The Heaton File

After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him. Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 32:1-8)

An Arm Of Flesh

Sennacherib was a ruthless Assyrian king that chose to fight the wrong nation at the wrong time. He came to Judah with more than 185,000 men of valor to vanquish the two remaining tribes of Israel and their king, Hezekiah. The presence of the Assyrians brought fear wherever they sent their armies and Hezekiah knew this invading army would not stop until his nation was destroyed. Undaunted, the king of Judah prepared for a long siege that was characteristic of the battle plans prior to the final blow of conquest. He denied the water so necessary for the Assyrians and made repairs to the city. Weapons were manufactured in abundance as the king made great preparations to defend the city of God. One of the most important things Hezekiah did was to exhort the people to have faith in God. All the fortifications and machines of war were useless if the Lord God was not fighting for them.

The king of Judah exhorted his people to be strong and courageous. It was a frightful thing to look out over the hillside and see the massive Assyrian army camped ready to kill everyone in the city. Sennacherib’s army was ruthless and merciless. The people of Judah knew how terrible the Assyrian army could be as they watched helplessly the northern tribes of Israel vanquished by the hand of the invading army. Now the power and might of Assyria stood at their gates. Hezekiah knew that with the thousands of soldiers that stood before him, they were outnumbered. His words of encouragement were remarkable because he told the people that although the Assyrians seemed unbeatable, the people of Judah outnumbered the invading army. The contrast was Sennacherib fought with an arm of flesh and the people of Judah had the Lord on their side. Faith won the battle.

Hezekiah’s words to the people were realized when the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. One angel killed one-hundred-eighty-five thousand soldiers in one night. Isaiah, the prophet, had also prayed and cried out to heaven for deliverance. Sennacherib fled back to his home and was killed by two of his sons as he worshiped in the temple of his false god. The king of Assyria fought with an arm of flesh. He could not stand against the mighty arm of the Lord. Despots cannot stand before the mighty power of the Lord God. The victory of Hezekiah reminds us of the power of God and that nothing can change the course of the will of the Lord. Men will try and they will always fail.

The story of Sennacherib’s defeat is important to realize that God reigns in the affairs of men and continues to work His will in the lives of His children. Prayer is a powerful means of exerting the might of the Lord against the foes of life. Hezekiah’s speech is testimony to the faith in a power higher than an arm of flesh. Men have tried to change the church of the Lord to fit their mold of worship but to no avail. Churches created by men are failing because arms of flesh build them. Morality governed by the desires of the flesh can only end in the destruction of society. History repeatedly shows what happens when men follow their own fleshly desires refusing to listen to the word of God. Warmongers bring fear to the world but only for a season. Hezekiah exhorts all men today to look to the only one who can bring peace and safety. With God – we are a majority. Now that is a great story.

So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” ‘ “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” (Acts 28:23-28)

Jesus Is The Old Testament

The story of Jesus is a powerful testimony of the grace of God. Reading the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son declares His majesty, glory and honor. The four gospels are the foundations of the teachings of Jesus with the New Testament epistles the applications of His word. Telling the story of Jesus fills the pages of the New Testament. Unknown for many is the reality the Old Testament is as much a testimony of the Son of God as the New. It is remarkable to consider the early disciples teaching the gospel message of salvation using only the Old Testament. Phillip taught a man from Ethiopia about Jesus beginning from the book of Isaiah. It was the conclusion of the eunuch following the teaching of Phillip that baptism was necessary for salvation. All of this came from Isaiah and the books of the Old Testament. Jesus declared the Law of Moses, and the Prophets and the Psalms were about Him and the Jews could have understood who He was if they would have taken the time to search the scriptures. The people of Berea searched the Old Testament proving what Paul was preaching about the gospel was true or not. Luke tells us Paul persuaded many that Jesus was the Christ showing from the Prophets the evidence of his arguments. The kingdom of God can be explained from the Law of Moses and the Prophets as Paul did in his preaching.

Reading the Old Testament from the view of Jesus changes how the Bible was written. In an effort to teach the Bible, we often do a disservice by showing the Old Testament was written just for examples about the beginning of things, Israel’s rise and fall, great lessons from the Psalms and wisdom literature; and never spend time in the Prophets because they are the dark hole of scripture no one understands. Blocking the Old Testament into stories about this group of people and that group of people without seeing how Jesus fits into all of God’s scheme leaves the full imprint of the thirty-nine books limited. Admittedly, it is difficult to change the mind to see the Old Testament as Jesus Christ. The Jews were familiar with the Old Testament more than most today. What the Holy Spirit reminds the reader of the Law of Moses and the Prophets; the early disciples taught about the kingdom of God from these pages. The necessity of baptism is found in the Old Testament. Believing Jesus is the Son of God is rooted in the Old Testament.

A challenge for Bible students is to change the view of Old Testament books to see how Jesus Christ is declared. As the New Testament books were established, the message of salvation became clearer with the teachings of the gospels and early epistles. The Old and New Testament are not two separate divisions but a compliment of the whole message of Jesus Christ. The law of faith through Abraham and the Law of Moses failed because man could not save himself. Jesus took away the curse and became the blood sacrifice. Salvation is not found in the wisdom of man but the sacrifice of Christ. The goodness and severity of the Lord is declared in all the books of the Bible as Jesus Christ is revealed as the sacrificial lamb given for all men. The theme of God’s word is Jesus Christ!

Paul testified of the kingdom of God and persuaded men concerning Jesus Christ – and he did all of this from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. There is no doubt through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he shared the full story of Jesus life, His teachings, miracles and power of His resurrection. Look at the Old Testament and see where Jesus is found. He is there. Start with Isaiah and preach Jesus. Show the coming of the kingdom of God with the Law and Prophets. Do not leave the Old Testament as just a historical setting of books that do not apply to the church today. They are rich with the story of Jesus. Come to know the Jesus of the Old Testament.

The great principle dominating the composition of Scripture is that of the ascent towards discovery. (Henri Daniel-Rops, What is the Bible? 1958)

For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. (Hebrews 3:16-4:2)

Mixing The Word With Faith

The journey of Israel to the promised land is a tragic tale of opportunities squandered, faith lost and rebellion. God demonstrated His power with ten terrible plagues upon the Egyptian nation concluding with the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. His fury and wrath was felt at Mt. Sinai as Moses communed with the Lord. When the people turned to idolatry three thousand men lost their lives. Warnings were repeatedly given against going against the word of the Lord but the people murmured, complained, rebelled and fail to trust the power of God. Arriving at Kadesh-Barnea the nation stood at the brink of a glorious conquest of the land promised by the Lord. Their lack of trust in God led to their wandering in the wilderness for four decades as the first generation of Hebrews perished. The history of Israel’s early days is a sad reminder of how important faith must be mixed with the word of truth and the consequence of failing to do so.

God’s word is a powerful testimony of His love and His wrath. From Adam, man has always known the will of the Lord because God has always revealed Himself to man. Adam and Eve knew what the will of God was in the garden. The early world of Noah was destroyed because men rejected the word of God. Israel became a pattern of the written law given to the people and their complete lack of faith in God’s word. The Hebrew writer implores the early Christians to preserve their faith and trust in God – not giving up their hope in the only one who could save them. Israel failed in the wilderness because of their unbelief. The word was given to them and they understood the word. They did not add faith to the word to help them find the courage to trust in God. His word will have no power if there is no faith. Mixing the word with faith is where hope comes.

The church faces a crisis of faith. God has revealed everything needed for salvation. His word is clear and demonstrative but without application, it will profit little. Faith must be mixed with the word believing in the promises of God as true. Sitting in a pew on Sunday will not bring faith to bear on the heart. Daily application of the word in an active measure of faith produces hope. James reminds his readers they must be hearers and doers of the word and faith without works is dead. The word of God will have little profit not being mixed with faith by those who hear it. Listening to a sermon is a valuable tool to increase faith but only if the message is applied to the heart and action is taken with the head. Daily reading and studying of the word is imperative to a proper spiritual life blending the will of God with the actions of faith. Unbelief comes from a lack of application.

Mixing the word with faith allows the word of God to change the heart. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Having the faith to trust in what God says is seen in the changes that take place in the life of the Christian. The word of God is written as an agency of change. Allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about a humble spirit, devoted mind and brighter outlook is mixing the word of God with complete faith in His will. It is impossible to embrace the word of God without change. His word is written to transform people. Having the word alone will not do that. The children of Israel had the word of God but they failed to mix it with faith. We should not make that mistake. Allow the word of God to change your life and you will find richness that you have never known. Trust in God. Listen to His word. Mix His word with faith.

Faith, like the whole Christian life, is an encounter in which God takes and keeps the initiative. (Eugene Joly, What is Faith? 1958)

Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 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. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Psalm 78:1-8; A contemplation of Asaph)

Telling The Children

Every generation must know the word of God. The story of man’s creation and relationship with the Father has been a necessary part of every society. Noah was a righteous man, Abraham was a man of faith and Job reminds us of the hardships of life but all had a deep and abiding knowledge of the God that saved them. Throughout the history of the Jewish people, understanding the story of the mercy of the Lord either would save them or destroy them. The punishment afflicted upon the nation resulted in their rejection of the word of God. Generations arose that did not know the Lord and sought wisdom in their own pleasures. Calamity fell upon Israel for the lack of knowledge. The story of Jesus reminds us time and again the power of knowing the heavenly Father and listening to His words. Paul and the other New Testament writers emphasize that faith comes from hearing the word of God. Two thousand years removed does not change the emphasis of knowing the old, old story.

Asaph was a masterful poet. His contemplation was a reminder of the turbulent history of Israel as a nation. He begins with the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and marks well each stage of Israel’s struggle to obey the word of the Lord. They would listen to God and then rebel and God would punish them and then bless them. The story is not about Israel but the grace of God. Israel tested and provoked the Lord many times but in the end, God was faithful to the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The fulfillment of this story is found in Jesus Christ. Asaph did not live to see the coming of the Christ but he knew the faithfulness of the Lord would bring about all His promises. What is very important about this psalm is the need to teach these stories to children. Asaph reminds his readers that every generation needs to know the story of God.

We have lost a lot of opportunities in our modern world of technology. Families seldom gather around the hearth to listen to the reading of the word of God. We should never hide the stories of God from our children. Every generation should know the Bible front and back. The praises of the Lord, His strength and wonderful works He has done should be at the forefront of every child’s learning. God commanded the people to teach their children His law so their hope would be set on Him. The works of the Lord should be implanted on the minds of every generation learning to keep His commandments. A lack of knowledge will destroy any nation. Asaph warns against being like generations past that were stubborn, rebellious and refused to set their hearts on the Lord. It takes time and energy to teach children but the lack of knowledge will destroy them.

Life is filled with the hectic pursuits of school, recreation, sports, jobs and life in general. This generation is the most advanced time in the history of man with communication but the greatest generation of ignorant people of God than many generations before. Electronic devices have taken away the art of conversation. Families no longer dine together, talk together or acknowledge one another because the glow of computers and cell phones have tanned the lines of the face with mesmerizing power. Parents spend more time on their cell phones that with their children. Young people do not know where scriptures are in the Bible because they seldom (if ever) open the book. The church is being filled with those who are shallow in their understanding of the mercy and grace of God. Asaph reminds us of the downfall when we do not teach – impart knowledge – our children the word of God. Electronic games are played during worship instead of reverence. Bible class teachers struggle to tell the stories of the Bible to students who have little interest because their parents have no interest. A stubborn and rebellious generation comes from homes that do not teach the word of God.

Teaching children is not a Sunday morning, Wednesday night magical pill that will produce faithful children of God. Asaph declares that faithful people come from fathers who tell the story of Jesus to their children and mothers who instill in the hearts of their children the wonderful story of God’s love. Do not hide the truth from your children. Tell your family the praises of the Lord, the strength of His might and the wonderful works He has done. Make certain your generation and the next knows the story of God. Instill in them the hope that can only be found in God and to be diligent to keep the commandments of the Lord. If this is not done, a stubborn and rebellious generation will arise that will not set their hearts on the Lord and whose spirit will not be faithful to God.

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

Helping The Salvation Army

I recently presented a sermon on the Salvation Army as the season of bell ringers are heard throughout the land. The common response to the sermon was that most people were unaware the Salvation Army was anything but a community organization. As people of God, we must be careful how we interact with the world and especially condoning the practices of false doctrines. To that end, an examination of the Salvation Army is worthy of sharing their origin, beliefs, practices and how Christians should view the work of the Salvation Army.

The World Book Encyclopedia describes the Salvation Army as “A world-wide Christian religious body with semi military structure. It provides food, shelter, and clothing to the needy, and administers to the spirit by bringing religion to many whom churches never reach.” In 1865, William Booth served as a Methodist minister in London, England. He became concerned with the poor and homeless of London’s east end slums and began to encourage the new converts to attend the churches of the area. Victorian England was not ready for the hungry, destitute beggars of society to fill their pews. The poor were not welcomed and they were not comfortable in the world of the upper caste that looked upon them with derision. Booth decided to take matters into his own hands and established the East London Christian Mission. In 1878 Booth changed the name of the group to the Salvation Army. Eliza Shirley, a lieutenant in the Salvation Army, is credited with bringing the work to the United States in 1879 and the Salvation Army became an official group in 1880.

Few people recognize the Salvation Army as a church. They are an evangelical part of the universal Christian church that does charity work all over the world. Their beliefs are based on “what it says in the Bible” and their mission is to love and help people in need. They believe the scriptures are inspired of God; there is only one God and three persons in the Godhead. Jesus is considered divine and human. Booth’s background as a Methodist preacher lends a heavy Calvinistic view to salvation. The Salvation Army teaches the doctrine of total depravity and limited atonement of Christ. They accept justification by grace through faith rejecting baptism as necessary for salvation. “Repentance, faith, and regeneration by Holy Spirit are necessary.” Continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ including the doctrine of once saved, always saved (Calvinism). Salvationist accepts the immortality of soul, resurrection of body, judgment, eternal happiness, and endless punishment. The Salvation Army is opposed to abortion and denies LBGT dogmas but accepts both. Women fill the role of preaching and leadership within their church. The Lord Supper is not provided. The Salvation Army is a church.

Hearing the ringing of the bells and seeing the red buckets is the seasonal sounds of Christmas. The Salvation Army is heavily involved in many programs for the community. Each red bucket represents a church asking for donations to continue their work. Thrift stores are packed with merchandise sold to further the cause of the Salvation Army. Programs by the Salvation Army propagate the work of a church that is not built upon the truth of Jesus Christ. Hugh Davis, a gospel preacher of days gone by, writes: “Although the objective of the program may be commendable, it creates a problem for some in that, if they participate, they will be contributing to a religious body they do not endorse and with which they cannot have fellowship. Make no mistake about it – the Salvation Army is not a civic organization, but a religion. Contributions made in response to this appeal could as well be made to the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, and the Unitarian Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses or any other denominational church.”

Paul warned the Corinthians to be separate from the world. The New Testament church began at Pentecost; not 1865. The Salvation Army is a man-made organization seeking to usurp the organization of the New Testament church and fails to teach the Biblical pattern of salvation. They do not teach the whole counsel of God.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:13-15)

Jesus Growing Up In Egypt

The nation of Egypt has long figured in the unfolding of God’s scheme of redemption. The providential hand of the Lord sold Joseph into Egyptian slavery by his brothers thus beginning an ageless relationship of this great nation to the coming of the Son of God. Through the power of God, Israel was born from Egypt and would always have a historical marriage with the man whose name was Egyptian: Moses. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary had little knowledge how important Egypt would be in their lives. It would be around two years after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary received visitors from the East. They were wise men who came seeking the child Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As poor Jews from Nazareth, these gifts must have seemed remarkable. The same night the wise men returned home, an angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph that he must flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. Herod the king was sending his troops to kill all the male children of Bethlehem two-years-old and under and Jesus was not safe. Obeying the divine messenger, Joseph gathers his small family together for the long journey to Egypt.

It would have been very difficult for Joseph to finance a move to Egypt. The gifts from the wise men would serve a providential blessing for the flight to Egypt. Joseph had to stay in Egypt for a time until Herod the Great was dead. Most commentators suggest this was not a long time – somewhere around two or three years. Herod died a miserable death and His son Archelaus ruled in his place. Joseph was told to return to Israel but chose to return to Nazareth where Antipas, Archelaus’s brother was king. Nazareth became the home of Jesus until He was thirty years of age.

Many of the first impressions of Jesus as a child would be Egyptian. Jesus was around two years old when the wise men came to visit and if He stayed in Egypt for two or three years He would have had a ready recollection of the sights, sounds and smells of Egypt as a little boy. The culture was very different from Israel and yet a familiarity remained. Israel’s history was rich with stories from Egypt. It is easy to see Joseph and Mary telling the child Jesus how God delivered the people from the bondage. The story of the Red Sea crossing would have thrilled the young mind of God’s Son. Relating the wilderness wanderings, conquering of the land and Israel’s tumultuous relationship with the land of the Nile throughout Jewish history filled the days with remarkable tales. Matthew does not tell where the family lived in Egypt but could they have seen the pyramids that stand today? The small feet of Jesus made their marks in the Egyptian sand.

Matthew refers to a statement in Hosea 11:1 where the great prophet is showing God’s power in delivering His people. Whether it is messianic or just a proverb that became known as a phrase of deliverance, Matthew clearly marks the connect between the will of God and His eternal plan to bring redemption to all men. Jesus lived in Bethlehem, Egypt and Nazareth before He began His ministry. His life would be tied to Egypt both literally and figuratively. Jesus was a Jew born in a Jewish town but He died for the Jew and Gentile. The blood of Jesus was given for all men regardless of race and nationality. He died for the Egyptians and He died for the Israelite’s. God’s providence formed the life of Jesus to be the One all men could see and believe was a man yet divine. His experiences as a young child growing into manhood would frame His work in letting all men see His heavenly Father’s work. Jesus walked among men as a man. He showed His divinity by His power. Jesus came up out of Egypt to lead us to the land of promise. As we stand at the River Jordan He awaits us on the other side bidding us welcome.

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

Learning About Our Father In The Old Testament

The Bible is the most wonderful book man has been given. No testimony is as clear and demonstrative to the nature of man and his needs than the revealed word of God. Contained within its pages is the mind of God. The message of Genesis to Revelation is singular: Jesus Christ. Through the Son of God, man learns how frail he is and his continual need for his Creator. Every page unfolds the character of the heavenly Father saving man from himself. Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, man has needed a revelation to guide him and instruct him. God has left His thumbprint upon the world by His creative power and the Almighty declared His image on the pages of holy writ showing man who He is. The Old Testament is a clear demonstration of the nature of the heavenly Father that every Christian should take care to examine.

When the children of Israel approached the land of Canaan, Moses reiterated the Law and the promises made by God when the people left Egypt. Joshua would lead the nation across the Jordan into a land flowing with milk and honey. Salvation for the Jews would not come only by the grace and mercy of the Father; it would require a decision on their part to love God and obey His commands. Everything would hinge upon their decision to obey the Lord or not. The blessing of God would be an abundance of rain, bountiful crops, prosperous pastures and satisfied needs if they would obey the voice of the Father. If they rebelled against God, He would withhold the rain, raze the crops and bring death to the nation. It was a simple but complex choice. Being a child of God did not secure their blessings. They needed to understand the grace of God was abundant but their salvation would come from their obedience.

It is proper to look at the heavenly Father in the same way the Jews were instructed in the Old Testament. While the blessings of God have changed in a literal sense of the nation of Israel, the same grace, mercy and love is extended to the child of God. There are promises of goodness and penalties for disobedience. Obeying the commandments of the Lord, loving Him and serving with all the heart and soul is just as important today as it was in the long ago. Receiving the blessings and being warned of the curses remain the same. The promised land has been provided. Only by God’s grace are we allowed to enter the eternal land of promise. Obedience is necessary for salvation taking heed lest our hearts are deceived. The Lord will bless us with every spiritual blessing in His Son if we love Him with all our heart. His blessings are innumerable. There is joy in serving the God of promise.

The Old Testament is vital to understand the character of God. He remains unchanged in His desire for man to give Him glory. To know how much the Father loves us in the New Testament, we must spend time in the Old Testament getting to know Him. From Genesis to Malachi, the love of God is manifested in clarion tones of heavenly majesty. He can show His goodness with an unending flow of blessing. The Lord God can also be a God of wrath bringing destruction on all those who disobey Him. Spend time in the Old Testament learning about the Father. He is such a great and powerful Father. You will find comfort in the Old Testament stories of the Father’s will finding its way into the lives of His people. It is then you will realize His working in your life. Thank you Father.

God is our Rewarder but, better than that, He is our Reward. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him — a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? (Joel 2:12-14)

The Meaning Of Repentance

Change is not an easy thing for man to do. Pride keeps the heart from believing he is wrong and he needs to correct something in his life. Repentance has always been a difficult emotion to accept. It suggests there is a higher authority to bow down to and a proud heart must be stripped of its veneer before redemption is granted. Joel explains repentance that comes from godly sorrow. The people of Israel have turned away from God. Their only hope is to change their hearts seeking the grace of the Lord. God will not accept half-hearted devotion or insincere pleas of repentance. Coming to God requires the emptying of self on a much larger scale than man recognizes. The result is more amazing that when a heart repents, the Lord will forgive. Before forgiveness comes, repentance must be sincere.

Repentance means to turn to God will all the heart. The Lord will not accept anything less. There are no “if ands or buts” in the redemption offered that requires the complete spirit of man to fall before the Lord prostrate in sorrow. Joel suggests three important elements to repentance: fasting, weeping and mourning. The lesson from God is not the mechanics of repentance but the spirit of the heart. Fasting, weeping and mourning show the complete sorrow for what has been committed against God and begging for undeserved forgiveness. Repentance can become a cavalier experience of rote worship expressed from lips that have no heart. Saying, “I’m sorry” and meaning it brings a different tone than an apology. Sin is a terrible plague that cost the Father the life of His Son. Jesus did not die so that men can get an excuse for what they have done. Repentance demands a rending of the heart. Tearing the clothes does not bring a penitent heart. A deep emotional experience has transpired that changes the life of the individual.

Forgiveness is inexpressible in the joy it brings from a heart broken by sin. Repentance does not come as a measure of man’s greatness. A gracious and merciful God who is slow to anger and full of kindness grants it. Man does not deserve to be forgiven but the Father relents from doing harm and removes the sin. Not only does the Lord remove the sin but also He leaves a blessing. It is hard to understand how often we sin against the Father and the fruit of repentance is found in the blessing received from the Lord in forgiveness. And He will do it time and again. God is so gracious. He is such a loving Father. Forgiveness comes from a heart broken through repentance and the blessing of the Lord removes sin as far as the east is from the west. Looking at repentance from the eyes of God reminds us of the cost of redemption. Praying to the Father for the forgiveness of sin must always be filled with the sorrow and pain endured by Jesus Christ so that I can enjoy a blessing. Thank you God for your loving-kindness and eternal mercy.

Surely we take the goodness of God for granted. His goodness leadeth to repentance, not to complacency. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. (Galatians 4:9-11)

A Mixed Gospel Is A Toxic Blend

The churches in Galatia were under attack. Not by the Romans or some foreign army. They were being led away from the gospel message preached to them by the apostle Paul. A different gospel was being accepted turning their hearts from the purity of salvation in Christ to a hope founded on the failed doctrines of men. When he penned his letter to the churches, Paul immediately expressed shock of how easy it seemed for the Christians to accept a mixed gospel of Judaism and the truth. He warned them that even an angel could not change the word of God. The Law of Moses had served a purpose to bring the Jew to Christ but it was a failed law. How could these Christians turn back again to the weak and beggarly elements of worship that did not glorify Jesus Christ? The churches of Galatia began to mix the keeping of Jewish days, months, seasons and years into their worship destroying the teaching of Paul when he instructed them to give up their former ways. Pleading with them on a personal level, the apostle reminded them how much they had shared in the hope of the gospel of Christ.

Mixing the truth of Jesus Christ with anything is a dangerous blend. The early church suffered greatly by those who tried to infuse the doctrine of circumcision and various parts of the Law of Moses into the gospel. It was subtle enough to cause great alarm to the apostles. Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia is a reminder of how difficult it can be to remind people the gospel of Christ must stand alone untouched by the doctrines of men. Even if an angel from heaven preach any truth but what comes from the word of God they are to be cursed. There is only one gospel. Truth is narrow because there is only one body of truth. The way to the Father is not a network of avenues but a one-way street. Life can only be found through the teaching of the gospel of Christ. The religious world touts the gospel of Christ as the religion of choice. Worship as you want and find a church that satisfies the desires of the heart. Why are there so many churches today? Mixed religion allows man to find a totem that looks like him and gives the freedom to worship as he pleases.

The Holy Spirit declared there is only one church. That body of believers is not determined by what a sign says on the outside but the doctrine of truth that is taught on the inside. Teaching the pure message of salvation comes from a proper study of the word of God leaving the weak elements of human wisdom out. This is a very simple process of finding the truth in the Bible and reading it for what the Holy Spirit inscribed upon the page. Truth is not hidden. It is clearly revealed in printed form. The Lord warned about adding to or taking away anything He has commanded and yet in every community there are different churches teaching different doctrines under different banners proclaiming different gospels and without the aid of angels. Paul decries this as an anathema. Believers in Christ must teach the same thing because there is only one book truth comes from and that is the Bible.

Paul affirms that when the gospel of Christ is mixed with the doctrines of men, religion is a system of bondage. There is no freedom in the toxic blend of truth with falsehood. How quickly the Galatian brethren are taken away from the gospel shocks Paul. The apostle would be appalled at the religious world today that mocks truth as relative seeking his or her own righteousness. There is good reason to be afraid of those who mix the word of God with the convenient doctrines of men. Standing on the firm foundation of truth requires a diligent heart serving the measure of the book by what God says, not man. Open the Bible and see what it says. Truth is pure because it comes from the mind of God. It is unchanging and unmovable.

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. (Flannery O’Connor)

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away. Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, as when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, in the midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments. Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following. For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death. (Psalm 48; A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.)

The Glory Of The Church Outshines Zion

Jerusalem was a beautiful city to see. After Solomon built the Temple, the city took on a marvelous glory as the House of God shone in the brilliant Canaan sun. In the days of Solomon, Jerusalem was the splendor of the world as pilgrims made their way to Mount Zion. There was no city in the world like it. The glory of the city was not just the edifices that graced its view but the knowledge that God dwelt in this place. Zion was a holy mountain and the city of the great King Almighty who was Creator, Savior and Beneficent. Jerusalem was the city of the Israelite people that brought fear to the surrounding nations. The stories of their victories were legion. Harking back to the triumph over Egypt in the days of Moses, Jerusalem took on the presence of a mighty city guarded by a powerful God.

The people of God were not fearful of the city because they knew the lovingkindness God had shown to them. Jerusalem was the place of redemption, praise and glory. Zion was power for the children of the Lord who saw her towers and bulwarks as the strength of their protective Father. The lives of the Jewish people revolved around the worship at the Temple and the praise of the wonderful city of God – Jerusalem. Children learned early to praise the city for its grandeur. God ruled in this city and His word went forth declaring His might, power, and lovingkindness.

The glory of God in Zion was not to last. Sin destroyed the covenant of God with the Jewish people and in time, the Babylonian empire destroyed the city. After a short period of exile, the city was rebuilt but never to its former glory. Through the centuries, Jerusalem regained some of its beauty but the Roman Empire brought a final blow to the city in 70 A.D. Jesus told of the destruction of Jerusalem in His laments over the once great city. He knew there was a larger plan for those who worshipped the one true God. Talking to a woman at the well of Jacob, Jesus told of the day when men would worship His Father according to spirit and truth. It would not be on a mountain in Samaria nor the place of Zion. On the day of Pentecost following the death of Jesus, a new city rose from the ashes of man’s failures when the church of Christ was established. The era of the church began.

Jerusalem pales in comparison to the magnificence of the bride of Christ, the house of God. Nothing man has conceived is as glorious as the New Testament church. It is founded on the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The pillars of the church are grace, mercy, love, and hope. Contained within its walls is the complete will of God to redeem man from the power of sin. The Seed promise made in the Garden of Eden is the foundation of the church. Its simplicity is the glory of the church. Early disciples learned the beauty of the holy city of God was not a place on a map but the conviction of the heart. All nations flow to the spiritual Mount Zion finding the eternal words of the Father inscribed upon her stones.

The church of Christ is not an afterthought. Everything about it brings the glory of God to the forefront showing His eternal wisdom. It is easy to look at the church as something to do on Sunday. Worship can take on the form of ritual recurrence of things done in the past. There is nothing further from the truth. The sons of Korah marveled at the beauty of ancient Jerusalem. Viewing the city, they could only speak of praise to its magnificence and power. That city is gone. The city of God now is the church of Christ. Disciples of Jesus should show honor and praise to the church He gave His blood to purchase. He died a horrible death for His Bride. Nothing man has ever conceived matches the splendor of the church. Take a look at the body of Jesus Christ, the church. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.

The early church did something because it believed something. We are trying to do what they did without believing what they believed. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)