The Heaton File

Scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath. (Proverbs 29:8)

City Rage

The first automobile appeared in 1885 when German inventor Karl Benz developed a three-wheel vehicle that was petrol based. Estimates now have about one billion automobiles in the world with the United States registering 260 million vehicles. Highways are clogged with thousands of passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and other vehicles. Automobile life is a norm and getting from one place to another has created a way of life never seen before. Passengers eat, drink, entertain and generally ride in temperature-controlled environments with incredible ease and speed unheard of before modern times. And to our credit, society enjoys a healthy reality of a new kind of car sickness: road rage. It used to be that people became ill because of sitting in the back of a car or reading while the car speeds down the road. The motion did not sit well with many people. Now it is the emotion of what other people do that causes a terrible sickness becoming a major cause of anger, hatred and death. Yes – death.

There was a time not long ago that road rage was never heard of. Yes, there were times when people would get aggravated because the person in front was too slow or they failed to give the proper hand signal when turning (most young people have no idea what hand signals are). The horseless machines were noisy, troublesome and quite the bother but seldom did anyone pull out a gun and shoot someone. As crazy as the 60’s and 70’s were when I was learning to drive, road rage was never heard of. What has happened? Have the cars become toxic with carbon monoxide poisoning the minds of drivers causing them to lose control with other drivers? The answer is found in a text thousands of years before the first automobile became a reality.

A scoffer is someone who disregards law or seeks to inflame others. The attitude of the mind is the motive behind their actions. They are incited to rage. As a result of their actions, cities are burned down. They are out of control. The wise man did not know what it was like to drive a Benz but he understood what the passions of man would do. Wise men know when to turn away from wrath so the city will not be burned down. Controlling the passions of anger avoids the terrible consequence of creating a situation that may not be controlled. Automobiles are not the problem in road rage: people are. Cars do not kill people, enraged people harm others. It is an attitude of the mind.

The sad commentary of our modern dilemma is the impact of how road rage comes from a culture that has taken God out of everything. Why is it so different now? Without God, there is no respect for authority, little sanctity of life, and no respect for others. Driving our two-ton tanks of power embolden us to exercise a privileged right to scream, holler, blow the horn and sometimes get out of the car intent on harming the other person. We live in a world gone crazy with deliria.

Wise men turn away from wrath. One solution to road rage is to put a bumper sticker on the back of the car that reads, “I Am A Christian.” At least when we act out our rage the person will know if we are a Christian or not. More important, we should remind ourselves that our Father travels with us and He brought His Son on the journey. The back seat is occupied by the Holy Spirit and the last thing you want to do is to insult Him. People of God are wise in their actions, their attitudes and the way they drive a car. In our crazy, mixed up world, letting our light shine is not allowing road rage to make fools out of ourselves. Leave the horn alone. Do not step on the brake or accelerate to burn down the other fellow with your wrath. Wise men and wise women turn away from wrath and sometimes this may be that we turn down another road. A final word: May God be praised by our driving.

He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; other people are but holding the reins. (Dhammapada, c. 5^th century B. C.)

And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” (Ezekiel 8:17-18)

God Will Not Listen

The wrath of God is not something people want to discuss. They deny a loving God would bring punishment upon man because He is a loving, compassionate Lord who will save everyone regardless of what they do in life. Heaven will be filled with every joy man can imagine and no one is excluded. Obedience is seldom emphasized with a simple faith the only requirement necessary to make God happy. Man’s totem of the Lord is a carving of himself. He has deceived himself into believing that he can create God in his own image; instead of knowing that man was created in the image of God. Religion is filled with the love of God, the love of Jesus and the love of the Holy Spirit. There is no fear because God is love. The joys of life are found in the desires of man. Reading the Bible is not necessary because God is love.

Ezekiel saw powerful visions of the wrath of God. The hand of the Lord fell upon the prophet and the Lord shows him the degradation of the people as they defile the Temple with their worship to idols. Israel committed great abominations in the sanctuary of the Lord. They believed God did not know what they did in the inner sanctums of the Temple as they offered sacrifices to the gods of men. He knew everything they did. When they worshipped the sun toward the east, God knew. The answer of the Lord to these abominations was very clear. For man, it was a trivial thing to defile the worship of God. They cared not for the will of the Lord and did what they wanted to do. Who needs the word of the Lord to follow? Worship was what they wanted and they got what they wanted. After they got what they wanted they got what they deserved.

The Lord was filled with wrath at the arrogance of the people. Moses had plainly given the Law warning of rebellion against the word of the Lord. There were penalties established for rejecting the will of the Lord. The people did not care. They changed the word of God to fit their own needs. Worship was an abomination. The fury of the Lord was coming. The eye of the Lord will not pity those who beg for their lives and though they cry loud for mercy there will be none. Time had come for judgment and judgment would be harsh. God would not hear his people!

Ezekiel would have been at home in the religious world today. He would have seen the same visions as he surveyed the religion of Jesus Christ turned into the abomination of man’s pathetic wisdom. It continues to be a trivial thing for man to create the church of his choice and worship God in every manner that pleases man. Faith in God is watered down to a cocktail of pleasure, acceptance and entertainment leading men to the pits of destruction. The same judgment meted out by God before will find its wrath in the knowledge of how far man has gone from true worship. Many in that day will cry out for mercy before a wrathful God who will not listen. His love demands justice. The word of God has remained unchanged and unmoved but men still reject truth. Jesus died for His church and His will and His word. If man abominates the doctrine of Christ, the wrath of God is waiting. This is real. This is true. This is Bible.

The God of wrath is the God of love vindicating Himself in the death of those who will not live in love. (Gregory Vlastos, Christian Faith and Democracy, 1939)

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. (Luke 6:12-16)

Twelve Unlikely Men

Two sets of brothers, a tax collector, zealot and common people of little pedigree will make up the inner circle of the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. The King of Kings calls twelve men to be His ambassadors to the whole world. Their mission is simple: preach a gospel of controversy to a world that will kill ten of these men for what they believe. Jesus knows that someone will betray Him leading to His death on a Roman cross. He will have less than three years to teach, admonish, instruct and exhort this rag tag group of unlikely characters to change the world forever. There are many disciples that follow Jesus but He will only chose twelve.

The twelve apostles will be remarkable for how unremarkable they are. The Lord, with no regard to their political prowess or wealth, chooses them from what He knows of their hearts. Education will have little to do with their selection. Peter will show himself to be loud and impetuous, Thomas a deep thinker who listens carefully and John who develops a deep kinship with Jesus of Nazareth. All twelve men will have the power to heal diseases, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the saving message of God’s Son. They will go throughout the land in pairs spreading the gospel of Christ. In quiet moments, Jesus will explain deeper meanings of parables and sermons to them. The twelve will see Jesus walk on water but only Peter will venture to step out of the boat to mirror the steps of his Lord. Lazarus will come out of the grave after four days to the amazement of the twelve. Children will be set in their midst to remind them who is the greatest in the kingdom. The eleven will be crushed by the betrayal of one of their fellow apostles as they all forsake Jesus in the end. It will be a weekend of horrific sorrow as they come to grips with the sudden death of their Lord. The first day of the week will change their lives forever as their Lord lives again. Forty days later the eleven witness Jesus ascend to heaven and their work at Pentecost shortly thereafter turns the world upside down. Twelve men. One man. One world.

God uses unlikely people to carry out His work. He is not looking for the elite among men but the hearts among men that are devoted to His mission. Women like Mary, a maiden in Nazareth or Dorcas who loved to make garments for others. People with names like Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Epaenetus, Andronicus, Junia, Amplias, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, Herodion, Tryphena and Tryphosa and Rufus. Young men like Timothy. Scholars like Saul of Tarsus. People who are encouragers to others like Joses who is nicknamed Barnabas. Grandmothers like Lois and mothers like Eunice are people Jesus would chose. People. Ordinary people that love God. Like you.

There are remarkable things that you can do for the Lord. Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a friend will change their eternal soul. Opening your home to study the Bible around the kitchen table is an unremarkable thing that may change the life of the one you invite. Handing a card with an invitation to study or attend a service of the church could change a whole family. Giving a neighbor a video, a tract or a Bible could help them learn about God. Twelve men were chosen to do the work of the Lord. Imagine what you can do!

The whole gospel story is a missionary story. (Emmanuel Suhard, The Church Today, 1953)

For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. (2 Samuel 22:29-35)

There Is Power With The Lord

David was a mighty man of God who loved to declare the praises of the Lord. As a shepherd, he was accustomed to the rigors of life that made him a great soldier. He never lost his awe of the power of God in his life and how often it was through the might of the Lord he was able to overcome his enemies. Victory came through the light of God’s word giving the son of Jesse great faith to overcome every adversity. His songs were vivid descriptions of the Lord working in his life. Through the might of God, David was able to subdue the armies of his enemies. Conquering cities came with great ease. The power of the Lord gave him swift victory. Through the might of the Lord, there was nothing David could not do – even bend a bow of brass or bronze.

The stories of David are not given simply as great Bible class lessons to thrill young hearts. These are true stories of faith, courage and a belief that with God nothing is impossible. What David sang about is still true today. The lamp of God’s word is the embodiment of all that is true and without knowledge of the word of God, we cannot expect victory. There is power in the Word. David loved to mediate on the message of the Lord. We are blessed with the complete revealed word of God from Genesis to Revelation and yet so many are in spiritual kindergarten when it comes to the knowledge of the Bible. Faith is weak. Strength diminished. Battles lost for lack of truth.

Knowledge is power. The more we know about the word of God the more we are able to subdue the armies of sin. David enjoyed the knowledge of the perfect way of the Lord that he had proven repeatedly in his life. Like a shield, the word of God protected David from his enemies because David trusted God. He delivered him from the bear and the lion that came against his flock. Standing before Goliath, the young shepherd boy fought in the name of the Lord. Humbled by his sin with Bathsheba, David still trusted in the mercy of God. Strength for David came from the might of the Lord and his deep trust in the will of God.

The Christian power is found in the might of Jesus Christ. There is nothing impossible when we put our full trust in God. In a world gone mad with hatred, envy, lusts, greed and immorality, trusting in the power of the Lord is paramount to our survival. We can overcome the trials of life when we have the spirit of David. The armies of Satan will fall before us when we trust in the Lord and the power of His might. Read the full context of 2 Samuel 22 as David sings of the power of God and know this power is still with the people of God today. We are overcomers. Our power is in the might of the Lord.

God possess all the power there is. (Hasting Rashdall, Philosophy and Religion, 1909)

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)

Get In The Harness With Me

The ministry of Jesus was an exhausting series of traveling from region to region teaching, healing and preparing for what He knew waited for Him at the cross. His physical stamina was remarkable. The daily assaults by the enemies of God lay heavy upon Him. Forming a group of men to be His apostles so the gospel could be spread to the uttermost parts of the earth was a task of constant instruction and exhortation. In all of the things that pressed upon the Son of God, His deep compassion for the plight of man was extreme. He cried over Jerusalem, as the future of God’s city would lay in ruin. The Son of God was angered that men would not repent even when He performed great miracles in their midst. There was a lot on the mind of Jesus.

God’s power was seen through the hand of Jesus in every miracle. There was nothing that Jesus could not do showing the work of the Holy Spirit in healing disease, raising the dead, subduing nature and exercising power over the demon world. He had done great miracles in the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum but the people refused to repent. In contrast, the Lord suggests the rebellious cities of Tyre, Sidon and remarkably enough – Sodom – would have repented if they had seen the power of Christ. Jesus was sorrowful at the stubbornness of man. His anger turns to heart-felt sorrow and an invitation for man to repent. There is something offered in the face of despair that could only come from the throne of God.

Jesus had come to do the Father’s will. He knew that no matter the condition of man, God would never leave him without His grace. The call of redemption was simple: come to Me and I will give you rest. There were many reasons to walk away from man and leave him to his self-destruction. Mercy would not allow the abandonment of the creature man. With all the mighty works as proof Jesus was the Son of God; in the face of the rejection of man’s denial; God still offers a plan of salvation. Through His Son He offers man to be a part of His Son. Jesus offers rest if man will come and take His yoke and learn from the Son of Man. In effect, the Lord says, “Get in the harness with Me.” “Let Me be the burden bearer in your life” is how Jesus describes the union with Him. The great invitation is the greatest gift.

No one is without burdens in life. Job reminds us we are born of trouble. There are so many things that come upon us in life that challenge our resolve, our faith and our devotion. When God first created man He knew it was not good for him to be alone. Creating the woman would satisfy most of man’s needs but not all. What man needed desperately would be the companionship of salvation as sin darkened the world. Jesus Christ is that answer. Taking a part in the yoke of Christ is the union of our hearts and souls to the will of a loving Savior. He bids us to be part of Him so that He can carry our burdens. It is not good for us to be alone and Jesus invites us to get in the harness with Him. He will lighten our load. His love will make the troubles of life easier to bear. The kindness of God will restore hope. Disease can be conquered, despair overcome and hope will fill our hearts because we walk with the Lord.

When we get in the harness with Jesus, we will find the burdens will be easier to bear. He is in control and His yoke will be a lighter experience in the troubles we face in life. Turn your heart to Jesus Christ. Allow the peace of God to fill your mind like a gentle rain. Putting your life in the ‘harness of Jesus’ will be the best thing you will ever do in your life. Accept His invitation. Now that is a great story.

Know that our Lord is called in scripture the Prince of Peace, and hence, wherever He is absolute Master, He preserves peace. (Francis of Sales; 1567-1622; Consoling Thoughts of, ed. Huguet)

Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’ But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus, great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.” (Zechariah 7:8-14)

The Attitude Of The Unrepentant

Israel had every reason to repent. They were the special people of God. He had guided them by His hand from bondage in Egypt to glory under Solomon. The Law of Moses was a guide to know the will of God. Everything was in place for blessings to be rained down on the nation if only they would change their hearts. Rebellion is a hard mistress. The people were stubborn to the core. God had pleaded through the prophets for the nation to return to Him but they refused. Zechariah defines the heart of the unrepentant. The five parts of rebellion began with a refusal to obey the Lord. Like a stubborn child, the people shrugged their shoulders as a sign they had no desire to change. Then they stopped their ears. There was nothing they would listen to again. All the prophets in the world would not change their mind. Then it became worse. Their hearts turned to flint. Hardened by sin the people adamantly refused to acknowledge the voice of the prophets. Finally, they refused to hear the truth. It was a waste of time to talk to the people. They were not going to repent and nothing would change their minds. Doom awaited. Punishment came.

The unrepentant thrive in a world of self-deceit. They believe they know more than God knows and refuse to listen to the word of the Lord of hosts. Stubborn in their hearts they allow pride to rule their decisions. Sadly, the word of God is not hard to understand but the unrepentant are not willing to open their hearts to allow a higher being to rule their lives. A stubborn child can stomp their feet, scream and holler refusing to obey; but it does not change the circumstance. Refusing to obey the word of God does not change the word. Denying the law of gravity does not mean it does not exist. It means certain death. A person can proudly proclaim all the way down “I do not believe” but the reality will destroy them. So it is with God. Refusing to bow before the Great I AM will end in bowing before the Great I AM one day.

Satan has been very persuasive convincing man he is a god. The unrepentant heart is filled with the god-likeness of mortal man worshipping himself. Refusing to regard the word of the Lord as valid, shrugging the shoulders in defiance with ears stopped from hearing anything from the Lord is nothing but childish rebellion. It always ends in disaster. There will come a day when the reality of their rebellion will be evident and it will be too late. They will cry out but the Lord will not listen because they rebelled and denied His grace. How tragically sad for the proud to learn they had nothing to be proud of.

God’s grace is so massive. His love is unbounding. The greatest sadness of man’s rebellious heart is to know such a powerful loving God is willing to forgive if only the heart of man would change. There is nothing more soothing than to know the cleansing of His forgiving hand when we humble ourselves before Him. Let go of pride. Embrace the love of God.

Repentance, of all things in the world, makes the greatest change; it changes things in heaven and earth; for it changes the whole man from sin to grace. (Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living, 1650)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

We Have Access

Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome is a wonderful declaration of the justification of man by the blood of Jesus Christ. All have fallen short of the glory of God. Every man bears the common guilt of sin. The Jews were guilty of rebellion as well as the Gentiles. Salvation could only be found in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus in the measure of faith like Abraham. Paul writes about the joy of being united with Christ in the likeness of His death and the gift of God of no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The book of Romans explodes on the pages of holy writ with the joy of being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. One of the blessings of salvation is the access gained by the Christian to the glory of God.

In a recent lesson on Romans 5, Dan Petty pointed out the importance of the word ‘access’ in this passage. The idea behind this word is the privilege of being able to be ushered into the presence of royalty. If someone wanted to have an audience with the Queen of England, they would not be able to walk in the front door without rigorous vetting. The likelihood would be slim for most people. To speak to the President of the United States would take a mountain of paperwork along with an incredible amount of time and energy; with the results unlikely there would be such a meeting. Imagine what it would take to enter Rome and have a conversation with Caesar. Paul’s use of the word ‘access’ in the context expresses the inexpressible joy of knowing that saints can enter the holy place of God and commune with Him. We can stand before the glory of God. What a wonderful thought.

The access of the Christian is the happiness God allows His children to come to Him. He is a compassionate Father who hears our prayers, knows our needs, cares for our worries and provides everything we need. He created the world by speaking His word. His power is so incredible. There is nothing that He cannot do. His will controls the universe. In all of this, He allows His children to come before Him and feel the comfort of His loving arms. No appointment is needed. The permission is granted by the blood of His Son. We are His children who have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine by which we believed. Anytime I need to talk to God, He is there. Anytime! Access. Is it okay to say “wow” before God?

In prayer, we open the gates of our larger self … God comes in to us and claims His own. (J. J. Weinstein, Gentle Rain, 1953)

Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You! Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. Among the gods, there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86; A prayer of David)

The Lord Listens

David was a man of deep prayer. The psalms he wrote declare his wonderful trust and love for the God he served. He knew the grace of the Shepherds tender care in his life. One of the blessings acknowledged by David was the Lord would listen to him. He begins his psalm asking the Lord to bow down His ear to hear him. He pleads for the Lord to listen to the yearnings of his heart. David shares his longings for the protection of the Father against the enemies that come up against him. He begs God to attend to his voice as he talks with Him. The king knows that his prayer will be answered. The Lord listens and He hears the cries of His children.

It is important to know as a child of God that we have a Father who will always listen to us. Prayer is not an exercise of futility when we begin to understand the bond of a personal relationship with the Father. We are not so far removed from the Creator of the world that He does not have time for us, does not have interest in our needs or fails to hear us when we cry. Every Christian can bow his or her knees to the Father and He will listen to every word and thought we have to say to Him. His mercy is great. David declares that our Father is full of compassion. Not just a little bit of compassion. The God we serve is full of His love for us. He is gracious to my needs as He listens to our pleas. The anger of the God is not like the anger of men. Our God is full of a longsuffering spirit of kindness to our frailties. David knows the mercy and truth of his heavenly Father is abundant in its blessing.

There is a part of prayer that should be veiled with tears when we are humbled by the mighty power of God’s love allowing us to even speak to Him. The thought of such a blessing is overwhelming. There is no fear of death as the Jews experienced if they entered the Holy of Holies. We are children of the Lord God who can enter into the Holy place of the Lord God Almighty and ask Him to bow His ear to our cause and attend to the desperate supplications of our frail existence. And He will listen! He hears me! He knows my name! His love covers me! The blood of His Son cleanses me of my sins! Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me – and He does.

Prayer is a never-ending conversation with God. If we lived a thousand years, we would never exhaust the ear of the Father. Every day should begin with a spirit of prayer as we take the presence of the Lord with us through the day. Closing each day will find its worth and power in lips that exalt the name of a gracious Lord who has heard us this day. Daily prayer is easy. Talk to God and He will listen.

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. (Nicholas Hermon of Lorraine, Brother Lawrence, Practice of the Presence of God, c. 1666)

Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” (John 7:16-19)

The Power Of The Do

Since the age of twelve, Jesus astonished the teachers of the law with His clear understanding of scripture and reasoning. Often the Lord would go into the synagogues teaching from the Law and the Prophets the fulfillment of the word in His own life. The temple was another place He would frequent. What astonished the Jews was His lack of formal training yet deeper knowledge of the Law beyond the learning of the scholars. They could not see how a carpenter from Nazareth could be so versed in scripture.

Jesus affirmed His teaching was not His own. All He spoke came from His Father and the doctrine was not His own. What Jesus suggests in this reply is the value of doctrine and the need of being doers of the law. Seeking the glory of God is not just an emotional response but also a desire to do the will of the Father. Knowing the doctrine of God is paramount to serving faithfully. The religious world emphasizes the power of grace apart from works declaring that salvation comes only from grace and not by works. They deny the need of doctrine as being to formalistic and seeking salvation by works. Jesus taught the need of doing the will of the Father in accordance with the doctrine of God.

Doctrine is just as vital to salvation as grace and mercy. One does not deny the other. Saying “Lord, Lord” does not save. Doing the will of the Father is what saves a man when he follows the doctrines and precepts of the law of God. If anyone wants to do the will of God, they will be familiar with the rule of the Father.

It is easy in our soft religious world to believe salvation comes by grace alone with no effort on the part of the individual to follow doctrine. Charged with being ‘law-keepers’, true disciples are ridiculed for practicing a doctrine of works. However, religious leaders advocate a system of religion that allows man to live as he wants and serve God in a merited favor system with no regard to doctrine. Jesus condemns the grace only disciples who practice a form of Christianity without doctrine. False teachers seek their own glory giving the people false hope of salvation in a system of grace only salvation. James would later show that faith apart from works is dead. He confirms the doctrine of God taught by Jesus Christ.

Jesus never denied the importance of grace, mercy and love. He was the embodiment of all three. He never denied the need for doctrine either. As the old saying goes, we should never throw out the baby with the bath water. Doctrine has always been a vital part of the relationship between man and God. From Adam in the garden to Noah building an ark and the nation of Israel in the Old Testament; doing the will of the Lord was necessary for salvation. The power of doctrine is the first two letters of the word: DO! So it is with salvation today in Christ. Our Lord is Savior showing us His grace, His mercy and His love – and showing us the need to DO the will of the Father to be saved. If you are not DOING then you are not following the DOCTRINE of God. Without the doctrine there can be no salvation.

It is impossible to overlook the emphasis on the transmission of authoritative doctrine which is everywhere found in the New Testament. (J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 1950)

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled  because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. (Mark 6:1-6)

He Could Only Heal A Few Sick People

It was not uncommon in the ministry of Jesus for great multitudes to follow Him and He would heal them all: every one of them. The lame, blind, mute, maimed, demon possessed, diseased, lepers and those in need of healing all received the soothing hand of the Lord. Countless numbers of people saw the power of God through the working of the Finger of God showing the divinity of Jesus. He taught them the kingdom of Heaven. The common people gladly heard Him. His ministry was an inspiring success in so many places. Nazareth would be a very different story.

There is something special about the native son who returns home. Jesus was a teacher, healer, miracle worker and He caused a stir wherever He went. Religious leaders were upset with Him, crowds followed Him daily. Disciples gathered around Him leaning on every word He spoke. There was much to be said about this man from Nazareth. The city where Jesus grew up should have been very receptive to the ministry of the Lord. Jesus had spent many years in the synagogue of Nazareth. Returning now would be very different. The people were offended by Him. He was nothing more than a carpenter’s son and what gives him the right to teach them?

This had to be very disheartening to Jesus. He knew these people better than anyone. Growing up in their midst, the son of Joseph and Mary had thirty years of experience with their families, their joys and sadness, the good days and the bad days of living under Roman rule. A lot of things happen in three decades. These were the people of Jesus. As He returns to the city, He is cast out as a nobody. A few sick people came to Jesus and He healed them. He could do no mighty work and how He must have wanted to do something more in His hometown. Rejection. It caused the Son of God to marvel at how stubborn and rebellious men can be. Sometimes Jesus would see incredible faith in the lives of those who followed Him; now He was witnessing incredible unbelief among His own people.

The leading cause of death in the world is not cancer, heart attack, accidents or a long list of maladies or circumstances. What kills more people than anything is sin. Man is searching for the cure to every known disease but refuses to seek the healing from sin through Jesus Christ. Like the days of Nazareth, man will not see the power of God in Jesus Christ. He changes lives, heals broken hearts, mends shattered lives and gives hope on an eternal scale. Few come to the Lord to be healed. It would seem the Lord still marvels at the universal scale of unbelief in the world. The Bible contains all man needs to find happiness and few there are who seek it.

The kingdom of death so reigned over men, that the deserved penalty of sin would have hurled all headlong even into the second death, of which there is no end, had not the undeserved grace of God saved some therefrom. (Augustine, The City of God, XIV, 426)