It’s Cold!

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

This morning’s weather broadcast showed the deep trough of cold air that has descended from  the north, just as is described in Job 37:9, upon the United States; confirming what we already  knew, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” But this too shall pass (2 Corinthians 4:17 – 18), for as Lord said  after Noah emerged from the ark, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,  winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

woooo it's cold outside

Woooo! It’s Cold Outside!

Sadly, mankind (as well as many Christians) is just as vacillating as the changing of the seasons.  I certainly understand the frustration that resonates from the words of Elijah of he addresses the  people of God by asking, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God,  follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). Indeed, a “double minded man is unstable  in all his ways” (James 1:8).

The cold can have a devastating effect on a man both physically and spiritually. This morning  we were told that in less than 30 minutes outside one would become susceptible to frostbite. In  John 18:18 we read that the servants and officers “made a fire of coals; for it was cold : and they  warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.” Peter allows the cold  reality of the situation he finds himself in, as well as the company and weather, to affect the  condition of his spiritual fortitude. He denies the Lord. Jesus tells us that because of sin the  “love of many shall wax  cold ” (Matthew 24:12).

The Lord wants us our internal, spiritual, temperature to always be on fire. And it would do all  of us well to gauge our condition regularly. The prophet Jeremiah once conveyed that he no  longer wished to “make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name,” but concluded that  “his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones , and I was weary of holding  it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9).

Allow me to challenge us to consider our internal spiritual temperature and then to consider this:  If one is cold and spiritually frostbit in this life he will most likely be on fire in the next. Spring  is only a few short months away but eternity is much closer and lasts much longer.

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A God of Truth

What If God Had Lied?

One of the most remarkable aspects of the nature of the Almighty God is one thing which He cannot do! Think of His power to speak the world into existence and it immediately happened. Think of that same power when His voice will roar from heaven and the entire universe will cease to be. Yet there is one thing He cannot do—He cannot lie.

share the truth of god

Share the Truth of God.

Imagine trying to serve a lying God—one whose words just cannot be trusted. We seek to deal with sin, but how do we know He was not lying when He revealed the plan of salvation? We seek to honor Him by worshiping every week with the five avenues of worship He gave to us, yet how do we know if He was lying when He gave us these things? Imagine trying to honor a lying God who speaks of sin, salvation, prayer, purity, holiness, kindness, peace and providence. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and that changes every relationship we have with Him. Our God is a God of truth!

The truthful God has given us the words of truth. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, He spoke of the Father and truth. While He had been with those apostles for over three years, He had given them part of God’s truth. He said, “I have given to them the words which you have given Me” (John 17:8), but there was more truth which they had to learn. He told those apostles that when He went to the Father, the Father would send the Spirit of truth to the apostles (John 14:16). The Spirit which dwelt in them was to guide these men into all truth (John 16:12-13). The result of that is the Bible. Jesus summed it up best when He said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The truthful God has given us the words of truth and they are eternal. David said, “The truth of the Lord endures forever” (Psa. 117:2). The word of the Lord is forever fixed in the heavens (Psa. 119:89) and every single precept of God endures forever (Psa. 119:160). God cannot lie; He has given us His words of truth and not one syllable of any word has been lost.

The truthful God wants to write His truth on our souls.  Knowing truth is not just memorizing it. His plan is to take the eternal truth and make it part of our nature. Moses said, after he had given the law, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart” (Deut. 6:6). Most Jews felt that if they  know every detail of the law (and even some that were not there), God was pleased with them. There is a vast difference in knowing the law and knowing the Lawgiver. There is a difference in knowing about the Lord and knowing the Lord.

God help us to take His eternal truth from the One who cannot lie and love the truth, hide it in our heart and walk in His truth.

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Curse of the Law?

What is the Curse of the Law?

The curse of the Law is that one must keep the whole law in order to be justified by it and that once one has sinned under the law, there is no way to put away one’s guilt. The law made no provision for the forgiveness of sin. In James 2:10, we are taught that under a system of law, if one tries to keep the whole law yet offends in even one point, he is guilty of all. The curse of the law, according to Paul in Romans 7, is that it exposed sin in his life, yet it did nothing to take away his guilt.

what is the curse of the law

What is the Curse of the Law?

The Law of Moses only allowed for forgiveness in prospect, that is, it only covered the sins of men until Christ came to take away those sins. Now that Christ has come, the law has been taken away. It was nailed to the cross along with Him. So now, we are free from the curse of the Law of Moses. Does this mean that there is no longer a law that we must follow? Is there a requirement for Christians to obey, in the New Testament?

Christ demands our obedience. Matthew 7:21 teaches that we must do the will of the Father in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The will of God is our law. The will of God has been revealed in its completeness in the pages of the New Testament. It is the word of Christ that will judge us in the last day. Those who reject Christ and His word are rejecting the very law that will judge them. We are now under the Law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 gives us the imperative command to bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfill the law of Christ.

We are under the law of Christ which is a law of Liberty. The fact that Christ’s law is a law of liberty does not mean that we are free to disobey it. James teaches in chapter 1:22-25, that we must be a doer of the word of God and not a hearer only. One who is a doer of the law of liberty will be blessed. He also teaches in chapter 2:12 that we will be judged by that law of liberty.

Since one could not keep all of the commandments of the Law of Moses, as we saw in James 2:10, one was guilty of all the Law. There was no way under the old law for ones sins to be taken away. The punishment for sin is death. Therefore, violation of any point of the Law of Moses brought one under the “curse” of the law, which was the death sentence. Only by the grace of God was a way made for man to rid himself of the “curse” of law. The grace of God freed man from the curse of the law. Does this mean that grace and law are mutually exclusive?

Grace brought about a system of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. We are justified by our obedient faith in Christ, not by works of law. But, that does not void law. Romans 3:31 teaches that law is established through faith. Faith establishes or confirms law. If we have faith in Jesus and are obedient to His will, then we must recognize His will as law, or else we would not be faithful to it. Our obedience to Christ’s law confirms that His law is in effect.

In Galatians 2:16-21, the word “law” is referring any system whereby one is saved according to works of merit. Whether it is by the Law of Moses, which made no provision for forgiveness;or whether it was by the Law of the Jews, which was apart from the Law of Moses, and had developed into a system of works based salvation. The Jews believed that they could earn their way to heaven by keeping the traditions of their forefathers. Therefore, we are not justified by law keeping in and of itself, but we are justified by the law of faith in Christ Jesus.

 

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Jesus & Evangelism

The Perfect Example of Evangelism

Jesus not only preached to masses of people throughout His ministry here on earth, but He also knew the importance of teaching the individual. In seeing Him as the perfect example of evangelism, notice several lessons from Him in His contact with a Samaritan woman and other Samaritans from Sychar in John 4. First, Jesus showed compassion. In leaving Judea for Galilee, the text reads that “he must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:4).

will you follow jesus example in evangelism

Will you follow Jesus Example in Evangelism?

Since many of the Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee circumvented Samaria on the eastern road through Jericho, Christ’s need to travel through Samaria was spiritual and not geographical. When Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman after sending His disciples for food, she was perplexed that He would have dealings with her because of her race and gender. Christ’s contact with a hated race was enough to impress her with His compassion. If I am to follow His example of evangelism (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1), then I must be compassionate to others.

Second, Jesus introduced the gospel with the gift and the giver (John 4:10, 14). We are living in a world of sin. People do not need a “watered-down” gospel. Rather, the world needs to hear about the gift and the giver (Rom. 6:23). The gospel we are commanded to teach should involve both, and any other gospel is accursed (Gal. 1:8). Thus, if I am to follow the example of Jesus in evangelism, then I must introduce the gospel with both the gift (salvation) and the giver (Jesus).

Third, Jesus was interested in all souls, and He looked for more opportunities to share the gospel. After she inquired about receiving everlasting life, Jesus asked her to call her husband. Certainly, He already had in mind the opportunity to prove His deity, but He was not only interested in her soul, but the souls of her family as well. Later, the Samaritan woman brought many from Sychar to see Jesus, who then believed in Him (John 4:39). We should open our eyes and look for opportunities to spread the gospel to as many as we can. We must be interested in all souls!

Fourth, Jesus taught her properly the truth. He corrected her concept of worship (John 4:19-24), not giving her any idea that she was worshipping properly. He did not commend her sincerity. To be more precise, he said, “Ye worship ye know not what” (John 4:22) and then taught her the proper method of worship according to both spirit and truth (John 4:24). Sometimes, teaching the gospel in an evangelistic manner requires some tearing down before building (cf. Jer. 1:10). We cannot overlook the need to deal with false doctrines; we must teach people properly the truth, for only it can save (cf. John 8:32).

Fifth, Jesus continually realized the importance of soul winning (John 4:35). Although the disciples questioned His involvement with this woman and tried to urge Him to eat, He was interested in the harvesting of souls. What more of a purpose statement do we need as Christians? Evangelism ought to be as much a part of our lives as breathing air! To follow the example of our Lord in evangelism, we ought never to let down in looking for opportunities, realizing its great importance.

Sixth, Jesus understood the concept of preparation in soul winning. Many of the Samaritans believed in Him from this account (John 4:39-42). A short time later, Philip would come to Samaria and baptize many of them (Acts 8:12). Possibly, some of the Samaritans that heard Philip remembered the day they heard Jesus. Many times, we get discouraged in soul winning because we cannot see the immediate fruits of our labor. However, just because we do not see immediate success does not mean that we have not been successful in preparing the soil for another to reap the harvest. For us to follow the example of Christ in evangelism, we ought to rejoice when others can build upon the work we have done in teaching the gospel. We ought to be patient when we do not see an immediate harvest. We ought to be selfless, occupied in our task and willing to rejoice when others reap the harvest.

Seventh, Jesus knew the correct way to teach was exclusively from the word of God (John 4:42). When we teach the world, not with creeds or doctrines, but from the holy word of God, then God will add many saved souls to His kingdom.

Therefore, let us all apply these wonderful principles of evangelism from the example of the greatest soul-winner, and thereby gain more success in our endeavors!

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Destruction by Flood?

Why did God Decide not to Destroy the World with Flood Again?

god will not destroy the earth by flood again

God will not destroy the earth by flood again.

In Genesis 6, God saw that which he had created, mankind, had turned against the Creator. It was this that saddened Him. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Gen. 6:5-8) God knew that if man was allowed to continue, that they would never recover which would not have paved any way for His Son to come to the earth and to die on the cross for the sins of the world which was first prophesied in Genesis 3:15 which says, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” So, God had destroyed all that was in the earth by water, except the eight souls and those animals inside the ark. He had cleansed the world and showed by implication the effectiveness of God’s cleansing ability.

Later, this same kind of cleaning would be demonstrated in baptism by which the blood of Christ cleanses the sinful soul clean when they, by obedience, go down into the water by immersion. Now, in Genesis 9 God said to Noah, “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations.” God had given the world another chance to make way the path of the Lord. We see several instance as before how God is frequently trying to guide the people with people such as Moses, the prophets and later of course, His Son, Jesus Christ who was God in the flesh (Jn. 1:14). And it was Christ who is able to wash away the sins of those who came to Him in obedience. Now, God has promised to give man this opportunity to follow Him.

Therefore, he continues to be longsuffering. For, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9). God’s desire is that he wants all mankind (every Male and female) to obey his commands. However, since God has given mankind, “. . . all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2 Pet. 1:3), God has given mankind His best. Therefore, no longer will he restart the population of the earth by a world-wide flood in order to give them another chance. He simply will in, “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Pet. 3:10) This is why Christians, “who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thess. 1:7). One day the end will be here and judgment will be upon those who thought that they would have another chance to redeem themselves (like another flood). However, “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt. 13:41-43).

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