The Heaton File

For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (Acts 26:26-28)

Almost Is Lost

King Agrippa was the grandson of Herod the Great, who ordered the massacre of infants in the city of Bethlehem. Agrippa (known as Agrippa II) was familiar with Jewish laws and customs. When Agrippa visited Festus in Caesarea and learned the story of Paul, he asked to meet the apostle of Christ. After great pomp and circumstance, Agrippa and Bernice (the sister of Agrippa) entered the auditorium with the commanders and prominent men of Caesarea, whereupon Festus commanded Paul to be brought in. The contrast was stark: Paul chained as a criminal standing before the power elite of the Roman Empire. Paul would not be impressed with the pomp of Agrippa and his entourage. The apostle would take the opportunity to present the gospel of Christ to King Agrippa and those gathered with him.

Paul recounted his life and conversion in a little more than five hundred words when Festus, in a loud voice, said that Paul had been driven mad by his much learning. Paul defended himself, showing that what he had spoken was the words of truth and reason. The influence of the New Testament church and its teaching had not gone unnoticed by the king. Paul then directly asked King Agrippa if he believed the words of the prophets, affirming that Agrippa knew and understood what he needed to do to be saved. Here was a man bound in metal, challenging the man bound by the burden of sin. Agrippa knew Paul spoke the truth. The king was aware that his incestuous relationship with Bernice was wicked. The gospel was tearing at Agrippa’s heart as the king cried out to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Paul’s greatest joy would have been to witness Agrippa becoming a Christian, but that was not to be. Agrippa would lose his kingdom when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, and he would die in Rome at the age of 70. His plea to almost become a Christian did not make him a Christian. Having great intentions cannot cleanse a soul from sin. Believing only that Jesus is the Christ is nothing more than what demons believe. So many people mirror the heart of Agrippa, thinking there is a better time to do the will of the Father. When they get their families situated in a better place, they will think about being a Christian. Some mistakenly believe that when they get their lives straightened out, they will obey the gospel, not realizing that the gospel is what straightens out life. Believing that one must be perfect to be saved is a critical mistake in human philosophy, built on human pride.

The lesson about King Agrippa is that claiming almost to decide to follow Jesus will never leave the footprints on the road to salvation. A man who is almost persuaded to be a Christian is still lost. There is no hope in almost. The victory of Jesus Christ cannot be realized when the heart almost obeys. There will be far too many souls that are lost who had the opportunity to be saved and squandered the grace of God because they could not fully commit their lives to Jesus. An almost persuaded person is a lost person until they stop believing in “almost salvation” and do the will of the Father. Those who are saved are those who obey. Where are you? Are you almost or are you committed? Eternity depends on your answer.

And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. (Acts 10:39-41)

Jesus Did Not Appear To All Men

When Jesus came to earth the first time, He revealed Himself to all men. Born of a virgin, Jesus grew up in Nazareth as any young man maturing into an adult. What made Jesus different from His brothers and sisters was His perfection. At the age of thirty, Jesus left home to begin His ministry of teaching and showing the power of God through miracles. At the beginning of His ministry, thousands of people flocked to hear Him teach. His miracles astonished the multitudes, and no one doubted or dismissed His power. The Jewish leaders began to take notice of the man from Nazareth, and because of envy, began a campaign to discredit Him and turn the hearts of the people away from Him. They succeeded some three years later when they brought false charges against Jesus and prodded the Roman official, Pilate, to sentence Jesus to death.

The Romans were efficient in their skill at killing men, and they perfected it in the death of Jesus. First, Jesus was scourged rather brutally, with the soldiers taunting, spitting, and slapping Jesus. After they had tired of their sport, they led Jesus to Golgotha, where they continued their indignities of the man in the middle by nailing Him to a cross. Jesus writhed in intense pain at the suffering on the cross as the world stood and watched Him die. Death came as a welcome relief for Jesus, and He was buried in a tomb. To the world, the story of Jesus of Nazareth was over. He died and was buried, and the story was finished. But God had further plans for His Son.

On the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the dead. He was seen by Peter, then by the twelve apostles. At some point during the forty days Jesus remained on earth, He appeared to over five hundred disciples at once. He showed Himself to James and spent many days with the eleven apostles. Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. There was no doubt Jesus had risen with all the testimonies of the early saints who saw Jesus, ate with Him, and communed with Him for those forty wonderful days.

When Peter was teaching Cornelius and his household the gospel of Jesus Christ, the apostle made a vital point that declares the work and mission of Jesus. The ministry of Jesus began with the Lord teaching as many people as would come to hear His words. After His resurrection, Jesus could have appeared to the whole world, but He chose not to. Given how the Sanhedrin treated Jesus, a natural human response would be for Jesus to appear in their midst and declare Himself risen. He did not. Pilate was the Roman official who cowardly allowed Jesus to die. He would have been a good candidate for Jesus to appear before. Jesus could have shown Himself to thousands of people and performed miracles, proving that He was God’s Son. None of those events happened. Peter says that Jesus appeared only to a select group of disciples, chosen by God beforehand.

The work of Jesus after His resurrection was to establish the core group of disciples who would take the story of His resurrection and teach the world the glory of the risen Christ. Jesus could have appeared to every human on earth in a visible form to prove He was risen, but that was not the will of the Father. After Jesus rose from the dead, only a select group of disciples were chosen to spend time with the Son of God. These disciples would be where the church would begin on Pentecost, ten days after Jesus ascended back to the Father. The twelve apostles were not the only ones who testified that Jesus was risen, and they saw Him with their own eyes. Paul would later write that many of the five hundred who saw Jesus at one time were still living and teaching the gospel of the risen Christ.

Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Jesus could appear to all men today, shocking them into believing He is risen – but He will not manifest Himself in that manner. The early church grew and multiplied because hearts heard the story of the risen Christ and believed. God has given the story of Jesus to the world today in a book men call the Bible. Like Abraham told the rich man who wanted Lazarus to return from the dead to teach his five brothers; if the word of God will not convict the heart, a dead man risen will not change their minds. The power is in the gospel. Jesus will not appear a second time for salvation but for judgment. If the Bible is not believed and the gospel is not obeyed, there will be no eternal life. Do not wait for Jesus to appear a second time because it will be too late. Hear the gospel – believe – obey the word.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2)

Rome Was Not A Democracy

The New Testament Christian lived in a world governed by an oppressive government that ruled with an iron fist, with little patience for any departure from what they established as law. When Jesus was a young child, Herod the Great sent his troops into the small village of Bethlehem and killed every male child two years and under. There were no marches of protest or mobs storming the citadel in Jerusalem demanding justice, only the crushed families whose children were murdered left grieving. The son of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, had a preacher beheaded at the behest of his wife. John the Baptist had told Herod he had no right to be married to Herodias, whom he had taken from his brother, Philip. There was no investigation into the death of John. The prophet died because of the whim of a young girl, prodded by her evil mother.

The gospel writer Luke mentions an event where Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, had killed many Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Pilate attacked a group of Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. Jesus confirmed the story when He used it as an example of humanity’s injustice against others. Pilate was not questioned about his actions, nor was a committee formed to verify the facts. Everyone knew what Pilate had done, but there was nothing to be said or done. It would be Jesus who would bring Pilate and Herod together when the Jews got the Son of God before Roman law to be killed.

The Romans had a prominent legal system that, in many ways, ensured justice to their citizens. Even the Jews had a system of justice for their people. Both Roman and Jewish laws were eviscerated because of intense hatred and envy. The Jewish leadership brought Jesus before the Sanhedrin, accusing Him of blasphemy. Nearly every law of the Jewish and Roman legal system was broken as the Jews rushed Jesus before the Sanhedrin in the middle of the night and then to Pilate seeking the death penalty. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and tried to free him, but with little concern or effort. Hoping Herod would take the blame for the case of Jesus, Pilate gladly sent the man of Nazareth to the king. Jesus refused to speak, and Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate. Caving under pressure from a maddened mob of people crying out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” Pilate released Jesus into the hands of his Roman soldiers.

An innocent man stood before a garrison of soldiers who treated their victim with the worst indignities. They beat Jesus nearly to death before forcing Him to bear His cross to a place of execution. No mercy was given. The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross and watched Him die. After His death, two local citizens claimed the body and buried the man from Nazareth. There were no inquiries into the injustice of killing an innocent man or mobs storming the palaces of Pilate and Herod. Later, the Romans would look the other way as a mob of Jews took Stephen outside the city and stoned him to death. They would continue to be uninterested in the actions of Saul of Tarsus, who used the power given him by the Jewish council to arrest men and women, committing them to prison and breathing out threats and murder against a religious group because they believed Jesus was the Son of God. No one protested the injustice done against the early church.

Persecution would come from the Roman government against the church, and it was all legal. Untold numbers of people were tortured and killed because they held to the belief that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world. For nearly two hundred years, the hand of injustice would claim the lives of thousands of saints. Rome was not a democracy, and there was nothing anyone could do. The saints quietly kept faith in the word of God and the hope of eternal life. And this is the government Paul wrote about that citizens of the kingdom of God should obey and honor.

As Peter told his persecutors, the early Christians knew their allegiance was to God first, but they were citizens of Rome, and they subjected themselves to every ordinance. Jesus taught His disciples that they must render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what is required. It does not matter what kind of political foundation the Christian lives in; they obey God first, but they subject themselves to the rule of government. This includes corrupt governments, dictators, and despots. Disobedience to government is disobedience to God. Disrespecting leaders is disobedience to God. Be thankful you do not live in the Roman Empire.

Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, “Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.” But my hand shall not be against you. (1 Samuel 24:12-13)

What The Ancients Understood

The fundamental truth of man’s relationship with God is that all men have no excuse to accuse God of not telling them what He expected of them. In other words, there has never been a time in human history when God has not revealed Himself. The manner of revelation changed over time. He spoke to Adam and Eve and told Noah to build an ark. Through the writing of the Law of Moses, God revealed Himself to the nation of Israel. The Gentiles were a law to themselves, understanding accountability before God. Jesus Christ came to reveal the final testimony of God’s redemptive plan for the world through the blood-bought gospel of the resurrected Savior. No man will stand before the Father who can claim ignorance.

When Saul was chasing David, seeking to kill him, the young shepherd had two opportunities to kill Saul. David would not harm the Anointed of the Lord, even though his men urged him to strike the king dead. After David cut a piece of the robe from Saul’s garment, he told the king how close he had come to death. In his reply and plea to King Saul, David assured him that he meant him no harm, quoting an ancient proverb not found in scripture but declared throughout the word of God. David reminded Saul that wickedness proceeds from the wicked. This is a moral statement that could only come from God. The world does not recognize evil. They call evil good and good evil. The morality of the human mind is immorality. To suggest that wickedness proceeds from the wicked declares the law of God in the hearts of men.

David could have quoted from the Law of Moses, but he chose to quote an obscure proverb from the ancients. The declaration of the young shepherd defines his knowledge that God has revealed Himself to all men. Even the moral nature of the human heart understands that there is something right and wrong. Morality is not just an environmental agenda but is born in the soul of every human being. What a man does with that moral nature is what defines him. A child is born with a pure heart. The heart of a child can be molded to follow after righteousness or unrighteousness. Embedded deep in the spirit of every person is the knowledge that there is a moral code.

Ancient civilizations show that even in the darkest places of the world’s cultures, there is a knowledge of right and wrong. What the moral code is may not be in keeping with the law of God, but the knowledge of such still exists. It is from the consciousness of morality that the heart can be formed to follow the moral code of the Divine. David recognized the value of the ancients, and, as John would later write, that all those who practice righteousness are righteous, and those who sin commit lawlessness. The ancients were right: wickedness proceeds from the wicked.

Jesus taught in His ministry that evil comes from an evil heart. An apple comes from an apple tree because it is born of the seed of an apple. Whatever is in the heart of man will determine the kind of person he is going to be. The saying is repeated when something unfortunate is said that the person did not intend to say; the fact remains that what was said came from the heart. Anger can swell up in a heart, and with the mouth sin spews forth. The tongue is unruly, but it can be tamed. Wickedness comes from a wicked heart. There is no denying that. Through the power of the gospel and the grace of a forgiving Father, wickedness can be controlled so that righteousness comes from a righteous heart, revealing the true character of God. Be warned and beware of an evil heart because wickedness will be the result. The good news is that molding the heart after Jesus Christ will renew the spirit into a new creation filled with grace, love, forgiveness, and righteousness.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.  (Hebrews 11:1-3)

By Faith We Understand

Henry Ward Beecher possessed a beautiful globe depicting the various constellations and stars of the heavens. Robert Ingersoll, visiting Beecher one day, admired the globe and asked who had made it. “Who made it?” said Beecher, seizing the opportunity to attack his guest’s well-known agnosticism. “Why, nobody made it; it just happened.”

The Bible begins by declaring that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There is no more powerful acclamation and affirmation that man can read than knowing the world in which he abides was not an accident or the result of eons of gradual processes creating intelligent life. The world was created and formed by the greatest intelligent life known to human wisdom. God created the world when He spoke it into existence. The earth was formless and empty. When God created light, He spoke it into existence. Each day of creation came through the power of the word of God.

On the sixth day, the Lord God took the dust of the ground to form man. He was called Adam, meaning “red earth.” God saw it was not good for man to be alone and created a woman from the rib taken from Adam. This divine surgery placed woman at the side of man to be a helper and companion in life. On the seventh day, God rested from all His work. Everything God created was very good. All of creation was in perfect harmony as it continues to this day.

The waters of the earth cover three-fourths of the planet. What God created and formed on the third day remains in form today. The flood in the days of Noah may have altered the land masses, but overall, God’s establishment on the third day remains in place today. On the third day, God created grass and trees to fill the land. That remains to this day. On the fourth day, the Lord placed the heavenly lights on the canvas of space. The sun, moon, and stars reflect the same glory as they did when God created them. When the moon is viewed in the night sky, it is the same moon Adam and Eve gazed upon in wonder.

On the fifth and sixth days, God created all the animals. First, the sea creatures filled the waters, and the birds covered the firmament of the heavens. Today, the waters abound with the creatures created by God, as the heavens are filled with the birds. On the sixth day, the land animals were created. All kinds of cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind, fill the earth. Many animals are extinct, but the earth remains full of land creatures roaming the expanse of the world.

God created everything, including man. He made man an eternal creature that will never cease to exist. God gave man a book to learn about creation and life after death. The world testifies to the greatness of God’s power, and the Bible testifies to God’s grace.

Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)

Saul Was Afraid Of David

After David killed Goliath, the Philistine giant, and Israel routed the Philistine army, King Saul appointed David over the men of war. David was accepted by the people and by Saul’s servants. The women sang as they danced, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” This angered Saul with a jealous heart that would bring about Saul’s downfall. One day when David was playing music in the presence of Saul, the King took a spear and tried to kill the young shepherd. David escaped, but Saul’s heart grew darker, beginning a long feud in which Saul tried to kill David.

Before the killing of Goliath, Saul had been told by Samuel that God was no longer with him because of his rebellion to destroy the Amalekites as commanded by God. Samuel told Saul the Lord had torn the kingdom from him and would give leadership to someone else. Saul did not know Samuel would anoint David as God’s Anointed. After David killed Goliath, Saul would spend the rest of his life chasing David, trying to kill him, before he himself was killed battling the Philistines. Saul knew the Lord had left him, and he knew David had the Lord on his side. This caused the King great fear.

Saul created his problem by refusing to obey the word of the Lord. Samuel addressed Saul, telling him that when the King was small in his own eyes, he served the Lord faithfully. Pride had made Saul an arrogant king, refusing to bow to the will of the Lord. Saul did things his way in the name of the Lord, but God did not accept his actions. David was a man after God’s own heart, seeking to walk in the footsteps of the Lord’s will. The difference between Saul and David is that God was with David but not with Saul. Saul was afraid of David because he knew what it meant to have the Lord dwelling in the spirit of man. He also knew his life was empty and void because he had rejected the Lord.

There are people like Saul who try to serve the Lord without the spirit of the Lord. Saul was a King, but a king without the Lord’s presence in him. David served the Lord with an obedient heart, giving glory to the Lord. Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day because they tried to serve His Father without following His will. One cannot profess to be a follower of Jesus and not follow the word of the Lord. Jesus posed the question to His disciples: Why would some call Him “Lord, Lord” but refuse to do what He said? Obedience requires fully devoting one’s heart to the will of the Lord. Like Saul, trying to serve the Lord without the Lord ends in failure.

God will not be with those who refuse to follow His will. He blesses those who obey Him and keep His commandments. Through His grace, He shows His love to those who fill themselves with His word and who do His will. Jesus said in the mountain sermon that many people will profess to follow Him, but, in judgment, will be found greatly lacking. They did not do the will of the Father and will be as outlaws before Him. Saying “Lord, Lord” will not save. Doing the will of the Father is where one finds truth and eternal life. Let the word of God dwell in you richly.

God to be Judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42)

There Is One Judge

During the forty days Jesus was with His disciples after His resurrection, He taught them the doctrines of the kingdom of God. Jesus was manifested to a certain group of people to testify that He was risen. He also commanded the disciples to preach the message of salvation to the people. Peter explained to Cornelius and his household that Jesus had risen from the dead and was the Judge of the living and the dead, and that whoever believes in Him would receive the remission of sins. This is the same message Peter preached in Jerusalem at Pentecost, proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Christ. Preaching the gospel affirms the resurrection of Jesus and, through the authority of God, confirms that Jesus is the Judge of all men.

After Jesus was arrested, He was taken before the Jewish legal system and then the Roman judicial court, where He was judged by men. He was pronounced guilty and crucified. Three days later, the accused rose from the dead to become the Judge of all those who sentenced Him to die. Those of the Sanhedrin would face Jesus in death as the accused. Pilate and Herod also faced Judge Jesus in death without their Roman authority and with the full force of divine justice. All those who have opposed the one true church in the past two thousand years stand before the Judge of all time guilty. Jesus is the Judge of all the dead and those who are alive when He returns again.

Judges must have authority, and that authority must be granted by those empowered to administer it. Jesus is the judge of all men because God gave Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth. There is no place that Jesus does not have authority. Every President, King, Prime Minister, Dictator, and despot serves the authority of the King of kings – Judge Jesus. Every nation on earth is under the judgment of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All people are subjected to the authority of the Son of God, whom the Father has made Judge of the living and the dead. The world is filled with many false religions, claiming to have a path to spiritual purity. They are denied before God through the authority of the only way, truth, and life – Judge Jesus. No one comes to the Father apart from the Judge of the living and the dead – Jesus Christ.

Obedience to the gospel of Christ demands submission to the Judge. The word of God judges all men, whether they are saved or not. Jesus is the judge of all men because He died on the cross to redeem the world to the Father, and there is no other way for men to be saved apart from the judgment of Jesus Christ. There is no man greater than the authority of the Judge of the living and the dead. When God decides to send His Son for the final judgment, Jesus will return with His mighty angels, bringing judgment upon the world. No one will claim authority. There will be no one demanding their rights. The only judge will be the Judge of the living and the dead – Jesus Christ.

Knowing there is only one Judge and that He judges righteously, all men must come to the cross of Jesus for eternal life. It does not matter whether the world believes Jesus is the Judge of the living and the dead. All men will die and all men will stand face to face before one Judge and be judged by one law and one authority given to Jesus by His Father. There is only one God. He gave Jesus the right to be Judge of the living and the dead. You may not accept Jesus as King now, but you will one day. Sadly, it will be too late. The prophets of old testified that through the name of Jesus, all who believe in Him will receive remission of sins. Today, Jesus is your Savior. Tomorrow He is your judge.

And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. (Matthew 27:33-34)

He Felt The Full Weight Of Sin

The Roman military had perfected the art of crucifixion to a fine point of human torture beyond any other means of killing a condemned man. It is unknown who first invented crucifixion, but the Persians used it, and Alexander the Great brought it to Egypt and Carthage, where the Romans learned of it from the Carthaginians. They perfected nailing a man to the cross as a form of torture to produce a slow death with the maximum effect of pain and suffering. Crucifixion was not only physical torture but also one of the most disgraceful and cruel means of killing a human being. Under Roman law, slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and the worst of criminals were subjected to crucifixion.

Before a man was crucified, he was stripped and beaten with a short whip (flagellum or flagellum) with several single or braided leather thongs with small balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones tied at intervals. Scourging would not kill a man but weaken him as the back, buttocks, and legs were flogged by the soldiers. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. After the

scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim. Jesus was scourged and, according to Peter’s testimony, received a severe beating from the soldiers. After the scourging, the soldiers placed the cross-piece (patibulum) weighing as much as 75-125 lbs. on the back of the condemned man.

Jesus fell under the weight of the cross, and the soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry the patibulum the remaining way to the place of crucifixion. When the soldiers arrived at the site, in an act of ironic mercy, they offered the condemned a bitter drink of wine mixed with myrrh (gall) as a pain reliever. When Jesus tasted the wine and realized it was myrrh, He refused it. The divinity of Jesus could have warned him of what the soldiers were giving him, but Jesus bore the cross fully as a human. He refused to take of the myrrh as it would deaden some of His pain and bring some small measure of relief to His suffering. It was probably welcomed by the other two victims who were crucified with Jesus, but they wanted the pain to go away. Jesus wanted to feel the full measure of pain because that was the price for the sins of the world.

God watched His Son die on the cross, fully human. He could have sent 172,000 of his mighty angels to deliver His Son or to give some relief to His beloved, but the Father stayed His hand, watching Jesus fully accept every ounce of incredible pain. The suffering of Jesus was immense, and He took nothing to deaden its pain. No one would have blamed Jesus for taking the myrrh to help Him endure the results of His scourging and the long hours of torture that lay ahead. The Son of God refused to accept one ounce of pain relief because He must feel all the pain to be the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. There was no pain relief for Jesus – He bore it all.

The reason Jesus died on the cross is because of my sin. Everything about crucifixion was about my sin. The soldiers beat Jesus without mercy in the scourging because of my sin. Jesus fell under the weight of the cross because of my sin. When the soldiers offered Him myrrh to give Him some relief from the excruciating pain, Jesus refused because of my sin. The Son of God endured incredible suffering for six hours on a Roman cross because of my sin. Relief did not come from myrrh – it came when Jesus said, “It is finished,” and died. Then, and only then, did the Son of God find relief from the burden of my sin. The glory of the Father came on the first day of the week when Jesus rose from the dead. All of the suffering of Jesus gives me life and hope of my own resurrection. He suffered so that I would not suffer. His pain was real and intense, so my joy is true and confident. Thank you, Jesus, for not taking the myrrh.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.'” (Jeremiah 7:3-4)

Trusting In Lying Words

Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem was the symbol of the nation of Israel, their power, and their belief in the one true God. It stood for over three hundred years, serving as the central place of worship under Solomon’s reign and the kings of the south during the divided kingdom. In the days of Jeremiah, the threat of the Babylonians loomed large on the horizon. The final days of Judah were drawing to a close. Jerusalem is doomed, and it is on the shoulders of Jeremiah to prepare the nation for the coming judgment of the Lord against the rebellious nation.

The prophet Jeremiah is opposed by the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem. False prophets fill the ears of the leaders and sway the people to listen to them instead of the man of God. The destruction of Jerusalem is certain, including the destruction of the Temple. Jeremiah warns the people the Temple could not and would not save them. There was a belief that as long as the Temple stood, the Lord would protect them and never let any harm come to them. The people failed to remember the story of their fathers taking the ark of the covenant of the Lord into battle, believing it would save them, but they failed. To the shock and surprise of the Philistines, they captured the ark of the covenant. God’s people took the ark, but God was not with the ark.

Jeremiah warns the people of the failed theology of crying out to the Temple to save them. When Solomon built the Temple, he reminded the people that the Lord does not dwell within the walls of a building. Nebuchadnezzar would destroy Jerusalem and take everything out of the Temple to Babylon. They burned the house of God and broke down the walls of Jerusalem because God was no longer with the people. Judgment had come by the hand of the Lord against a rebellious and sinful people.

The sight of the Babylonians ransacking the Temple must have been a horrifying sight to the Jews. Jeremiah warned them against trusting in a building when they refused to trust in the Lord God. The Lord is not possessed because of a building. Trusting in the lying words of salvation through the Temple brought about the destruction of the nation. The people trusted in the wrong thing. They lost sight of the meaning of worship and the purpose of the Temple. God demonstrated His wrath when the Babylonians left Jerusalem and the Temple in ruins.

The words of Jeremiah ring true today when people trust in lying words. They view salvation as being something attained because they sit in a building, have a pedigree of a certain type, or grew up in a “Christian nation.” Some individuals identify with specific groups based on their religious affiliation. Jesus talked about those who said, “Lord, Lord,” and did many works in His name; yet the Lord tells them He does not know them. They trusted in the wrong things. Refusing to do the will of the Father, they find condemnation instead of salvation. Trusting in lying words can have eternal consequences. When a man trusts in the wrong things, the end is tragic.

In the days of Jeremiah, some trusted in the word of God and His will. Men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who devoted their lives to the Lord alone. They were taken to a foreign land, but never gave up their faith in a faithless world. Trusting in God will bring eternal joy and everlasting life. It matters who the heart trusts. Examine yourself to see if you are trusting in the right words.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:52-54)

Resurrection

At the funeral service, the preacher became overly enthusiastic, and his sermon significantly exceeded the time limit. Finally, his assistant whispered, “It’s getting late, sir!” “I know,” the preacher said, “but this doctrine of resurrection is extremely important.” “Yes, sir,” the minister said, “But we’ve got to get the body over to the cemetery in time for it.”

Resurrection is a Biblical teaching that defies the wisdom of man. Death is the final act, and there is no returning from death. There is nothing in the arsenal of human reasoning that can recreate life once it is gone. Nothing man has devised can create life, and nothing man understands can give life back to a dead body. The concept of resurrection is purely divine, as God is the only source of life. In the beginning, the Lord spoke man into existence from the dust of the ground. There is within all men the breath of life that returns to God at death because He gave it life in the beginning. Science cannot create life; only God can create life.

To be resurrected means returning a dead body to life. Abraham demonstrated his belief in the resurrection when he took his son Isaac to the mountain to offer him as a burnt offering. The Hebrew writer says Abraham believed God could raise his son from the dead, and so he acted in faith. During the ministry of Jesus, His good friend Lazarus died. Jesus delayed going to see Lazarus, arriving four days after he died. The family had sealed Lazarus in the tomb after three days because the body had begun to decay. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, told Jesus she believed her brother would rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus told her He was the resurrection and the life.

Arriving at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus told the family to remove the stone from his tomb. The Lord then called forth for Lazarus to come out. Lazarus came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes. Jesus had brought Lazarus to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Resurrection is real! Jesus proved He was the Son of God through His miracles – especially when He raised the dead. Everything Jesus did led up to the greatest miracle of all, which was His own resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith. If there is no resurrection, there is no hope. The child of God lives in faith, knowing there is life after death. Everyone will be resurrected – some to eternal life and some to eternal death. All who die will be resurrected. The joy of being in Christ is knowing resurrection is real and full of hope and joy. Jesus is the resurrection and the life because He rose from the dead and reigns at the right hand of His Father. God has promised life to those in Christ.