SORRY, I HAVE GOT TO GO TO WORK

There are times here of late when I am getting calls at all hours from telemarketers. I try to be kind but also I have stopped listening to their sales pitch and just politely hang up while they are still talking. On the other hand if it is early in the morning I can reply I am sorry but I am on the way to work and I do not have time now to talk to you. Our lives in caring for our families often revolve around getting to work. Work, for some, is a dirty four-letter word. For most people however, it is a blessing to have a job to go to and earn money for the good of the family.

On day six of creation week when God created man and woman, he gave them the gift of language (Gen. 1:26). Adam was able to name the animals God brought to him on day six. Later in the same day he recognized the woman as being one like him. The declaration would be made for all future generations of God’s plan. A man would leave his own home and begin one a new with his wife (Gen. 2:24). My point is that language has come from God since day six of the creation week. There are those who corrupt language and can use it to mislead or to be vulgar.

When we turn the pages of God’s Word, we should place high value on the words that have been translated into our English translations. Some newer translations admit words that the copies of the New Testament do not have and in some cases have removed words that were there. Over all the years the KJV has stood the test of time and the voice of critics. It is a good translation to check out the newer translations. I am turning then to that particular translation and look up how God uses the word “work”.

Christians are to always abound in the work of the Lord (I Cor. 15:58). No problem with the word abound. Peter uses the same idea in telling Christians to “add” to their faith (2 Peter 1:5). We pause and say, but what is the work of the Lord? Pilate had Jesus standing before him and questioned Jesus is He was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered it was for this very cause, to be a King that He came into the world (John 18:37). In the same verse, Jesus also said that He came to bear witness to the truth. In His last moments with His disciples He would send them into all the world in order to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). He sends them to preach the gospel and that agrees with the truth He expressed to Pilate. He came to bear witness to the truth. Let us look at two effects of that preaching after people obeyed the truth. Those in Acts 4 sold property and brought the money to the apostles (Acts 4:34). Christians because of God would be kind and tenderhearted toward each other (Eph. 4:32).

Are you running late today? I mean it is time to go to work. Not just going to a building somewhere but rather going to work for the Lord by being the church.

DISTRACTIONS

How many of us have often found ourselves running late for work. A red light stops us and we take it personal as those some unseen person switched the light to make you late for work. Someone busy on their cell phones does not realize the light has changed and they just sit there. Sometimes in frustration about being late to work, we find that device on our steering wheel and use it ever so gently to remind the person on the cell phone, it is time to go. We have all come across these distractions at one time or another. The problem created by the red light or someone not paying attention may not be so hard to dwell with if we had left for work on time.

Brethren there are many distractions which keep us from the work of the Lord. Is time a distraction to keep me from the work of the Lord? In reality each of us have the same twenty four hours, no more or no less. We each recognize that the use of time deals with priorities. Whether it is making a list of what has to get done or just arranging the activities of the day to get as much done as possible. As a minister of the gospel of Christ I have more time to invest in study than many of the members. That is truly not the issue. No one’s amount of study is based on another person. One’s study is that which has to be approved by God (2 Timothy 2:15). Time can be a distraction or the proper use of it can allow for moments to investigate what God has revealed.

Making a list or settling in our mind what we want to get done will move us in the right direction. Work, raising a family and building faith all takes time. Let us use time then that whatever we do is to the glory of God (Matt. 5:16; Col. 3:17).

CAN A WOMAN FORGET?

The prophet Isaiah speaks about God’s hand, day of salvation and of God’s mercy and comfort in chapter 49. The first six verses is an appeal for Judah to return back to faithful service to God. In the sixth verse the reference is to the work of the Jesus by being a light to the Gentiles. The restoration then of Israel is not just about Jews but about all humanity that will come in contact with the truth concerning Jesus the Christ. As we move to verse 8 the theme of salvation is raised which shows the intent of God for all humanity to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

The prisoners are set free (verse 9; Isa. 61:1). They will not hunger or thirst in God’s kingdom on the earth (Matt. 5:6). God will exalt the mountain of the church, which is the kingdom (Isa. 2:2,3). All nations will flow unto it. As the prophet states in verse 12, people from all nations will be coming to know of the Lord and of His way. In a few short years from Isaiah’s day Jerusalem will fall under the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The idea of hope and for a future restoration goes far beyond the time of Zedekiah, the last man to sit on the throne after Jerusalem’s fall at the hand of Babylon.

By verse 13 the promise is of God to bring comfort. It is a comfort to be brought by Jesus the Christ when His will came into effect beginning in Acts 2 (Matt. 5:4). But there is a response on the part of God’s people to the end they charge God with forsaking them and forgetting them (Isa. 49:14). God’s abiding promise and assurance to His people has always been, I will never forget thee or forsake thee (Heb. 13:5). When Jesus came there was beginning to be unrest with the world itself. The Jewish people had an occupying government of Rome to rule over them. Some had reached the conclusion that God no longer cared for them. Here then was God’s response in the future when His people would raise this issue.

Can a woman forget her child that she is nursing (Isa. 49:15). The nearness of the child to the mother and the growing love of the mother to be so needed gives answer. Would such a mother be apt to forget the child that needed her or her need for the child to give meaning to her existence? Would she not have compassion on the child that came from her womb. Normal thinking people would answer, she could never forget her child. As an example then, can God forget His people? His nearness to them and their need for Him, shows that no one should reach the false conclusion that God does not care for me.

When the child was in the womb did not the mother care for it? When Mary the mother of Jesus came to Elisabeth’s house and spoke the babe in Elisabeth’s womb, jumped (Luke 1:44). It was joy. The more common language is now that it is not a child until it is born into this world. As long as it is in the womb it, by the reasoning of the world is not human and therefore is not to be protected by law. God pronounced His verdict on Judah years after Isaiah by saying that Manasseh had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. What was the innocent blood? It was the babies being burned in fire to some false god. Perhaps most moral people today upon reading of such horror might reach a conclusion that such is wrong. Well, dear friend it is wrong to kill innocent little babies in such horrible ways. It is still wrong to kill innocent little babies in the wombs of their mothers. Kill them in as horrible means as anything done by sacrifice to false gods. The world avoids the guilt by claiming that what is inside the mother cannot feel pain.

Let us then step back for a moment from the legal end and what scientist say and make this observation. What woman can forget the life that grows inside of her? Her identity and acceptance with God is not based on the growth inside of her becoming a child. It is a child from conception. Her acceptance with God is based on her growing love for and the protection of the child to be born. May women never forget nor men avoid their responsibility in birth.

All Things Created

All of us are here either by design (purpose) or by accident. The Bible opens up by showing us the very laws which scientist cannot disprove. In the beginning (time) God (mind) created (force) the heavens and the earth (matter). God makes the claim that He was the One who began life on this planet. If one chooses to argue with what God has said what is the alternative? Remove God and all we have then is that man is here by accident. Understand clearly the great implication. If we are all here by accident then at some point you have “something” coming from “nothing”. If there is a beginning then at some point something was brought into existence when nothing was there.

Peter writes to show how wicked men can become when they believe there is no one to whom they must be accountable. Their first argument is that all things continue today like they have always been (2 Peter 3:4). Note these scoffers are not here to speak about evolution because the word “creation” is used in verse 4. He then uses the example of the universal flood which hit the earth in Noah’s day. The scoffers choose to be willingly ignorant of what God did to the world back then. The scoffers in the last days do not believe they will have to answer for their choices in life.

In verse 7 (2 Peter 3) God affirms through Peter that the heavens and the earth are kept in store by the same word which was used to destroy those in Noah’s day. What then sustains planet earth, day in and day out? Peter says it is God who is responsible for maintaining life on earth. Paul declares the same thing by saying that by Christ “…we have our being” (Acts 17:28). The great power of God is used to keep our life on this planet going. If God keeps everything going where do we get the idea that man can destroy the planet which God keeps going? Is man so powerful as to bring an end and override the power of God?

God does not want anyone to perish and be lost in eternity (2 Peter 3:9). The warning in the next verse is that the Lord will come as a thief in the night, that is without warning. The people in Noah’s day and in the day of Lot all died without warning (Genesis 7 and Genesis 19). Because we know that at some point the elements will melt with fervent heat, we need to keep watch on how we live our daily lives (2 Peter 3:11). When Noah came from the ark, God gave him assurance by placing a rainbow in the sky. God would never again destroy the earth with water. He will destroy it with fire the next time.

When the numbers were first being altered, we had individuals who warned people about “carbon footprints”, cars, pollution and others things by which we are destroying our planet. Man becomes the source for destroying or saving the planet. Over all the years we have slowly eliminated God from being discussed in public forums such as schools, colleges and universities. How could anyone believe in creation, correct? Why not put it back on them and say how could anyone believe in evolution? You see the idea is that man can solve all his problems and there is no need for some “outside source”. Explain then how that in some Moslem countries, a homosexual is executed for being a homosexual? We have so many people today who are speaking out about the abuse of women. In those same Moslem countries women do not fare as well as they do here.

A former president of the country had women come out and accuse him of being abusive. The House of Representatives impeached him but the Senate did not. Now we have a Hollywood type being charged in the same way. Do we really want man to have the responsibility of caring for all people and solving all our problems? God created, sustains, and at the time of His choosing will bring the world to an end. It is He that we should serve not man.

CHANGING OF THE SEASONS?

Those who are extracting money from people through “false science” warned us bout “global warming”. When the numbers did not match up with the warnings, they changed the name of it to “climate change”. Now they can still collect money by calling it something else. In somewhat a similar way, people in religious settings began years ago to speak about the changes in nature. When those changes in nature begin to take place it is a sign of the coming of the Lord. The fact that Jesus taught that no one knows when the world will end does not deter them from making such false statements (Matt. 24:36).

There is no scriptural place to go to warn people about the changing of the seasons. When Noah came from the ark God made a promise to him that He (God) would never again destroy the world with water. The next time it will be by fire but it like the universal flood of Noah’s day, it will be at God’s choosing not men. In chapter 9 of Genesis God placed a rainbow in the sky with the promise of never destroying the planet by water. How long has it been since rainbows have not occurred? Could it be that God promised and has kept His Word? There have been floods but never a universal flood.

Since God keeps His Word and it is impossible for Him to lie why not listen to Him (Heb. 6:18). God says as long as the earth stands (Gen. 8:22). Is the world still here today? As long as the world stands certain things will continue. God says, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. When you go to the grocery store do you expect to find food? Is not the food a result of “seedtime and harvest”? Would you refuse to buy coats because our planet is heating up? What time is it now? Oh, yeah that is based on the rotation of the earth is it not? Let God be true and every man a liar (Rom. 3:4).

THE FLAG AND THE ANTHEM

A piece of fabric that we call a flag or a song composed of certain words being called an anthem does not define what they really are. The fabric of material and a song is both a reflection of where we came from and where we are today. I know of no country which can claim perfection in all its dealings with its citizens or other nations. There must be an appreciation of where we came from, mistakes and victories, coupled with a desire to rise higher than our mistakes and honor those who have brought us our victories. One ball player, refusing to stand last weekend complained about our vice President leaving the stadium in protest. I believe he was one whose poor salary and oppression was somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 million a year. A moment of silence for his suffering.

Where does this leave us as Christians. First we are living for Jesus by obeying the laws of the land we live in (Rom. 13:1-5). To our best efforts we strive to live at peace with all men. I would not destroy a man’s place of business or destroy public property because I follow Christ, I wish to live within the bounds of law. Why can I not do a 100 miles an hour on the streets of our land? Because I follow the Lord and His will is for me to be obedient to the laws in the land which I live. The grand exception is if the laws of the land force me to choose between the land and God, we must then choose God (Acts 5:29).

Jeremiah writes to say, seek the peace of the city where I have driven you (Jer. 29:7). In other words you are to pray for Babylon. Am I not to pray for this land in which I live? At no time would God’s people in Babylonian captivity have been bound to worship the idols or conduct of the Babylonians (Daniel, chapters 1 and 3). We are to pray for kings and all that are in authority that we may live quiet and peaceable lives (I Tim. 2:1,2). At no time should we be silent when others would disturb our peace. We have the ballot box and writing materials to speak out.

ABOMINATIONS

God, in the book of Leviticus, was preparing the hearts of His people for when they would enter Canaan. He gave them commands and statutes to develop within them a view toward holiness. The holiness of His people, had they accepted would have made them separate from all those in the land of Canaan. A major concern as revealed in scriptures was that God did not want His people to act like those of the land of Canaan.

He speaks about all the abominations which those of Canaan had engaged in, for by doing so they had defiled the land (Lev. 18:27). Which raises this simple question. What defines what an abomination is? The answer should not be in doubt with anyone then or now that it is God who determines something is an abomination. Israel had no say so when it came to the way God desired for them to live. He desired a holy people. If they engaged in the same acts which had defiled the land of Canaan, the result would be the same for them. God had said to Abraham years before that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full (Gen. 15:16).

After the passage of some 400 years, that iniquity was now full. There was no hope for the people in Canaan to change. God warned Israel about what He expected. You will not bow down to their gods, serve them nor do after their works. You must overthrow them and break down their idols (Ex. 23:24). How could God’s people be holy if they practiced the very things which defiled the land of Canaan. Two men could not lie with each other as one would do with a woman. This from the lips of God was an abomination (Lev. 18:22). Did Israel have any right to tamper with and decide for themselves this is not an abomination, any longer?

We have the example, many chapters earlier where Nadab and Abihu presumed because of their position to alter what God had said (Lev. 10:1,2). It cost them their lives. All they did was to get the fire for the incense from some place God did not authorize. Did God have to use the word abomination or did the death of these two sons of Aaron convey the same idea? The law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). The fact of God’s favor coupled with truth causes us to make application of abomination to the New Testament down to us today.

As Christians we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). What else besides being living sacrifices? The passage in Romans 12:1 says, “…holy, acceptable to God”. Did God desire for Israel to be holy separating them from those in Canaan. Now I find that as a follower of Jesus Christ I also am to be holy and acceptable to God. If God gave Israel commands, statutes and judgments in order for them to know what was expected, why are we any different? Briefly consider Paul’s words, from God to Corinth. There are some things you cannot be involved in because you are separate from the world (I Cor. 6:9,10).

In our lifetime the idea, not law, that two men or two women can be married to each other; live together as though they are married; men being allowed in women’s bathrooms and so forth. Paul then states that fornication, which means all sexual sins cannot be named among Christians . Christian could not bow down to idols. They were bound to keep the vows they made in being married. God says likewise concerning the clothing that men wear, that it cannot be that which pertains to women (effeminate). Neither can they be with men as they would be with women (abusers of themselves with mankind).

The world does not live by the laws given by His Son (truth-John 1:17). The abomination practiced by Israel should teach us of the necessity of not being like the world in attitude, dress or conduct. God still declares what is an abomination even in our generation.

THE JOURNEY FROM BELIEF TO FAITH

At times the word “belief or believe” becomes a catch all word for faith. Is it possible for one to believe and yet not come to faith? If belief is a one time stop, then we would conclude that belief means faith. If on the other hand belief is about a journey then the journey leads to faith. The Word of God is the standard for all of us, we must therefore turn to what God has revealed to come to a correct understanding about belief and faith.

Jesus first miracle was turning water into wine at the wedding feast (John 2). At that time Jesus made known His glory, that is His power. What effect did this miracle have on the disciples? John writes that the disciples believed on Him (John 2:11). Alright, they believed but the question is did they have faith? Jump ahead in time to the events in John chapter 6. Jesus teaches that men must eat His flesh and drink His blood. The basis being that He was the living bread sent from God the Father (John 6:57,58). What was the reaction of His disciples. John writes that many of His disciples walked no more with Him (John 6:66).

In John 2 they believe and are disciples or followers of Jesus. In John 6 the teachings of Jesus confuses them and many walk no more with Him. Might we argue that these are two separate groups of disciples? What if the disciples were growing in number as the fame of Jesus spread? Jesus knew that the Pharisees were aware that the number of Jesus’ disciples was growing larger than John’s (John 4:1). The greater likelihood is many were coming to believe in Jesus but based on John 6, such belief does not mean faith. Belief can be a state of mind whereas faith is always a state of action.

Moving forward to the 12th chapter of John. John writes that even though Jesus had done so many miracles in front of Him, they believed not on Him (John 12:37). In the verses to follow we are given definitions to help our thinking. Among the chief rulers of the Jews many BELIEVED on Him. If belief is a one time stop, then these rulers are saved. God’s word clears up the doubts created by the doctrines of men. Even though they BELIEVED on Him, they would not confess Him (John 12:42). The reason they failed to confess Him was the Pharisees had laid down the law if anyone did confess Him, they would be thrown out of the synagogue.

Does not Jesus teach that if a man failed to confess Jesus that Jesus would likewise deny him (Matt. 10:33). These rulers believed based on the evidence that Jesus was Who He said He was. Faith, being an active force, would have required them to take a stand publicly about what they believed in their heart about Jesus. The Pharisees as a group had rejected the council of God by refusing to be immersed by John (Luke 7:30). Why then could they not be disciples of Jesus? Would it not be the same reason, that they rejected the council of God? They believed but they were not willing to confess.

Take the case of Abraham. God promised Abraham that through his lineage one would come that would bless all humanity. The Bible says that Abraham believed (Gen. 15:6). It was counted to him for righteousness. A one time stop? In chapter 17, God issues the promise again but adds that the start will be with Sarah and Abraham. The Bible then shows that Abraham fell on his face and laughed (Gen. 17:17). The life of Abraham from Haran to Canaan and all points in between is about a growth of belief which led to faith.

Faith is believing in God’s existence and it is also knowing that God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). The diligently seeking of God defines for us that faith is an active force in our hearts which leads us to trust in God. Jesus taught that the Jews who believed in Him must continue in His word, otherwise they are not His disciples.

WHY DO INDIVIDUALS FAIL TO COME TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH?

Our responsibility is to teach all men the truth of God (Mark 16:15). We are to do so in a spirit of love for their souls (Eph. 4:15). When we speak or strive to teach people it must be our desire to tell them exactly what God has revealed (I Peter 4:11). We never want to be like the seed (the Word of God-Luke 8:13), which falls on “rocky soil”. They believe for a while then because of temptation arising from the Word, they quit. Each of us must fill our hearts daily with the Words that come from

Think for a moment about Saul who later became the apostle Paul. He was well educated in the Jews religion, which implies the law and the tradition of the elders. One man whom he was taught by was Gamaliel. Gamaliel was a well respected teacher whom people listened to in discussions about religious things. It was his sage advice which saved the apostles in Acts 5. When Paul learns the truth in the city of Damascus, he had much changing to do in his thinking. One barrier would have been to see his teacher, Gamaliel, as now being wrong. Some individuals fail to acknowledge the truth because it means that accepting the truth means others, whom we may care about are lost.

For some, learning the truth would call for them to change their life. The man in Matthew goes away sorrowful from the Lord (Matt. 19:22). The woman living an immoral life was told by Jesus to cease living that way (John 8:11). All indications are that she accepted what Jesus said for it saved her life on that day. The man in Matthew 19 saw what Jesus said required him to give up too much. Whatever the reason we should never give up the effort to reach the lost by Word, our efforts and prayer. Sad to say, not all will accept.