I Am Never Coming Back

I Am Never Coming Back

“Dude!”, “Dude?”, “Duuuuuude!”, “Dude…”. My children and I get a kick out of seeing how the same words can be used to express different meanings. It is a quick break from whatever we are doing and can result in a few good laughs. Words can be silly, serious, scary, etc. However, some words can certainly carry more power with them than others. Consider the words, “I am never coming back”. These are powerful words. In them we can find a number of meanings:

coming back

I am never coming back!

Sadness – “The Ocean is so beautiful, but I am never coming back”
Threat – “Your prices are awful; I am never coming back!”
Happiness – “I am free from jail, and I am never coming back”
Anger – “You betrayed me! I am never coming back!”
Teasing – “You didn’t make carrot cake? I am never coming back.”

The words when stated in truth represent personal decision based on “I”. This means within an individual there is a conclusion that has been reached. They are words of power because ultimately, only the individual controls their personal decisions. Their resolve determines what happens. We can make suggestions to others. We can seduce, bribe, ridicule, influence, suggest, request, or beg others to do something, but their decisions are their own. Personal decisions have been faced by man throughout history. Some decisions have much greater impact than the choice of white bread or wheat with your eggs.

Deuteronomy 30:19 –“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

The term “Never” is an absolute. It means not at any time under reference. Not on a weekday or weekend, not in the morning or night, not in any timeframe specified by never. “Never” is finality depending upon the resolve of the decision maker, time and authority. If the individual’s resolve does not change, then the decision stands without end. How “Never” is impacted by time can be seen by the following Bible verse:

Acts 14:8 – “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:”

The time under reference in this scripture is the past. At no point in the past had the man walked. The term does not apply to the future for the apostle Paul through the power of God would make the lame man walk. “Never” is dependant also upon authority. Consider my daughter telling my son he can never have a cookie again. She has no authority to make such a command. Consequently, “never” would not stand, as my son would definitely end up with a cookie at some point in the future. However, “never” with authority is a strong term to use. If the one setting the mandate has the authority to allow something to never happen and holds that resolve, it won’t happen for the duration of the time under reference.

“Coming Back” is to return to something. Whether an idea, a location, or an action, when it is stated someone is never coming back they have determined not to return to it. It pains God when man makes the statement he is never coming back to God. Thus, God through His apostles gave warning concerning such a decision:

Hebrews 3:12 – “Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God:”

No one, including God, wants to hear a loved one tell them, “I am never coming back”. There are loved ones who can be closer than the physical family. These are one’s spiritual brothers and sisters, the Church. Over a lifetime, many have seen or heard variations of “I am never coming back”, from a number of people who once attended Church. The causes have ranged from hurt feelings, a greater desire for worldly things, or a disagreement regarding the gospel of Christ. Once the powerful words of “I am never coming back” have been uttered, the issue often becomes one of pride.

Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall”.

The “goeth before” references a leading. Pride walks ahead of destruction. It leads the way. When a man or woman makes a statement, they do not like to change back. They do not want to look foolish or be embarrassed. They do not want to admit they were wrong. In fact, if challenged, they will often hold tighter to their statement even if inside they know they are wrong. Such actions pain others who don’t want to see the loss of one for whom they care. The statement “I am never coming back” can be a very negative decision.

As mentioned previously, “I am never coming back” can have a number of meanings. Thus, “I am never coming back”, does not have to be a negative or alarming phrase. It can reference a man never coming back to a life of adultery, theft, murder, lying, alcoholism, or other sins. A term utilized in the Bible that is quite similar to “coming back” is “Repent”. Repent in simplicity means to return or change. Much rejoicing in heaven and on earth occurs when man determines to repent or never come back to living a life that is not righteous.

Act 17:30 – The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent.
Luke 15:10 – Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
2 Corinthians 7:9 – I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing.

The Bible passage Luke 15, is known by a great number of people as the story of the Prodigal Son. In it a young man determines he wants his inheritance immediately. His father gives it to him and the young man goes out into the world and loses the inheritance by not living wisely. The young man’s actions spoke the unspoken, “I am never coming back”. Yet, in moments of despair, when he realized what he had done, he did not let his pride keep him from changing his decision, he went back to his father.

Man in his foolishness has often made “never” statements. While the instinct is to refuse to repent of those statements and actions, man has and can make that decision. This goes back to his resolve. Remember, “never” is an absolute depending upon resolution of the decision maker, time, and authority. Unlike God, man makes foolish decisions. Man contradicts himself. Because of this, by the authority of God man has been given the opportunity and time to repent of what he resolves in error.

2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

In the story of the Prodigal Son, the repentant son goes home to his father and finds the father has been waiting. The Father welcomed his son home and held a big feast to celebrate. Our Father in Heaven awaits those too who have uttered with their life or words to Him, “I am never coming back”. He longs for us to utter the same words in reference to a life of foolishness and sin. If we do, a great rejoicing awaits us as well.

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Bathsheba and Marriage

“But What About David and Bathsheba’s Marriage?”

Marriage

What about the Marriage of Bathsheba and David?

Jesus’ views of divorce and remarriage are really quite concise and comprehensible. Putting a mate away and marrying another can be undertaken honorably in God’s sight only on the grounds that that mate has been sexually unfaithful (Matthew 19:9). Despite the simplicity of such statements from God, there have always been individuals who would rather try to justify themselves or others instead of humbly submitting to divine standards (cf. Luke 10:29; 16:15). In the case of the Pharisees, they stubbornly threw up to Jesus their Old Testament justification for refusing to accept the stringency of God’s law of marriage, divorce, and remarriage: “Why then did Moses…?”(Matthew 19:7). In like manner, in an effort to side step the clear thrust of New Testament teaching regarding the sinfulness of adulterous marriages and the need for the parties involved to sever the sinful relationship, some today stubbornly appeal to the Old Testament case of David and Bathsheba: “If God requires marriages to be severed today, why was David permitted to keep Bathsheba?”

The following observations merit consideration:

First, there is no parallel between the adulterous marriages being defended today and the relationship sustained by David and Bathsheba. It is true that David’s affair with Bathsheba while her husband was at the battle front constituted adultery. However, he did not further complicate or solidify his adultery by marrying her. She returned to her own home (2 Samuel 11:4). The two apparently had no intentions of further complicating their sin by forming an adulterous marital union. Instead, when Bathsheba notified David that she was pregnant, David made every effort to hide the sin by making it appear as if Uriah was the father of the child (2 Samuel 11:6-13). Repentance at this stage of the situation would entail David’s confession of his sin and his determination to never repeat such illicit behavior. David could have devised some other plan, say, the banishment of Uriah for some breach of military regulations. With Uriah expelled from the land, he could have then taken Bathsheba as his own wife. In such a case, David would have been living in adultery, and the only divinely-approved course of action would have been to sever the marriage relationship. But David did not do this. When his efforts failed, he decided the way he could “cover his tracks” was to bring about Uriah’s death (2 Samuel 11:14-15). To the sin of adultery, he added murder.

Notice that David was not going through all this rigmarole in order to free Bathsheba to be married to himself, but to keep Uriah from finding out that his wife was pregnant by another man. Thus the argument that states, “You’re saying a person ought to murder the mate of the individual that they wish to be married to,” holds no validity in this discussion. By definition, adultery entails sexual relations with a person whose scriptural mate is still living. Notice God’s own words on this matter:

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man (Romans 7:2-3, NKJV).

However inappropriate David’s action after the death of Uriah may have been, his marriage to Bathsheba was not adultery and is therefore not parallel to the illicit marriages contracted by so many today whose former mates are still living.

Second, why would we wish to go to David and Bathsheba for insight into acceptable divorce and remarriage practices, anyway? Even when Scripture does not specifically condemn a certain action, we should not necessarily assume that God condones or approves it. There are numerous instances of improper behavior in the Old Testament that are in no way intended to be used today as justification for similar behavior today. Abraham (Genesis 12:13), Isaac (Genesis 26:7), and Jacob (Genesis 27:19) all behaved deceptively. Judah committed fornication (Genesis 38:18). Moses failed to trust in God as he should have (Numbers 20:12). Are these instances appropriate examples to emulate? David, himself, was guilty of additional violations of God’s law. He desecrated the tabernacle by entering and unlawfully consuming consecrated bread (1 Samuel 21:1-6; Matthew 12:3-4). He neglected Mosaic regulations concerning proper transport and treatment of the ark (2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 15:13). His reliance upon troop strength (as evidenced in his military census) cost 70,000 people their lives (2 Samuel 24:15). Such instances as these are intended to remind us of the necessity to adhere strictly to God’s instructions (Romans 15:4). They are certainly not designed to encourage us to relax our own ethical behavior on the grounds that others did so in the Old Testament! Though at one time David was truly “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), his behavior later in life demonstrates that he drifted from this ideal.

Third, by employing the same logic as those who fumble for the case of David and Bathsheba to justify the continuance of adulterous unions today, one could just as easily make a case for the permissibility of polygamy today. Bathsheba was only one of several wives (cf. 1 Samuel 18:27; 25:42-­43; 1 Chronicles 3:2-5). Maybe Joseph Smith, with his 28+ wives, was nearer to the truth than we have previously supposed?

Fourth, David and Bathsheba are not intended as models for ascertaining God’s requirements concerning divorce and remarriage today in any sense. For the Scriptures are exceedingly explicit concerning God’s feelings about the whole sordid affair: “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27). He did not have to sever the marital relationship with Bathsheba since her husband was dead and she was released from that law (Romans 7:2). However, God brought down upon David untold misery and unpleasant consequences to punish David, as well as instruct us concerning His true view of such iniquity. Three direct consequences were inflicted upon David: (1) Nathan said the sword would never depart from David’s house (2 Samuel 12:10), fulfilled in the successive violent deaths of at least three sons—Amnon (2 Samuel 13:29), Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14), and Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25); (2) Nathan also declared to David that his own wives would be shamefully misused in broad daylight before all Israel by someone close to him (2 Samuel 12:11), distastefully fulfilled when Absalom “lay with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel” (2 Samuel 16:22); (3) Further, Nathan pronounced the fatal fate of the son conceived by David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:14), fulfilled seven days after Nathan’s judgment sentence (2 Samuel 12:18). All of this detailed narration suggests that we have missed a major point if we seek to justify illicit behavior today on the grounds that “David did it.”

Friends, let us not scrape the bottom of the proverbial barrel in a desperate attempt to come up with just any argument to defend our position. Let us weigh biblical data fairly, rightly handling the Word of truth, and drawing only those conclusions that are warranted by the evidence (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Only then can we be approved in God’s sight (2 Timothy 2:15).

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Preparation and Vision

Are You Prepared:  Vision

As we approach the end of this year, we are likely already making plans for a new year, Lord willing. Of course, many people misunderstand what James declares in James 4:13-16. James is not condemning the act of making plans, setting goals or exercising vision; he is condemning the practice of those who do so without any regards for the will of God (James 4:15), realizing that plans, goals and even vision may change. By principle and example, the Bible teaches that exhibiting vision is a positive trait of leadership.

Vision

Do You Have Vision?

Just as Nehemiah demonstrates, we need to be able to use vision in looking ahead. We cannot ignore the condition of the world around us; neither can we ignore the condition of the church at present! The church must have vision! The church always goes forward when men are in front dreaming dreams. As someone said, “The whole world follows the man who knows where he is going.” The inspired wise man said, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 29:18). Is the world wiser than the children of God are when it comes to vision? If science, business and medicine use vision, where is our planning for the future of the eternal souls in the kingdom of God? Where is the congregation who has the faith to plan and the knowledge to know where it is going? Where is the congregation with a printed plan for the next year, the next decade or even the next generation? So often, we are our own worst enemies! Too many congregations are not even keeping up. They barely know what is going on around them today, much less looking for greater achievements. As one has stated, “The greatest shadows of life are caused by standing in our own sunshine.” Robert DeVos, founder and president of Amway Corporation, said that every organization, whether it is business, government, school or church, goes through four stages in its existence:

  • Stage #1 is the building stage—from nothing, we build something.
  • Stage #2 is the management stage—many elders bog themselves down in management with little accomplished.
  • Stage #3 is the defensive stage—deficiencies lead to excuses and failures, and non-growth leads to alibis.
  • Stage #4 is the blame stage—“Who is to blame?” This is where congregations fire the preacher to attribute blame. Problems are not solved, but congregations rationalize that a new man can turn things around, but this rarely happens because the root of the problem is not the preacher.

Therefore, Mr. DeVos concludes, “The solution is simple—we must move back into the building stage.”

We ought to have three areas of vision. The first is our purpose statement—our reason for existence: involving every member in service to Christ utilizing his or her respective talents, creating an exciting Bible school program, challenging youth ministry, effective evangelism program, broad world mission program, develop a heart of compassion for the poor and needy, building great homes within the families and create a sense of belonging and fellowship. The second part that captures the heart and service of the church is the short-range goals: number of baptisms and total responses for the year, specific goals for missions, Bible school drives, need for additional space for growth, additional staff workers and such like. The third part is the goals for the next decade of work: size of congregation in ten years, kind of youth ministry ahead, kind of Bible school ahead, number of missionaries in ten years, specialized ministries for aged, singles and such like.

Consider Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Moses. The Hebrew writer wrote of them, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment” (Heb. 11:23). They looked at Moses and knew there was something special about this baby. In other words, the parents of Moses had vision. Their faith set out to see that Moses became what God wanted him to be, and their vision prompted them to act accordingly (cf. James 2:17). They not only saw by faith, but they did something about it. It is one thing to have and see vision, but it is another thing to go out and act upon it. They did not rationalize, “Oh well, God will take care of our little baby.” Notice that they did not practice fatalism: “Whatever will be, will be.” Neither did they practice fanaticism: “Let us throw our baby into the Nile, and see if he can swim.” Rather, they exercised proper vision and acted accordingly. If not, then Pharaoh would have killed baby Moses just like all the other Hebrew baby boys.

Let us consider one more important point—we need to have vision to be able to steer clear of the dangers that lie ahead. The Bible describes the children of Issachar as “men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:32). Unfortunately, Christians who lack vision fail to have an “understanding of the times” and are caught unawares in the dangers that Satan puts before us. Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of denominationalism on the church. We ought to see ahead at what the ecumenical spirit may do in the church of our Lord and be ready to reprove such when necessary (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1-4). Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of psychology and sociology on the church, knowing the futility in humanistic thinking (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of the entertainment industry, and what it is doing to religion today. Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of atheism (Psa. 14:1). Christians need to have vision to steer clear of the effects of the world and its measure of success (cf. Luke 12:15; Rev. 3:17). Leaders of the church need to have vision, and will fix their gaze on the word of God and the Lord Himself as they make plans for the future. Praise God, the future of God’s people is bright!

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Stiff-Necked

You Stiff-Necked in Heart and Ears

In Acts 7:51, just prior to being stoned to death, Stephen strongly rebuked the stubborn Jewish council, saying, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

stiff-necked

Are you Stiff-necked?

In ancient cultures, the ox was commonly used to plow fields and pull carts.  (No doubt they are still used in similar fashion in various locations around the world today). These animals were hard to handle under the best of circumstances.  When an angry ox stiffened the muscles of his powerful neck, it was difficult or even impossible to guide him.  Those ancient people began to use the term ” stiff-necked ” to refer to people who were stubborn and self-willed like the oxen.  It is worthy to note that the Bible also uses this expression to make the same point (Exod. 32:9; 33:3, 5).

Like the Jews in Stephen’s audience, sometimes people will not budge from their stubborn ways.  To stand fast in the truth is always the right thing to do (1 Cor. 16:13), however, being headstrong or unyielding against what is right is a recipe for disaster (Acts 7:51-60).  Always remember, friends, one may not like the truth that is preached; nonetheless, to reject it is to reject God (Ezek. 3:7). “Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD…” (2 Chron. 30:8).

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Unpardonable Sin

The Unpardonable Sin

When Jesus spoke of an unpardonable sin in Matthew chapter twelve, He introduced a concept which is difficult for some to comprehend. There is a difference between an unpardoned sin (any sin for which one will not repent) and one that God would not forgive in the age of Jesus or the age which followed. Read Matthew 12:23-32 several times, then think about the following truths.

unpardonable sin

What is the Unpardonable Sin?

There is a historical setting for what Jesus said. Jesus had just cast out a demon by the Holy Spirit of God. His enemies could not deny what they had seen so they attributed His action to the power of Satan. Think for a moment, what if the accusation brought by the Jews had been accepted? There would have been no way for Jesus to show He was the Son of God, for He could have raised all the dead, but it would only have shown He was the “son of Satan.” Thus Jesus’ words stopped this charge the first time it was said.

Consider the words used by Jesus. The Bible elsewhere speaks of “resisting the Spirit” (Acts 7:51) and of “quenching the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19), but this is not what Jesus said about this unpardonable sin. He was very specific about its nature when He said the sin was blaspheming the Spirit. He then defined the word blaspheming of the Spirit as “to speak against the Spirit” (Matt. 12:31-32). His words show that the unpardonable sin was to speak against the Spirit. This is precisely what the Jews had done. Jesus had cast out the demon by the Spirit of God (12:28), and they spoke against the Spirit by calling Him the Spirit of Beelzebub (12:24).

Were the Jews guilty of speaking against the Spirit (the unpardonable sin) on that day? An action is not sinful until God reveals that such is sinful. Suppose you drove down the highway at 55 miles per hour and officials came behind you posting the speed limit as being 35 miles per hour. You did not do wrong, for the law had not been given. Thus, on that day, the action of the Jews preceded the revelation that speaking against the Spirit was unpardonable. They were not guilty of sin. His words ended such speaking against the Spirit.

Could men blaspheme the Spirit today? It is highly unlikely for one would have to see miracles to call them actions of Satan. It would indeed be strange for one to accept the Bible account of the fact of His miracles as trustworthy while denying the trustworthiness of the source of His power.

Read Mark’s account. Mark concludes and forever settles this matter when He adds these words to this event. “Because they said He had an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:28). Mark clearly defined what Jesus meant. Both the context and word definition help us understand this sin.

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