Lord, To Whom Shall We Go

“LORD, TO WHOM SHALL BE GO?”

The question in our heading is a question that the apostle Peter posed many years ago to the question from the Lord, “will you also go away?” There have been many times in my life that I have mentally asked myself the same question that Peter ask, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” The Bible reference reads, John 6:68, “Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” ASV

PETER’S ANSWER

The answer that Peter gave to the question that Jesus ask him indicates that Peter knew for sure that there was no other person to whom one could turn to gain the knowledge of salvation from sin. The understanding that Peter reveals to us about his estimation of Jesus knowledge indicates that he believed very deeply that Jesus was the Messiah. We can have the same kind of confidence in Jesus today because we have the completed Bible that attests to His Divinity.

JESUS HAS WHAT ALL MEN NEED

There is not a person living today that does not need to be saved from their sin. Since this is man’s condition he needs to hear and heed the words of Jesus. As Peter says of the Lord in the context here, “… thou hast the words of eternal life.” Nothing in this world is more important than knowing to whom we must turn {i.e., heed} so that we will be able to solve the problem of sin in our life today. Jesus later says, “And ye shall know the truth and  the truth shall  make you free” John 8:32. We must always be aware of the fact; Jesus has the answer to sin in our life. Indeed, man can be saved from his sin if he is willing to seek it in the teaching of Christ and in his apostles teaching also.

AM I AS FAITHFUL AS I SHOULD BE?

There may be many Christians that periodically ask themselves the question, “Am I as faithful as I should be?” The question is a valid exercise in self-examination that each disciple ought to consider regularly. The Bible instructs us “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? –unless indeed you are disqualified” 2 Cor 13:5. {NKJV}

HOW TO DETERMINE FAITHFULNESS

How do we determine if we are faithful? The Bible is our rule or gauge in determining the quality of our religion. We cannot and must not seek to determine the degree of our faithfulness based upon the faithfulness of other disciples cf., 2 Cor 10:12, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” NKJV.  We must be honest about ourselves and our relationship to God based upon whether we are abiding within the teaching of Christ – cf., 2 John 9, “Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son” ASV. 

JUDGE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

As we look personally within our own heart we will be able to judge ourselves correctly based upon how we are reacting to the instruction of Christ. Indeed, we can know what is expected of us by the Lord by reading the Word of God. We can also know whether we are applying the truths as we learn them from God’s Word.

IDENTIFYING THE TRUTH

Jesus said of the truth, “and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” – John 8:32. Jesus also tells us how to identify the truth in John 17:17 where He says, “Thy word is truth.” I cannot think of a greater bit of information for the disciple of Jesus than to know that God’s Word is TRUTH. We may know whether we are as faithful as we ought to be because we have the truth to guide us in our lifestyle. If we are living according to the Divine instructions we know that we are faithful if we are not then we know that we are unfaithful, This is not hard to understand for the person that really wants to know.

EXAMINE SELF!

Always examine self; don’t spend your time examining others. Many times we cannot judge another’s actions because we cannot read their mind. We may know them by their fruits but we must not attribute to other people’s actions, motives because we can not know why a person does what they do all the time. Let us keep a close check on self and remain faithful.

Posted in Garreth L. Clair | Tagged , | Comments Off on Lord, To Whom Shall We Go

Prom and Promiscuity

Each year, around April and May, High Schools typically hold a dance called Prom.  Traditionally, this dance features boys and girls of the school decked out in gowns and tuxedos.  Historically, the dance oft represented the first celebratory steps into adulthood.  Families work together with their young folks to make the event memorable.

Typically, young men escort their female “Prom date” from home, to the dance, and back again.  While the “Prom date” is still the most prevalent feature, increasingly young people opt instead to come in groups of boys and girls instead.   Sometimes the young people will be escorted by a prominent actor or actress as a publicity stunt.  Recently, one girl decided not to come with a young man, but instead arrived with a cardboard cutout of famous NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.  Everyone at the dance embraced the cutout with great humor.

The other day I went to the local “mom and pop” store.  The store sits about three blocks from the local High School.  Gathered around the store counter, the store owner and some of his clientele stood talking.  The topic of the hour happened to be Prom.  The adults talked of the alcohol they consumed at their proms and the same alcohol consumption they see surrounding prom every year.  They talked not with disappointment about how the students would make foolish decisions during the evening, but with resigned chuckles.  The store owner pointed out how young folks come in for condoms so they can have sex with their dates.  When they don’t have the change, he just hands the condoms over for free.  “We don’t want them to have any accidents.”  As I overheard him, I commented, “The decision to have sex doesn’t happen by accident.”  More chuckles rose from the group with affirmative “yups”.

The store owner and the others around him accepted without any religious bias the fact that prom is an event surrounded by lust (James 1:15), lasciviousness (Matthew 7:21-23), premarital sex (I Corinthians 10:8), alcohol (I Thessalonians 5:8), and other worldly actions.  Many Christian parents refuse to accept the reality of this sinful event or at least they choose to ignore its reality. Prom exposes their children to a stumbling block (Matthew 18:6) and temptation (2 Timothy 2:22).  All of these activities find condemnation in scripture.

The girls at the events typically dress quite immodestly.  There attire often exposes most or part of their thighs, stomachs, backs, breasts, and shoulders.  God identified this as nakedness and covered those areas completely in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  Young men should be ashamed for such girls and blush at the sight of them.  However, their lusts drive them forward and they no longer know how to blush (Jeremiah 8:12).  The girls’ thoughts dwell on the grand event.  The boys’ thoughts dwell on the bodies of the young women.  The girls in their foolishness defraud the boys (I Thessalonians 4:3-6).  The boys acting as willing accomplices pursue the girls (Proverbs 5).  Prom and promiscuity walk hand in hand.

At many proms, open homosexuality now displays itself along with the other sins.  The pit gets deeper and deeper, the mire thicker and thicker.  Parents with common sense, most Christian parents and some parents with no religion at all, refuse to allow their children to participate in prom.  They understand prom endangers the purity of their child (Proverbs 6:27).  They want their children to be good examples, not bad.  They desire their children to focus on purity not evil (Philippians 4:8).  This year as the opportunity arises, encourage grandparents, parents, friends, and young people to give prom a big thumb down.  Just say “No” to Prom.

Galatians 5:16 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Posted in Travis Main | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Prom and Promiscuity

The Insult that Became a Compliment

It was a time where the Jewish religious leaders were opposed to Jesus Christ. They had not listened to anything that He had to say, and they were pushing towards the time when they would murder Him through the hands of the Romans. One such religious leader—a lawyer—came to put Jesus to the test. His motive was to tempt or trap Jesus through His words, and specifically, through His knowledge of the Law of Moses—something that the lawyers (at this time, those who were “experts” in the Law of Moses) supposedly knew quite well. One of the amazing things about this occasion is that it completely changed our conception of a word. Before the unfolding of this event, the word “Samaritan” was an insult that might have had none uglier. As a matter of fact, on one occasion when Jesus backed the Pharisees into a corner through His argumentation, they exclaimed in exasperation, “…thou art a Samaritan…” (cf. John 8:48). Nevertheless, should one refer to us today with the words, “He or she is a good Samaritan,” we would count it as one of the highest compliments that we could receive. What has made the difference? It was the story that Jesus told “a certain lawyer” on a fateful day (Luke 10:25-37).

In response to the question from the lawyer, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tested the ability of this lawyer in two ways. First, He questioned his knowledge — “You have been reading the Law of Moses; so you ought to know what is written.” Second, Jesus questioned him, “How have you been reading it?” These are two important questions for all students of the Bible. It is very important to be good readers of the word of God, but it is equally important how we read (and interpret) it.

Evidently, he was good at what he did, because he gave the correct answer (Luke 10:27-28) by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. On another separate occasion, another lawyer comes to Jesus (Matt. 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34) with the question, “Which is the first and great commandment?” In this instance, Jesus quoted the very same passages that this aforementioned lawyer gave. Thus, the lawyer in Luke 10 had evidently learned some things from his studies.

Yet, the problem arose with its execution—the lawyer asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Thus, Jesus provides an infamous parable to teach the lesson that love serves. The problem with this religious leader is not what he knew, but in its execution—an important lesson for many of us today. Far too often, the problem we have is not in our knowledge of the Bible, but it is in our execution of what it says. Rather than asking ourselves, “Am I as the Samaritan, or am I as the priest or Levite?” maybe we should rather ask ourselves, “Am I as the Samaritan, or am I as the lawyer?”

Do not forget that this account began with a theological question—“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus took the question (and subsequent answer) out of the temple (where the Levite and priest would work and associate) and put it down on the rugged road from Jerusalem to Jericho. I have seen many congregations post a sign in their buildings above their doors, “Enter to worship; exit to serve.” This is the practical answer that Jesus gave. If we truly have love for God and our neighbor, then we will practice such outside of our assemblies wherever people have need. We should never limit redemption to our place of worship—this is what the priest and Levite did—but we should practice the principles of redemption on the roadside. Sorrow, need, sympathy and mercy know no racial boundaries or nationalities.

Jesus epitomized completely everything stated about this unnamed Samaritan. His mission was to spend His life doing good for others while accomplishing the will of the Father. Through His influence, He intends to make Good Samaritans out of us all—Jesus will accomplish this when we love God and love our neighbors as He taught in this parable. How much more may I accomplish in service to my God? There are always people in need, and there is room for growth in my life. I need this in my life! If the church at Southwest (or anywhere else for that matter) wants to grow, things will change as we strive to become Good Samaritans—no longer an ugly insult, but a glorious compliment, especially by the Son of God!

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Insult that Became a Compliment

Can You Sin In Heaven?

IF YOU ARE IN HEAVEN, CAN YOU SIN AND GO TO HELL?

This is an excellent question.  Now there are some who logically assume that you can sin in heaven.  Otherwise, Jehovah has spent a lot of time and effort protecting free will, only to take it away.  And, since Satan and his angels rebelled in heaven, we know that we can rebel and be kicked out.  And so, there are many who believe that you can have free will to do what you want in heaven.  Furthermore, they think that since Satan and his demons were cast out of heaven, since there can be no sin in heaven, therefore, a person who willfully sins while in heaven, would lose their privileges and be exiled from heaven.  Well, there is a Hebrew word for this explanation: H O G W A S H.

There will be no more sin.  In fact, you could say that there would be the impossibility of sin.  Everyone is purified.  Even though people may have free will, we will not be able to sin because the creator, originator and designer of sin is Satan and since he is not there, there will be no sin.  Today, we have the choice of free will to chose Satan and sin or God and his will.  But in heaven, Satan can no longer compete for our choice.   This is somewhat like Henry Ford’s exclamation regarding the color choices available for the Model T, “You can have any color you want as long as it’s black!”  In heaven, you can have any righteousness you want as long as it’s God’s righteousness.

Now, in Rev. 21:4, it states, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”  In Rev. 21:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  And so, since sin brings forth death (Rom. 3:23-33), without death, in heaven we will be without sin.  Nothing will enter that will defile.

Thus, as Paul points out in Rom. 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  There will be a glory that is nothing like we know here.  And we will be forever with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17).  Forever paints the picture of the impossibility of leaving heaven.

Posted in Robert Notgrass | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Can You Sin In Heaven?

Idolatry vs Idletry

Okay, so “idletry” is not a word. My spell checker keeps telling me so and I cannot find it in the dictionary. But those of you who know me know that I am not shy when it comes to making up and using unwords. And though “idletry” is not a word there seems to be an awful lot of it going on in the church. And while many would take exception to being called idolators they would certainly have to admit to being “idletors.”

In the parable of The Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20 Jesus said that the landowner went out in the eleventh hour and asked those who stood around doing nothing, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” If you are an “idle” Christian consider that it is not because:

THERE IS NOTHING TO DO. We are called into the kingdom to be workers, not idletors! In John 4.35 Jesus asked and commands, “Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” My dad used to tell me when I was a kid, “All you have to do is look around, there is always something to do.” There is a lot of work in the kingdom that needs to be done. And often times neglected work never gets done. Someone once said, “The duty of the many should not be the task of a few.”

THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). Christ knew that the time He had to accomplish the work He was sent here to do was not limitless. And He wanted us to know that we are in the same predicament. The fact is that time is running out on us. For many of us it is indeed the eleventh hour and the rest of us don’t know how much time we have left.

I often times in my life find that there is too much to do and too little time in which to
get it done. But we should not, or cannot, allow that to deter us from doing as much as
we possibly can in the time we are allotted here on earth. Time is running out on all of
us!

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city,
spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4.13-14).

THE PAY IS TOO LOW. Godliness is profitable both here on earth and in eternity. The apostle Paul was inspired to tell Timothy that, “bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Tim. 4.8).

The blessings that we receive in this life as obedient, faithful, busy servants of God
make this life a joy to live. We have hope, peace, love and the fellowship and friendship
of a family that the world longs for, but never finds in the myriad of relationships and
activities that offer only false hope and an inadequate sense of security.

Besides all this we are promised a crown, a home, a reward, an inheritance, which
can only be faintly understood and communicated in human terms. In fact the Bible is
clear that the only alternative to the heavenly reward is eternal damnation.

So I ask, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” If you have never obeyed the
gospel of Jesus Christ by repenting of your sins (Acts 17.30), confessing the sweet name of Jesus as the only begotten Son of God (Matthew 10.32-33), and being baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2.38, “Why have you been standing here idle?” If you have done these things but are not faithful, “Why have you been standing here idle?” If you have not been as active (or as active as you should have been) in the labors of the kingdom, “Why have you been standing here idle?”

The declaration of Amos so long ago echoes across the fields of harvest, “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6.1).

Adapted from “440 More Snappy Sermon Starters.” #155, p. 53.

Posted in Tim Dooley | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Idolatry vs Idletry