Unwilling To Change

Posted on November 6, 2013 by heatonkent

Unwilling To Accept Changebible_and_prayer 

The sect of the Pharisees was embedded into the Jewish culture when Jesus began His ministry. They held power and prestige among the people and were granted certain privileges by the Romans (John 11:48). When John the Baptist and Jesus began to challenge their position it became evident a conflict would take place. It was not the design of the Lord to target the Pharisees because Jesus came to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). However, the work of redeeming man would challenge the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders who had used the Law of Moses as a foundation of tradition that had become a law to itself.

In Mark 7 the traditions of the Pharisees was put in the spotlight when they complained to Jesus about His disciples not washing their hands when eating bread. Jesus replied, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men– the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition’” (Mark 7:2-9). The Lord goes on to say their traditions have made “the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down” (Mark 7:15). The anger of the Pharisees would come from their unwillingness to see the truth of the word of God. Instead they felt secure in their traditions practiced over the generations.

The heart of the Pharisees was bound to a law of tradition based upon commandments of men. It was a good practice to wash the pitchers and cups and to wash hands before eating. But when the normal things of life have been elevated to “this is the only way to do something” then a common matter has become a spiritual matter. Jesus was not against cleanness but He was against making the opinions of man to be commands of God. The Pharisees would be unwilling to change their traditions and led to the death of Jesus for envy (Mark 15:10).

Jesus had told them the problem with their hearts was the failure to see what the word of God taught. Holding to tradition can lay aside the commandments of God. The way something has been done will take precedence over what the Bible really says. Often people find themselves doing something not because the Bible says anything about it but this is the way things have been and we are unwilling to change. Why did they reject Jesus? He was not what they expected because their traditions had created a false view of God’s word and they were blinded by their own religion instead of seeing clearly the Law of Moses (Luke 4:16-30). When the Jews sought to kill Jesus He reminded them, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).

The covers of our Bible’s may be worn with use but the pages of God’s word should always be new. Each time we open the scriptures it should a new discovery, a new challenge and a new hope. It becomes very easy to be so comfortable with the Word that we become lazy in our approach and studies to the point that we find ourselves following more tradition than scripture. Often we may hear the plea to “speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent” and yet find ourselves confident of our own traditions and unwilling to change. Is there any generation that has “the market cornered” on the whole message of God? We have been given all truth (Jude 3) but the examination of that truth will take every generation of man until the coming of the Lord. If we are not careful we will find ourselves in the same sandals of the early Pharisees who follow more after cultural tradition than what is found in scripture.

Each day with the word of God should be the beginning of a new discovery and a fresh approach to the oldest message known to man. This does not suggest that changes are necessary in what we may believe yesterday but rather the affirmation that what I believe today is from God not man. I believe that baptism is a part of man’s obedience to salvation today as much as I believed it twenty years ago. But I do not believe it today because it is a part of the culture of tradition handed down from my parents. It must be new in my mind each time I open Holy Writ and offers a new view of how wonderful the grace and mercy of God has afforded me the blessing of being resurrected with Christ. This affirms my faith. But what of traditions I have held because of the cultural views of the church in the past fifty years? Can I be unwilling to change those cultural traditions because I have accepted them as truth above the word of God? Often we find ourselves bound by tradition and not command and unwilling to change.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He realized the importance of going beyond tradition and when he came to Jesus in John 3 he shows a pattern of truth that we must follow: Nicodemus asked Jesus! He did not consult his fellow Pharisees or friends but went to the living word of God. Saul of Tarsus came to the same conclusion when he gave his life in devotion to Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:4-11). The people of God must be people of the book. Our lives, our worship, our service and our faith must come from only one source. It is time for the American culture of God’s people to realize that Jesus was not an American but the Son of God for all men. His truth has not changed. His word has not changed. Our love of God must be rooted in the word of God alone. The church of God must stand for the foundation described in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11. “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

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Polyamorous

Posted on October 26, 2013 by heatonkent

AP0502Polyamorous

Polyamorous is such a new word that the dictionary spell check did not recognize it. However the concept of the meaning for “polyamorous” is nearly as old as the existence of man on earth. By definition it pertains to “participation in multiple and simultaneous loving or sexual relationships” (Dictionary.com). Polygamy is a similar word suggesting more than one husband or wife. The meaning of ‘amorous’ is to express romantic love or sexual attraction. Polyamorous is by definition an acceptance of having several ‘partners’ in a loving or sexual relationship. You can put a bow-tie on a rattlesnake but when all is said and done you still have lethal creature that will kill you. Sin is like that too.

The prophet Isaiah defined “polyamorous” in Isaiah 5:18-21. “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as if with a cart rope; that say, ‘Let Him make speed and hasten His work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it.’ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) as man tries to redefine what the Creator has deemed wrong. God defines polyamorous couples as adulterers.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of the vanity of man seeking the fulfillment of the fleshly passions. A polyamorous couple is interested only in the selfish desires of their own nature. Love as defined by these couples is suggested as a pure kind of love and yet by their own admission (including studies of such couples) the one factor they cannot deal with is innate in man: jealousy. Jehovah created Adam and Eve; not Adam and Bob and Eve or any other combination. Even the allowance of multiple wives in the Old Testament was fraught with jealousy (Sarah & Haggar; Leah & Rachel).

Jesus Christ defined the marriage relationship as one man and one woman in Matthew 19 and the apostle Paul confirmed this in almost all of his epistles. Sexual immorality is condemned by the Lord on every level. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Society may say that fornication, adultery, homosexuality and sodomites are accepted but the Lawgiver condemns them; and “there is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12).

Man is not the judge but the word of God is the judge. Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). Polyamorous couples will never find the happiness they seek no more than homosexuals or sodomites. Committed love is found when a man and woman love one another as God has created in the family element.

Satan beguiles us in thinking that if you just paint something a different color it will change the nature of the beast. He is a master craftsman at his trade but people of God will see through the layers of deceit and reject him at every turn. Call it whatever you like (poly-this or poly-that) but it is still what it is. “Let God be true but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

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Twenty Bullets For A Christian

Posted on October 23, 2013 by heatonkent

Twenty Bullets For A Christian
Romans 12:9-21

  • Loving
  • Abhorring
  • Clinging
  • Kind
  • Honoring
  • Lagging not
  • Fervent
  • Serving
  • Hopeful
  • Patient
  • Praying
  • Distributing
  • Hospitable
  • Blessing
  • Rejoicing
  • Weeping
  • Humble
  • Regarding
  • Peaceable

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2)

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Lay It Aside And Leave It Alone

Posted on October 21, 2013 by heatonkent

Lay It Aside And Leave It Alone

After working in the orange groves as a young man the idea of laying aside dirty clothes is vivid memory. The summers were spent hoeing, grafting, burning, trimming, fueling, spraying and everything conceivable Mr. McIntosh could imagine to get his ten pounds of flesh out of those Heaton boys. We did not earn a lot of money but we earned our money. I think it would have been better for mom to simply burn our clothes at the end of the day. I grew up in a time when we had our “Sunday-go-to-meeting” clothes and they were taken care of very carefully. Shoes were to be polished, shirts pressed and pants clean. Hair had to be combed (if daddy left any on our head) and faces washed. Quite a contrast to the grimy filthy boys that came in from the groves.

James exhorts the people of God to “lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). In the spiritual sense the challenge is removing the soiled garments of dirty morality and the malignant filth of sin to embrace the pure apparel of godliness. After working in the groves all day it was quite a blessing to return home to bathe and wash away the sweat and dirt of the day. A renewed and spirit of peace swept over the body. As we remove the filth of sin in our lives we will find a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Laying aside sinful activities is a choice. It will not remove itself on its own. We have to make choices that will remove the sinful things from our lives. Often in scripture the Lord reminds His people to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22); “flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18); “flee these things” (1 Timothy 6:11); “abstain from” (1 Peter 2:11); “no longer should live” (1 Peter 4:2); “take heed” (Luke 21:34). We make that choice to remove sin from our lives. Laying it aside is to remove it from its power of influence over me. It might be drastic measures as Jesus exhorted in Matthew 5:29-30. The idea is that we should remove anything that would cause us to sin – no matter what it is.

Can you live without the internet if it causes you to stumble (Matthew 5:28)? Is it possible to give up a career when it is destroying your faith (Matthew 6:33)? How important will your friends be in judgment that hinders your growth in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:33)? Would you be willing to serve the Lord as a spiritual eunuch because of an unlawful marriage (Matthew 19:11-12)? Removing sin in our lives will bring about a greater blessing in every part of our lives. The implanted word cleans our minds and our souls with the purity of God’s grace as we bathe in the glory of His divine will.

Only with the implanted word will the spiritual surgery of removing sin take place. Paul illustrates the need of laying aside and receiving with meekness the implanted word exhorting brethren “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). The word of God is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, full of goodness and virtue and should be imbedded in the lives of every child of God. Implanting the word or grafting the new growth into the old growth will bring about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Laying filthiness and wickedness aside also suggests that we leave those soiled garments where we left them – aside. Sin should not be the prosthetic of our lives that we lay aside and pick up again and lay aside and pick up again. The Hebrew writer admonished the failing Hebrew Christians to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). No runner can run the race when encumbered with undue weights and hindrance. Sin so easily entangles itself in our lives and the only way to run true is to run free. Our troubles often come when we try to run the race and picking up old habits or refusing to lay aside burdens that hinder our growth.

In the new man we “cast off the works of darkness” (Romans 13:12) and “put off concerning your former conduct” (Ephesians 4:22) running with sin laid aside and left alone. We put away lying, anger, stealing and filthy language (Ephesians 4:25-31; Colossians 3:8-9). Leave them where we left them – aside. Paul writes in Colossians 3:5 that putting aside is to kill the spirit of sin. “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” How often do we just wound sin and lay it aside to pick it up again one day. Putting something to death is to take the life out of it. Lay sin aside as something dead in your life. Do not pick it back up.

The implanted word is life. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). Through the word of God we learn how to put aside sin. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalms 119:11). Putting sin aside requires knowledge and leaving sin aside requires knowledge. Through the power of God we can defeat sin and refuse to allow it to have dominion over our lives (Romans 6:14). Putting filthiness and wickedness aside is to not present our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness to sin but walking unhindered by the weight of sin (Romans 6:13). Growing in the grace of Jesus Christ will increase our strength to remove the hindrances of Satan’s darts and walk boldly with confidence. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil” (Isaiah 1:16).

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Kingdom Citizens

Posted on October 18, 2013 by heatonkent

Kingdom Citizens

“If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world” (Vance Havner). The biggest challenge for the Christian is to realize the world about him is not his home but his home is the world about to come. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).

We are citizens of Heaven! Our passport does not read “Earth.” Traveling in a foreign country one is always aware they are not of the land. They do not speak the same language, follow the same culture, and look forward to the day when they can return home. The Christian is a heaven national with all ties to the King of Kings. We serve His law and live by His decrees. Heaven bound people do not speak the language of this world nor follow the culture of Satan’s realm. As children of God we are foreigners in the land of this earth.

We are longing citizens. Our life is on the earth by virtue of time but we look to the day when time will be no more and we are able to go home. As we look at the world around us we desire to be clothed with a greater glory. Only the people of God can see the realities of mortality – it is but a fleeting moment. The earth “is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Longing for Christ to return helps us see through the eye of faith that only those who abide in God will live forever. Our eagerness comes from taking our eyes off worthless things and seeking the things that are above where Christ is (Colossians 3:1).

We are transformed citizens. When we obeyed the gospel we changed our lives to conform to the image of the Son of God (Colossians 3:10). In death we will be transformed into the eternal image of God (1 John 3:1-3). Citizens of Heaven will leave the portal of time and change into the glory of infinite glory as the saved. Transformation there requires transformation here. Without transformation here there can be no transformation there. We are people of God fighting the good fight of faith receiving the crown of life in victory. The good news is the war has been won (Revelation 20:10-21:4). Lord, come quickly.

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Lead Me Not Into Temptation

Posted on October 16, 2013 by heatonkent

OTPE42Lead Me Not Into Temptation

When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit in the garden Satan gained a foothold in the souls of men that will continue until the coming of the Lord. His influence, power and cunning plans lay siege to the hearts of men filling their minds with the pernicious desires of his evil seduction. The devil is ruthless in his abandon of destroying every person created in the image of God. Jesus acknowledged the success rate of the old serpent would be the large part of humanity (Matthew 7:13-14). This will include some of the children of God who at one time threw off the shackles of unrighteousness and now find themselves returning to wallowing in the mire of ungodliness and the vomit of wickedness (2 Peter 2:20-22).

Peter was very familiar with the devil breathing down his neck as he struggled to fight off the “sifting” of Satan (Luke 22:31). In his second epistle Peter contrast the blessings of God with the challenge of Satan and exhorts his fellow pilgrims to resist the allurements of evil. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever” (1 Peter 5:6-11). Resisting the devil requires humility and submission to the Father. The Lord will give us strength to overcome sin because the Lord cares for us. Our task is to be of sound mind and realize the dangers that lurk from a roaring lion waiting to devour our lives in sin. We are not alone in this struggle and through our suffering of temptation will be made perfect, established in our faith and given the strength to overcome.

Jesus shows the avenue of overcoming the devil when he taught the multitudes on the mountain how to pray. Prayer is pleading the promises of God and the Lord has promised we can overcome Satan if we try. Prayer is humbling us before God to ask His strength to overcome temptation. Our resistance to Satan comes from the power of God in our lives. “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:13). Our Father will not lead us into temptation to sin. He disciplines us through trials to strengthen our hearts for greater service (Hebrews 12:3-11). We fall into temptation when we jump headlong into the waiting arms of Satan. Praying this prayer will not magically keep us from temptation because we have to do our part. God will do His part to keep us from the evil one.

Paul reveals the character of our Lord when he writes how to overcome temptation. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:12-14). We should not be so smug to think we can defeat Satan alone. Pride brings shame and destruction (Proverbs 11:2; 16:18). Every man and woman is tempted and every temptation is not something new. If sin had an “AA” meeting it would be filled with every human being on the face of the earth. Temptation is the common lot of every person. No one is exempt. Our frailties cannot be used as an excuse to say that “no one understands the trials I have” or that “I was made this way and can do nothing about it.” No one can plead innocence when it comes to sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

God is the faithful one that for His children will not leave them without the power to overcome the Adversary. The faithfulness of the Lord is sure and steadfast. “It is impossible for God to lie; we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18-19). Jesus Christ is the gift given by the Father for all men to find relief from the pains of temptation. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is the assurance God has given to me that He will not allow sin to have dominion over me. Here is the plain truth: I WILL NOT BE TEMPTED BEYOND WHAT I AM ABLE TO BEAR. That is not a maybe or a possibility or a wish; it is reality. The reason I sin is because I choose to do so.

In the prayer on the mountain Jesus affirms the promise of the Father by teaching us to plead that we be not led into temptation. Yet we choose to do so against the Father’s will. Facing the roaring lion and feeling the breath of his hatred to the bottom of our souls a way of escape is offered. When we fail to take the avenue of escape we fall prey to temptation and sin. God will always (and He means always) make a way of escape so that we can escape the snares of the devil. We sin because we make that choice. We sin because we fail to take advantage of the means of escape given by the Lord.

James examines the nature of sin and temptation in his epistle. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:12-17). The happy man is the one who has prayed for the Father not to lead him into temptation and to deliver him from the wicked one; who believes that God will not allow him to be tempted beyond what he is able to bear and takes the opportunity to follow the way of escape. The man who endures temptation has succeeded on all levels. But then there are those times of failure.

Drawn by the desires of the flesh and seduced with pleasure sin conceives in the heart and without aborting the embryo of Satan sin is born. When left unchecked sin can bring about death. Allowing sin to continue in life without purging the temptations from life will destroy the soul. Throughout the process the Father has offered His help and His power to overcome. Whether one accepts or rejects the blessings of God will determine the outcome. In the final analysis we sin because we want to sin. God does not tempt us but offers a way of escape. We are tempted when “WE” are drawn away and when “WE” choose to follow the path of least resistance. The justice of God’s punishment for sin is He has given His only begotten Son to “redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). No one can blame God for their sin. No one can blame God for temptation. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Paul understood the awful nature of sin when he admitted, “O wretched man that I am” (Romans 7:24).

Until man comes to grips with the responsibility of his own sins he will never enjoy the blessings of a forgiving Father. David said what we all must say. “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). He later writes in the psalm, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight — that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge” (Psalms 51:3-4). His sin with Bathsheba was because he failed to take the way of escape offered by the Lord when he stood on the rooftop of his house. He sinned because he allowed the seed of passion to give birth in his desire for Bathsheba. The tragedy of his wickedness led to the death of one his mighty men and the husband of Bathsheba. His legacy of sin was noted even in the writing of Matthew hundreds of years later (Matthew 1:6). David sinned and bore the penalty of his sin.

Nathan brought home the sin of David but he also brought to the heart of David the mercy of God. “And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die’” (2 Samuel 12:13). Sin will not have dominion over those who seek the mercy of God. As sin is the common lot of all men found in the mercy of God is His love. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). God is faithful to offer a way of escape and He is faithful that when we fail He is willing to forgive us and to remove our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). A repentant heart realizes the sting of death and how terrible our rebellion is to our heavenly Father. What a wonderful God we serve that He is willing to receive the prodigal home. The mercy and grace of God is limitless when we come before His throne in penitent hearts. His cleansing is full and complete.

The good news is that sin will end one day. In death the child of God is released from its hold and when the Lord returns sin will be destroyed (Revelation 20:10-15). Sin is temporary as Satan knows his fate. The glory of heaven will be filled with the “overcomers” who worship a Father full of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23). “Enter in” – the most wonderful words a man can hear. Lord come quickly.

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The Ear And The Eye

Posted on October 10, 2013 by heatonkent

AP0715The Ear And The Eye

“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12).

There is design in the creation of the body. Aside from the esthetic beauty of two ears and one mouth (as opposed to one ear and two mouths) there is a divine message in the hearing ear and the seeing eye. The Lord has made the body in such a way that we should use our hearing and our seeing before we use our mouths.

THE HEARING EAR. It seems that many people hear with their ears but do not hear with their ears. Elihu said the “ear tests words as the palate taste food” (Job 34:3). Jesus exhorted, “He who has an ear let him hear” (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). God designed the ear that it should be used for hearing more than just sound but the ability to discern what is being said in harmony with a sound mind. James gets to the root of the problem when he writes, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). We like to be slow to hearing and swift to speaking! Taking time to be holy is taking time to listen twice as long as we speak. Someone said that God has given man two hears to hear more than we speak.

THE SEEING EYE. Learning to listen comes from training the eye to see and hear. As the ear is closed to listen the eye is open to gain a foothold in the pride of the heart. Righteousness requires the eye to be trained to discern the right things to say. The Lord designed the eye to see clearly the needs of others. Jesus looked upon people with compassion and His eyes were always seeking the good that could be found in them. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). The seeing eye of Jesus was upon the needs of the people. They eye is important to the ear so that we can listen and perceive how to help others.

THE HEARING EAR AND THE SEEING EYE. The body has been designed in perfection (Psalm 139:14). Ears serve to take in sound as the eye unveils the needs before us that will be blessed when the mouth opens in truth. With two ears and two eyes the mouth should be outnumbered. The tongue becomes unruly (James 2) when we use the mouth more than the ear and the eye. Let’s learn to listen with our ears and see with our eyes so that when the mouth is engaged it will only speak what we have heard and what we have seen. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalms 19:14).

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Job’s Wife And Three Friends

Posted on October 8, 2013 by heatonkent

NTPE11Job’s Wife And Three Friends

Little is known of the wife of Job but it is easy to see what a blessing it was to be married to a man who was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). She lived in the opulence of the man who was the “greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:3). Her life was filled with the glory of God sharing the blessings of seven sons and three daughters. When Satan came against Job he touched the lives of the servants lost in the destruction and the heart of Mrs. Job. She suffered the loss of animals and servants and the lives of ten children along with her husband. The crushing blow of poverty was felt in her heart as she saw the work of her husband’s hands disappear and the possessions they enjoyed together taken away. The death of children born of her womb would have been more than anyone could endure. But Satan was not finished. He then came and inflicted a most horrible malady on Job personally. “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7).

The wise man wrote, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4). Job’s condition was so awful that when his friends came to visit they could hardly recognize him. “And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven” (Job 2:12). Job’s wife loved her husband and to see him in such a state would have been beyond the breaking point of endurance. Job 2:9 tells us she “said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” (Job 2:9). In the Garden of Eden Satan came to the woman deceiving her and getting man to sin (Genesis 3; 1 Timothy 2:14); in the story of Job Satan attacks Job and causes the woman to sin.

It is a remarkable irony how we charge Job’s wife in her outburst of “curse God and die” and yet being honest with ourselves find it difficult to witness all that happened to the man you love and not have a reaction of horror and fear. That is what Satan does to us. Job endured the temptation and while he challenged the Lord (bringing the wrath of God upon him); the wife of Job also had her “demons” to battle. And she lost. And so do I – so often. The story of Job’s wife is not about Job 2:9 but Job 42:12-13 – “Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters.” Job’s wife came through the tragedy and was blessed like Job. Her faith remained in her trust for God. Her life was blessed with ten children and prosperity and a husband who was no longer afflicted. She did okay.

Examining the life of Mrs. Job may well reflect our own fear that we would find ourselves more often in her shoes rather than the place Job found himself. She told her husband to curse God and die and it could have been the heat of the moment in her sorrow and love for her husband or her heart could have turned against God. But the end of the story is the key to seeing her life in proper perspective. She remained faithful to God in her frailty. She made a mistake but the Lord forgave her and blessed her.

The three friends of Job made a similar mistake. Their advice and counsel was wrong. They were overwhelmed in grief when they saw their friend and could hardly recognize him. Job remained steadfast in his character but they did not. But the end of the story is the grace of a loving God. “And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.’ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job” (Job 42:7-9). Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar repented and found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

The story of Job is about God’s forgiveness to all of us who do not understand what is happening in the world and why things happen to us and “why me” and “this is not what I wanted life to be” – and the Lord gently telling us “’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6). Job’s wife and three friends are true character studies of those of us who struggle with sin and often lose the battle. Paul struggled mightily with sin (Romans 7:13-25). The apostle Peter is known for his mistakes. But the grace and mercy of God is willing to forgive my sins and bless me with His kindness and long suffering. Thank you Lord for your abundant measure of forgiveness in my frailty. Thank you for examples like Job that walk among us today who show the character of righteous strength enduring unbelievable heartache and yet faithful to the Lord.

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They Have Killed The Servants

Posted on October 8, 2013 by heatonkent

AP0208They Have Killed The Servants

The story of Job is a canvas filled with pain, suffering, sorrow, doubts and questions of the character of God. It is a sweeping panorama examining the fury of Satan upon a righteous man and the grace of the Lord toward a man who kept his trust in the Lord in the face of insurmountable odds. As the story unfolds Satan presents himself before the Lord and asked if God’s grace is too confining for Job. Granted permission to inflict sorrow upon Job the devil test his lie against the character of an unsuspecting Job. Reading the text we learn how Job lost five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred female donkeys to the Sabeans; seven thousand sheep were burned alive by the “fire of God”; and the Chaldeans stole his three thousand camels. Following these tragic events the children of Job were killed in a storm when the house collapsed around them.

There can be no words to describe the horror of heart Job would feel receiving the news of this destruction of his herds and then the deep grief of digging from rubble the dead bodies of his children. “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (Job 1:20-22). Lost in the story as focus turns to Job and his wife is the other story of sorrow when the reports of the herds of Job being stolen or destroyed: “indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword” (v15); “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them” (v16); “and killed the servants with the edge of the sword” (v17).

It is unknown how many servants died in the carnage of Satan’s touch but considering the servants needed to care for 11,500 animals it would be a significant number. From this number add the number of families impacted by the death of their loved one. The slaughter of the servants was felt in every family where there was a husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, etc. Death filled the land in a dread that shocked even the friends of Job. The grief of Job was not just for his children but for his servants. A just man mourns the untimely death of those that serve him because he knows the real cause is Satan. Job was unaware of the reason these calamities were coming upon him but he knew in all things Satan would be charged and not God. Death is a penalty from communion with Satan. The stench of death is the fragrance of the devil. As Job surveyed his home and his possessions he clearly saw the working of Satan and would not hold the Lord accountable. How would he comfort the families of the servants lost in death?

The sting of Satan’s fangs never inflicts a small wound. The curse of his touch is widespread. As ripples in a pond the penalty of sin flows over the lives of untold numbers. Eating the forbidden fruit in the garden (Genesis 3) did not hurt only Eve and Adam but the generations of men that followed. Death blackened the world with a grip of hopelessness. Noah witnessed firsthand the reaching consequence of Satan when the Lord destroyed “all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land” (Genesis 7:22). Satan not only destroyed the family of Job he killed the servants of Job. “They have killed the servants” is the plaintive cry of every generation of men as the flood of Satan’s work fills the earth with all “unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful” (Romans 1:29-31).

The nature of sin today remains the same as it was in the Garden of Eden. Homes broken in divorce sever relationships through children, parents and untold hosts of friends and families. Sexual immorality pervades the hearts of all those touched by its evil curse extending to broken relationships, trust, holiness and examples burned on the waste land of putridity. Anger harbored for years destroys happiness. Covetousness drives the hearts of materialistic pursuits to ruin and consuming passions of greed. Unloving parents bring forth children who are unforgiving and unmerciful. Homes filled with the worldly pleasures create nations who deny God (Psalm 9:17). Satan carves a wide path of destruction and cares nothing for what gets in his way. In seeking to destroy Job the adversary destroyed so many more lives.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). Through the merciful love of God we have the answer to Satan’s hand of destruction: Jesus Christ. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). The impact of Satan’s touch continues in a world filled with sorrow and pain. But Christ came to set man free from the shackles of Satan’s challenge and instill hope in the hearts of all men. There is no victory in death nor sting. Jesus Christ has set us free from that fear and bondage.

The book of Job is more than just a book of suffering. It speaks of victory of faith in the obedient life of a righteous man. The message of Job also reminds us of the far reaching touch of Satan’s power but Job trusted in God’s love to give him strength. As our world continues to spiral into the pits of immorality and decay our hope is still on the same God Job trusted. The same Lord that saw him through his trials and the sorrows felt in the families of the servants. The head of the serpent has been bruised (Genesis 3:15). The judgment of Satan is sure (Matthew 25:41). Our hope is in Jesus Christ. “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

 

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COEXIST

Posted on October 6, 2013 by heatonkent

COEXISTcoexist

A popular bumper sticker reflects a growing trend for religious and social tolerance combining symbols of Islam, Judaism and Christianity with variations suggesting tolerance of paganism, sexual equality, Eastern religions and homosexuality. COEXIST has become a mantra of equality for all systems of belief and the acceptance of any lifestyle. The meaning of “coexist” is to live in harmony with or alongside of others disregarding differences in the basic tenets of faith and any condemnation of a sexual preference. Is it possible to ‘coexist’ with other faiths based upon the teachings of Islam, Judaism, Christianity or other Eastern religions? At least one of these systems of faith denies the possibility of coexisting in harmony without regard to differences in faith.

Jesus Christ taught His disciples in John 14:6-7, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” The Son of God taught the only way to God is through Him. Christ Jesus affirmed the only truth that would save a man was Himself. Jesus denies eternal life to anyone apart from Him. In a very clear and demonstrative manner the Lord Jesus Christ removed all other avenues to the Father except through Him. Just on face value the reader of John’s gospel will realize that Jesus removes the possibility of being saved by Mohammed or Islam and to a Jewish audience foretells the removal of Moses and the Law as a means of salvation.

The foundation of Jesus’ teaching was to prove that He (and only He) was the true Son of God. Later the apostle John writes, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). The signs and wonders performed by Jesus prove that He is the only way, the only truth and the only life. Mohammed cannot claim this, nor Moses, Buddha, Confucius, the Pope or Joseph Smith. The Bible teaches the impossibility of coexisting in accepting all faiths as valid. Paul the apostle affirmed to the pagans of Athens there was only one God and “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). The “Man” Paul spoke of was only Jesus Christ.

Is it possible to “coexist” with homosexuality as an accepted lifestyle? For the believer of Jesus Christ this is an impossibility as the Lord condemned sexual immorality from the beginning of time (Romans 1:18-32). Other systems of faith and churches can embrace homosexuality and attempt to paint a picture of acceptance but this does not change the mind of God who in love condemns those who serve their own vile passions and deny the knowledge of God.

COEXIST is a fraud attempting to dissuade the minds of people to accept anything based upon the personal belief of man. This error leads to a false religion of hope where everyone does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).  Jehovah God said, “You thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you” (Psalms 50:21).

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