Money!

What Money Can Buy

Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.”

If you had as much money as Bill Gates, what would all that money buy you? Would it buy you a mansion in Heaven? Would it buy you love, happiness, or even satisfaction?  The answer to all of these questions is no, of course not. These are some things money cannot buy.

Money can get you more material possessions, but it can also get you more problems.  Solomon lists four of those problems in Ecclesiastes 5:11-14. First, freeloaders will follow after your money, verse 11. Second, you will lose sleep worrying about your money, verse 12. Third, money can bring you many temptations that would do you harm, verse 13. Fourth, you might lose it when you need it the most, verse 14.

Finally, Solomon tells us that we cannot take it with us when we die, verse 15. When we die all we will have left will be the treasure we have laid up for ourselves in heaven.

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Understand the Teaching and Engage

“It is a hard teaching…”

“Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’ …From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (Jn. 6:60, 66).

There is an old adage in our culture which states, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Perhaps more adequately and appropriately said – at least in light of our above biblical text and many others like it – “When the going gets tough, some will take off running, in order to get away from the righteous requirements of God, just as fast and as far as they possibly can” (i.e., Jonah; see Jon. 1:1-3)!

This is nothing new. For example, Jesus said of those converted by the word, that many, “…when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word” would immediately stumble (See Matt. 13:21; all emph. mine ~ DED), and then went on to also address how “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches [would] choke the word” in others (Verse 22).

This age-old truth is also why the aged apostle Paul warned the younger evangelist Timothy, to “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:2-4). Paul fore addressed, through the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God Himself, that many people, because of “their own desires,” would turn their back on some of the sacred truths of Scripture in order to go live their lives in accordance with their own ungodly desires instead of His holy ones, which of course would eventually, eternally destroy them. AND; that they would not stop there but would then also seek out religious preachers, teachers, and leaders who would tell them exactly what they wanted to hear – both soothing their seared consciences and justifying their self-satiating sins – instead of teaching them the word of God which they so desperately needed to hear – that one word that could ultimately save their souls by identifying, challenging, and changing their destructive pursuit and practice of sin which had so successfully separated them from God in the first place!

And while we can find all the fault we want with God’s Old Testament people, lack of clarity was not their problem. They didn’t “beat around the bush,” “mince words” or make excuses to try and justify their desire to do away with listening to God altogether, but actually came right out and made clear their desires in no uncertain terms – and God knew:

“Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the Lord; Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them, Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant” (Isaiah 30:8-13).

As evidenced by the Scriptures, there were several responses the hearers made when confronted with some of the more difficult and life-altering truths of God’s word. People:

  • Persecuted, punished, ran out of town, or even crucified the messengers of God sent to instruct them in these truths from God Himself (as was done to so many of the prophets, apostles, and even to Jesus Himself throughout the divine text and history).
  • Threatened, got furious with, and beat those men up however they could for caring enough to share these life and soul saving truths of God (Acts 4:17-21, 5:33-40).
  • Sought to damage and destroy their reputations through slander and falsehood because they couldn’t refute the tougher scriptural truths they brought (Acts 6:8-13).
  • Hardened their hearts, covered their ears, and sought to eliminate those messengers of God by whatever means possible – and the truths they thereby brought – from their presence forever (Acts 7, 13:50-14:19).
  • Ran to find another religious group of people where ear-tickling teachers awaited to assuage and accept their sin without any real repentance (Pro. 18:1-3; II Tim. 4:3-4).

But here’s the bottom line. The one thing that none of those avenues of action actually accomplishes is this: It doesn’t change the eternal truth they seek to teach us – not one iota (Ps. 119:89)! It doesn’t change the fact that just because we’ve somehow silenced or ceased to listen to God’s message, that it will somehow become null and void just because we either don’t, or won’t, allow ourselves to hear it. The word of God which these faithful messengers brought, is still what will judge us on the last day – whether we like it or not (John 12:48). We will still be without excuse before God, no matter how many we may seek to make now (Acts 17:30-31). And real love is really willing to say so (I Cor. 13:6).

So what must we do? We must understand that making Jesus Lord of our lives means seeking to do whatever He says, no matter how difficult (Lk. 6:46-49); and that if we are not willing to, then we neither belong to Him, nor do we love Him, according to Him (Jn. 10:26-28; 14:15). Let us always be His – a people of perpetual repentance (II Cor. 7:8-11)!

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A Sinner’s Prayer

Does God Hear a Sinner’s Prayer?

In Acts 10, Luke records for us the conversion of Cornelius. As the angel of God tells him to send for the apostle Peter, when the apostle arrives at his house in Caesarea, this unbaptized sinner says,

Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. (Acts 10:30-31, emp. SW)

Does God hear a sinner’s prayer? Well, He did in the case of Cornelius. Yet, there are other passages that seem to lean in the other direction (cf. John 9:31; 1 Pet. 3:12). Therefore, let us notice some things that we need to keep in mind as we study the question, “Does God hear a sinner’s prayer?”

First, many words have more than one connotation. As we examine the beauty of words, we see that the same word can take on different connotations based upon its usage (i.e., bat). For example, consider the biblical word “works.” Does God save sinners by works? No, if we use the word “works” to mean deeds of merit, as Paul used it in Ephesians 2:9. Yes, if we use the word “works” to mean acts of obedience as James used it in James 2:24. Thus, the word “hear” has more than one connotation. It signifies the perception of sound by the ear. In this sense, God hears us even if we curse, lie or blaspheme. In this sense, God hears the prayers of the wicked, or how else could Proverbs 28:9 be true: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” It also signifies the act of listening attentively. A parent asks a child, “Do you hear what I am saying to you?” Moreover, it signifies the act of listening with favor and consideration: “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness…” (Ps. 4:1).

Not only that, but also the word “sinner” has more than one connotation. While the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language gives only three words in defining the word “sinner” (one who sins), I hardly think that it is adequate, for that would mean that God never hears any prayers. Christians commit sin, but I hesitate to call them sinners. I sometimes drive nails, but that does not make me a carpenter; I may replace a faucet washer or a light fixture, but that does not make me a plumber or an electrician. In other words, I do sin, but that does not make me a sinner in the sense that John 9:31 uses the word. Paul penned, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8, emp. SW). This implies clearly that we are no longer sinners. There are God-fearing sinners–ones who are seeking to do the will of God, but who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel taught in its purity and simplicity. Cornelius was in this category (cf. Acts 10:1-2), as was Saul of Tarsus (cf. Acts 9:6-11; 23:1). A person who is prejudiced and will not listen to the truth, no matter how devoutly religious he might be, does not fit into this category. Cornelius and Saul were seeking the truth, and they obeyed it when they respectfully heard it. On the other hand, there are wicked sinners (cf. Prov. 28:9)—people who turn their ear from the word of God, although they might be devoutly religious people (cf. Matt. 13:15). These are those who are immoral (1 Pet. 3:12). Wicked people often pray when they get into trouble, but their prayer is an abomination to God (Prov. 28:9), which means that their prayers are detestable or loathsome to God. Thus, there are people who once were Christians, having obeyed the gospel of Christ, but who have turned back to the beggarly elements of the world (cf. Gal. 4:9). These are in a worse condition than if they had never known the way of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:20-22). Certainly, the prayer of such a person is abomination, but if such an individual will genuinely repent, confess his sins and pray for forgiveness, then God will pardon him (1 John 1:9). John is not talking about the alienated sinner, but one who became a Christian by obeying the gospel and became unfaithful later.

Second, God never saves alienated sinners directly in answer to prayer. The prayers of Cornelius played a part in his eventual learning the truth and obeying the gospel for salvation, but God did not directly give salvation in answer to his prayer. The prayers of Saul played a part in his eventual learning the truth and obeying the gospel for salvation, but God did not directly give salvation in answer to his prayer.

Third, what are alienated sinners to do in order to receive salvation? They are to do what Cornelius and Saul of Tarsus did. They are to do the very same things that the people on Pentecost did in Acts 2, the Samaritans and the Ethiopian nobleman did in Acts 8, Lydia and the Philippian jailor did in Acts 16, the Corinthians did in Acts 18 and the twelve men at Ephesus did in Acts 19. All of these heard the gospel of Christ, believed it, repented, confessed Christ and were baptized for the remission of their sins.

In conclusion, if we want God to hear our prayers, then we must be willing to obey His will!

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Christians and Politics

Christians and Politics

It seems as though every single November the question comes up about Christians and politics. While there weren’t very many major elections this year, there were still a number of votes taking place from coast to coast and issues like Obamacare have kept politics heavily at the forefront of the news. As has been the case increasingly over the last few years, though, a number of Christians (and preachers in particular) have continued to embrace the idea that we need not be involved in politics. They say we need to simply stay out of that side of the culture and instead focus fully on pushing faith rather than political ideals.

I can understand and agree when they mean that we shouldn’t place our allegiance to country over our allegiance to Christ and His church. I agree that we should be respectful of all people and continue to view them as souls rather than classifying them by party or political ideology. Sharing pictures on Facebook that emphasize how dumb candidate _______ is or how stupid people who belong to the ________ party are doesn’t get us anywhere, I agree. It’s also true that evangelism is the greatest change we can bring about in someone’s life, and we should strive toward that goal first and foremost.

However, it’s the implication that Christians can’t be involved both politically and spiritually that is wrong and that needs to be discussed. Yes, our priorities need to be kept straight but that does not mean that we are ignoring God or our duty to His church when we become involved politically. I agree that evangelism is the greatest tool to change the world that we have, but that doesn’t mean we need to neglect the opportunity we’ve been blessed with in this country to represent our Lord in government by casting a vote for His principles. Just because we have the single greatest method of change available to us doesn’t mean we need to ignore other effective methods to change society. That’s illogical.

You can often hear folks with an anti-political ideology say “Well, I think we should just be evangelizing so I don’t vote.” First, again, they’re implying that both cannot be done. Politics affect evangelism! Second, they’re saying they don’t have time to vote or follow politics because they would rather focus on evangelism, but I would venture to guess they have time to fit in a football game or go out for dinner with friends somewhere in that time, too. If you’re telling me you don’t have the time to cast a vote against abortion or for some other biblical principle because you’re too busy evangelizing but have time for your own leisure activities, whose priorities are out of order?

Others can be heard talking about how persecution is good for the church and the church will grow if the government turns anti-Christian. While that may be true and it may be good for us to be pushed out of our comfort zones, remind me again how many missionaries North Korea and Saudi Arabia are sending into the world. To simply assume that our ability to spread the Gospel will remain constant or that we’ll even have the ability to gather in secrecy like the early church did is taking a lot for granted in an age where your every move can be detected by the government.

At the end of our lives will we feel like we have some moral high ground for staying “above the fray,” or will we be accountable for not speaking up for the tens of millions aborted? “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die” (Prov. 31:8). If it is an abomination to God it must be an abomination to the Christian, and we shouldn’t quietly cower in a corner and say nothing about it. As we sit by and watch as pro-homosexual, pro-abortion, anti-God men and women are put into power while we refuse to use the opportunities we’ve been afforded to stop them, can we really say we’ve done our best to bring God’s love and truth into the world? “Like a roaring lion and a charging bear is a wicked ruler over poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor” (Prov. 28:15-16a).

Bottom line, Christians have an ability to affect government in this country in a way that no other nation in world history before us was afforded. It’s a privilege that isn’t going to last forever, and we need to take advantage of it while we can. While the homosexual agenda is being pushed further throughout the country, the pro-life lobby is making gains in a number of states. Through our votes and activism, we can both serve our Lord and help make the world a better place, and no matter what anybody tells you, that’s a good thing.

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John 3: Nicodemus

While this chapter is often referred to as the new birth chapter, there are three different roles Jesus plays here. The first is Jesus Christ the Teacher (3:1-21). Nicodemus had great respect for Jesus (vs. 10) and because of the miracles He did, he wanted to know more about his doctrine and was deeply sincere in his quest for truth. So, he came to Jesus by night because he wanted a quiet uninterrupted conversation with the new Teacher “come from God.”

Well, Jesus began to teach Nicodemus an illustration from birth (vs. 1-7) and shows how being born is a universal experience. But, in vs. 3, the word translated “again” also means “from above” and so, if one expects to go to heaven, they must experience a spiritual birth from above. However, Nicodemus did not understand Jesus and thought about the physical birth. But being a patient teacher, our Lord further explained the new birth, which is to be “born of water” and “the Spirit.” This is what Paul records for us in Rom. 6:3-4 in which he speaks of a “new” life with Christ as the Spirit enters your life (Acts 2:38). Thus, the spiritual birth from above involves being born again into God’s family, having your sins forgiven and forgotten, and have a living hope.

Well, Nicodemus must have had a surprised, yet bewildered look on his face, for the Lord said, “You must not be surprised that I told you that all of you must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus was born a Jew, was a part of God’s covenant people (Rom. 9:4-5) and certainly thought his birth was better than that of a Gentile or a Samaritan! And his life was exemplary, for he was a faithful Pharisee! But, he could not understand the truths because the religious leaders would not submit to the authority of Christ’s evidence (John 3:11). Well, Jesus uses another illustration and refers to the serpent on the pole (vv. 14-18) which is the story in Numbers 21:4-9 where the nation rebelled against God and he sent fiery serpents that bit people so many died. However, Moses interceded for the people and made a brass serpent lifted up on a pole for all to see. Any stricken person who looked at the serpent would immediately be healed. And so, Jesus points out that the Son of God would be lifted up 6:23). Thus, the serpent in Moses’ day brought physical life to dying Jews; but Jesus Christ gives eternal life to anyone who trusts Him!

Next, in vs. 19-21, Jesus points out to Nicodemus why sinners will not come into the “light of life”? It is because they love the darkness! They want to persist in their evil deeds, which keeps them from coming to the light; for the closer the sinner gets to the light, the more his sins are exposed. Thus, it is not “intellectual problems” that keep people from trusting Christ; it is the moral and spiritual blindness that keeps them loving the darkness and hating the light. Well, Nicodemus finally did “come to the light” and was identified with Christ at Calvary (Jn. 19:38-42) and realized that the uplifted Saviour was indeed the Son of God. Well after these things, Jesus is spoken of as the Bridegroom (vs. 22-30). Before John the Baptist was arrested by Herod and put into prison, his ministry was to point to the Lamb of God and urge people to trust Him. But in vs. 25, it appears that some of John’s disciples started an argument based on purification. This was important to the Jews (Mk. 7:1-23) and under the Old Testament Law, it was necessary for them to keep themselves ceremonially clean if they were to serve God and please Him. Unfortunately, the Pharisees corrupted it. Well, the disciples here seem to want John to compete with Jesus for “All men come to Him!” (Jn. 3:26). This is not a new concept for Moses (Num. 11:26-30), John the Baptist (Jn. 3:26-30), Jesus (Luke 9:46-50), and Paul (Phil. 1:15-18) often suffered more from zealous disciples than from critics! But, notice how John handled this controversy. He stated that all blessing come from God, so there can be no competition (John 3:27). And then, John compared Jesus to the bridegroom and himself as only the best man (Jn. 3:29). Once the bridegroom and bride had been brought together, the work of the best man was completed.

Well, John continues to talk about Jesus as the Witness (vs. 31-36). Jesus was a witness to the Truth because he came from heaven and represents the Father (v. 31) and to reject him is to reject the Father (Jn. 5:23). He was also a witness to the truth because it comes from Him firsthand (vv. 32-33). He shares what He has seen and heard from the Father (John 8:38) and when we obey His Word and put it into practice we see its truth and power. Third, Jesus was a witness because the Father has authorized His Son (vv. 34-35). God sent Him and gave Him the Word, the Spirit and all things (John 13:3). What a commissioning! What love (Jn. 3:17)! Thus, to reject the Son is to rebel against the highest authority and to go against love and light and have the wrath of God upon us (vs. 36). So, we learn that there can be no neutrality when it comes to Jesus Christ: we either trust Him or we reject Him and “He that believeth not is condemned already” (John 3:18). The verdict has already been given, but the sentence has not yet been executed because God is patient and long-suffering, and continues to call sinners to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

John 3 certainly emphasizes our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is about a living relationship that begins with the new birth from above. And, when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, we share His very life and become children in the family of God. And, this loving relationship is seen in that He is the Bridegroom and Christians are a part of the bride and we desire that Jesus Christ increase as we decrease. And, as we are in this learning relationship, what a delight it is to receive His Word, meditate on it, and make it part of our very lives, sharing it with others. But, the cost of all these blessings was Jesus Christ dying and had to endure the hatred and condemnation of men and be lifted up on the cross so that we might experience forgiveness and eternal life. May we never take this for granted! “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

 

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