The Heaton File

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — yes, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130)

Waiting On The Lord

There are fifteen psalms (120-134) that are declared “psalms of ascent.” It has been suggested these are special psalms written for the people of God to use as they ascend the mountain to worship the Lord. The character of the words fit the need of preparing one for worship showing a dependence on God.

We are impatient people. There are fast food places to eat, expectations of service being given quickly and if our computer takes more than three fifths of a millisecond to respond we are upset. Now. Not later. Now. Cars must be fast, cooking must be instant, drive through this and drive through that and the fast paced life is the norm. He who sits above the circle of the earth is not in a hurry. He wants His people to wait on Him.

The psalmist reminds us our dependence is on the Lord. “The expression, ‘my soul doth wait,’ is stronger than ‘I wait;’ it implies heart-felt trust and confidence” (Pulpit Commentary; Psalm 130:5). It is hard to wait but wait we must. The Lord does not fly on our timetable. He works in His own way and His own will. The calming message of the word of God teaches us to trust in His will rejecting the instant pudding of man’s wisdom.

The blessing of trusting in the Lord’s word is found in hope. There is steadfast love in the manner His mercy fills our lives with His redemption. When we learn to wait on the Lord we will find a deeper joy. Where He leads I will follow. It is hard to follow because we think we know a better way. Waiting on the Lord is learning to walk in His footsteps so that my life is one set of footprints: His.

Today is the middle of the week. Slow down. Take a moment. Calmly remember the blessings of the Lord. Wait for it. Wait. Be patient. Let His love flow over you today as you prepare for this day and the rest of the week. Above all: wait on the Lord.

They also serve who stand and wait. (John Milton, Sonnet on His Blindness, c.1650)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

A Simple Instruction

When God created the world He spoke and it happened. That is powerful. Light was created when the Creator said, “Let there be light.” The word is the agent of creation. This God we serve is huge and He is powerful. The Bible reveals the power of God through the written word telling the story of man from Adam to the day Christ comes again. Whenever man has failed it is always when he denies the word of God. In the Garden of Eden sin entered the world because Satan deceived Eve into believing the word of God was confusing. The early world was destroyed because men rejected the will of God. Israel was given the written word and failed. You and I have the written word and few in the world believe it.

The sad reality of man’s plight is the word of God is neither complex nor hard to understand. It is the devil who whispers in our ear, “Has God indeed said?” He continues to fill the ears of men with his wiles of deceit. They look for wisdom in their own hearts turning away from the simple instructions of salvation. Jesus tells His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples. He outlines a pattern of redemption found in His blood and manifested through the waters of baptism. A disciple is a person who has been immersed in the pattern of God’s authority bestowed upon His Son. Water baptism is necessary for salvation because Jesus said it was. It was a simple instruction yet most religious people reject any notion baptism saves.

When men begin to analyze the simplicity of the word of God, what they create is something more confusing. Ask your friends or neighbors how a person can be saved and you will get more answers than you can shake a stick at. Matthew 28:18-20 is not complex, confusing, difficult to understand nor unclear. Why can’t people just accept what God says and leave it at that? It is tragic that most people will say they love Jesus but will not do what He says. Sad. Eternal sadness. So many people will be lost because they believe Matthew 28:21 instead of the word of God.

The word of God is all those commandments and revelations, those promises and threatening’s, the stories and sermons recorded in the Bible; nothing else is the word of God. (Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living, 1650)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:13-17)

When The Church Becomes A Market Place

The Temple was the center of Jewish life. First built by Solomon it was the place of God’s dwelling with men on earth. The Temple of Jesus’ day was a long rebuilding project by Herod the king. Through the years the Temple was called by many names describing the relationship of the edifice with the Lord. It was called “the temple, the house of the Lord, holy temple, the house of the God of Jacob, the house of My glory, house of prayer, house of sacrifice, house of their sanctuary, mountain of the Lord’s house, a holy and beautiful house, holy mount, palace for the Lord God, tabernacle of witness, Zion.” Christ called it “my Father’s house.”

It is remarkable to see Jesus going through the Temple with a whip of cords driving out the merchants, money changers and animals. The scene at the house of sanctuary must have been overwhelming for the Son to see what men had done to His Father’s house. Solomon’s temple of splendor was lost in the building of Herod but still the place of Moriah represented the holy ground of God with His people. Driving the merchants out of the Temple was an expression of Jesus’ disdain for how men take the beautiful house of the Lord and make it into something it was not intended to be.

The church of Christ is the church He built and bought with His blood. It can be called the house of the Lord because it is the place where God dwells with the saved. The church of God is a body of sanctified people who are a holy nation to Him, His own special people. The church is the body of Christ, His bride and the sheep of His flock. Found within the pillars of the church is the manifold wisdom of God. And like the days of Jesus often has been turned into a house of merchandise.

The New Testament church is harder to find today amidst the clatter of merchants and money changers. In so many places the body of Christ turns to the clanging of social appeal to entice the lost to Christ. Food, fun and frolic is more the norm in the spiritual temple of God today than the pattern of New Testament doctrine. Many churches of Christ spend more money on maintaining the fellowship hall, family life center and kitchens than teaching the lost. How sad the church of the Lord has been turned into a house of merchandise.

Our zeal today must be focused on the truth of God’s word. We must learn the lesson of Psalm 69:9 lest the Lord come with a whip of cords and drive out the modern day merchants from the place of God. The blood of Jesus bought the church for a single purpose. Let us not disavow the blood by turning the house of the Lord into a place it was not intended to be.

The church of the New Testament never thought of itself as being in a rest camp; it was obviously on a battle line. (Halford E. Luccock, Jesus and the American Mind, 1930)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. (John 17:20-22)

Today We Are One

From the beginning of time our Creator has desired man to worship Him. There is literally every reason in the world to give praise to the Lord because He made the world and He made us. He holds our breath in His hand. His provisions make it possible for us to live. Without the hand of God we will not exist. From Abel’s sacrifice of faith to what we do today we worship our Lord with praise, thanksgiving and honor.

Worship has a dual nature to its character. The vertical parts of our worship speak of our relationship to the Father. It is the horizontal part of our worship that binds the hearts of brethren together showing a deeper reason for our worship. The Lord’s day is a time of worship when we gather with one another and share in the bounty of God’s blessings as brethren. One of the lessons we learn today is that we are one. In Jesus’ prayer before the cross He earnestly desired that we be one. We bring our lives to the throne of God as one people. Diverse in our backgrounds we lift our hearts in praise. Singing gives honor to the Lord but we are teaching one another. Prayers are offered that speak of our salvation but we also talk of forgiveness, healing, guidance and love for one another.

The Lord’s Supper is an individual relationship as we meditate on the sacrifice of Christ. But let us not forget that we share as one in unity for what Christ has done for us. He saved me but He also saved you. He saved us both. His death was to bring you and I together as one people to worship Him. Who can think the preaching is only about the other person. The word of God is about me and you when I hear the preaching. It all applies to my life and your life and what we do together. It binds us together as one to follow the grace of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Today is about being one. Worship should be without malice toward others. When we come to the throne of God let us leave our petty squabbles and hurts at His feet so we can worship together as one. He died so we can enjoy a fellowship of unity. Greet everyone today – not just those you always speak with. Leave the cliques alone so we can be one. Embrace the lives of God’s children in worship today – it will change the way you see worship. Today is about being one!

A clergyman was once asked whether the members of his church were united. He replied they were perfectly united – frozen together. (Old Farmers Almanac, 1865)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (1 Kings 10:1-10)

The Queen Of The South

Solomon was the richest man in all the world and his riches exceeded the imagination of every man. Israel was in the golden age of her existence. Prosperity reigned. Peace filled the cities. People lived in luxury. The wisdom of Solomon was almost omniscient. Blessed by the Lord the king was filled with understanding that has been unmatched among men. Far away in the land of Sheba the Queen heard of this follower of Jehovah and desired to see for herself this splendor. Arriving with her entourage of opulence she grilled the king in every corner of knowledge she could find. Undaunted Solomon answered every question with amazing mental dexterity. It took her breath away. She had never seen anything like this before.

The Queen honored Solomon by acknowledging the blessings of his land was given by the hand of the “Lord your God.” Everything she had witnessed was tempered by the presence of the Lord. The wisdom of Solomon was not based upon earthly wisdom but heavenly. All the physical blessings enjoyed by the nation came from the hand of God. Peace and prosperity reigned because the nation followed the one true God. It was clear to the visiting head of State the nation of Israel was a blessed nation because of one thing – Jehovah God.

Her impression of Solomon was not judged solely upon the man but rather the man who honored God. The king could not have attained all that he had without the power of God. Israel was the apple of God’s eye and through the promise in the Law that if the nation obeyed the Lord He would bless them immeasurably. Solomon’s wisdom came as a gift from God. The Queen of the South saw majesty. This majesty was God.

Sadly many years later if the Queen visited Israel she would have found a very different picture. Solomon was not as wise as he once was and the land was torn by strife. Eventually the kingdom would be torn in two and conquered by Assyria and Babylon. A much different picture. What happened? Exactly what the Queen of Sheba predicted. When a nation, a people and a leadership abandon God there is nothing to hope for. No more happiness. No more peace. No more wisdom beyond the ages. No more joy. The Queen could see the reason for all the blessings of Israel was not Solomon but the “Lord your God.” Israel imploded when they stopped trusting in God.

The Queen of the South saw some pretty amazing things. Jesus would later refer to the Queen admonishing Israel to see that a greater than Solomon was before them. When a nation turns away from Jesus Christ a woman from Sheba will rise up in judgment and declare, “What happened to the Lord your God?”

“Every philosopher and statesman who has discussed the subject of human governments, has acknowledged that there can be no stable society without justice, no justice without morality, no morality without religion, no religion without God. (James Gibbons, Our Christian Heritage, 1889)

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23:4-5)

The Wings Of Money

An animal walks through a river stream seeking for food. His eye catches the gleam of a golden nugget glistening in the sand. He looks around and sees a multitude of gold gems filling the river stream. His heart begins to pound fiercely but it has nothing to do with the gold he has found. He is hungry and wants to find food to fill his stomach. Another animal walks through the same stream. He sees the gold filling the riverbed. His heart begins to pound and screams are heard as he frantically scoops up the gold. He will sacrifice life to gain this gold. Hiding the news from others he hurries to buy the land so he can fill his stomach with the manna of worldly riches. Wars will be fought to possess this gold. Lives destroyed to pursue more gold. The first animal is a bear foraging for food. The second animal is a man made in the image of God.

The bear will find food and be content. Man will find gold and never find contentment. It is more precious to him than food. The creator provides everything the bear needs to sustain life. Each day will be filled with the necessities of life provided through the marvelous world of creation. The creature made in the image of God has less sense than the bear because he will spend his life pursuing something that has no real value in the quality of life.

The accumulation of stuff is the driving force for many in life. Keeping up with ‘the Joneses’ is the goal of life not knowing the Jones family moved away last year. Riches have intrinsic value only for the purpose they serve. There is a need to work and provide for the family. Children of God work so they can also give to those who have need (see Ephesians 4:28). Beyond the needs of life riches have wings that fly away. For a brief moment in life the value of money seems like the greatest joy and when spent loses its splendor. Is not life more than the pursuit of riches? All wealth comes with wings.

The wise man did not say to refrain from working. He said not to OVERWORK to be rich because we waste our lives seeking something that comes with the wings of a butterfly that will fly away in short time. And then what? If you want to seek after something of true value, seek eternal life. That will not go away if we embrace it.

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me. (Galatians 1:23-24)

Who Did You Say Obeyed The Gospel?

It goes without saying the conversion of Saul of Tarsus was something no one could have foreseen happening. If there was one person in the whole world the early disciples would have never considered a candidate for the gospel – well, Saul was at the top of the list. He was the driving force of the first major persecution of the church admitting to dragging men and women off to prison. One striking statement of Saul’s methods is when he declares before Agrippa that he “punished [saints] often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceeding enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:11). When they were put to death he cast his vote against them. Remember Steven?

The poster boy for who will never obey the gospel of Jesus Christ was Saul of Tarsus. From the tribe of Benjamin Saul was a deeply devoted Hebrew who lived fully the life of a Pharisee. He was on his way to the city of Antioch to persecute and imprison Christians when he hit a huge road block. His life was perfect. He had power, money, influence and a deep hatred for anything Jesus. Then the light came and his life changed. Three days later, blind and fearful, the hand of a gentle man rose Saul up from the ground and asked, “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Three days after the light knocked him off his horse, the persecutor of the church became a child of God. Who would have thought?

Ananias had fearful reservations. When the Lord came to him and told him that He wanted him to go to the house of Judas and find one called Saul of Tarsus the disciple was no less shocked. He even ‘reminded’ the Lord who this man was. If there was anyone Ananias would have never believed could be taught the gospel this was the man. Having been instructed by the Lord how Saul would be a chosen vessel for the Lord Ananias went immediately. And you know the rest of the story.

Here is the lesson: it is easy to categorize people as good and bad candidates for the gospel. Do you know someone like Saul today? Deeply devoted to their faith and you think to yourself that nothing would ever shake them from their error? They are so involved in their belief that nothing could ever move them? Saul of Tarsus became Saul of Jesus Christ! Never, never believe the person before you is not capable of being receptive the gospel. ALL men need the gospel. Jesus died for ALL men. You and I should never pick and choose. We are sowers who broadcast the seed without discrimination. Sow the seed – do not surgically plant seed in ground you think may bring forth a crop. Let God take care of that. You never know. Saul of Tarsus may be standing before you – in the waters of baptism. Praise God. Glorify God.

• Kent Heaton

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

Do not let your adornment be merely outward–arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel–rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Is Modesty Legislated

It is always with trepidation the subject of modesty is approached. In every generation the people of God must deal with what is modest and what is immodest. With each examination of the subject cultural views, personal opinions and clear agendas cloud the issue. For some a very strict code of modesty is imposed. Among many there does not seem to be any guidelines. Often it is remarked that trying to say how short is short and how long is long is unfair and must we pull out the measuring tape to determine the appropriate level of modesty? The conclusion is then given that modesty is only an opinion and we are left without teaching on the subject.

The danger in believing modesty is unregulated is to accept the belief that God has not given His word on the matter. Everything that pertains to life and godliness is found within the text of His fully revealed word including the subject of modesty. There is nothing in life that cannot be answered without spending time revealing the nature of how the Holy Spirit has spoken on the matter. Society does not govern whether something is modest or not – the Holy Spirit does. It may have been the case a century ago that revealing the ankle was considered risqué but that is not the meaning of modesty. Nor does it suggest that while the world today accepts the lack of clothing as acceptable that modesty is governed by the whims of modern man.

Modesty is regulated within the pages of God’s word. The Bible is the only book that outlines the measures of modesty in keeping with the character of God’s people. A Christian is a set apart person. They are not to measure their modesty by history, the present fashions of acceptability nor the agenda of a preacher or eldership. It must come from the word of God and the word of God alone. It is interesting how often modesty is discussed with closed Bibles. How can this be? If you want to know whether you are dressing in a modest manner – in keeping with your relationship with Jesus Christ – read the Book. And when someone teaches on the subject using the Bible as the guide book for admonishing clearer judgment on the matter then study the Book and make changes that reflect the character of God’s people.

Here is where we must all begin: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And that came right out of the Bible.

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. (Matthew 21:1-2)

The Donkey And The White Horse

Horses were not as common for daily use as was the donkey. Reserved for war the horse was a symbol of conflict. As Jesus approached Jerusalem with only days left in His ministry, He did not want to show the world He had come to bring war but peace. It was common for the donkey to be used as a symbol of peace as people lined the roads laying their clothes down in honor of the triumphal entry. Branches would also be laid in the road giving glory for the one honored. What a scene of conflict this must have been for Jesus as the people shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest” and within a short time the crowds would scream “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

His final trip to Jerusalem ended with His death at Golgotha. The disciples were scattered as the Jewish leaders scowled with hatred watching their enemy die a most horrible death. Peace would come to man on the first day of the week when Jesus rose from the dead. This time it would not be on a donkey but a horse. The apostle John in the Revelation describes Jesus triumphal entry on the pages of God’s word as riding a “white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses” (Revelation 19:11-14). The King of Kings and Lord of Lords brought final victory when He entered Jerusalem on a donkey with palm leaves of peace and left Jerusalem on a white horse having victory over death, Hades and Satan.

Thank God for peace and war. Thank God Jesus brings peace to man and war to Satan. Thank God for the common animal who symbolized peace and the fierce creature who symbolized victory. Thank God He raised His Son from the dead and gave all of us a peace that passes understanding guarding our hearts and minds and assured us of victory over death with a white horse and Him who sat upon it.

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

The Greatest Story Of All

We have been spending our time on Saturdays looking at various stories from the Bible. This book is filled to the brim with stories of love, hate, intrigue, revenge, compassion, heroism, failure, wars, miracles – every category known to man is in this book. It is important to remember the stories in the Bible are real people living in real time experiencing real events with real consequences good or bad. The Bible is a book of reality.

The ‘Bible’ received its name from the Greek word “BIBLIA” meaning “books” (diminutive from bı́blos, the inner bark of the papyrus). Written by forty different men over 1400 years it has become a collection of books from Moses writing the first five books to the apostle John’s revelation. Hebrew, Chaldean and Koine Greek were the languages of the original text. Jesus refers to the Old Testament (the same books we have today) as the “Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). The Bible was divided into chapters by Stephen Langton about 1228, the Old Testament was divided into verses by R. Nathan in 1448 and the New Testament by Roberts Stephanus in 1551. The entire Bible divided into chapters and verses first appeared in the Geneva Bible in 1560.

What is the greatest story in the Bible? The Bible is its own great story. Filled with stories it becomes the greatest story ever told. Early man had the stories of creation and the flood handed down through generations by word of mouth. Moses began the collection of books in writing the Pentateuch (Genesis – Deuteronomy). Through the centuries inspired men wrote books of law, history, poetry and revelation. When we pick up a Bible today we are picking up a message that is as old as the earth – in fact older.

If you are looking for a good story to read then you have come to a story no man could write. Guided by the Holy Spirit the pens of men inscribed upon the centuries of time the greatest story – His name is Jesus. The book of Genesis is about the Christ. Exodus permeates with the will of the Lord. In every book of the Bible the central figure is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is not about the Jews but the Savior they rejected. Filling the pages of the New Testament the Son of God burst upon the scene of humanity showing His love in His death. The Bible may be a collection of sixty-six books but it is one book with one story.

What is remarkable about the Bible is that if you lived as long as Adam (930 years) you will still not glean all the kernels of truth found in this great story. Do not let that discourage you. Let it challenge you. Learn all you can about the story from Creation to the “surely I am coming quickly” of the Revelation. Put things in place in time. Learn the story of the Bible and you will never be the same person. Get to know the characters, the places, the events, the stories, the message and your life will be filled with hope and peace.

Today is a great day to read a great story. Read the Bible.