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.

Posted in Christian, New Testament, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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).

Posted in Morality, Old Testament, Proverbs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in Character Study, Morality, Old Testament, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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).

 

Posted in Morality, Old Testament, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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).

Posted in Morality, Social Issues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thinking About Heaven

Posted on October 4, 2013 by heatonkent

Thinking About Heaven

 Can you imagine a city so large that it encompasses two million and a quarter square miles? The northern boundary is 1500 miles as well as the east, west and southern boundaries. Not only is the size of the city massive in length and width – the height of the city is also 1500 miles. Is it possible to wrap the mind around a city of this size? Imagine further this grand city being made of pure gold and the walls that stretch for 1500 miles in either direction are made of jasper. The foundation of the city is made up of a myriad of jewels with twelve gates made of one pearl each. All the streets are paved with gold but have no street lights adorning the curb. This incredible city with its gates standing open eternally is brightened by the glory of God. If we can imagine a city so unbelievable and majestic then we have shared in the tendril of “the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:10).

John’s account of the “new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1) burst from the pages of holy writ. The Revelation captures the imagination from beginning to end as the war between righteousness and evil plays out on the parchment of John’s book. The trumpet of victory sounds in the latter part with the triumph of the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16) when all that opposes God is banished in the “second death” (Revelation 20:11-15). Rising with wonder is the promise of the city long ago given by God to His saints in illusionary words as Divine seeks to instill in mortality a view of Heaven.

The terms of length and height and materials are only figurative as God seeks in the feeble mind of man to instill an image of Heaven that is beyond anything man could ever dream of. We are not to understand the fullness of its beauty. It is beyond man’s greatest imagination to come to terms with a city of such vast space and splendor; and that is the point of the illustration. If man could ever understand fully the blessing of eternal life then man has mastered the knowledge of God. Yet the Lord keeps man far from the level of knowledge that would give him hope and the longing for something beyond his power.

The Almighty wants his people to think about Heaven and when thinking about Heaven to consider how great God is and how blessed man is to be allowed to dwell in such a place. This is not something built by man; this is built by God. The Hebrew writer alludes to this promise in Hebrews 11:13-16. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

If a man lives to be one thousand years old he will only grasp the hem of the garment understanding what Heaven is like. What a wonderful life to live and think about something so beautiful and so grand. David said, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works” (Psalms 145:5). Think!

Posted in New Testament, Social Issues, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

THE FAMILY OF JESUS

Posted on October 4, 2013 by heatonkent

ImageThe Family Of Jesus

(Kent Heaton)

It is not every day that one can say their older brother is the Son of God. For James, Joseph, Simon, Judas and at least two sisters the family of Joseph and Mary enjoyed the blessing of Jesus being a son and a brother. Thanks to the Papists of long ago and the continuing doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church many people fail to realize that Jesus had brothers and sisters and lived a very normal life as a man. One of the great testimonies of God’s wisdom is the manner by which the Almighty embedded His Son into the world of humanity. The wisdom of man would have such royalty to come in grand measures of pomp and circumstance and God’s Son could only be of noble birth to noble parents and live life in a noble manner. Not so the life of Jesus. He came to save all men and to share the message of hope with the common man.

Joseph and Mary were poor folk living in Nazareth scraping out an existence in the work of carpentry. When the days of purification were complete Jesus was brought to Jerusalem at forty days to be presented at the Temple “and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons’” (Luke 2:24). The Law of Moses required a lamb to be presented but if the family was unable to afford a lamb a “young pigeon or a turtledove” could be presented “as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting” (Leviticus 12:6).

Jesus would be born of obscure parents in the eyes of men but royal spirits in the eyes of God. Luke records the message of the angel Gabriel to Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28). The coming of the Son of God was the eternal plan of the Father and the question would be given to whom would receive the blessing of bearing the child into the world. Joseph and Mary were chosen not for their place in the world but in their place in the heart of God. Joseph was a just man (Matthew 1:19) and Mary would bear the child of Deity for nine months and in the natural manner of creation the Creator would be born. Luke would give the details of the birth in Luke 2 when as Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem “the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7). One has to express a sense of admiration for Joseph and Mary as alone in an animal’s crib the cries of labor and birth are echoed in the natural manner of birth for all men. Jesus entered the world in the manner of the pain decreed in the garden when the Lord said to Eve, “In pain you shall bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16).

Cutting the umbilical cord, cleaning the newborn and wrapping him in swaddling clothes, Joseph and Mary laid God’s Son in a manger of hay. As the newborn child lay in the manager some strangers approached to behold the new child. Shepherds from the field had come to see the newborn and marvel at “Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The King of God’s people did not come to the world in the palaces of power but the power of God’s grace in a crib of poverty.

Remaining in Bethlehem for nearly two years the little child would learn to walk and talk and play with the wooden toys Joseph would make for his little boy. What a marvelous time that would be for Joseph and Mary as they woke in the night to feed little Jesus, changing his ‘diaper’, helping him see the world about him, taking the little boy to the market place, laughing and smiling as this precious gift given to them by God would fill their lives. And how precious this gift was in so many ways. Joseph and Mary knew the little face that looked back at them and giggled with toothless grins was the Son of God. Luke points out in the genealogy record of Jesus that was Joseph was the “supposed” father of Jesus (Luke 3:23). Joseph knew he was not the father. How he loved his little boy. What a beautiful time for Mary to caress and care for the Son of God.

The day came when more strangers would enter their lives. Wise men from a faraway land would seek the young child and leave great gifts of wealth for the family (Matthew 2:1-11). What did this all men for Joseph and Mary? The answer would come when “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt” (Matthew 2:13-14). They would remain in Egypt away from the massacre of the innocent in Bethlehem and the bloody thirst of Herod (Matthew 2:16-18). When Herod died the family would return to Nazareth and live a quiet and peaceful life in the work of carpentry.

During this time at Nazareth Jesus’ brothers and sisters were born. Matthew records the names of four brothers and suggests at least two sisters of Jesus. “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters … (Matthew 13:55-56; see also Mark 6:3). On a number of occasions the family of Jesus is mentioned. “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You’” (Matthew 12:46-47). The gospel writers speak of the brothers of Jesus in Mark 3:31-32; Luke 8:19-20; John 2:12; 7:1-10. Luke again refers to the brothers of Jesus in Acts 1:14. Paul includes the reference to the family of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1:19. It is commonly accepted the book of James is written by the brother of Jesus.

It is clear that some time before Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23) that Joseph had died. Mary is found with her sons or often alone with Jesus. How difficult that must have been on the family with the loss of such a wonderful husband and father. On the cross Jesus reflected that feeling when he prayed John would care for His mother (John 19:25-27). John also writes that there was a time the brothers of Jesus did not believe on Him (John 7:1-10). Yet we find in Acts 1:14, 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1:19 the brothers were an integral part of the early church.

Jesus grew up in a normal Jewish family. He ate with his family and worked with his family in carpentry and was subject to the same joys and sadness of life that all men experience. Hebrews 4:15 shows He faced the same temptations as His brothers and His sisters yet without sin. He partook of flesh and blood and shared in the same and was human just like you and me (Hebrews 2:14-18). He cried, laughed, hungered, experienced pain physically and mentally, was challenged by a sinful world and lived as human a life as any man since Adam.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Son of God was flesh and lived in the world as all men and died in the flesh to save us from sin. He was like us so that we can be like Him. “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). Thank God for the life of Jesus in the form of man.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment