promises of pleasure. Billions of dollars are spent each year to fight the drug epidemic that takes the lives of so many of our young people and porn is the greatest addiction that goes untreated. Sexual promiscuity is proliferated through sexting, chat sites and the internet. There are no bounds for the level of depravity men will seek to find a moment’s pleasure. America is stained with the putridity of Satan’s touch and increasingly is devolving into a world of darkness. It is no longer the land of the red, white and blue but a nation of degenerate, rebellious and selfish people seeking their own lustful desires.

God abhors what America has become just as He abhorred the people of Israel when they turned away from Him. Israel was the Lord’s own special people; the apple of His eye. They rejected God and He rejected them. America has never been the chosen nation of God as He is not interested in the political wrangling of men. At one time, there was a greater sense of morality in America that has long been forgotten. No longer a nation united under God, we have become a body of people that have evolved into the mire of a decadence not unlike so many nations before us and around us. Our pride will not allow us to see how truly immoral we have become and how deeply we have buried ourselves in the rabbit hole of our pleasures. But here we are. And God abhors it.

Salvation may not come to America but Jesus did not die for nations, He died for men. Like the days of Noah, righteousness will come from the heart of the individual who is willing to stand for truth, righteousness and purity in a world gone made for the delicacies of the devil’s brew. There were only eight righteous souls when Noah entered the ark. When the hand of God shut the door, the only thing that mattered was who was in the safety of the ark. Living in America is no different. What matters is if a person is in Christ and walking in the light of His word. When the world comes to an end (and it will), God will save only those who have kept themselves undefiled from those things that He abhors. The choice is yours. Choose whom you will serve.

America is not a Christian nation. There is only one Christian nation – God’s people, the church of Jesus Christ. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death … and he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death … if a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. (Exodus 21:15,17; Deuteronomy 21:18-21)

Law Of Moses Parenting

There are two things to understand about the Law of Moses: first, the Law was given only to the Jewish nation and to no other people; second, the Law has been abolished and is no longer in effect. The purpose of the Law was to facilitate the coming of God’s Son and help bring the Jews to Christ. Paul would remind his readers the old law was helpful to understand the nature of God and His will. Reading the Law of Moses gives a deep sense of respect for the mind of the Lord God and His view towards the relationship of man to man and man to God. While the force of the law has been removed, the impact of its principles is clear. Speaking of the family relationship, the Lord has left a pattern of absolute reverence children should have toward the parent. A refusal to listen to the word of God will bring great judgment in the final day.

God looked upon the family unit as a very precious commodity. Adam and Eve were formed in the Garden of Eden for the purpose of family. The blessings of God have always been upon the parent/child relationship and the respect that was to be given for the role of the father and mother. In the Law of Moses there was no room for rebellion of a child to a parent. Many laws were less punitive in nature than what God said should be done to a rebellious child. Cursing a parent or striking a parent brought the death penalty. Not everything brought the enforcement of death but a rebellious child would be taken out of the city and stoned to death by all the men of the city.

The impact of the Law of Moses was colossal. Consider for a moment parents who have a child that is unruly, disobedient and refuses to honor his father and mother. The parents know what the Law prescribes. They take their son to the elders of the city and declare how he is uncontrollable and without regard to anyone. After an examination it is determined the boy is a disobedient child refusing to bow down to the law. All the men of the city take the boy to a place in the field where they surround him and begin throwing stones at him until he is dead. Being stoned to death is a horrible manner of death. Each man of the city is responsible for the death of this young man. They do not leave until it has been determined the boy is dead. The father gathers up the lifeless body of his son, takes his mother and they bury him. Returning home, there is one less place at the table and one less name uttered in the home. The father looks at his hands and knows what he has done. His children look at their parents and see the sadness in their faces. It is impressed on their minds the penalty of disobeying their parents. And all of this was exactly what God commanded to be done to a rebellious child.

Across town, another man returns home. He speaks softly to his wife telling him the tragic news of the young man who was brought to the elders. The children hear the story of how he was stoned to death. They know their father was part of those men who stoned the young man. The family knows the death of the boy was in accordance to the will of God and they praise Him. Honor is given to the Lord because His Law is righteous and His will is to be obeyed.

This story horrifies men today. There is nothing that prepares the modern mind with the concept of taking a child out and stoning them to death. The outrage would be without precedent. But what is lost in the fury of rebuttal for such a thing being carried out is the sanctity God places upon parents to bring their children along the path of truth and righteousness. There can be many reasons the child is rebellious. Parents could be so lax they refuse to punish their child. They allow their son to do whatever he wants to do and speak to them in any fashion he desires. His rebellion is fueled by the lack of respect his parents teach him. It could be the case of an incorrigible child who dishonors his parents and cursing them. Whatever the reason, a rebellious child was to be put to death because God holds the family unit as holy. The mode of punishment has changed (there is no death penalty) but the view of God has never changed. Young people who are rebellious to their parents will face the consequences of a wrathful Lord. Parents who coddle their children with everything but discipline will also face the punishment of God.  The Law of Moses shows how important the family unit is to God. Can we do any less than honor the will of the Lord? Parents (and grandparents) must hear and fear the word of the Lord.

My father considered himself to be the head of the family, and the rest of us were inclined to agree with him. He was not opposed to the posterior application of superior force, if necessary. He was not afraid he would frustrate Junior. He saw no conflict between love and discipline. Neither does the Bible. Our Lord said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” Revelation 3:19. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)