The Heaton File

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: (Philippians 1:1)

I Am A Saint

There are many reasons why we should call ourselves “Christians.” We wear the name of our Savior and no greater blessing can we share with others than to be known as people of Christ. One of the unique finds of the New Testament is to realize there is never given what we like to think of as an “official” name or title to the church or its people. The early writers referred to the church in many different names and when speaking of the people of God penned beautiful language describing the relationship with the Father. Paul frequently called his brethren “saints.”

The world has a narrow view of what a saint is. To most people the Catholic meaning of saint has taken away the Biblical impression of the true people of God. The real meaning has more to do with those separated to God than the character of a person. We are not saints because we are good. We are saints because God has set us apart to Himself. When we dwell in the presence of our Father then our character will mirror His grace and we will live in such a way to be worthy to be called saints.

Today let us think of our relationship to God and how He has separated us to be His special people. This is called grace. We do not deserve to be brought into the family of God but He loved us enough to open His door through Jesus Christ. We are saints because of HIS love and what a wonderful thought. When we think of ourselves as saints we can know how special we are to the Lord. I am His. He wants me to be with Him. His love is poured out in MY heart. The greatest thought of being a saint is the invitation our Father gives to us in asking us to live with Him in His presence – to see Him face to face.

Thank God I am a Christian because of the blood of my Savior. I am now set apart to be His own special person that He protects, guides, loves and blesses because I am a saint. When I learn how special this is then my life will change to be a life of purity and holiness. Thank you Father.

God creates out of nothing – wonderful, you say; yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful; He makes saints out of sinners. (Søren Kierkegaard, Journal, July 7, 1838)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. (Psalm 119:160)

The Sum

Math is not one of my strong points but I understand what it means when I see the word “sum.” The English Standard Version of scripture renders Psalm 119:160 as “The sum of your word is truth.” From the King James Version it reads “Thy word is true from the beginning.” There are some hard things to understand in the Bible. Psalm 119:160 is as plain as 1 + 1 = 2. Basic. Fundamental. Easy to understand. Powerful.

The psalmist makes a simple statement of profound knowledge. Looking at the word of God there is nothing else to consider in the realm of truth. The entire message of God from the beginning of time is truth. God is true. His word is true. The acts of God are true. Destroying the world in the days of Noah was right. Saving the nation of Israel shows the righteousness of God. Allowing His Son to come to earth and die for the misery of man was truth in flesh. Raising Him from the dead exalted His word as truth. Promising eternal life comes from His heart of love. Condemning the ungodly to Hell is the fulfillment of His righteousness. The entire message of His word is truth no matter what man says or does.

Understanding the sum of His words as TRUTH will be of no benefit if we do not avail ourselves of its message in my life. Man does not represent truth and is not reliable. The grace of God is He never lies and has never failed in ANY promise made. His word is truth and His righteousness is forever. Why would I not trust in Him? How can I deny His power in my life when He will never fail me? Do I understand everything God ask of me every day? No – but I can trust whatever He asks of me it will be good. Wow. What a way to live. No fear. No worries. All trust. All love.

Today is the middle of the week. Okay the week started good but maybe Monday and Tuesday were a little rough around the edges. That is fine – we have today. Trust Him more today than ever. Believe in His truth which never fails. He will not fail you today! That is truth! As you go through your day today remember this word: SUM. The entirety of His word is truth and it will guide you every day. And then when Uncle Thursday shows up tomorrow you just tell him you have a word for him: SUM! Try it out on Cousin Friday and sister Saturday. It makes a world of difference that word: SUM! Hum your Sum if you like. Make it a SUM day today.

The Bible may cause you to wonder, but it will never cause you to wander. (Selected)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

A House Of Merchandise

The foundation of man’s relationship with God has always been determined by his understanding of authority. It is not a glamorous subject and often neglected in teaching the importance of doctrine. However nothing is more fundamental than a need to follow the will of God in the manner prescribed by the Lord with no deviation to innovations of man. Noah built the ark according to the plan given to him by God. Any change in those instructions and the ark would never have gotten off the ground. When Moses was given instructions to build the tabernacle Jehovah expected the plans to be followed without the whims of man changing anything. The New Testament church was founded upon a plan devised by the Almighty and yet we find that pattern so corrupted today. This is especially sad when it finds itself within the pattern of the church today.

Paul explains to the church in Ephesus the pattern of authority within the local church. It is simple. It is direct. It is functional. It is God’s will. Comparing that to what many churches are doing today shows how far off course some have taken the body of Christ. Case in point: the following ad appears in a web site of a church of Christ – “Seeking candidates who have a master’s level degree in ministry and at least 5 years of experience working in justice and compassion ministry in a local church context.” This church also announced it will begin using instruments of music in their worship service this fall. In the list of ‘Ministry Opportunities’ the church includes “Worship, Dramas/Productions, Lead Prayer, Lead Communion Meditation, Read Scripture, Sing on Praise Team, Sing in Choir.” It is also advertised that there are openings for supporting the worship service through “Coffee Fellowship, Hospitality Ministry, Media Booth, Stock Supplies in Sanctuary.”

Read our text again for the day. Paul was an educated man but he gave all that up to serve Christ. There is nothing wrong with having a Master’s Degree but is that now a requirement to serve God? Many brethren have gone so far off course they have become a denomination of the religious world of man’s dogma. No longer satisfied with the simple pattern of righteousness the Lord’s church is being corrupted with the subtle influence of Satan. It is sad to hear of the family of God leaving the Father. Truth does not change. Man tries to change truth but it remains the same. Stay the course of truth – by the book! Reject innovations that are not found in the WORD OF GOD.

When the pulpit is used to glorify the preacher, when the music only shows off the singers, when church membership only enhances community status, when the prayer house becomes a play house, and when we come more interested in recreation than in re-creation, then the church becomes a house of merchandise. (Vance Havner)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. (Luke 4:28-30)

Anybody Seen Jesus?

It is one of the lesser known miracles of Jesus. He was about to be mobbed by an angry crowd and before any harm could come to the Lord He simply walked away from them without their knowledge. The people were filled with wrath at the boldness of the son of Joseph claiming to be the fulfilment of Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 49. They could not see Jesus as the Son of God because they knew Him as the son of Joseph and Mary growing up in Nazareth. It was the intention of the people to kill Jesus by throwing him over the cliff.

Imagine the scene: two men grab Jesus by the arms followed by a loud and boisterous crowd. The mob moves the Lord roughly out of the city and towards the brow of the hill. Their hearts are filled with rage and hatred. They plan to murder this man. Coming close to the cliff they begin to make plans on throwing them over. But then they look around and He is not there. They thought the other fellow had him. Where is Jesus? Confused faces. Accusations. What happened to the man we were going to throw over the cliff? Has anybody seen Jesus? Finally the perplexed crowd goes home. The stories that night at the evening meal were confused. “We took a man out to throw Him off a cliff and we lost Him.”

When men fill with anger they can’t see Jesus. Because of their spiritual blindness the people of Nazareth could not see the man before them as God’s Son. There are so many things that blind the hearts of men to Jesus. The miracle of Jesus’ disappearance was in accordance with the “hour” that had not yet come. When Jesus died it would be on God’s terms, not man. Still men refuse to see Jesus for who He really is and will try to destroy Him – but to no avail. Critics of the Holy Word have tried for centuries to discount the story of Jesus but it still lives. No one can change the plan of God. This was one of the great miracles of Jesus because He proves Who is in charge of this world. We serve a great God. He loved us enough to give us His Son.

In no one else in all history do you find an abiding hatred, an immortal hatred except against our Lord … The hatred against Christ has never weakened even after twenty centuries … because He is still an obstacle – an obstacle to sin, to selfishness, to godlessness, and to the spirit of the world. (Fulton J. Sheen, The Eternal Galilean, 1934)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. “O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:1-6)

For I Desire Mercy

Today is a day of worship. We will gather with fellow saints for a period of praise and honor to Jehovah God. Throughout the world the children of God will congregate in accordance with a pattern established by the early church. Faithful disciples will follow the simple pattern of authority laid down by the Holy Spirit. Adherence to the will of God will be recognized by the manner worship is patterned and carried out. And for many all this exercise of worship will be is a steel framework of commands rigidly kept in a mistaken idea that is all God desires. Worship is more than keeping commands the right way.

The text of Hosea was written when the children of God were in a state of rebellion to their Father. In their minds they thought all they needed to do is to do what the Lord commanded in the Law and God would just take them back because they were Law keepers. In fact it was the Lord who said to them your worship is as vain as a morning mist. What the Creator and Savior really wants is for the heart of man to be overwhelmed with the grandeur of grace from above and salvation by His hand.

It was God who ordained the laws of sacrifice but it was a means to capture the heart of the people. He established the requirements of the burnt offerings but what He was looking for was the personal relationship with His people. He desired mercy and the knowledge of who He was to them rather than the trivial motions of worship done without love.

Our worship today can be done with our eyes closed we have done it so many times. God wants our hearts to be open to Him today. When we sing songs today let the words and the music change our hearts. As the supper of the Lord is being passed do not allow it only to be a brief pause in the hour of worship to nibble some bread and drink some juice. Discern the body of Jesus Christ is wondering praise of what HE did on the cross. When the sermon is being presented treat it not as another half-hour-dull-time-to-bear-through but hunger and thirst after the words of God implored from His message.

Let worship today be a time of feeling the mercy of God. Allow the worship with fellow saints revive in the spirit of each one of us a deep desire to know everything we can about OUR FATHER. Make worship personal today. He desires this more than anything else.

Fruitful and acceptable worship begins before it begins. (Alexander MacLaren)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. (Acts 28:1-6)

Paul’s Viper

I don’t like snakes for a lot of reasons. First because it was a serpent that started the problems in the world via the devil. Second, the curse the Lord put on the serpent was to crawl on its body and be a symbol of evil is still pretty clear. Lastly, I just don’t like the slithery creatures even if they are not deadly. Our story today is a good story because there was one less snake in the world and that is a good thing I am sure.

A lot can be said about the inhabitants of Malta. Hospitality is at the top of the list as the strangers from the sea were in need of care. Like the despised Samaritan these natives went to a lot of effort to make comfortable two hundred and seventy-six people including a Roman Centurion and his prisoners. Jesus described the judgment in Matthew 25 as the sheep and the goats being separated. The basis of salvation was whether the individual was benevolent or not. The natives of Malta showed in their primitive understanding the need to care for others. We can do no less.

As Paul was starting a fire a viper came out and fastened on his hand. Unconcerned the apostle shook the viper into the fire suffering no harm. (Now that is one miracle I would like to have today). The natives were certain Paul was a murderer and waited for him to die but what they did not understand is the one true God had a plan for Paul and it would not be dismissed because of a snake. There is an interesting parable to this story. The Lord was sending Paul to Rome and nothing was going to hinder God’s plan. Jesus came to earth to save man and the Old Serpent was not going to hinder God’s plan for redeeming man either. At the cross the Son of God shook the power of the devil into a fire reserved in judgment. The miracle of Paul on Malta is nothing compared to the miracle of salvation brought by God against Satan.

Paul’s brush with a viper was part of the plan of proving the message of Christ through the working of miracles. As the shipwrecked crew spent three months on Malta many miracles were done confirming the word preached by Paul. Today we have the miracles recorded so we can believe in the same word and find redemption through Jesus Christ. We can shake the power of Satan into the fire. His bite will not kill us today. We will suffer no harm from the greatest viper of all because we have the blood of Jesus flowing through our veins. Now that is a great story.

The devil’s cleverest wile is to make men believe that he does not exist. (Gerald C. Treay, The Devil, 1952)

Florida College Lectures – 2013

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all! (Job 16:2)

The Advice Of Friends

It goes without saying that Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar were not the source of encouragement needed by the man called Job. His tragic story is told of the loss of his wealth and death of ten children compounded later by the loss of his health. Nothing could prepare him for the onslaught of criticism from his friends that belittled him and charged Job with being a hypocrite. A fourth person quietly listened to the barrage of unkind advice from the three friends until he spoke up in anger against the condemnation leveled against Job. In the end it was the Lord who had the final word as the breath of God consumed them all as a whirlwind. He accused Eliphaz and his two cohorts of speaking against what is right and demanded they make sacrifice while Job prayed for them. The Lord restored Job’s losses and gave him twice as much as what he had before.

Peeking behind the curtain we saw the story of Job unfold from its beginning with Satan making charges against God about Job. We saw the misery this wonderful man of God had to endure and our disgust at the horrible manner he was treated by his friends. But I can’t help but think that while we look at the book of Job as the central theme of victory over suffering it is also clear a lesson on friendship gone awry. It is easy to sit back and judge Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. But I have been where they put themselves with Job. I have been critical and unkind in judgments made of others. No one this side of heaven knew the real reason Job lost everything. The mistake his friends made is they thought they knew the answer. They were not bad friends. They were friends who mourned what happened to their friend and tried to find the right words – failing miserably.

True friendship requires patience, love and understanding whether we understand or not. The story is told of a father who was sitting in a restaurant quietly by himself while his children were raucous and loud. He seemed detached from what was going on around him. Finally, in anger a man approached the father and berated him for allowing his children to act in such a manner and not taking action. Asked why the father was being so inconsiderate a grieving father looked up in tear stained eyes explaining he was trying to find a way to tell his children their mother died. There was a story. In the book of Job there was a story the friends did not know. It is clear they should have taken the higher road with their friend Job but they did not. I have found myself on the same path.

Let us learn to be a good friend who seeks to comfort others measured by the compassion we have for a story that may be unknown to us. There are so many times we don’t know the right thing to say and often the right thing to say is nothing. But when we venture to speak may our hearts speak before our lips.

To love, if we study the revelation of Jesus’ behavior, means to desire for any individual, at any cost to himself or us, his release to growth. (Winifred Kirkland, The Man of the Hour, 1942)

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:16)

We Have The Whole Book

For most of us it is not unusual to have a Bible in the home. In many homes there are multiple copies. Technology has advanced so much the whole Bible can be found on our smart phones, computers, IPads and internet. Never in the history of man has the revealed word of God been as available to man as it is today. I am not sure how many languages the Bible has been translated into but it must be more than we can imagine. In the days of Paul this was not true. The ‘Old Testament’ as we call it was in complete form. Jesus referred to it as “the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” The ‘New Testament’ was in the process of being written.

What is so important about our text today is to realize the churches of the first century had to borrow letters from one another. We know that books like Colossians is written to a church in the city of Colosse; Ephesians to the church in Ephesus; Philippians to the body of Christ in Philippi; and so forth. There are many letters and epistles of Paul (for example) we do not have today. But what we do have to day is the whole collection. The completed revelation of God’s redemption of man. I can only imagine what Paul would have done with the mode of transportation today along with a Bible in his hand!

The early churches had to share letters from one another and the gospel was spread all over the world. We have the Bible from Genesis to the Revelation in one book – how are we doing with that? They did not have computers to write letters to one another and yet they spread the gospel everywhere. Everything was written by hand on parchments. We have the whole book. How are we doing with that? May we use the blessing of the completely revealed word of God to share with our neighbors in spite of the fact that – unlike in the early church – we have the whole book.

If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn’t. (Vance Havner)

March 9, 2015

Host: Kent Heaton

Guest panelist: Kevin Heaton and Steve Peeler

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