The Heaton File

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (Matthew 21:14-16)

They Saw The Same Thing But Could Not See

The age of miracles was an incredible witness to the power of God. Jesus performed many miracles in the presence of untold numbers of people to testify that He was the Son of God. There was nothing Jesus could not do. He healed every kind of disease without exception. The blind were given sight, and the lame could walk again. A woman troubled with a blood issue for twelve years was healed immediately. Jesus could heal the sick without being present. He took five loaves of bread and two small fish and fed more than five thousand hungry people with twelve baskets of bread left over. The Son of God walked on water with ease. Jesus had power over death as He raised the dead. During the ministry of Jesus, the demons were unleashed among men to show the power of the Lord over Satan and his minions. Jesus peered into the hearts of men to know their thoughts.

There was never a time when the enemies of Jesus denied His miracles. They hated Jesus and plotted to kill Him, but not once did they claim the miracle was not real. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders complained because the miracle was done on the Sabbath. How could they miss the miracle and the great power of God? Instead of seeing the glory of God in the miracle, their hearts filled with hatred. The blind came to Jesus at the Temple, and Jesus gave them sight. The blind knew the power of the miracle because they lived in a world of darkness but now could see perfectly. Among those coming to Jesus at the Temple were the lame. They could hardly walk. Immediately, Jesus healed them, and they could walk, run, and jump. They knew they had been healed because their limbs were broken and bent and crippled, and then Jesus healed them.

The chief priests and the scribes saw the blind receive their sight and the lame receive their strength. It was a powerful demonstration of the power of God to see these miracles happen before their eyes. Jesus was doing some wonderful things. The reaction of the chief priests and scribes was to be outraged against Jesus. Children cried out in the Temple, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The blind could see, the lame could walk, and the Jewish leaders were indignant against Jesus for healing all those people. If the chief priests and scribes had their way, the blind would remain in darkness and the lame crippled. Jesus quoted from Psalm 8 to remind the religious leaders the power of God should be received with thanksgiving and praise.

When men turn their hearts away from God, nothing they see will convince them of the truth. Jesus performed demonstrative miracles before the eyes of the chief priests and scribes and was denied the glory of being the Son of God. The true blindness was in the hearts of those who rejected Jesus from being the miracle-working Son of God. While miracles no longer are a part of God’s plan, the miracle of the Word is still a powerful testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Bible is the fully revealed word of God, and the world rejects it and scoffs at it. They are indignant against the Bible. Religious leaders abuse the scriptures for their own desires, corrupting the hearts of the gullible to follow their pernicious ways.

God gave the Bible for all men to read and understand. If a man cannot understand the scripture, either God is to blame or man. The only conclusion is that man is to blame. Men can read the same scriptures and deny the power of God. The chief priests and scribes saw the same miracles as the people, but they refused to accept Jesus as God’s son. There are many today who will take the Bible and refuse to accept the teachings of the Bible as authority. They live by their own rules. Jesus healed many people, but He could not change the minds of the Jewish leaders. They killed Jesus. The Bible is the word of God, and that will never change. Jesus said the Word will judge men on the final day. Deny the word of God today, and He will deny you at judgment.

For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death. (Proverbs 8:35-36)

Loving Death

The choice God has given man from the beginning is life and death. Adam and Eve chose death, and the world of Noah was consumed with sin, leading to their destruction. There is a divine formula that God always reminds men that what they decide will determine the future. Seeking after God and His righteousness always brings about life and good things. This does not suggest good things about the carnal world but the blessings of being a child of God. Godliness is profitable for all things because it guides the decisions of life measured by a moral compass from God. Righteousness exalts a nation through the order and discipline of holiness created by the Lord. The wisdom of man can never overwhelm the word of God in perfection. It is not in man to know how to guide himself.

God gave His word to men to instruct them in the way of truth and righteousness. He established the divine principle when men obey Him, and they will be blessed; if they disobey the word of the Lord, they will suffer the consequences. This has not changed and never will change. Whoever finds the Lord God will find life and receive abounding blessings from the Lord. However, those who sin against the will of the Lord do greater harm. Seeking after the carnal desires of the flesh is a process of self-destruction. God did not design the nature of man to live under the chains of sin. Man was created to glorify God. When man’s heart turns to sin, he denies the purpose for which he was created.

To sin against God is to injure self and destroy self. That is what sin does to the human spirit. Life and favor come only from obeying the word of God. Transgressing the word of the Lord is harming oneself to the point of death. Jesus told His disciples if they loved Him, they would keep His commandments. Commandment keeping is an expression of love. If a man refuses to follow the word of God, he does not love God. That is a stark statement, but Jesus was plain about the relationship of duty and love. It is impossible to love God and refuse to obey His every word. The wise man concludes that a man who sins against God to the destruction of the soul loves death!

How could a man love death? The reality of life and death is understood by those who refuse to obey the word of God. Many will look at the Bible with disdain and contempt. They refuse to submit themselves to the word of God. It is possible they have a belief in God, accepting He is real and He had a Son, Jesus Christ. But when it comes to doing what God says, the heart refuses to submit. The conclusion is clear. That person who says he loves God and refuses to obey the word of God – hates God and loves death. If a man driving down a road sees a sign saying, “Danger – Bridge Out Ahead – Certain Death,” why would he continue driving down that road? Those who say they love God and refuse to obey Him are driving down the road to their deaths. And they love death. They embrace their demise. Refusing to obey God will end in the lake of fire and brimstone.

There is a reality that faces all men that most men deny. Most people love death. Jesus said so. The majority of people that die do not rest in peace. They awaken in torment because they loved death more than life. For a man to sin against God is to wrong his eternal spirit. They hate God and love death. How sad. The end of the road of sin is eternal death with no change. To find life, you must seek the Lord God. Find favor with God and obey Him. Love God instead of death.

The wicked is banished in his wickedness, but the righteous has a refuge in his death. Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:32-34)

When The Nation Chooses Unrighteousness

The struggle with sin on an individual level is a constant battle against the forces of evil. Satan seeks every opportunity to wiggle into the hearts of God’s people to entrap them with sinful lusts. The devil desires to have every heart of every soul on earth, but it does not end there. Satan has a global view of his work. He is not satisfied with corrupting individual hearts. His greatest achievement is when he can bring a nation to its knees without the people realizing what is happening. There is a greater awareness of destruction when a nation fills its borders with the wickedness of carnal desire for the pleasure of the evil one.

Defining wickedness and righteousness is a strong ploy of the devil. He does not deny the reality of sin but changes the nature of wickedness to look like goodness and righteousness. What God calls darkness, Satan illuminates as light. When the Lord describes something as evil, the devil convinces the world it is a good thing. The most effective way of accomplishing his goal is to convince a nation that what once may have been viewed as taboo is now an acceptable norm in society. There was a time in America when marriage was held in honor, and the subject of divorce was shameful. Having children out of wedlock was viewed as sinful. The topic of homosexuality was banished from the minds of those who feared God. Most people in America had some knowledge and appreciation for the words of the Bible.

The moral compass of a nation never judges the nature of righteousness. Just because there was a time in America when marriage was honorable and the bed undefiled did not suggest it was right because of the moral standard of society. Sin is defined by what the Bible says, regardless of how society defines it. Sin is a transgression of God’s law. However, when the moral consciousness of a nation spends time in the reading of the Bible, there is a moral consciousness that guides the hearts of the people to view sin for what it is. Satan has been successful in tainting the minds of America away from a belief in God and the Bible so that he can instill his pernicious tentacles of wickedness firmly in the nation’s core beliefs.

America is a nation that has turned away from God. The motto “In God We Trust” is no longer a valid argument. Because of wickedness, the nation has banished itself into the mire of ungodliness where men are lovers of themselves, without natural affection, disobedient to parents, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of what is good and holy. America is now the standard of transgenderism and all the unholy alliances of sexual immorality that accompany it. People worry more about global warming than eternal warnings. They are afraid of how hot the earth will become without knowing how hot Hell will be. God has been taken from the minds of the people and made fools of nations.

Righteousness will always exalt a nation because it believes in God and the Bible. History has repeatedly shown how stupid human wisdom is when the hearts of men walk the paths America is following today. The Roman Empire was destroyed for the same reason America is building its future. Historians centuries from now will look back on this once great nation of people who believed in God and show the folly of the agendas of the woke, foolish, ungodly, and immorally bankrupt society. There is no exaltation in the future of America. Peering through the porthole of tomorrow clearly shows the reproach that is approaching, and it will not be a pretty sight. The people of God need to put their spiritual seatbelts on because the tsunami that is coming is going to be hard and difficult. Remain righteous. Seek refuge in God. Wisdom comes from understanding. Pray.

He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. (Proverbs 18:13)

Listen Before Speaking

The human body is an amazing creation that highlights the majesty of God’s design. There is a complex set of factors that create the body in the womb that will continue to survive for upwards of one hundred years. During this time, the brain will continue to function along with the heart, organs, limbs, eyes, nose, and mouth, and change from an infant to an older person. It is assumed the heart and brain require the greatest amount of energy to continue, but actually, the inner ear demands the most bodily energy. God designed the inner ear as a part of the complex system of awareness through sound, expending greater amounts of energy. It seems the message from God is that men should be more attentive about listening than anything else.

A great listener is a wise man. Solomon admonishes that wisdom is found in a man who listens first before speaking. No one would criticize an artist for his work if he has yet to begin to chip away on the stone. A man who finds fault with the painter when he draws a rudimentary image is a fool. So it is that a man who judges a matter before he has heard all the facts is wrong himself. Listening is the art of sifting all the information to make a determined course of action and is one of the least applied sciences of the human body. God created two ears and one mouth to show the folly of talking before listening.

Wisdom comes from learning how to listen and when to listen. It is folly to jump to a conclusion before all the facts are presented. Proud men will answer before listening. Foolishness is bound in a man’s ear who answers a matter before hearing the substance. Taking the time to weigh each word carefully brings an answer suitable for the need. Pondering the thoughts and intents will gauge the listener to make a sound judgment. Anything less shows folly. A wise man is an excellent listener.

James describes the tongue as an unruly evil, and no greater image of the unbridled tongue is found than when it is set loose before taking the time to listen. There is a need to be slow to speak and swift to hear to control the tongue. Anger can become a sin that will spread like wildfire if not properly contained. How many times has someone flown off the handle about a matter because they had not heard all the facts? No man can tame the tongue, but he can slow it down by taking time to listen carefully. There is practical wisdom in being a man who is slow to speak. Taking the time to listen will limit how often a man is made a fool. It is best to remain silent and thought a fool; than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt. Careful listening always precedes a heart full of wisdom.

So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not do according to everything which the Lord your God sends us by you. Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” (Jeremiah 42:5-6)

Obeying God Whether We Like It Or Not

The fall of Jerusalem was a devasting blow to the people of God. The final days leading up to the capture of Jerusalem were filled with uncertainty and chaos. Jeremiah had been imprisoned in a dungeon filled with mire before being rescued by Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian. Nebuchadnezzar broke through the walls of Jerusalem as King Zedekiah and the nobles fled. The Babylonians caught the king and nobles of Judah and brought them back to Nebuchadnezzar. The nobles were killed, and the sons of Zedekiah were killed before his ears. They then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and placed him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar set up Gedaliah as governor over the cities of Judah. The governor urged the people to obey the will of the Babylonians so there would be peace in the land. Johanan, the son of Kareah, warned Gedaliah that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, sought to kill him. The governor discounted the story and denied the request to kill Ishmael. In the seventh month, Ishmael came with ten men to dine with Gedaliah and the men of nobility. Suddenly, Ishmael and his men rose and killed the governor and all the Jews with him and the Chaldeans. The next day, eighty men came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria to bring offerings to the Lord. Ishmael brought the men into the city and killed them all. He cast their bodies into a pit and carried away captive all the people in Mizpah and the king’s daughters.

Johanan and all the captains of the forces heard what Ishmael had done, so they went against Ishmael and took all the people back. Afterward, the victors came to Jeremiah to know how the Lord wanted them to go. The prophet agreed to inquire of the Lord, and the saying pleased Johanan and the captains. They promised whatever the word of the Lord told them, they would obey, whether good or bad. Ten days later, Jeremiah called Johanan, the captains, and the people to hear the word of the Lord. God told Jeremiah to tell the people to remain in the land and not go to Egypt. They should not be afraid of the king of Babylon because God was with them. Jeremiah warned the people if they disobeyed the word of the Lord and went to Egypt, the wrath of God would fall upon them.

After Jeremiah finished, Johanan and the leaders accused Jeremiah of speaking falsely. They refused to hear the word of the Lord and took Jeremiah and the people to Egypt, where God had forbidden them to go. They had promised they would do whatever God told them, good or bad, but then turned against the word of the Lord because they wanted to go to Egypt. God commanded the people to remain in Judah, and they refused. They told Jeremiah they would not listen to him any longer, and they would do what they wanted to do. The heart of the people would not listen to the word of the Lord.

At first, they said the Lord was true and faithful, and they would do anything God told them to do, whether it was pleasing or displeasing. They lied. When Jeremiah told them to remain in Judah, they refused to obey the voice of the Lord. Their hearts were not loyal to God, His word, and the prophet Jeremiah. The slightest winds of doubt often sway the fickle will of man. They seemed faithful but, in the end, failed to listen and suffered greatly by the hand of the Lord. Men promise to obey the Lord no matter what, and then when they find out what they must do, they deny him. A rich ruler came to Jesus with aspirations of eternal life but, when told the cost, turned away. How often that happens today! Are you willing to do all the Lord requires of you?

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

Be An Open Book

The primary purpose of a book is to convey information from one source to another. A book is written to be read. It has been suggested the only value to a closed book is to prop up a wobbly table. Books are created to preserve knowledge and impart that knowledge to those who would read its pages. Paul used the illustration of a book to show the immense value of a life lived for righteousness. He tells the saints at Corinth they are an epistle, not in the literary form of a published book, but the lives they share with all men as an open testimony of Jesus Christ. The first lesson is to know that all men read the stories of other men. What is said, how a person carries themselves, their example (good or bad), and influence is on display for all to see.

An open book is an individual that is easy to learn about and understand. There is no pretense about who they are, and everyone knows the kind of person they are. This is the importance of being a Christian to show the world the glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in His sermon on the mountain His disciples must be the light of the world. Like an open book, the life of the Christian is patterned after the life of Jesus Christ, and what the world sees is God in everything they do. That person will be remembered as a devoted servant of Jesus Christ. No Christian should live in such a way their life is closed to others.

As the light of the world, the story of Jesus should radiate from the pages of our lives to show the glory of God. The life of a Christian needs to be known and read by all men because the world needs more light and more truth. There may be many things an individual cannot do in his life to impact the world on a global level, but they can make a difference in their community as an open book of righteousness. What the world needs now are more open books of Jesus Christ walking around for others to see and read. Open books invite investigation. To be an epistle of Jesus Christ is to bear the marks of the Lord on every page of life.

The glory of God is not written on the heart of the Christian through human wisdom. Paul shows that as an epistle of Christ, what is written comes from the Spirit of the living God. The heart is filled with the word of God guiding life’s decisions, what is said, how one conducts themselves, and their example of devotion to the work of the Lord. Being a Christian and living as if you were a closed book does not give glory to God. We should all desire to open our lives for full inspection by the world to show them how the Lord has changed our lives. We must be epistles of Jesus Christ known and read by all men – and what they see is God! Are you an open or closed book?

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

The Value Of Kindness

What the world needs now is kindness. Mark Twain said that kindness is “A language which the deaf ear can hear, and the blind can see.” When can an act of kindness be wasted on another? It is the essential quality of showing one as friendly, generous, and considerate. Kindness should never be mistaken for weakness because it is the strongest of characteristics known to man. Someone who cannot learn to be kind is not a person of quality. While the world promotes the interest of self-worth and self-esteem to the belittlement of expressing a kind spirit, God looks down upon the act of kindness as part of His grace.

The Christian is an example of kindness. One of the traits of being a disciple of Christ is to be a person of kindness. Paul exhorted the saints at Ephesus to be kind, have compassion for others, and forgive in the manner God has forgiven them. The greatest kindness God did was to send His only begotten Son into the world to save a creature who was not deserving. Kindness is defined first by God and required of those who love Him and serve Him. Being kind is not a good idea that will garner many friends. The grace of kindness is what sets the Christian apart from the world.

It should be at the forefront of every person who names the name of Christ to learn how to be kind to others. There is more anger in the world with road rage, arguments erupting in stores, and office squabbles. Children of God should never be charged with the crime of unkindness. The heart of the Christian is molded into the image of Christ, who was kind to perfection. When people reviled against the Lord, He never responded in kind but with kindness. Letting the light of Christ shine in the world is the candle of kindness.

Every person who is a Christian should seek out opportunities to show kindness. Opening a door for someone, saying “Thank you,” being pleasant with an unpleasant cashier, and not engaging in vehicular stupidity with horns, brakes, and loud voices accompanied by hand signals. Helping people who are in need – even if they are a stranger – is showing kindness. God wants His people to be the example of kindness in a dark world that does not see kindness very often.

The character of kindness is an expression of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. To be the elect of God is to show kindness. It is a simple thing to do but carries the eternal weight of showing Christ to others. Kindness is a learned trait of goodness tempered by the calm spirit of godliness. The act of being kind is groomed through the knowledge of how much God has shown His kindness. The more a man seeks opportunities to be kind, the more grace he will find in life. It changes the heart to become softened by the nature of compassion. God expects His children to be kind, and He holds them in this regard. To be kind is to be like our Father.

So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. (John 4:53)

Saving The Household

When people heard that Jesus was in the area, they came out in multitudes to listen to His teaching and to be healed of their diseases. People sought Jesus out, hoping to find relief from their burden. A nobleman came to Jesus when He was near Capernaum to ask the Lord to heal his son before he died. Jesus told him to go to his son because he lived. When the man’s servants came to him, they told him his son lived. He asked them the time when his son recovered, and they told him it was the previous day at the seventh hour. The man’s reaction was to believe Jesus was the Son of God. Not only did the man become a believer, but also his whole household.

There are many stories of individual conversions and acceptance by those who believe Jesus to be the Son of God. What is amazing and exciting is when the impact affects the whole household. When the nobleman’s household heard the story of Jesus, they all became believers. Cornelius and his household were very devout in their belief in God but were not Christians. An angel told Cornelius to send for Peter, and he would tell him words whereby he could be saved. The apostle comes to the home of Cornelius, and the whole household is baptized into Christ. Paul visits the city of Philippi and finds some women having prayer by the river. A certain woman named Lydia heard the preaching of Paul, and she and her household were baptized.

While in the city of Philippi, Paul, and Silas were arrested after they healed a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination. That night, there was a great earthquake that opened the doors of the prison and loosed all the chains of the prisoners. Fearing the prisoners had escaped, the jailer was about to kill himself when Paul stopped him. The apostle spoke the word to the jailor and his household, and they were all baptized. In the city of Corinth, Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. Paul later reminds the saints at Corinth that he baptized Stephanas’s household. Remarkably enough and against all odds, there were Christians in the household of Caesar.

One of the lessons learned from the story of Noah is his persistence and determination to save his household. He knew the value of his soul, but he knew the importance of saving the souls of his household. This included his wife, three sons, and three daughters-in-law. Conversion should be a family affair. It should be an issue of the household. It is true that members of one’s own family can be the hardest to teach the truth, but there should never be an attitude of complacency about who is part of the household. The stories in the Bible of households obeying the gospel should be the norm. Noah could not imagine the thought of his wife perishing in the flood or his sons and their wives dying so tragically. He prepared an ark for the saving of his household, but he prepared their hearts to enter into the ark. We can do no less.

Your household is precious, and no waking moment should be wasted in not trying to secure the salvation of your household. The individual needs to realize their responsibility to obey the word of the Lord, and it must be the ever-present need to show the need of the household to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. The nobleman’s son was spared death, and then eternal life came to the household. What a blessed and wonderful story.

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. (John 3:22-23)

The First Baptists

One of the characteristics of John the Baptist’s teaching was indicative of his name. He was not called the Baptist because he was a part of the Baptist church. That church would not be formed for almost 1600 years, so no one could be called a Baptist in the denomination sense until John Smyth founded the Baptist Church in 1607 in London, England. John was called the Baptist because of what he did. Matthew describes John as the Baptist who came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. He preached repentance in the area of the Jordan because Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Three things are clear about the teaching of John the Baptist: repentance, confession of sins, and baptism.

King Herod heard of John the Baptist. Everyone called John the Baptist, including the daughter of Herodias, when she asked for his head on a platter. Jesus said of those born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. In the early church, Paul found twelve men he thought were disciples of Christ. They confessed they had been baptized into John’s baptism. John told the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptisms – that he baptized in water. He was baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there. Multitudes came to John to be baptized. John also was in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where he was baptizing.

Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized of him. The request of his Lord humbled John, but Jesus explained His baptism was to fulfill all righteousness. John took Jesus down into the water and immersed the Lord. John was called the Baptist because he immersed people. He was not called John the Sprinkler or John the Pourer. A Baptist immerses in water. During the ministry of Jesus, the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples). Jesus left Judea and departed to Galilee.

John the Baptist and Jesus taught repentance, confession, obedience, grace, mercy, love – and baptism. The Holy Spirit does not tell how many John the Baptist baptized. There is no record of the number of those who were baptized by the disciples of Jesus. The early Christians taught the necessity of baptism. Every example of conversion in the Acts of the Apostles shows the necessity of baptism. Paul wrote to the saints in Rome and Colosse explaining the necessity of baptism. Peter said that baptism saves. Three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem when the Lord’s church began, and thousands more obeyed the gospel in the days of the early church. John was called the Baptist because he obeyed the command of God to baptize. Jesus left an example of righteousness. To deny baptism is to accept unrighteousness.

The religious world denies the necessity of baptism to their peril. Baptism never denies the grace of God or the mercy of God. Some complain that baptism is a work. Jesus told the multitude following the feeding of the five thousand that belief is a work. If a man cannot be saved by works, he cannot be saved by belief. Jesus told the eleven when a man believes he will be baptized. John the Baptist immersed, and the disciples of Jesus immersed to serve as a faithful witness of the divine plan of God to redeem man through the blood of Jesus Christ. If a man has not been baptized for the remission of sins, he has never been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)

Lord And Christ

Jesus of Nazareth was despised by the Jewish leadership, and because of their envy of Him, they succeeded in having an innocent man killed by the authority of the Roman government. The actions of the Jews and Pilate adjudicated guilt to Jews and Gentiles for the murder of the Son of God. After Jesus died, His enemies went to bed satisfied they had ended the threat of the man from Nazareth. They heard the stories a few days later the body of Jesus could not be found and that many had seen Jesus alive. Knowing they had witnessed Jesus die on the cross persuaded them not to be overly concerned about a resurrected man.

Seven weeks after Jesus was killed, the feast of Pentecost engulfed Jerusalem with travelers worldwide. Multitudes filled the city streets as the Feast of Harvest celebrated the fruits of the harvest. Every male was required to travel to Jerusalem during the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Pentecost is taken from the fifty days from the first sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the end of harvest. The crucifixion of Jesus was not a coincidence of human wisdom but the fulfillment of a divine plan. Jesus knew He would be crucified. He knew He would suffer much and then die. The death of Jesus was planned before time began. God knew His Son would be crucified.

The death of Jesus was accomplished because of the hatred of men toward God, but it was the act of love from God to sinful man that established two important needs of humanity. Because of sin, man needs a Lord and a King. It is not possible in human wisdom to save himself from the sinful state he finds himself in. History is filled with the blackened bones of those who tried to live apart from God. The nature of man demands a king, and Jesus became Lord and King when he died on the cross. Peter tells the Jews gathered in Jerusalem the Jesus they had killed was now the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God made that Jesus – whom they had crucified – Lord. Salvation could only be found in subjection to King Jesus.

Jesus was not only Lord, but He was the promised Messiah, the Christ. For centuries, the Hebrew writers spoke about the coming Messiah who would turn the people’s hearts to God. Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise, and they had killed their longed-for Messiah. Everything about Jesus fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham. He had told them He was the Christ and proved He was the Son of God through His teachings and miracles. As they reflected on the life of Jesus, they realized everything Peter was saying was true. Jesus was the Messiah. God had allowed men to kill Jesus so that He could become Lord and Christ.

Three thousand Jews believed Jesus to be Lord and Christ and were baptized for the remission of their sins. The path of salvation remains the same today. It begins believing Jesus’ death was the plan of God in the beginning, and the story of Jesus proves Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. There can be no salvation without submitting oneself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and embracing the Messianic promises of Jesus, proving Him to be God’s Son. God made Jesus Lord and Christ so that we could find hope. Jesus reigns at the right hand of God today over His Kingdom, the church. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.