The Heaton File

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

God’s Work

The salvation of humanity hung in the balance through the life of Jesus Christ. God’s Son came to earth to preach the gospel to a lost and dying world. His sacrifice to give up the divine nature to come in the flesh was the supreme example of love. At the age of thirty, the mission and work of Jesus began and would end almost three years later at a place called Golgotha. Jesus would teach thousands of people the message of grace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth performed miracles of healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead. His purpose was not to remove disease or death. The world suffers under the weight of sin’s consequences. Jesus came to finish the work of His Father.

Everything in the Bible is about Jesus Christ, and all that is contained in the story of Jesus is the work of the Father. When Jesus came to earth, it was the will of His Father. The plan for Jesus to suffer at the hands of sinful man was orchestrated by God. Dying on the cross fulfilled the prophecies established by the word of God. Jesus knew His life was forfeit to the will and design of the Father. Everything He did was to bring glory to the Father. His teaching was not His own but His Father’s. Jesus sought to bring men to God.

When Jesus met the woman at the well of Jacob near Sychar, the disciples had gone into town to bring food for themselves and Jesus. The disciples were surprised to find Jesus talking to the woman when they returned. She left her waterpot and went into the city to tell the men all Jesus had told her. At the urging of the disciples, Jesus was offered food to eat, but He replied that He had feasted on something they did not know. The disciples were puzzled that maybe someone had brought Jesus something to eat in their absence. Jesus was tired and hungry when He came to Jacob’s well, but after talking to the woman and seeing her heart open to His teaching, Jesus was filled with the manna of the gospel.

The disciples did not see the opportunity of feeding on the word of God. They saw Jesus talking to the woman, which was not done in society. It was apparent that the woman was not held in high esteem in the community, yet Jesus was talking to this Samaritan woman. The food Jesus had taken was the work of His Father. Reaping the joy of souls finding the Father was the fuel that moved Jesus in His ministry. Physical food would only be enjoyed for a time, but spiritual food would change lives forever. That is the purpose of Jesus coming to earth. His role was not to remove poverty, hunger, disease or impact the political world. The work of Jesus was the work of the Father. Jesus understood His role in carrying out that message.

As Jesus was dying, the plan and work of God were drawing to a close. One of the last things Jesus said was, “It is finished.” The meaning of Jesus’ words was a Roman battle cry for victory. All that God the Father had planned was completed by the suffering Servant on the cross. The work of God had been completed by the Son, who learned obedience by the things He suffered. All of humanity would benefit from the blood of Jesus that was poured out as the sacrificial Lamb. God’s work was finished. It was completed. Victory came through the wisdom of God to sacrifice His only begotten Son for the sins of men. Jesus knew His purpose in life was to do the will of Him who sent Him and finish His Father’s work. He did. Thank God.

Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. (2 Kings 17:19)

Is Commandment Keeping Necessary?

A commandment is a directive given by one with authority to those subject to that authority. It is the act or power of commanding with a dominating influence over others. Nations are established with laws governing the citizens to maintain order and discipline. The first thing God did with Adam and Eve was to tell them they could eat of every tree in the garden except for one. They were told not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan deceived Eve into believing God was unfair in His directive and that she was not accountable for keeping His command. Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam. The consequences of their rebellion were in direct conflict with the command of God, and they were punished.

Israel was given the law at Sinai to establish them as the people of God. Part of the law included the Ten Commandments, so called because they were commandments, not suggestions. The Lord expected the people to abide by His commandments and laws to receive the blessings. When Moses gave the law to the people, he told them they would be blessed if they obeyed the commandments and punished if they refused. God loved the people, and the people loved God. This did not negate their responsibility to be “commandment keepers” as expected by the Lord. Moses wrote the law down and read it to the people so there would be no misunderstanding about the covenant between the Hebrews and God. The history of Israel is summed up in the realization they refused to keep the commandments of the Lord.

After Solomon’s death, Israel divided north and south, with ten tribes in the north and two in the south. All of the leaders of the northern tribes were wicked without exception. In the southern kingdom of Judah, some kings were good and some evil. The problem with God’s people was they did not keep God’s commandments, statutes, covenant, and laws. The seers of the Lord told the people to keep the commandments of God and His statutes. They refused and rejected His statutes, His covenant, and His testimonies and followed idols. The people of God left all the commandments of the Lord their God and made molded images and wooden images for themselves, worshiped all the hosts of heaven, and served Baal. How could the people reject God? They refused to be “commandment keepers.”

One of man’s struggles in his relationship with God is to accept that He demands that they keep His commandments. The religious world has painted a canvas of God’s grace and love, excluding any commandment keeping. There is no need to follow the will of the Lord if a man loves Jesus. Morality is not based on what God says but on what society accepts. Church services are concerts that make the soul feel good without the guilt of commandment keeping. The result is shallow souls who live as they desire, worshiping the idols of the world and refusing to know and understand what the Lord commands.

There has always been commandment keeping. Satan’s first words to Eve were, “Has God indeed said.” The devil does not object to a person believing in God or Jesus as long as they don’t follow His laws, commandments, statutes, and covenant. Love the Lord and live like you want. Let people hear how much you love Jesus as you enjoy the pleasures of sin. It is easy to criticize anyone who suggests that commandment keeping is necessary because salvation by works does not save. A ‘faith only’ concept of salvation results in a person having to do very little to be saved. That is not the story learned from Judah and Israel. They were punished because they did not keep the commandments of the Lord. Faith only did not save them and grace only could not save them.

Jesus told His disciples the ones who will be saved are those who do the will of the Father. The important part of that teaching is seeing how important the “doing” is to salvation. No one is saved by works alone, faith alone, grace alone, or anything alone. God’s love and His grace save us, but if we do not obey God’s commandments, statutes, laws, testimonies, and word, we will find eternity a very dark and horrible place.

How To Overcome

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Albert P. Stauderman illustrates, “Nature reveals that life can be transformed by turning something unattractive into something of beauty. By its chemical magic, a tree or plant can take the dark soil and the waste carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and combine them with the aid of the healing warmth of the sun to produce green leaves, colored flowers, red roses, yellow tulips, blue larkspur, or a million other designs. By means of chemical processes, we can take black coal and convert it into red dyes, synthetic rubber, or nylon cloth. Faith gives life a similar transforming power; the power to talk trouble or adversity and make it into something lovely and inspiring. “

Adversity has been characterized by lemons with a natural sour taste. A proverbial phrase suggests when life becomes a lemon, make lemonade. The idea is that when faced with a hardship in life, take the opportunity of an adverse event to encourage optimism and a positive view of life. If viewed from the right standpoint, afflictions can be blessings in disguise. Pearls form from an irritant like sand lodging between the shell and the mollusk’s soft tissue. If defense against the agitation, the mollusk secrets nacre to coat the irritant, creating the pearl. Life can be filled with things that agitate and irritate, but viewed from a positive perspective, it can develop blessings instead of hardships.

God knows our struggles and has provided His wisdom to help us navigate the difficulties. The Bible tells the stories of many who faced great challenges but found a way to endure with hope and joy through faith in God and trusting in the grace of a loving Father. Adam and Eve lost Eden but did not lose faith in God. Noah was told of a flood that would destroy all life on Earth. The blessings of the flood was while the flood destroyed the wicked, the waters saved the righteous. Abraham trusted in the word of God, facing difficult decisions, and became the father of the righteous. Job lost his ten children, almost all of his servants, his flocks, crops, and possessions, and then lost his health. Three friends came to comfort him and could not find the words to bring him joy. Job did not curse God and die but grew in his faith from the experience to have a greater love for God.

Jesus endured the cross to gain salvation for sinful man. The suffering of Jesus became the blessing of grace for all those who believe in Him and obey His word. Afflictions in life can be challenging, but they can also create a stronger spirit of love and devotion to the Lord. God will not forsake His children. He knows the difficulties of life. When man’s heart turns to God’s love, life can be a productive time of joy and happiness in the face of adversity. Let the hardships become the peace of God. Put your trust in God, and you will find joy.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Influence Of The Bible

Lowell Thomas said, “The Bible is of vital importance in teaching freedom; dictators fear the Bible, and for good reason – it inspired the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence.” John Adams, a member of the original committee that drew up our Declaration of Independence, wrote these words in a letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1813: “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” A little-known fact to most Americans today is that the Continental Congress voted to spend $300,000 on September 11, 1777, to buy Bibles distributed throughout the thirteen original colonies.

Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament between 1450-1400 B.C. The final piece of the divine canon, known as Revelation, was written by the apostle John while banished to the isle of Patmos in the late 80s or early 90s A.D. From Genesis to Revelation, spanning nearly 1500 years, forty different writers who lived in different parts of the world with a varied list of occupations in three different languages wrote what is called the “Bible.” The Bible contains writings on law (civil, criminal, ethical, religious, and sanitary), poetry, history, narrative, biography, prophecy, and apocalyptic.

There is unity in doctrine or unity of purpose in the Bible. What is included and excluded establishes the grand scheme of redemption designed by the Holy Spirit. God’s eternal purpose to redeem man in Christ is the theme, which includes the Biblical doctrines of God, man, morality, sin, salvation, and immortality. Jesus said the word of God was truth, confirming many Old Testament stories as true (Moses, Noah, Jonah, Naaman, and others). His followers wrote the New Testament based on divine truth.

An unknown author writes, “This old Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its histories are true, its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the sailor’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter.”

“Here paradise is restored, heaven is opened, and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is its subject, our good, its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you in life, will be open at the judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy contents.”

The Bible is the complete revelation of God to man. There is no need for other books, and any book that seeks to compare itself or conflict with the Bible does so at its own peril and demise. God has revealed Himself through one book. His word is truth because it is the inerrant word of the Divine, showing the creation what he must do to be saved. The Bible cannot be ignored. It contains everything that will point the soul in the path of righteousness. The Bible is also a book that chastises the soul when man decides to serve his selfish needs. There is no book as wonderful as the Bible. Take time to read, meditate, and commune with its message. You will never be the same.