The Heaton File

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ”These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens:’ I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie–indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:7-13)

The Church In Philadelphia

John saw some amazing things in the revelation given to him by God. Writing of things he saw and heard the apostle paints a glorious picture of the victory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all that oppose the righteousness of the Holy God. In the end Satan will be cast into the lake of fire; along with everything connected with death and unrighteousness. The address of the revelation opens with declarations to seven churches of Christ in the Asian realm. Each church has a specific message of either commendation or condemnation with Philadelphia receiving no specific censure. It was in this city so many temples were built that it was sometimes referred to as the “Little Athens.” Jews would been a cause of persecution against the Christians also. The church in Philadelphia had many challenges against it.

Jesus knows their works commending them for their impoverished spirit in the face of difficult times. The Lord will bless the church with many opportunities as an open door because of their faith. In the face of all that came against them, they stood firm. They kept the word as truth and refused to deny the name of Jesus. Their endurance in hard times will be a blessing as others fail. The Lord warns of a great trial coming upon the whole world but the saints in Philadelphia will be protected from these trials. Exhorting them to hold fast to the word He reminds them He will return soon and their reward in heaven will be great. There is a possible allusion of the many pagan temples in Philadelphia used in a paradoxical proverb to show how the saints in the church at Philadelphia will be a pillar in the temple of the one true God bearing the name of God. There will be a glorious reward for the faithful saints in Philadelphia because of the work the local church is doing for the glory of God.

The candlestick of the church at Philadelphia was established in the love of Jesus Christ. They were a group of Christians in a pagan city serving the one true God with all their fervor and vitality. It was a church of little strength but what great things they were doing. Lessons from the seven churches show the character of what each local congregation of God’s people can do – or not do. Some of the churches were challenged because of their lack of love, apathy and immorality that was allowed to continue. Philadelphia was not a church of great strength yet they were able to do so much for the Lord. Each congregation of God’s people will have their strength and weakness but all should be like the church in Philadelphia. Facing opposition the church held to the pattern of truth and became an example to all of Asia.

We should have the same spirit as the brethren in Philadelphia. Following the pattern of New Testament authority, we must engage ourselves in the work of teaching the gospel to a world filled with the pagan temples of man’s wisdom and pleasure. Little strength or great strength – we must stand firm in the love of God and affirm the teachings of Jesus Christ to a world dying in the deceitfulness of sin. Let us be a pillar in the temple of God.

The church can stand anything else better than prosperity and popularity. She is poor when she is rich, secure in danger but endangered by security. She usually has most treasure in heaven when she has least on earth. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

The Name We Wear

We did not choose the name we wear. Our parents made the decision to name us according to many reasons: family ties, popularity, novelty, friendship and creativity. Our name is the one constant that identifies everything about us. A few words put together in a sentence describe our personality, our reputation and our life. We carry it with us throughout life and at the end of life all that remains is a name on a marble stone. A name with two dates with a small dash in the middle is all that is left. Loved ones will recall us by our name; friends will miss us by our name.

Our name is very fragile. It will remain in the chronicles of man throughout the ages but while we are living, it is most brittle. As we grow from childhood, our name is precious reflecting the innocent spirit of youth. When we enter adulthood, our name takes on a more impactful meaning as we become identified with the character we have molded. The name given by our parents was given in a time of innocence but now we must be careful to maintain the goodness of our name as intended from the beginning. This is very difficult. A lifetime of nobility ascribed to our name can be wiped out by a moment’s reckless folly. Now our name takes on a remembrance of a foolish decision or reckless choices that besmear a once good name. A good name is given in faith and we are entrusted to keep that good name.

When death calls what remains is our name. A good name is to be valued more than anything in this world because it becomes the novel of our lives. When our name is spoken there will be good things said or evil. How that name is spoken will be in the manner we left our name in death. Stains upon our name may never fully recover. The exhortation of the wisdom literature is to implore all of us to live in such a way to leave a good name after our death. The house of mourning is about our name being lifted up or cast down.

Eternity will be established by our name. Beyond the vale of life there is a book called the Book of Life. It is held in the hand of God and inscribed in this book are names. These names are the only names that allowed through the gates of eternal life. Many names will never be inscribed there because those names have never named the Son of God as Redeemer. There are some names written upon its pages that have been blotted out. Knowing the saving grace of the Father the names have turned back into the world. Those names that remain are the redeemed. They will hear their names called and told to enter into life eternal. The final judgment is about our name. In the infinite mercy of God, there is forgiveness for names stained with sin. Some names may be held in derision by the world but are held precious by the blood of Jesus because they have been forgiven. No greater joy is there to know that God will take my name and forgive me of my sins. Thank you God for Your love. A good name is more precious than anything we can ever own.

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

The Everlasting And Eternal Question

Trying to understand eternity from a finite mind can be a formidable task. A beginning and an end dictate everything in the world of man. Birth is where life begins and death is when life ends. Anything that has a beginning will have an end. What is new today will deteriorate into something that corrodes over time and eventually stop working. Insurance is the philosophy there is an end in sight and protection is needed against the results of certain loss. Each day has a beginning with the sun rising and an end with the sun setting. The universe and the worlds contained in its sphere will come to an end one day. So how do we understand this ‘everlasting’ and ‘eternal’ language Jesus uses to describe what happens after death? Immediately the mind is drawn to the knowledge that death is not an end. Life after death suggests there is no final disposition of man and that he continues to exist after the body dies. This is an everlasting and eternal question.

Believers in the word of God learn from the beginning that man was created in the image of God. This creation is the eternal spirit of man. Accepting the Bible as truth one realizes that we are all eternal creatures that will have an existence beyond the grave. The body will return to dust but there is another body. Those who do not believe in God deny the existence of life after death. Sadly they will find themselves believing it too late. Another body exists that will never die, never decay and never cease to exist. Life for all men will be an everlasting existence that will never have an end – and that is hard to wrap the mind around to understand its meaning. Adam lived to be nearly one thousand years old but he died. If eternity was three thousand years, we could understand or even ten thousand years. There would be a beginning to eternity and then an end of eternity. The truth is that eternity existed before the world was created; exists now and will exist when we die. Each one of us inhabit eternity the moment we are created in the image of God.

What is hard to grasp in the feeble mind of man is how a person can suffer in an everlasting torment. Jesus said there was a place of everlasting punishment. He calls it everlasting fire, everlasting destruction and everlasting chains. On this side of death, there is an end of pain but on the other side of death there is no end. Thinking about the nature of everlasting fire should cause every person to flee to God for salvation. Denying it will not change its reality. Sin will take a person further than they want to go and keep them longer than they want to stay – eternal punishment.

The joy for the child of God is that eternal life has no end. The mind can hardly understand this but what a joy to know that all the peace of God’s blessings are enjoyed in a place where eternal time is without end. John will write in the Revelation that all pain will be taking away – forever. Sorrow will never be a part of eternal life. No more tears – forever. The former things will never be a part of the life of those who die in the Lord. Whether I can understand this on this side of Heaven matters little to the realization of what it will be like to experience eternal life.

One final note: everyone will experience the same thing in death. Everlasting! Eternal! The majority of men will be cast into everlasting fire. How everlasting sad that is. Eternal life will be for those who love the Lord and do the will of the Father. What is your answer?

Eternity is the lifetime of the Almighty. (Anonymous)

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. (Matthew 26:47-50)

Jesus Is My Facebook Friend

Facebook has changed the face of the world. History will declare Facebook as one of the major influences of the modern culture as radio and television did a century ago. According to recent numbers, there are 1.6 billion users. The name has become synonymous as a means of communication and information becoming the electronic newspaper of the day. The basis of Facebook is the use of ‘friends.’ Each individual is a ‘friend’ and to connect with other people on Facebook there is a processing of ‘befriending’ them. Afterwards, the two individuals will be able to share information about their lives on the electronic pages of each person’s site including all other ‘friends’ who are part of the Facebook community.

Presently I have 564 ‘friends’ on my Facebook account. That is an embarrassing low number according to many folk on Facebook. It is also something of a misnomer. Of the 564 ‘friends’ I am not sure I know most of them. A request comes in to ‘friend’ someone and I accept (sometimes reject) and now we are … ‘friends’? In the long ago, the word “friend” meant someone of a close personal relationship that shared deeper knowledge with than others. I know many people but I would not consider them “friends” in the meaning of knowing a lot about them. There are many people that I know who they are and we may speak on occasion but to tell someone anything about this person would be impossible because our paths do not cross with any regularity that would benefit such knowledge. Attending school with a lot of people my age did not make them all my ‘friends’ because that was reserved for a close circle of people where we shared deeper relationships with. That is the natural order of our relationships. Facebook has changed the word “friend” to be anyone who clicks a button no matter whether there is a personal relationship or not.

Jesus has more ‘friends’ than anyone on the planet. There are many people who have Jesus as their Facebook friend who have no idea who He is, what He is or anything about His life. To them, Jesus Christ is just a click of a button to say He is their friend and that is all. There are many other people in the circle of Facebook life that are more important than Jesus is. They say they are ‘religious’ but never strive to learn who the Son of God is. The Lord becomes just a pacifier in time of need. He is not the top of the list but He is on the list. To most people He is someone who is a friend but nothing personal.

It is remarkable that Jesus called Judas a friend. For the past few years, the apostle of Christ had shared many things with the Lord. Judas preached the good news, performed miracles, encouraged and exhorted other disciples, witnessed the miracles of Jesus and listened to the teachings of the master Teacher. However, in the garden Judas was not a companion any longer because he was betraying His Lord. There are a lot of folks who treat Jesus the same way today. Feigning a relationship with the Lord, they are nothing more than a Facebook friend that is part of a number – instead of a personal Lord who has changed their life.

A friend is someone who changes another’s life. I may have to sit down one day and see how many of the 564 friends I have that I really know and then out of that number see how many people I know anything about. Friends are important but only when they are true friends that help change my life. Jesus needs to be my friend only in the sense that He becomes my Lord, my Savior and my King. I need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to know everything about Him. He needs to change my life on every level. His character should be embedded in every part of my heart. If Jesus is just a Facebook friend – you need to get off Facebook and get into the Book. Amen?

The influence of His life, His words, and His death, have, from the first, been like leaven cast into the mass of humanity. (Cunningham Geikie, The Life and Words of Christ, 1877)

No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

They All Shall Know Me

To be a child of God in the nation of Israel you had but to be born and consecrated according to the Law of Moses. All male children were circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with the covenant made with Abraham. At eight days old, the child knows nothing about the Lord. He will grow to maturity learning about the law and the stories of old solidifying his faith in Jehovah. This went on with the Jewish nation for generations until the coming of Christ. The death of Jesus on the cross changed everything; including the Law of Moses. While the Gentiles were justified by faith, the people of Israel were redeemed by loving God and keeping the commandments. When the gospel of Jesus Christ entered the hearts of men, they became children of God by a different birth. No longer a physical birth, salvation came from a spiritual birth. This also changed the manner men came to know the Lord.

Under the Law of Moses, children began with no knowledge of the Lord and grew in knowledge. When a man wants to become a child of God under the law of Christ, he must know God first. Having Christian parents does not make a child a Christian. Circumcision means nothing. Lineage is of no value. The heart that turns to the Lord is the avenue of salvation by those who come to know the Lord and humble their hearts to His will. Faith will come by hearing the word of God and in turn, the heart will obey the will of the Father. Faith comes first, then knowledge and finally obedience.

The plan of salvation today is a wonderful testimony to the wisdom of God. All of God’s people are to know the Father because this is where they began. This knowledge can never be filled up. Living to be a centennial Christian will leave a void of things to know and understand about God because there is so much to know. One of the most important parts of living the Christian life is always learning more and more about the Father. He wants His children to know Him and to understand His character, His love, His reasons for doing what He does and why He made us. The more we know about God the fewer questions we have. Get to know the Father. You will be glad you did.

Knowledge is the key that first opens the hard hearts, enlarges the affections, and opens the way for men into the kingdom of heaven. (Jonathan Edwards; 1703-1758; Works, V, 151)

After three months, we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days. From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him. (Acts 28:11-16)

The Kindness Of Brethren

Travel in the first century was often a harrowing experience. Taking a ship throughout the Mediterranean was a risky adventure with sudden storms and unpredictable weather. Paul’s journey to Rome was very difficult and sometimes uncertain of the outcome. Earlier he and the crew experienced a tempestuous head wind called Euroclydon that drove the ship violently for many days. There seemed to be no hope but Paul assured the crew God would protect them. The ship, along with its 276 souls aboard, shipwrecked on the island of Malta. No one died and they spent three months there until they found another ship to continue the voyage to Rome.

A few days after leaving Malta, the ship arrived at Puteoli, located on the northern bay of Naples (about eight miles northwest). It was here Luke records they found some brethren and were invited to stay with them seven days. Continuing the journey to Rome the brethren came and met Paul, Luke and company at Appii Forum and Three Inns. Appii Forum was over fifty miles from Rome as well as Three Inns. When Paul saw the brethren who had travelled all the way from Rome, he was very thankful and greatly encouraged. These brethren were a blessing to Paul and he acknowledged them.

When the group arrived in Puteoli, Paul sought out brethren. He needed to spend time with the people of God. Because he was allowed great freedom in his activities, the apostles was refreshed by spending seven days with fellow saints. Luke does not tell us all they did but most certain they talked of the gospel, communed in worship on the first day of the week and reveled in the glorious fellowship of Christians. This was vital to the encouragement of the apostle Paul and those who travelled with him. The brethren at Puteoli were not ashamed of the chains of Paul. Their love for God was such a powerful testimony for Paul.

Turning the camera back a few days, we see the brethren at Rome hearing of Paul’s coming. Uncertain when he will arrive because of the troubles of ancient world travel, they waited anxiously to hear news. Learning he had landed safely and was on his way, the brethren talked of what they could do. Someone suggested they should travel to meet the apostle. Appii Forum was 56 miles away. Without the means of modern transportation this would be quite a sacrifice to make such a trip. Without hesitation, the brethren gathered the necessary supplies and began the long trek to Appii Forum. What joy they had when they saw Paul. The final part of the apostle’s journey to Rome (56 miles) was filled with the encouragement, joy, happiness and kindness of the Roman brethren.

It is the little things that matter so much so often. Whether the brethren had ever met Paul or not mattered little. It is doubtful many of the brethren from Puteoli and Rome knew Paul face to face. But their brother in Christ was on his way to Rome as a prisoner. Their hearts were full of a benevolent spirit to do what they could to encourage this fellow saint. The seven days in Puteoli must have remained in the mind of Paul all his life. Those good brethren who took the time to travel more than fifty miles to see the apostle would never be forgotten by him.

The kindness of brethren – it reaches far beyond the borders of nations and lands. Reaching back two thousand years, we see the simple efforts of the people of God looking out for others. The church is filled with those who take the time to share a smile, hold a hand, speak a word, prepare a meal, open a house, be a friend to young people, show love to others; a myriad of examples of people like the Puteolians and Romans who showed the apostle Paul what brotherly love is all about. Now that is a great story.

When you see your brother, you see God. (Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis, 150)

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord! Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, and will not call back His words, but will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of those who work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together. (Isaiah 31:1-3)

Trusting In Horses Is Folly

When Satan came to Eve in the Garden of Eden, he deceived her into believing that she could not trust God. It was unfair for Him to forbid the single fruit. Why would the Lord take away the pleasure of the tree of knowledge from her? Convincing the woman that she had the power to go beyond the will of God sin entered the world because of the folly of not trusting in the power of the Lord. Rejecting the will of God has always been about trust. Man believes that he can save himself. His wisdom is greater than anything his Creator commands because it fits his pleasure. The might of man’s creative power will save him and deliver him from any trouble. Man has the knowledge to overpower, overcome and conquer anything. Or so he thinks.

In the days of Isaiah, the plague of man’s folly was ripe in the land. Israel believed in the power of itself and the deliverance from danger would come from Egypt. How ironic to believe that deliverance would come from the same nation their ancestors had been enslaved by for more than four hundred years. The exodus from Egypt came by the powerful hand of God, not the people. The Red Sea parted through the power of God, not the people. They were fed, nourished and clothed by the hand of the Lord those forty years, not the people. Canaan was subdued through the might of the hand of God, not the people. Now as danger approaches the people flee to Egypt for deliverance because the Egyptians have a massive army of horses, chariots and men. Folly.

Isaiah is pleading with the people to look to the Holy One of Israel for help. The nation does not hear and reliance on the Egyptians meets with disaster. It is not because of a man-made victory that gives Assyria victory but the hand of God that punishes the wickedness of man. Deliverance cannot come from man. He cannot save himself. His great power is nothing before the hand of God. When the will of the Lord is finished the one who helps and the one who is helped will be destroyed because they do not believe in the power of God. Man saving man is ruin.

Trust is the core of our relationship with the Lord. The question is whether we are willing to allow God to rule in our lives or whether we only allow Him to help us when we think we may need some extra help. There are a lot of horses and chariots we trust in to give us happiness and peace. All these worldly possessions are like a security blanket that we believe will give us what we want. Pleasure is the opium of the flesh yearning for fulfillment in what we desire. None of these gives lasting worth because like the Egyptians, we are mere men and our seductions are fleshly and empty.

God is still the Holy One of His people and He is still the Almighty. He will never fail to accomplish His will. His word has never returned void. The affairs of men are governed by His hand. The earth began by His word, it is established by the same word and through the power of His word, the universe will end. Is there anything man can do that is greater than that? Trusting God in my life is giving him free rein in everything I do because He is so great, so powerful and so loving.

Put thy full trust in God. Let Him be thy love and dread above all things, and He will answer for thee and will do for thee in all things as shall be most needful and most expedient for thee. (Thomas A. Kempis, Imitation of Christ, 1441)

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

The Running Word

Paul had a vivid manner of describing the power of the gospel. To the Roman saints the word of God was the power of the gospel. Writing to the disciples at Thessalonica he first describes the gospel as sounding forth in every place. In his second letter, the apostle illustrates the word as running. The sense of the word in the text is the desire of Paul for the gospel to spread quickly or speed ahead – having the intended impact on the hearts that hear it. It could be an illustration Paul would have noticed of runners who were free from any impediments that would hinder their race. His prayer was a simple desire hoping the power of the word of God would spread quickly through the world saving souls. Throughout his missionary journeys the apostle was filled with the zeal and dedicated spirit to take the word of God to every person he could find. His passion for lost soul was unmatched. The church at Thessalonica could help in that effort by lifting up prayers that any hindrance to the gospel would be removed. There were many who would oppose the teaching of Christ. Prayers were needed to open doors.

Without the gospel, a man cannot find eternal life. Faith derives its knowledge from the word of God. The disciples of the First Century were passionate about sharing the story of Jesus Christ. They lived under the pretense that Jesus was coming back soon. Their lives were molded not by a spirit of apathy but great zeal to let the world know the truth of eternal life in Christ. Paul’s prayer along with the devotion of the saints at Thessalonica would help the word of God ‘put on running shoes’ and without hindrance go to the uttermost parts of the world. This reflects a state of mind on the part of the apostle and the brethren.

The church today needs to pray for the gospel to spread quickly. It begins by praying for those who are doing the work of teaching. Asking the Lord to remove hindrances that would slow the progress of the word is vital to its success. This is an important prayer. Paul desired the spread of the gospel for the glory of God. His prayer was intense. It was filled with a deep love for what the word of the Lord can do in the lives of men. There are many who would oppose the preaching but Paul seeks a higher power to make the word have free course in the world. We do not live in a world much changed from the days of Paul. Often brethren think few will be interested in the gospel because the world has become so anti-God. The days of the Roman Empire were far more adversarial than today yet Paul is praying for the speed of the gospel to change hearts of men. He understood the power of prayer and the power of the gospel.

Jesus gave His life for the eternal hope of man to live with the Father in heaven. His life changed the world. The ministry of the early disciples fueled the word of God to spread to every creature under heaven. They changed the world. It can still have that power if the disciples of the Lord will pray for the word to move quickly among men changing hearts and changing lives. The fields are white to harvest. Pray for workers. Pray for the word to have success. Pray for opposition to be removed. Let the word run through the world with the power of the Lord. Let’s put on our running shoes and get busy.

God forgive us, in an hour like this; that we have been dry Christians, preaching a dynamite gospel and living firecracker lives. (Vance Havner, 1901-1986)

Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. (Proverbs 17:12)

The Mama Bear

There is ‘humor’ in the Bible. Throughout Holy Writ the Holy Spirit has shown the wisdom of staying away from fools. They are a menace to themselves and to all around them. Folly brings about destruction because the mind is guided by a whim of the moment in the heat of passion that usually leads to disastrous ends. Fools make rash decisions. They are senseless in their discretion of what they say, what they do and how they act. A fool despises wisdom as useless discarding instruction as trivial. The path of a fool is littered with the carcasses of ill-advised decisions made to satisfy the glory of the moment. There is no hope for a fool. He does not believe in God.

In a humorous but clearly dangerous lesson there is more hope for a man meeting a mother bear who has lost her cubs than a man who in his own stupidity is a fool. Many a man has been killed who either on purpose or by accident comes between a she-bear and her precious cubs. The natural instinct of a bear is rage. They have no control over the animalistic nature to kill an intruder. God created the bear in this manner for the protection of the cubs. He also created man in His image so that the passions of man can be controlled and used for the glory of God. When man acts like a fool, he is a stupid animal. The image is vivid. Fools are more dangerous than a mama bear protecting her cubs.

Our daily task is to learn how to walk in wisdom so that we will not be fools. Guided by the word of God our lives are ordered with the knowledge of truth. Since faith comes from hearing the word of God, the more we spend time in the word of God the more we will gain wisdom to keep us from being fools. This is especially important for others to see Christ living in me and not wishing they had met a raging mother bear. A fool in his folly will never show the love of God to others and help them come to Christ. Wisdom from the Lord leaves an impression on others that will help them see the value of the wisdom that comes from above. The conclusion is simple: are there she-bears loose in our lives or are we following the word of God?

Wisdom rises upon the ruins of folly. (Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732)

Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ” (Exodus 6:6-8)

I Am The Lord

When Moses learns of the plan of the Lord to deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage, he gains an important insight into the character of Jehovah God. The bondage of the people has been severe and because of their cry it is now time to bring them out of the land of Egypt to the land promised long ago to Abram. God will impress upon the people His character that should give them hope in their deliverance from the toils of life. Their failings will come because they forgot who God is and what mighty power He exercised over the nation of Egypt. When God says that “I am the Lord” He is declaring His glory, His might, His power and His mercy.

There are five things the Lord declares in this message to Moses. I will bring; I will rescue; I will redeem; I will take; and I will be. Contained within these five characteristics is the nature of the Holy God. There was nothing the Hebrews could do to deliver themselves. The bondage of Egypt had subjected them to a harsh world of bondage. If there was any hope to be saved from the slavery of Egypt it was only by the power of God. Never in the history of Israel could the people say they saved themselves. God’s grace saved the people from bondage. Our bondage to sin could only be granted by the power of the Lord. There is nothing we can do to remove sin from our lives. Only through the grace of God will we find deliverance.

It will be the mercy of God that rescues the people. As mighty as the people had become in Egypt the plan to deliver them could only come from the hand of the Lord. Where did the plagues come from? These were not natural occurrences or coincidences of the time they lived. The plagues were the powerful testimony of the Lord’s great might to rescue the people. The rescue at the Red Sea was again a powerful demonstration of God’s mercy upon the people. In their deliverance the nation of Egypt suffered greatly. The wisdom of man is great but he is unable to rescue his state of sinful rebellion. Only God could rescue man from sin and He accomplished that through the gift of His only begotten Son. As Israel could never claim they rescued themselves man cannot claim he saved himself. The mercy of God is found in the blood of Jesus Christ to open a door of rescue.

Because of the love of God the Hebrew people were redeemed – bought back. For more than four hundred years the children of Abraham lived in a foreign land. Through the love of God they would now be redeemed by the hand of God. They were bought back to a place of prominence with the Lord. Their deliverance was a sign of God’s love for them and how He loved them so much to redeem them back. The love of God has redeemed man. Enslaved to the shackles of sin the blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us. Nothing we have done deserves this sacrifice. Redemption is the grace, mercy and love of God.

The final gift of God is that He will take the Hebrews as His own people and He would be their God. As they journeyed to the promised land the Lord protected, provided and promised wonderful things because of His care for them. They were the apple of His eye. He fed them with abundant food and they would never thirst. The cloud shadowed them during the day and as a warm glow of security His light protected them in the night. At Mount Sinai they became a nation of His own. The Hebrews were no longer a people spread out under the bondage of the Egyptian masters but now the chosen people of God enjoying the blessings of a benevolent Father. Children of God today are blessed because they are the chosen, the elect, and the special people for God’s own possession. He has taken His saints as His own people to be their God.  His cloud still overshadows His people because of His loving hand. The light of His son shines forth as a guide of hope and promise.

Israel journeyed to a land flowing with milk and honey. The Christian is making his way to a land beyond this world that is of incredible beauty. The five promises of God will guide us to that wonderful place called Heaven. He is our Father. He will deliver us, rescue us, redeem us and our God will take us as His own so that we will be His and His alone. Thank you God.

God not only loves us more and better than we can ever love ourselves – but God loved us before we loved, or could love, Him. God’s love of us rendered possible and actual our love of God. (Friedrich von Hugel, Essays and Addresses; 2^nd Series; 1924)