Stop 11 Road Church of Christ

Because of technology we have more tools to enable us to do things faster. The problem that arises is that we can become so busy that we fail to see the simple beauty. Jesus spoke of the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:28) Sometimes because we are so busy we seldom take the time to notice the little flowers growing by the roadside. We travel down a road, and there is a little cross signifying where someone had died in a car wreck. There may be flowers all around but our attention is drawn to a little cross by the roadside.

Sometimes early in the morning on my back porch, I enjoy my cup of coffee as our part of the world begins to wake up. I watch and listen as the sounds of birds begins to fill the air. I have two plates on the ground where I feed the birds. The other morning a squirrel was enjoying the bird seed with his tail covering his head and back. The little birds kept diving at his hear as he quietly took care of eating “their food”. Two rabbits were chasing each other all over the yard. A look into the sky and see the movement of clouds as the wind does its work.

All of us can stop and see the simple things in life that remind us about life itself. The ultimate joy must be in realizing who caused the little things. God, the Creator and the sustainer of life demonstrates His care for our planet and deep love for us (Gen. 1;1; I Cor. 1:24; Matt. 6:30). It is vital to know all the creatures, big and small that are around us come from the laws that God put into motion. The creation of the Sabbath day was as much for reflection as it was for rest. Man pausing under the Mosaical law to cease from his work and think of God (Ex. 20:8-11).

It truly goes beyond just one day as we are reminded in the psalms. The Holy Spirit has David to write and tell us to stand in awe, that is of God and sin not (Psa. 4:4). The call in this verse was for the faithful Hebrew to commune with his own heart upon his own bed. It even follows to explain where this takes place. It would be as the child of God would pillow his head for sleep. The next words which follow are, “be still”. Do we go to bed at night with our minds filled with all the stress of the day compounded by the things which we dread about tomorrow? Jesus pulls our attention to this day and this day alone. He states, take no thought for the morrow (Matt. 6:34).

Several chapters later in the book of Psalms, the child of God was told to be still and know that God is. He who brings to our hearts and minds, the simple little things of life by which we are to appreciate all that God has done and is doing for us. The earlier passage (4:4) was about when the day’s activities were coming to end. This passage would look at the faithful one and tell him to be still, pause and know that the Lord is God. It is not that we ignore our schedules but rather from time to time to slow down and know where all the things come from which makes us so busy.

Later on in Psalms 76:8, the idea is the judgment of God was passed on humanity. The things man relied on for strength could not bring peace. God broke the arrow, bow, shield and sword (verse 3). The promise of the way things would be under Christ is seen as God’s children would learn war no more (Isa. 2:4). Their lives would be lived out under the rule of the Prince of Peace.

No matter how busy or successful we are or what great things we may achieve, there should always be in our hearts the willingness to be still and know what we have received from God (I Thess. 5:18). The sacrifice of our lips giving thanks to God should become a natural part of our spiritual existence (Heb. 13:15). Being still is not being idle, it is pausing, bowing our heads and thanking God for all He has given and is doing for us.

This past week a police officer was murdered in New York City. Those within the police department came out fairly quickly and pointed out that the office had done nothing to provoke the murder. As a general rule we have to hear about the murderer’s childhood, or some poor event in his life or as always mentally unstable. Let us pause and ask ourselves, who is to blame, who is guilty ? The people marching through our streets chanting, “pigs in a blanket” have no means to wash the blood from their hands. The murderer may have no connection to any group but the atmosphere is created for killing because someone seeks to justify hate.

Let us strive to get to the heart of the matter. John in speaking about Christians states that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer (I John 3:15). Living for the Lord daily requires us to be careful of our actions (I Thess. 5:22). As Christians we understand that being careful of our actions calls upon us to guard our thoughts. If I say to us, is adultery wrong before God? Of course it is. Watch now how Jesus works not on the action alone but the heart that causes the action. Jesus says that whoever continues to look on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery. Committed adultery, where? Answer, in his thoughts (Matt. 5:28). Is being drunk a sin? Then anything that leads to that sin becomes a view into one’s own heart.

Each of us can pass judgment on a murderer who for whatever reason kills another human. O, such a person is guilty. If we pose the question, who was guilty of putting Jesus to death on the cross? Certain Jews who were envious of Jesus could be an answer. What about the government of Rome which tolerated no kind of disturbance in their cities. The truth is each of us by our sins placed Jesus on the cross. John tells us that sin is a transgression of the law (I John 3:4). If you cannot have law then you cannot have sin. The person who gives up on their faith, never to come back is guilty of “…crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh…” (Heb. 6:6).

Take for an example a person who is living a good life and would never think of stealing from or hurting their neighbor. He pays his bills, raises his children and is never a problem in the community. What about such a man? Until he finds the Lord through the teaching of the Word of God, he is guilty. Cornelius was a devout (religious) man, feared God with all of his house, gave much alms to others and prayed to God always. Yet an angel came to him and told him to send for Peter, who was at Joppa. When Peter comes he will tell you what you ought to do (Acts 10:2,6). Being morally good or accepted by society is never the standard when we stand before God (2 Cor. 5:10; John 12:48).

Paul had lived his whole life believing he was right with God (Acts 23:1). On that day on the road to Damascus he found out, he was not right. He had chosen to become a Pharisee which formed his thinking (Phil. 3:5). Concerning the righteousness which was available in the law of Moses, Paul said he was blameless ( verse 6). Pause and think, he was guilty before God. Jesus told him to continue his journey to Damascus and there it would be told him what he must do (Acts 9:6). Do you think Paul would be allowed in most churches today to give his testimony of what had happened to him. Let me answer that for you, absolutely not!

Murder is a horrible crime against society and one’s own soul. The Bible shows us that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Make no mistake about it, God will not acquit the wicked (Nahum 1:3). Those who preach hate are guilty for preaching that. They may not feel any guilt when someone takes them at their word and moves against others. Let us stand against all evil and watch daily our own souls that we be not guilty before God (James 1:25).

Israel goes into Assyrian captivity during the reign of Hoshea. His reign lasted for some nine years. The Bible in speaking about his leadership simply states, “…did that which was evil…”. Those nine years was the final “straw” which was broken concerning their connection to God. Even today, the casual reader of the scriptures might ask, “how could God allow this to happen?”. A short answer is found in these words. “They did not believe in the Lord their God” (2 Kings 17:14). Beginning in verse 7 there is a specific lists of sin such as idolatry and killing their own children in sacrifice to false gods.

A lesson to be learned from this is that there is a limit to the patience of God as to the conduct of His people. In Noah’s day the time limit set was 120 years (Gen. 6:3). When
God spoke to Abraham He spoke about the sins of the Amorites (Canaan and surrounding areas) would be full up in a 400 year period (Gen. 15:16). The nature of God is such that He does not want anyone to be lost (2 Peter 3:9). Yet in the same scriptures, the message is that God is not bound by time. To Him a day is as with a thousand year and a thousand years as a day (verse 8). Paul addressed a growing error in his day by saying that we do not sin in order to have more grace (Rom. 6:1,2).

Seeing this world will at some point be burned up, time will cease and eternity will begin. Knowing this each of us must be careful as to how we live our lives. As Peter writes, our lives should be lived in all holy conversation (manner of life) (2 Peter 3:11). Becoming a Christian by obeying the truth is no promise involved that we cannot lose our way as did Hymenaeus and Alexander (I Peter 1:22; I Tim. 1:19,20). If Israel who saw the great demonstrations of God’s power, mercy, love and at times rebuke, and they failed, then so can we. They, and we, can fail if we stop hearing God’s Word and harden our hearts (2 Kings 17:14).

Life is sometimes filled with regrets. Something we should have said or done or perhaps things we wish we had never done. Looking back at the past is not always a bad thing but in truth can help us to be better people in the present. The danger in looking back is to be sure that we do not stay there but simply use the past as a stepping-stone of greater knowledge about God or about ourselves. The life of David, the second king of all Israel, had many ups and downs throughout. Each of us may in one time or another relate to something David was going through and learn from it. This article concerns five years in the life of David, the choices he made and the consequences of those choices.

He had a daughter that was raped by one of his own sons. The son being Amnon and the daughter being Tamar (2 Sam. 13). When David heard about this incident, the Bible says he was “very wroth” (2 Sam. 13:21). Then there is silence about what David did as a father and as the king. This was followed by the brother of Tamar waiting two whole years before arranging for the death of Amnon. After this the Bible states that David mourned for his son. Was he mourning for Amnon who had been murdered or for Absalom who had fled to Geshur. The text leads me to believe that he was mourning in a different way for Absalom.

From verse 37, we are told that David mourned for his son every day. Since normally the time for mourning was set for some thirty days, this points to the grief he felt for Absalom. What if he had reacted differently when Amnon violated Tamar? In our minds we can play over and over what things happened and how we might have done things differently. This, however, sets the stage for the next five years of David’s life. Absalom remained in Geshur for three years. Joab knew that the soul of David “…longed to go forth unto Absalom” (verse 39). The chapter closes with no movement on the part of David.

Chapter 14 opens up with Joab setting in motion a plan to get David’s permission to bring Absalom back. Absalom is brought back by Joab with one condition. Absalom would not allowed to see David’s face. This goes on for two whole years. Counting the three in Geshur and the two in Jerusalem we have five years that the father and the son could not meet together. Chapters 15-18 shows the attempt by Absalom to overthrow his father’s kingdom, ending with his own death. What about those five years in which something might have been done to have changed the outcome so very much?

At the start of the five years when Absalom fled to Geshur what could have happened to change things? Could not Absalom have made an effort to right the wrong with his dad? Could not David have given in and went to see his son? Three years passed with neither man making the first move. On occasions it is waiting for the other person to make the first move that years and opportunities can quickly get away.

The remaining two years shows both men living in the same area. How much easier now to make things right for both men. Just cross a few streets and knock on the door. The streets were crossed and the door was knocked on and David and Absalom met and were able to make things right (14:33). It was right in David’s eyes but not in Absalom’s. He begins in chapter 15 to take the place of David as ruler of Israel. One man regretted the five years while the other used the years as an excuse to build his resentment and anger. Regret can help us in the present if we learn to use it but not live in it.

God warned Israel about idolatry from the top of Mount Sinai through Moses. He told His people to not bow down nor serve them, meaning idols (Exodus 20:5). He then explained that He would visit the iniquity unto the third and the fourth generations or them that hate Him. The prophet Ezekiel revealed that the prophet would not answer for the sins of the son nor the son for the sins of the father. The soul that sins it would die (Ezekiel 18:20). The harmony between these two statements is seen in how individuals or nations develop. By way of example, God told Abraham that in four hundred years Israel would leave Egypt and come to Canaan. The reason God gave was that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full (Genesis 15:16).

It would take about four generations for iniquity of the Amorites to reach a full point to which there would be no turning back. In the same way the passage in Exodus shows that growing in the home would last until the third and fourth generations. The line in the sand so to speak was concerning those who hated God. The hatred for God would be passed down from generation to generation. The passage in Ezekiel concerns a son growing up seeing his father being unrighteous. The son, seeing that, chooses to be righteous. The passage in Exodus deals with the growth of sin while the one in Ezekiel shows individuals can choose to not hate God.

Romans 1, 29-31 lists the end result of the sins mentioned in verses 21-28. One of the end results of the sins was, “haters of God”. (verse 30). From a moral stance many would declare with great confidence that they do not hate God. The morally good person has a harder time, in some cases, of accepting the truth about Jesus. They already see themselves as being good people so why come to Jesus? Jesus taught that if a person loved a family member more than Him, they were not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:34-37). The call is not to hate one’s family but never allow the love for that person to be greater than the love for God. Many are guilty of hating God, meaning they love other things more than they love Him.

Due to the recent shootings in Washington, lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican are calling for a toning down of the rhetoric. What is implied is that people making speeches that lead to violence need to turn down the heat some. There is an attempt to place blame on individuals or groups that continually spew out hatred. The Word of God is the standard by which Christians live. Even though that is the case those who are not Christians can learn from Biblical principles laid down by God.

Think back to how God tried to regulate the heart and soul of Israel. He gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. One of which was, “thou shalt not bear false witness” (Ex. 20:16). What civilized society could not benefit from such a rule? What about the issue of committing murder (verse 13)? These and similar laws gave the Israelite people an advantage over all other nations. What is the real point? Is it just “words” that people spew out of their mouth that is the cause of violence? Did not God make the wisdom of this world foolishness (I Cor. 1:20). Men place the blame everywhere but where it belongs.

Here is where the Lord places the blame. The things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart (Matt. 15:18). Why call on men to not use bad and vulgar words and never address the hearts of men from which the bad and vulgar words come? I have seen college students protesting, destroying property and burning things but I do not hear their reasoning for their actions. You see it is easy to scream and holler out words while wearing masks and this somehow places you among “wise people”. God goes beyond the “masks” and gets to the heart of the problem.

Jesus said there were those who drew near to God with their mouth and honored him with their lips but their heart was far away from God (Matt. 15:8). What caused this separation from God? According to verse 9 of Matthew 15, men were teaching for their doctrines the commandments of men. Is that not saying, wisdom of men against the wisdom of God? It is not therefore a matter of clearing up one’s language but rather clearing up the hearts that should belong to God. Children born into our world do not come here hating or loving. It is something that they are taught by the ones they come in contact with. Bad friends can influence us to think and act in a wrong way (I Cor. 15:33).

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer (I John 3:15). Let us take it back a step further and speak about what leads to hatred itself? The Christian under the rule of Christ is not allowed to be bitter against his wife (Col. 3:19). If such is true in marriage, which it is, would it not also apply to hearts in general? If bitterness is allowed to stay, it will entwine itself around our reasoning about the will of Christ. The parable of the Sower explains the hearts defined by falling among the thorns (Luke 8:14). The one among the thorns is the one in which the Word is choked out. We are to be on guard less any root of bitterness spring up and trouble us (Heb. 12:15).

The people of the world take no “ownership” either of their words or of the content of their lives. A person going through the fields of education and on to higher education are taught that evolution is a fact. The kind of evolution I am speaking of is the kind where a snake turns into a bird. If one chooses to believe such foolishness, they do so at the expense of rejecting the knowledge of God (Rom. 1:28). It is wrong to use bad and vulgar words but it is even a greater wrong to not check out the source of such words that is the heart that should belong to God.

Recent terror attacks over seas has brought a measured response from so many. On one hand there is anger toward those who perpetrate such actions and on the other hand there is an effort to explain it. If you take all of the attacks both here and abroad, the wording that keeps coming up is extremism or radicals. In short those who kill innocent people in the name of Allah are not true devotees of Islam but represent a radical element. I pause to wonder if it is a radical element then where are the leaders of the Islamic faith who come out to condemn these horrible acts?

The Word of God is from God and it is the only standard to which we can appeal to find answers (2 Tim. 3:16). Israel in the long ago was told about a Prophet that would come, to whom all Israel would obey (Deut. 18:15). At the close of the chapter, Israel wanted to know how they could tell if a prophet was true or not (verses 21,22). The answer was that if a man said something was going to happen and it did not, then Israel was not to be afraid of him. Jesus, the Prophet of verse 18 never made a mistake in what He said or in how He lived.

We are warned to not add to or take from that which God has revealed (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18,19). If we change the words or in any way alter the meaning which God gave our souls would be in danger of being lost. God secures what He revealed to man, through His Spirit, by saying there is no private interpretation of scripture (2 Peter 1:20). Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (verse 21). Micah says the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Any other city would violate this prophecy. Daniel said the kingdom of God would be set up during the days of the fourth world power (Dan. 2:44). Starting with Babylon, the fourth kingdom would be Rome. Moving the prophecy out of the first century to now is handling the word of God in a wrong way.

The warning from God is if we teach another gospel we will be accursed from God (Gal. 1:8). We are in teaching and in our lives to speak as the oracles of God (I Peter 4:11). Faith comes from the Word of God that shows us that we can understand the Bible because faith is a necessary part of one’s connection to God (Rom. 10:17; 1Cor. 1:10). It is required in us that we correctly interpret what it is that God revealed (2 Tim. 2:15). For example, can we hate our brother? The answer is, if we do hate our brother we are a murderer (I John 3:15). Proper interpretation would cause us to see that hate is sinful and the Christian must expel such from his thinking.

Why do these terrorists keep murdering people? You see if we use the word extremist then what does that mean about the Islamic faith? It means the murderers are misinterpreting the Qu’ran. I have yet to hear any Iman of the Islamic faith speak out and say these murderers are misinterpreting their holy book. The Christian is bound by his connection to God to correctly interpret what God has revealed. We would lose our souls if we do otherwise.

On the other hand if the murderers are not misinterpreting their holy book, then their holy book must be seen as the cause for their actions. The apostles were given the command by Jesus to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). This was accomplished by early in the 60’s of the first century (Col. 1:23). We correctly interpret that Jesus came to give us life (spiritually) and give it to us more abundantly (John 10:10). He is the author of eternal salvation to all that obey Him (Heb. 5:9). Is killing innocent people the correct or incorrect interpretation of the Qu’ran? We offer men life, not death through Jesus the Christ.