What Are You Looking For?

Posted on January 17, 2025 by heatonkent

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)

What Are You Looking For?

Faith is the assurance of something not seen. The challenge of faith is to accept what is not seen as true and live with the assurance that what is not seen will come to pass. Faith has been the same from the beginning. Moses recorded the story of the creation of the world that took place eons before he was born. Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice because of his faith in the word of God. Enoch had such incredible faith that God took him home with Him. What did Noah understand about a global flood? Abraham lived believing in things he could not see, but every part of his life was faithful to what God said.

Moses wrote the story of Genesis through faith and then described his own birth and suffering of the Hebrews in Egypt. The book of Exodus tells the story of the Hebrew people who became the apple of God’s eye as the nation of Israel. Moses was born in a land that was cruel and harsh. Because the ruler of Egypt feared the rise of the Hebrew population, he ordered the baby boys born to the Hebrew women to be killed. The parents of Moses feared God more than Pharaoh and preserved the young child’s life. Through the providence of God, Moses was discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised as a prince of Egypt. He was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter with all the Egyptian hierarchy’s wealth, prestige, and honor. Moses was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a notable man who was mighty in words and deeds.

Few men lived such a favored life as Moses, son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He wore the finest clothes, ate the finest foods, and walked among the people as a man of great privilege. He knew he was a Hebrew and considered himself as the savior of his people. There was a seed planted deep within his heart that made him realize that all the trappings of the Egyptian world were vanity. When Moses came of age, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. To the shock of those around him, Moses turned away from the opulence, prestige, and honor to be called part of the family of the ruler of Egypt. He chose to share in the affliction of his people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of a sinful and corrupt world.

The quality of a man’s life is what he looks for. Moses had all the blessings and temptations of the world at his feet, but he needed something deeper. His relationship with the one true God brought him greater blessings than what the world could offer. Moses looked for something far more valuable than the world’s fleeting pleasures. Faith led him to look for an eternal reward. Life is short and full of vanity. It is sad how many people fill their lives to gain the whole world and lose their souls. They get what they are looking for, but at the end of life, they find an empty coffin of broken promises. Moses knew the value of seeking an eternal reward.

The quality of life is determined by what a person views and desires. Many seek after the wealth of the world with all its trappings. The desire for pleasurable fulfillment drives the carnal nature of the world. Human wisdom is the trap many fall into, believing that the greater the knowledge, the greater the happiness. Moses had everything the world could offer and more, but he knew there was more to life than what his eyes saw. His heart saw a greater prize in the upward calling of holiness and righteousness.

To find true happiness in life, turn your eyes to God. He will bless you with greater riches and knowledge than what the world offers. God will give you eternal happiness. What are you looking for? Whatever that is, you will find it. The question is, “Is it worth your soul?”

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What Is Sound Doctrine

Posted on January 15, 2025 by heatonkent

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

What Is Sound Doctrine?

When someone is considered to be of sound mind, they must have the mental capacity to understand and make rational decisions. A well-known motto in Latin is “A sound mind in a sound body,” representing the idea that a person who is both intellectually and physically active will be at the peak of good health. In Christianity, sound doctrine is often characterized by establishing doctrinal guidelines consistent with teaching in the Bible. Sound doctrine is the foundational teachings used to guide what is believed and practiced. Paul uses the idea of sound doctrine in a similar but contrasting idea of what is often thought of as important sound doctrine. The encouragement to Titus is to teach sound doctrine in the relationship of older men and women to younger men and women.

Doctrinal precepts are important to establish regarding salvation, worship, and daily living. Sound doctrine is also founded in the relationship found in the home, community, and church. Paul writes to Titus to exhort him to teach what accords with sound doctrine and that teaching is how the older men and women should conduct themselves as examples of godliness and holiness. In turn, older men and women should teach the younger generation the principles of righteousness and propriety. Sound doctrine is the interpersonal relationships developed between generations.

Older men are to be examples of the wholesome teachings of the Lord by showing sobriety, reverence, sensibility, grounded faith, examples of love, and being steadfast in their hope. Their influence over young men is to teach them to be sober-minded and have a pattern of good works. Young men must be grounded in the doctrines of Christ to show integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. They learn this from older men. Younger men must respect the older generation and seek opportunities to learn from them. This is sound doctrine in the church of the Lord.

Likewise, older women are godly examples of reverent behavior, not slanderers, showing self-control and teaching good things. The influence of older women on younger women is profound. They have enjoined their spiritual obligations to teach, instruct, and guide the younger women in the home. Older women are to admonish the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, and obedient to their own husbands. These principles of a godly home are taught best when shown through the life of older women living by the same rule.

Older men and women cannot retire from their service in the kingdom of God. As they grow older, they become teachers of the younger generation. That is the pattern of sound doctrine. A church established on sound doctrine encourages and molds the generational span between one generation and the other. It is also important for the younger generation to respect and honor the words of the older. Youth have the experience of non-experience that sometimes leads young men and women to ignore the advice of older men and women. God wants the generations to help one another grow in Christ. A strong and vibrant church is filled with those who seek sound doctrine in the relationships of older and younger.

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The Wisdom Of God

Posted on January 13, 2025 by heatonkent

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

The Wisdom Of God

God so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son to save men from sin. The love of God is unmerited for any man who seeks divine favor. Jesus testified to the Father’s love by dying on the cross. The apostle John wrote extensively about the love of God. There can be no question that God loves man and has done everything to offer a way of escape from His wrath. Long before Jesus came to earth, the wise man declared there was a special group of people whom God loved in a special way. God loves those who love His word and diligently seek His wisdom.

Solomon wrote many proverbs and received a special blessing of wisdom from the Lord. Throughout the proverbs, Solomon shows the power of wisdom rooted in the mind of God. God created man, and the only path to true happiness is found in the wisdom given by the Lord. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord that hates evil. Through a knowledge of the word of God, a proud and arrogant heart will not follow an evil way. Sound wisdom, understanding, and strength come from the One who established truth. By the knowledge of God, kings, rulers, princes, and nobles rule with divine justice and judgment. The wisdom from above is greater riches than the things of the earth.

Righteousness is established on those things that are right in the sight of God. The fruit of being righteous is of greater riches than gold and silver. When the wisdom of God possesses a man, he will find peace and safety. It is not in man to know what is right. The nature of man is carnal and self-serving. When the world follows the wisdom of men, they follow the way of unrighteousness because the spirit of man serves only the flesh. Divine wisdom establishes the heart of man to trust in the word of God. Righteousness is seeking the things that are true and holy from the word of God. This is where wisdom comes that will bring fulfillment to the heart of man.

God loves those who love Him because they seek after His wisdom. Wisdom loves those who love her and seek after her as the fruit of divine wisdom comes from God. The Bible is the manifestation of God’s wisdom to direct the footsteps of man. Reading and contemplating the Bible’s words will fill man’s heart with wisdom that will draw him closer to a divine relationship with His creator. God loves those who seek His word. The heart of the Lord is drawn closer to those who diligently seek Him because truth is found in His word. God and wisdom are inseparable. Righteousness is built upon the word of God.

The Bible is the mind of God. Everything a man needs to know who he is and why he is created is found in the pages of the Bible. No greater book can bring happiness and peace to the heart of man than what God has delivered to the world. The wisdom of God is better than all the riches of the world, and nothing can be compared to knowledge gained when a man spends time in the Book. God loves those who love His word and diligently seek divine knowledge daily. Read the Bible to know God. Find peace in the Bible. Seek the wisdom from above. Love God.

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Abounding In Christ

Posted on January 12, 2025 by heatonkent

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)

Abounding In Christ

Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” This principle is found in the scriptures for the disciples of Christ to abound more and more in their walk with God. There is never a time when Christians should become stale in their love for truth. Growing in Christ is a daily exercise of excelling more and more to know more, understand more clearly, plumb the depths of spiritual knowledge, and grow closer to the Lord. This takes commitment to excel in being the best person in Christ possible.

Walking in the Lord is a learned experience. Many things make that walk difficult because of the temptations of the world. Life brings its challenges to bear upon the faith of God’s people. If there is no active growth in the Christian walk, the walk will crawl to a stop. If no action is taken, the inactivity will kill the spirit of the Christian’s walk of life. When a parent notices their child not growing in proportion to their age, doctors are consulted with concerns about illness. Walking in Christ is a growth process demanding action on the part of the individual to find deeper meaning in the word of God.

The quality of the Christian life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence. The apostle Paul wanted the saints in Thessalonica to excel still more or to abound more and more in their faith. Being committed to excellence will hone the skill of searching for knowledge in the word of God to grow thereby. Through this process of growth, the babe in Christ matures, and they are able to take on stronger matters of faith. Babies begin receiving milk for sustenance because their bodies are adept for that. As the body grows, solid foods are introduced, and soon, the child is able to eat a stronger diet of food.

In the Christian life, everyone begins as a babe who receives the word of God like milk. In time, with much study and a commitment to excellence, the individual grows in their knowledge to handle aright the word of God with a greater degree of maturity and wisdom. The unique character of the Bible is that ten lifetimes could never begin to exhaust the knowledge of the word of God. There is always room for growth. The Bible is not a difficult book to understand. Why would God give the world something no one could read and understand? Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word.

The level of knowledge desired is a choice. To have greater knowledge, greater effort must be put forth. A commitment to excellence will grow the faith of the Christian into a deeper relationship with the Divine. From this knowledge comes greater blessings. Excel still more. Abound more and more. Grow. Seek. Knock. Ask. The heart that hungers and thirsts for righteousness will be filled.

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Making God My Dwelling Place

Posted on January 10, 2025 by heatonkent

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:9-11)

Making God My Dwelling Place

When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden planted eastward in Eden. Everything the man and woman needed was provided. The first couple could eat of every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When God placed man in the garden, He enjoyed a close relationship with His creation as He walked together with them. After the fall of man, the tragedy of sin was what was lost between God and man. Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they were afraid. They had not been scared before and had no reason to fear. Now, because of sin, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.

Jesus Christ came to restore the fellowship between God and man. The Gentiles could not find peace as a law to themselves, and the Jews proved man could not redeem himself by keeping the Law. What was missing in the world was the communion and dwelling with the Father. Peace and happiness can never be found in the heart of man until he makes God his dwelling place. A dwelling place is a more permanent residence. There will never be a relationship between God and man until the human heart decides to dwell in the presence of the Almighty God.

Too often, followers of Jesus want to enjoy the blessings of eternal life as long as not much effort is required. They are willing to believe in Jesus but will not commit their lives to His word. A dwelling place is not a hotel where someone checks in with convenience. To dwell with God is to make a determined effort to be a permanent resident. What is lacking in the weakened spirit of many Christians is the full commitment to serve the Lord God with all the heart, soul, body, and mind. Bearing a cross is not carrying a toothpick in the back pocket. Jesus did not have a wheel on the cross He bore. He fully committed Himself to the will of the Father because His heart found its dwelling place in the Father.

The only safe refuge is to make the Most High a dwelling place. When that happens, and only when that happens, will the protection of the Almighty and the Heavenly Hosts surround the person’s spirit. God’s army is ready to defend those who make God their dwelling place. The blessings of the Father are only given to those children who dwell in the house of the Lord. God has promised to provide His power to fight against the influence of Satan. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the protection of God against evil. Sin does not have dominion over those who dwell with God. Taking the armor of God will defeat the wiles of the devil. Dwelling with God requires wearing the right armament.

Dwelling with God brings faith to the struggling heart, knowing that all things work together for the good of God’s mercy and grace. Many saints suffered persecution and died for their faith in Jesus Christ. What the flames of persecution and the executioner’s blade could never diminish was where the heart of the person dwelt. When the heart has made the Most High his dwelling place on earth, the Most High will change that dwelling place near His bosom in the eternal kingdom of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Are you dwelling with God? Change your address if you have not made the Lord God your refuge and your dwelling place.

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In The Days Of His Flesh

Posted on January 9, 2025 by heatonkent

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (Hebrews 5:7-8)

In The Days Of His Flesh

God created man in His own image as an eternal being. As an immortal creature, man will never cease to exist. His flesh will decay and die, but not his spirit. When death comes, a man will lose his fleshly body and take on an eternal body to either enjoy the blessings of God’s presence or the horrors of eternal flame and darkness. It is difficult to comprehend fully the transition of flesh to everlasting life. What is a greater challenge is to know that God left His divine form to take on flesh. Jesus did not consider His equality with God to stop Him from the task the Father had for Him to come to the world they created and live in the flesh. The salvation of the world would come at the cost that God became flesh.

When Jesus came in the flesh, He was completely God and flesh. During His earthly journey, Jesus experienced all the things of the flesh as other men. He was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit and came into the world nine months later as a small infant. He had to learn to talk, walk, care for Himself, and engage with His brothers and sisters. His life was not as uncommon as the other children in Nazareth. He grew in the wisdom of men, the stature of the Lord, increased in height and weight, and had favor will all those who knew Him. In every sense of the word, Jesus was a model son and an example of holiness to the community. He was well known at the synagogue, where He read from the Law frequently. Life in the village of Nazareth was as common as any other man growing to maturity.

Everything changed for the carpenter’s son when He turned thirty years old. John the Baptist had been baptizing people near the Jordan, preaching repentance. Jesus came to John to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. Immediately, Jesus was taken into the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days. Afterward, He was hard-pressed by Satan directly. Rejecting the devil and his ways, Jesus began a public ministry that would take Him to a hill outside Jerusalem where He would die on the cross. For roughly three years, Jesus taught the people of God the coming kingdom. He performed thousands of miracles, healing untold numbers of people. No miracle ever failed. Jesus raised the dead and cast out evil spirits and demons. He challenged the Jewish leadership, and they had no answers for Him. Jesus had a mission, and the end was death.

Throughout the more than thirty years of His life, Jesus knew the burdens of the flesh. He hungered, needed water to drink, became tired and weary, and was often filled with the frustration of His disciples lacking faith. The Lord was patient with all men because He knew they could not understand His path. They could not know or understand the powerful image of the cross that would change their lives. After Jesus was arrested, they beat Him, spit in His face, mocked Him, and treated Him with contempt. Before nailing Him to the cross, Roman soldiers scourged Him in a very severe way. Jesus never uttered a word or called down the legions of angels to His rescue.

The Hebrew writer describes the tortuous life of Jesus as He suffered. In His prayers and supplications, Jesus cried out with prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who could rescue him from death. His Father remained silent. Jesus cried out with vehement cries. His tears consumed Him as He begged for mercy. He knew His Father would not answer His prayer because He could not. The suffering of Jesus was necessary, and God permitted it. God heard every cry and every tear Jesus uttered and remained silent. Jesus suffered in the flesh because He was flesh. In His suffering, He learned obedience and love. Jesus was obedient unto death because that is what the Father required. He learned obedience to the will of the Father by the things He suffered in the flesh. Everything Jesus did to save humanity was for the glory of the Father. Jesus died. He arose. Victory came because God came in the flesh.

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Follow Me Requirements

Posted on January 8, 2025 by heatonkent

Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:19-22)

Follow Me Requirements

Jesus lived a very austere life. He was born to a poor family from Nazareth and was known as the son of a carpenter. Nazareth was a town of no significance. When Jesus began His ministry, He owned no land, held no position in society, and did not come qualified with an education common only to the fortunate few. In the three years of His ministry, Jesus traveled around Israel with His disciples depending on the care of others like Mary Magdalene, Joanna (the wife of a steward of Herod), Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. It was a hard life.

Multitudes in the thousands followed Jesus. The man from Nazareth had many disciples, twelve of whom were chosen to be His apostles. Jesus would travel throughout Israel as far north as Tyre and Sidon to Bethany near Jerusalem. A scribe approached Jesus and proclaimed he would follow Him wherever He went. The motive of the scribe is unknown but suspicious. Did he want to declare his allegiance to Jesus for worldly gain? Did he have self-confidence that made him unsuitable for discipleship? Jesus’ answer lends to understanding the heart of the scribe. Following Jesus came with a cost. The Lord sought no earthly gain or fame. He had no place to call His own; although He owned everything in the world. Jesus did not have a home on earth.

Another came to Jesus wanting to follow Him but with conditions. Again, a heart desires to follow Jesus but only as life permits opportunity. The man asked permission to bury his father before committing to discipleship. In the days of Jesus, when a person died, they were buried the same day. A period of mourning for three days would follow, allowing family and friends to visit and comfort the family. Before the fourth day, the grave was sealed as the body began to take on physical manifestations of decay. The man asked Jesus to give him time to mourn for his father, and then he committed himself to Jesus.

The Lord was not being unkind or inconsiderate to the one seeking to bury his father. There was nothing more that could be done for the father. The three days of mourning were customary but unnecessary as the body could be buried and life returned to its normal activities. Following Jesus took the heart of a man committed to the Lord first without the world’s attachments. Family was important, but the work of the Lord was of greater importance. Jesus reminded the man in a gentle manner that following the Lord was sacrificial. The love of parents, siblings, spouses, or children could not be more important than the life of discipleship. To follow Jesus demanded full allegiance to the cause and work of the Lord.

Two men came to Jesus, desiring to be His disciples. What they did not count on was the cost of discipleship. The life of a Christian is the most wonderful and rewarding experience anyone can have. There are innumerable blessings, both physically and spiritually, that come from the hand of God freely. Desiring to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is the highest calling anyone can long for. Like the two men who approached Jesus, discipleship is also a discipline requiring a cost to be paid. The life of a Christian can be difficult. Living righteously in an unrighteous world is conflict. The carnal flesh and the spiritual heart are not compatible. If someone has followed Jesus and has never been challenged because of their faith, they have not been following Jesus.

The Christian life comes with a cost. Family is important, but it is not the priority. Allowing family matters to come in between service to God destroys the unity of the spirit. There are requirements to follow Jesus. It takes a dedicated heart to grow and learn in the knowledge of the grace of God. There will be times when hard decisions must be made for the glory of God. A Christian must live separate from the world. To follow Jesus is to put Jesus first – in everything. No exceptions. Are you ready to follow Jesus? It leads to the throne of God.

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The Scriptures Are About Jesus Christ

Posted on January 7, 2025 by heatonkent

And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 18:27-28)

The Scriptures Are About Jesus Christ

Apollos was a first-century disciple who learned the truth from two dedicated servants of the Lord who showed him the way to God. As an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures, Apollos was in the city of Ephesus teaching the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla took him aside to show him the scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Apollos was humble enough to listen to them and accept the teaching. He went to Achaia, teaching the scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, the Christ.

In the early days of the church, the scriptures used by the disciples contained only the books of the Old Testament. As the church grew and the Holy Spirit guided men to write letters and correspondence to one another, the canon of scripture began to be formed. What Apollos was able to do quite effectively was to argue that all the scriptures pointed to the message of Jesus Christ. He proved from the writings of the Old Testament that Jesus was the promised Messiah. From the scriptures, Apollos helped those in Achaia learn what to do to be saved, as revealed by the apostles through the Holy Spirit.

When the canon of scripture was complete, the message of God’s redeeming grace was fully revealed to all men. By the power of God, the Bible was formed into sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation. All of the words in the Bible are about Jesus Christ. Salvation is only found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everything points to and directs its message to how God loved the world to send His only begotten Son and, through His blood, redemption. The Bible is not a fairy tale. It is not a book of myths. The Holy Spirit warned of tampering with the story of Jesus Christ. No one should add to the message or take away from its purpose.

The Bible is the mind of God given to humanity to read and understand the will of God. Through a knowledge of the scriptures, false doctrines of men can be vigorously refuted. There is no fear the Bible can be contradicted. It can be denied, but it does not diminish its power. Human wisdom could not have devised such a book. All the attacks by critics are quickly dismissed. Truth is older than error, and the Bible stands on its own merits because it is the word of God. To know Jesus Christ, the Bible must be read and understood. No other revelations are given to the world to know what to do to be saved. The scriptures are about Jesus Christ.

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The Promises Of God Are Conditional

Posted on January 3, 2025 by heatonkent

Now He said to me, “It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.” (1 Chronicles 28:6-7)

The Promises Of God Are Conditional

David was one of the great kings of history, ruling over Israel for forty years. He was a man after God’s own heart, serving the Lord with faithfulness and love. David was a man who battled the demons of temptation and sinned gravely in the story of Uriah and Bathsheba. While his sin was great, his humble heart exalted him to the grace of God to have the penalty of death removed and forgiveness bestowed by a merciful God. David wanted to build a place of worship for his God, but his hands had shed much blood. The task of building the house of the Lord would be given to his son, Solomon.

God promised David that Solomon would rule over a kingdom that would last forever. During the days of Solomon, Israel reached a zenith never seen before. Like his father, Solomon ruled for forty years. Like David, Solomon struggled with his desires and temptations. The kingdom would fracture after his death, leading to a divided nation for two hundred years before Assyria took ten tribes into captivity. One hundred thirty-six years later, the final two tribes would be taken to Babylon as captives for seventy years. Israel would remain under bondage to other nations for six hundred years before the final destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The Lord promised David that Solomon would establish a kingdom that would last forever. His kingdom did not last forever. The Romans destroyed the final vestige of Israel. Israel has not been God’s nation for nearly two thousand years. When God told David He would establish the kingdom forever, it included the warnings that Solomon must be steadfast to observe the commandments and judgments of the Lord. Receiving the blessings of God demands obedience. All the blessings of God’s power would be given to Solomon but only conditioned on whether Solomon remained faithful. David’s son did not remain faithful.

Solomon became influenced by his many wives from Egypt, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The King disregarded the Law of Moses, prohibiting marrying foreign women. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines. They turned his heart to worship pagan gods like Ashtoreth, Molech, and Chemosh. Instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as David had done, Solomon turned his heart away from the Lord. He refused to follow the word of God faithfully. The promise of God was conditional upon the obedience of the heart of Solomon to observe the commandments and judgments of the Lord.

The blessings of God have always been contingent. Adam and Eve lived in the literal paradise on earth, but there were conditions. They could not eat the forbidden fruit. When they disobeyed the command of God, they were expelled from the garden. Israel was destroyed when they refused to follow the word of God. Obedience to the Word is where the blessings come. Solomon failed to obey, and the Lord withdrew His blessings. That same principle is rooted in the law of Christ. To receive the blessings in Christ, one must do the will of the Father. There can be no blessings if the heart is unwilling to accept and follow the commandments and judgments of God. Forgiveness of sins comes from obeying the gospel. The blessings in Christ are only found in Christ. Eternal life will only be given to those who do the will of the Father.

The promises of God are conditioned upon the faithful heart hearing and doing what God expects and commands. There are no blessings to those who live in the world as the world; refusing to follow the teachings of the Lord. Solomon was King of Israel and the son of David, but that did not give him a special place in the eyes of God when he refused to follow the word of the Lord. Without obedience, the kingdom was taken away. The Jews are no longer the chosen people of God because they refused to obey His will, and they orchestrated the death of the Son of God. Eternal life is conditional upon those willing to obey God’s word. Salvation can only come by obedience through the grace of God.

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They Knew Where The Messiah Was To Be Born

Posted on January 2, 2025 by heatonkent

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” (Matthew 2:4-6)

They Knew Where The Messiah Was To Be Born

The birth of Jesus was a mystery to the Jewish leaders, but not the Messiah’s place of birth. When the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, they inquired where the King of the Jews was born. They had seen His star in the east and desired to worship the young King. The Roman ruler, King Herod, called the chief priests and scribes of the people together, inquiring where this King was to be born. Without hesitation, the Jewish leaders told Herod the child would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. It was important to know which Bethlehem the prophets spoke because there was another Bethlehem.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. There was another Bethlehem, a town of Zebulun, six miles west of Nazareth. Micah the prophet, declared Bethlehem in the land of Judah to be the birthplace of the Ruler, who would shepherd the people of Israel. The question of where the Christ or Messiah would be born was established by prophecy seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus. The Jewish leaders were well acquainted with the prophecy describing the place of birth and the character of the Messiah. God had not hidden this knowledge from His people. Reading the prophet Micah revealed where Christ was to be born.

The wise men went to Bethlehem and saw the young child, Jesus, with his mother and Joseph. They were living in a house, and Jesus was about two years old. Warned by a divine dream not to return to Herod, the wise men departed for their own country another way. Herod sent his troops into the small village of Bethlehem and killed all the young boys two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Notably absent are the Jewish rulers who knew where the Christ was to be born. They never made a move to see who the child was the wise men were seeking.

Jesus’ birth was not what anyone expected. Joseph and Mary were poor Israelites without any notable pedigree to distinguish them. Carpenters were necessary, but they were a lower class of citizens. The town of Nazareth had no distinguishing significance. Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem because their lineage was from David. When arriving for the census, no rooms were available, and Mary was due to give birth. Jesus came into the world with no place to lay His head but a manger filled with straw. There were no high officials to welcome the King of the Jews. The people of Bethlehem were unaware of who the baby was. That night, shepherds from the field visited the new mother and saw Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths in the manger.

The Jewish leaders knew where the Messiah was to be born, but they did not know when. It had been seven hundred years since Micah made his prophecy. The visit of the wise men could have been a sign. God never intended for His Son to come into the world in the fashion that men are born to greatness, and that may have been what clouded their thoughts. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, when the Jewish leaders interrogated Jesus about His claim to be the promised Messiah, no one asked Him where He was born. The proof of the divinity of Jesus was known when the wise men came to Jerusalem. Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea – and the Jewish leaders were correct.

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