The Heaton File

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 36:11-12)

Speaking From The Mouth Of The Lord

The work of preaching the word of God carries an incredible burden of responsibility. There is nothing purer than taking the message of the divine to instruct the human heart of its needs, obligations, and requirements. When God created man and woman, He gave them instructions. The Lord spoke to them and told them what they could do and not do. There were many blessings in the Garden of Eden and there was a penalty for disobedience. God relayed His word to Adam and Eve so they could know and understand His will. Those first words came from the mouth of God. Throughout the history of mankind, God spoke to the fathers by various methods and means. Sometimes the Lord would speak directly to the man, reveal His will through visions and dreams, but most commonly transcribe His will for all to read. Ultimately, the will of the Lord came from the mouth of God.

Zedekiah was one of the final kings of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem. The king tried to flee but was caught by the Babylonian soldiers and brought before Nebuchadnezzar. His sons were killed before his eyes and then Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah’s eyes burned out. The king of Judah was taken to Babylon, where he died. Zedekiah followed the pathway of evil, refusing to listen to the words of Jeremiah, the prophet. His demise came as a consequence of rebellion against the preaching of Jeremiah. The gravity of his sin was that refusing to heed the preaching of Jeremiah meant that Zedekiah refused to listen to the words coming from the mouth of God. Jeremiah was not preaching a message of human origin or something the prophet dreamed up. The message of Jeremiah came from the mouth of God.

Preaching the word is declaring the voice of God. The Bible is the divinely revealed message of God and to obey the words of the Bible is to obey the voice of God. Refusing to submit to the words of the Bible is refusing to listen to the words coming from the mouth of God. When men begin to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they will believe, they decide which part of the mouth of God they will accept or reject. The word of God is settled in heaven and no man can change it. There should be a holy reverence to the teachings of the Bible because what is found between Genesis and the Revelation is the mouth of God. Hear it to be wise. Believe it to be saved. Tremble if you refuse. Fear when you ignore it. Zedekiah did not humble himself before Jeremiah, the prophet who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. Do not make the same mistake.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:33-34)

God Is Almost First Place

The sermon of Jesus on the mountain was a powerful preamble to the constitution of the kingdom of God. In many ways, there is little new in the message as principles laid down from the foundation of the earth were reestablished in the minds of the disciples in a manner they could not expect. When Jesus finished his sermon, the people were astonished. They had heard similar preaching but nothing to the power of the words of the Christ. Fundamental statements of truth reminded the people what God has always demanded and expected of His people: obedience. This obedience came with a price and the price was high. There was no room for error or failure to obey. What Jesus laid out in the sermon was the nature of His Jealous Father.

Seeking God requires first place. There can never be a half-hearted devotion, almost a disciple attitude, or a seasonal interest in the will of God. If there is not complete devotion to the kingdom of God, there is no devotion. Seeking first the kingdom of God was not a suggestion. It was a clear mandate eliminating everything else. This can be a little confusing because many things in life are very important. A man must be a faithful son, husband, and father to his family but that is not the most important. Women serve the same obligation to be faithful daughters, wives, and mothers and like the man, this is not the most important.

From the beginning of time, God required the man to work and labor with his hands. Jobs are essential and necessary for the livelihood of the family. Throughout scripture, the Holy Spirit forbids a lazy spirit and if a man refuses to work, he should not eat. God said that! Seeking first the kingdom of God places our jobs off the number-one spot of importance. Obeying the government is required by the child of God but seeking the kingdom of God comes first. Friends are an important part of life. Recreation is helpful to bring comfort to life and enjoy some time off. Spending money for the creature comforts of life can be a blessing. But seeking first the kingdom of God is putting everything far down the list of importance.

Jesus preached a bold message. He was clear in his teaching as He sought to bring the people’s minds back to the word of God. There was a need for the people of God to repent and change their view of God. John the Baptist began his ministry with the preaching of repentance. Jesus began His Father’s work with the message of repentance. It was not the people who had left God for some pagan idol. The preaching of the word of God had grown soft and God was not first in the hearts of the people. To serve Jesus Christ, first place was the only place.

The preaching of the gospel has softened on the essential character of putting God and Jesus first place. Christianity has become an accepted part of the fabric of society as casual as the Jews of Jesus’ time. Families struggle because God is not first in their lives. Husbands and wives find themselves embroiled in discord from a spirit that never put the word of God first. Jobs are more important than assembling with the saints. It has become an acceptable practice for Christians to forsake the Lord’s supper to go to their jobs. This can happen for weeks or months. Assembling with the saints takes less importance as friends, recreation, jobs, and couch sitting church disciples take precedence over serving God first.

Seeking the kingdom of God first is trusting the Lord will care for all the needs of His children. The birds of the air testify that God knows and cares for His creation. What is there that man must worry about that is not in the hands of the Lord? Nothing must come before my service to God. Without exception. Putting the word of God first is abiding by His will first. Seeking God first brings a high price of devotion but the reward is eternal. What is first in your life? Or rather – WHO is first in your life?

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:15)

Oh, That Men Would Give Thanks To The Lord

There is no limit to the goodness and mercy of the Lord. With the sun’s rising to the refreshing bounty of the rains that nourish the earth and the abundance of blessings given to all men, God has shown His glory for all humanity to see, know, and honor the Creator. Life is filled with the mercies of the Lord on a daily basis. The breath of life is a gift. Earth is a domain settled in its place among the stars affording the singular place in the universe to support life. The seas abound with life as the skies fill with the creations of the Most High God and across the wide expanse of earth, creation unfolds the glory of God. There is nothing that man lacks. He is provided everything needed for his happiness.

Beyond the created world, man possesses an intellect that allows him to have dominion over all creation. He is the master of the world as he fills the earth to subdue it. Only man is created in the image of the Divine and this places him above all creation to know and appreciate the Creator. God has given to humanity His word. Through the knowledge of wisdom possessed only by man, the eternal nature of God is revealed to all men. Animals die and cease to exist. Man will die but will never cease to exist. He continues in a world of eternity. Only man shares the nature of God. Since the beginning of time, the Lord has revealed to all men what they must do to be pleasing before their Creator. God has never left man alone to his own devices without instructions on how to save himself. The word of God has always been available for every man to know.

Creation declares the glory of God and the revealed word confirms the nature of God. It is responsive for men to give thanks to God for His goodness and to acknowledge the wonderful works God has done for all men. Everything the Lord provides satisfies the soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord. There is abundant evidence of the hand of God in creation and through the written word the Father has revealed every nature of grace in Jesus Christ. No man can stand before the Lord and suggest he did not know there was a God. No man will present themselves before the holy character of the Father in ignorance. Most men deny there is a Creator and few believe the word of God but both are real and everyone must acknowledge that truth. Denying the universe was created by God does not change the word of God. It only makes a man a sad creature deluded with his own grandiose visions of human wisdom. Oh, that all men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness.

The tragedy of the human heart is the ungrateful spirit. Denying praise to God is foolish. Refusing to see the rising sun as a testimony to the power of God darkens the soul. Rejecting the Bible as the word of God dooms the spirit to eternal darkness. Joy and happiness can only be found when men give thanks to the Lord of His goodness and for His wonderful works that He has done. The soul can only be satisfied by acknowledging God as Creator and abiding by His word as the only guide for the heart. Then – and only then – will life be complete, whole, and satisfying. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord. Let that joy begin today. Praise God.

I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:9-11)

Closed On Christmas But Open On Sunday

Yesterday was Christmas. Today is Sunday. Yesterday was a holiday. Today is the first day of the week. Christmas allowed families to gather together away from jobs and other distractions as a holiday. Almost all businesses were closed on Christmas – even Walmart. Major chains of restaurants closed their doors for Christmas. In most communities, the sidewalks were rolled up and hardly anyone was on the road. Christmas is on a list of about six major holidays where much of the nation shut down, including New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.

Today is the day following Christmas and except for courageous companies like Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby, businesses return to normal with everyone opening their doors. Sunday has become the forgotten day it used to be remembered for. Calendars no longer reflect Sunday as the “first day of the week” but put Sunday as a “weekend” stuffed with Saturday at the end of the week. There is a total disregard for the “day of worship and rest” that was considered the importance of Sunday for many generations. On any Sunday, long streams of cars headed off to church and people dressed in the Sunday best walked to the community church. For many years, communities followed blue laws on Sunday prohibiting all activities except religious. Those laws have died with the horse and buggy.

The one thing that has never changed in the dichotomy of human nature is how he demands certain things for himself and denies the requirements of the God who made him. Imagine the outcry if Christmas was canceled as a holiday. There would be stiff resistance to cancel Christmas. Today is the first day of the week and most people have little concern for the Lord’s Day. What is more tragic is that many Christians did not want to work on Christmas but have no qualms working on the Lord’s Day week after week. They expect and demand days off on holidays. Missing the assembly on the first day of the week has become an accepted pattern in the church of the Lord.

Sunday is the Lord’s Day and will always be His day. The Holy Spirit set forth a pattern of worship delivered by the Father; the first day of the week is a day of remembrance. Early disciples followed the divine pattern of meeting to worship on the first day of the week (known as the day after Sabbath). God’s word has not changed. The Lord said nothing about Christmas, yet men give more honor to an erroneous day of frivolity than God’s command. Everything will return to normal today because Sunday is not a holy day anymore in the eyes of most people. The unfortunate thing is that while the world rejects God’s will, Christians act as if Sunday is a day of choice; as if they can assemble or not assemble. They will use their jobs as excuses to forsake the assembly and would not dream of working on Christmas. When Jesus returns, Christmas will be taken away with all the other pagan nonsense of human wisdom. The Lord’s Day? That will be some day on that day.

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13:34-35)

Asaph The Prophet And Jesus

The style and methodology of Jesus’ teaching were not a new discipline for the Jewish people who were familiar with the writings of the prophets. Reading the works of Moses and the prophets embodied how Jesus presented the word of His Father. His message was very different from how the Jewish leaders taught the holy scripture, for Jesus taught with authority. The book of Matthew is addressed to a Jewish audience and throughout the gospel, the message of fulfillment is clearly defined. No other book identifies the expression of fulfillment more than Matthew.

When Matthew begins writing about the parables of Jesus, he notes that Jesus did not speak to the people without using parables. Not all the parables of the Lord are found in the gospels as John notes in his book, the world could not contain everything Jesus said and did. There are less than fifty parables found in the teachings of Jesus. Those that are found fulfill the message of a prophet named Asaph, who was a psalmist and seer of the Lord during the days of King David. Asaph, a Levite, was appointed by David over the service of song at the Tabernacle until Solomon built the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

The psalm which Matthew quotes is Psalm 78. This psalm is not considered a “Messianic Psalm,” but nonetheless has implications of prophecy attached to Jesus. The psalm of Asaph is a critical review of Israel from the covenant of God with Jacob to the promise of salvation in Mount Zion and the coming of a shepherd. God provided everything Israel needed and yet Israel continued to rebel against Him. The Hebrews never lacked food, water, clothing, or protection. God’s wrath punished them through the wilderness wanderings. Warnings of the punishment against Egypt did not sway the people’s hearts. A generation of people died in the wilderness because they rejected the word of the Lord. Judah was chosen over Joseph and David was chosen as the shepherd of God’s people.

Jesus’ teaching with parables was not merely a style of teaching that fulfilled prophecy. Matthew takes the very heart of Psalm 78 to illustrate the message of God to the world as His mercy, grace, love, wrath, punishment, and salvation in the One who was the Lion of Judah and the Son of David to be the redemptive Savior of the world. Like Israel, most would reject the teachings (parables) of Jesus. Rebellion characterized the people of God, and the world would not only reject the work of God’s Son – they would kill him. Jesus fulfilled scripture when He spoke in parables as the Messenger of the Divine who uttered things kept secret from the foundation of the world. All of the teachings of Jesus are the summation of the scheme of redemption set forth before time began.

The parables of Jesus are not just enjoyable children’s stories. Buried deep within the recesses of each line is the eternal message of hope in the Shepherd who came to give His life for His flock. The words of Jesus are life and eternal life will not be found outside the teachings of God’s Son. Asaph was a prophet who wrote about the work of the Messiah. The people of Jesus’ day heard the parables of Jesus to know the will of the Father. Every word of the Bible is delivered to the world to know and believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It could easily be said everything between Genesis and the Revelation is the greatest parable ever written.

And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. (2 Samuel 6:6-7)

The Penalty Of Error

It is one of the saddest stories in the Bible but one of the most profound. David had become king, and Jerusalem had been conquered. The ark of God had been at Kirjath Jearim since the Philistines returned it in the days of Samuel. King David wanted to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem with great fanfare. They set the ark of God on a new cart driven by two men, Uzzah and Ahio. When the procession came to a threshing floor, the oxen stumbled and it looked as though the ark would fall. Uzzah put out his hand and took hold of the ark to steady it. The anger of God was aroused against Uzzah and he was struck dead. Uzzah died there by the ark of God.

David had mistakenly moved the ark in a manner forbidden by the Lord. Many years earlier, when the Philistines returned the ark to Israel, they put the ark on a new cart drawn by two milk cows. The cows brought the ark to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. There the wood was used to sacrifice the cows and the Levites came and secured the ark. Because the people looked into the ark of the Lord, more than fifty thousand people were killed by the hand of the Lord. The penalty of their error was to do what God forbade.

Uzzah died because of his error. An error is not a mistake. It is flagrant disobedience to the word of God. The story of Uzzah has challenged human wisdom to understand why God took such a rash action against a seemingly innocent act. What is lost in the story is the purity of God’s word and the expectation of complete obedience to the word of God. There is no margin for human wisdom to change the word of God. The fact remains the ark was being transported in a manner forbidden by God. It was to be carried on the shoulders of the priests and was not. David became angry because of what happened and then he became afraid. He knew why God killed Uzzah.

The word of God has suffered abuse from the beginning of time. Satan changed a small part of God’s word to deceive the woman. The Lord has always been very plain in His commands with the expectations of obedience from the heart of men. There has never been a time God has allowed men to change His word without penalty. Error is everything that stands against the word of God. When men follow error, they engage in the error of Uzzah, who, for good reasons, did something forbidden. Does it make a difference to the Lord? Ask the fifty thousand plus seventy who died when they looked into the ark or Uzzah who took hold of the ark of God. Jesus acknowledged that God’s word was truth and there was no other truth. Anything that is not found in the word of God is error. And you know the rest of that story.

I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But I said, “Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.” But the voice answered me again from heaven, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” (Acts 11:5-9)

Peter Challenged God’s Word

The Law of Moses was stringent regarding eating certain foods. There was a long list of foods considered clean and unclean. Any beast that did not chew the cud and have a split hoof was unclean. Catfish were unclean because they had no fins or scales. Birds like vultures were prohibited because they lived off the carcasses of dead animals. All creeping things were unclean if they did not hop. The devoted Jew was cautious about eating only foods authorized under the Law of Moses. God wanted His people to be separate from the Gentiles and restricting certain foods impressed upon the people what was holy and unholy.

Peter was the epitome of the devout Jew. He declared he had never eaten anything common or unclean. While Peter was staying in the city of Joppa, the apostle had a vision. He was very hungry and saw the heaven open and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. He immediately recognized the animals as unclean. A voice told him to kill and eat but he refused. The voice told him a second time to kill and eat and he again refused. Peter was not going to be swayed away from his convictions. He was determined to hold his course in keeping the word of the Lord.

The diligence of Peter is a commendable trait to pattern after as one of courage, faith, fidelity, and obedience. It was clear the animals on the sheet were forbidden by the Law of Moses. Peter forcibly resisted the voice that told him to kill and eat. What Peter failed to appreciate in his diligence to hold tight to his beliefs is the realization the voice was from God, not man. The vision was a parabolic lesson about what Peter was about to do. Three men arrived at the house in Joppa to take Peter back to the household of Cornelius, who would become the first Gentile converts in the infant church. Peter understood this later as he recounts the experience to those in Jerusalem.

God told Peter to do something that was not in accordance with the Law of Moses. On the surface, his actions were right, but Peter failed to acknowledge that the Lawgiver permitted him to kill and eat and he should have done so. Abraham was told to take his only begotten son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering. Where has there been acceptance of human sacrifice in any law given by the Lord? Never. God asked Abraham to do something that was against every fiber of righteousness. Abraham did not question God. He took his son and placed him on the altar, preparing to kill him and then burn his body as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed the word of God without question.

The lesson of Peter and the unclean animals was illustrative of the opening of the kingdom to the whole world. There is also a deeper lesson about obeying the word of God. Peter argued with the demands of God. Like Abraham, Peter should have acted as if God’s righteousness would be established even if he did eat the unclean animals. God set aside the death penalty facing David and Bathsheba because He was the Lawgiver and had the right to set aside the penalty. Obedience is obeying the word of God whether a man understands it or not.

Many refuse to obey the will of the Father because they do not understand what a little water has to do with salvation. Why should anyone remember the body and blood of Jesus on the first day of the week? What profit is there to live the Christian life when there is so much more to do in life? Human wisdom tries to usurp the word of God, making it fit the carnal nature of the world. When God speaks, men should not question but obey. This does not create a zombie world of morally controlled robots. It becomes the character of a faithful heart to hear the word of God – and obey. Why? Because it is God’s word. Peter soon realized what God wanted him to do and never turned back. Listen to the word of God. Stop arguing with God. You will never win.

Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” (Zechariah 2:11-13)

The Holy Land

Zechariah is the prophet who is tasked, along with Haggai, to encourage the returning exiles to stop delaying building the second Temple of the Lord in the broken-down city of Jerusalem. Nearly seventy years prior, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Holy House of the Lord. Under the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia, the people were allowed to return to Jerusalem to build the house of the Lord God of Israel. The captives returned to Jerusalem, and work on the Temple began with the foundation being laid with great joy. However, the opposition would stop the building plans for nearly sixteen years. Men like Haggai, Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and Zechariah tried to instill a devotion to return to the building.

Haggai focused his preaching on those devoted to the Lord, while Zechariah addressed the souls who were not as dedicated. The Temple must be built. It was not that God desired to dwell in a building, but He was working through the people to reestablish the people of God in Israel. God had promised a remnant would return and a greater kingdom would come in the days of the fourth king (Rome). Building the Temple was part of the restoration of the land. The people must repent of their lack of faith and trust in the Lord and allow Him to be a wall of fire around them. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, they built the Temple first. The walls were not rebuilt for another 94 years. God must be present first before the walls are built.

In the third vision of Zechariah, the land of Palestine is called the “Holy Land.” This is the only time in scripture the term is used. It is fitting to call Palestine the Holy Land because this is where the Lord has established His covenant with the world. Abraham took Isaac as a sacrifice to the land of Moriah. The ark of the covenant was called the holy ark. Jerusalem is known as the holy city of God and the holy mountain. Those who possessed the land were to be holy people as they followed the holy word of God. All the nations around them would see Israel as the apple of God’s eye and a holy nation devoted to Him. Zechariah sought to bring the people back to the relationship of holiness in the holy land to honor the glory of God.

The geography of the Holy Land is the testimony of the untold number of events that are told in the Bible in that small space of land. No place on earth is filled with more history and stories that go back to the beginning of time. God used that stretch of land to show the world His forbearance, love, grace, longsuffering, and love. Jesus Christ was killed on a tree outside the holy city of Jerusalem. The Holy Land was a place of sanctification. It was ravaged through the years with wars and cruelty. It is still called the Holy Land, but the significance was lost to its title nearly two thousand years ago.

God called the land the Holy Land because it was a place He would establish His covenant with all the world in Jesus Christ. There is no significance to the land now because the nation of Israel ceased to exist in the First Century. The Jews are no longer the chosen people of God. Jesus Christ has brought Jew and Gentile together in the covenant of grace through His blood. The true Holy Land is found in the geography of the kingdom of Christ or the church of Christ. Landmarks, rivers and seas do not determine the boundary of the Holy Land in Christ. Today, God’s Holy Land is the church, stretched out worldwide in great metropolitan cities to quiet mountaintop buildings where the saints meet.

The church is the manifold wisdom of God so that all nations can know the one true God. As a holy people, the saints of God establish a parcel of holy land in their communities as examples of the righteousness of truth. Husbands and wives shine forth as people of God, workers in factories and offices exemplify the character of honesty, integrity, and fidelity, local congregations of God’s people are busy sharing the gospel with their neighbors. The Holy Land. It’s you.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. (John 13:1-4)

How Jesus Prepared To Die

Death was not a stranger to Jesus. As Creator, He knew the sadness of death was born from the tears of sin. When Abel was murdered by his brother, death became real to all humanity. Methuselah enjoys the notoriety of the longest recorded man in history but the scriptures say he died. When God brought the flood upon the earth, untold millions of souls perished. Disease, famine, wars, inhumanity, natural disasters, and life itself loudly ring the chimes of time that death is inevitable. Cemeteries are stark reminders of something no man can change. Everyone has a tombstone with their name on it.

The knowledge of death has not been the struggle with the human spirit. How to prepare for death is the more pressing concern. Since the beginning of time, men have searched for the proverbial fountain of youth. Few find answers in the wisdom of men. Jesus knew He was going to die and He knew how He would die. What prepared the Son of God for His death was the knowledge He shared with the heavenly Father.

Jesus knew the Father had given Him authority over all things. The relationship between Jesus and His Father was the endearment of trust. Jesus came in the flesh born of a woman. He had to learn to walk, talk, and learn about the Heavenly Father. Jesus was tempted in all points yet without sin. At the beginning of His ministry, Satan tried to deceive the Lord with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Jesus attached the wiles of the devil with the word of God. Throughout the life of Jesus, the word of His Father was foremost in His speech, words, thoughts, and actions. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to perform miracles, heal all diseases, and raise the dead. Jesus had complete power over the demon world. Satan was subject to the will of the Son of God.

The day before Jesus would die on the cross, He gathered with the twelve apostles a final time. He would wash the feet of the twelve to show them the true act of love was found in being a servant. Judas watched as Jesus washed his feet, knowing what he was about to do. Jesus knew what Judas was going to do and when. The events of that night were constructed according to the authority of God, the will of the Son of God, and the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Nothing happened that did not fall under the sway of the redemptive plan to save mankind. Jesus knew what was about to happen was the will of His Father.

Jesus prepared to die because He knew two things: He had come from the Father and He was going back to the Father. Before time began, Jesus was with the Father. Coming to earth, Jesus knew He would live in the flesh and suffer the temptations as all men do but a day would come when Jesus would be nailed to a cross and die. He knew this. It was not a mistake or a cleverly crafted plan by the Jews. The death of Jesus was according to the will of God. What gave Jesus comfort to face such an ordeal was to know He came from God and that death was nothing more than the avenue for Him to return to the Father. He faced death knowing it would bring Him closer to seeing His Father face to face. With confident courage of faith, Jesus went to the cross and died. And then Sunday came.

Death is a fearful thing to face. Most men dread it. A Christian can face death with a joyous spirit knowing that with the authority of the word of God, promises have been made that transcend the joys of this world. Like Jesus, who knew the Father had given Him all things, the child of God can live knowing that God has made eternal promises and that God cannot lie. Through the word of God and faith in the promises of God, life is not as precious here as the life found in eternity. Death is no longer feared when the Christian knows that he is created by the hand of God and that death will take him to see the Father face to face. Jesus knew that He had come from the Father and was going to God. The fear of death is removed when the heart of love knows they come from the Father and they are going to God. Then, death is a welcome guest. How you face death will be how you face life. Be prepared to die but do so with joy.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:24-27)

Worry Serves The Wrong Master

The nature of humanity lends itself to focus on one thing and this is how God has created man. While multitasking is a gift of the human will, it boils down to a choice of serving the will of God or the will of the human spirit. Man has always been a free moral agent. Adam and Eve had a choice and allowed the spirit of mammon to rule their hearts. Sin is the harvest of the field of avarice. Confidence in the fleshly side of man is the predominant desire that turns the heart away from serving the will of the Father to the carnal desires of the moment. Eve looked on the forbidden fruit with a passion of desire that could only be whited by disobeying God. Her love for the flesh overpowered her love for God.

It is a profound truth that man cannot serve two masters. The heart of man is singular in its nature. When a man seeks to serve God and mammon, he falls into the trap of hypocrisy. There is no room for God when the heart is filled with the desires of the world. Loyalty is not divided – it is singular. If a man decides to serve the desires of the flesh, he removes himself from the will of God. The Lord will not allow a man to say he loves Him and at the same time devote his life to the needs of the flesh. God is a jealous God and His name is Jealous because He cannot and will not accept anything less than total allegiance from men. It is impossible – with bold assertion – to serve God and mammon. Men try it all the time and fail without exception. Trying to serve God and mammon is like trying to walk backward to the moon.

Worry is the excessive concern for things of the world. An inordinate concern for the things of life can take the heart away from trusting in the blessings of the Father. Life can be difficult and demanding and Satan has no greater desire for men to spend their lives worrying about and fussing over the minutia of things that have no significance. Life for the worrier becomes an obsession with what to eat and drink and what to wear and matters of no lasting value. The heart is taken away from God and men begin to serve mammon rather than the Creator. Jesus put a ‘therefore’ between the admonition of God and mammon and the need not to worry to emphasize the hypocrisy of trying to love God and trusting Him so little. Covetousness comes from trying to serve two masters. Worry springs from trying to serve two masters. Fear fills the mind when God is no longer the master of life.

There are many things to be concerned with in life. God promised to feed the sparrows but He never suggested He would bring the food to the nest. There is a need to work and labor to care for life but the overabundance of trust in the things of mammon leads to the people of God filling their lives with an inordinate desire and concern for life. There are many in the church of the Lord that have allowed a fear of a virus to consume them with anxiety and distrust of the care of God. It is sad to watch children of God cower at home with fear refusing to obey the will of the Father. Life has become a pattern of fear. Serving mammon will not bring joy. Worrying cannot add one value to life. Jesus appeals to the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns because God takes care of them. We are far more valuable to God than the birds. Can all my worries add a single moment to my life? When I serve God and reject mammon, I will see more clearly the protective care and blessings of the Father. Worry serves the wrong master.