“And It Came to Pass”

So what’s your favorite Bible verse or statement? I heard of one person who said his favorite quote from the Bible was, “It came to pass.” When asked to explain this he said, “Can you imagine what life would be like if the Bible said, ‘It came to stay!’” What an interesting concept about life. The phrase “it came to pass” is found 387 times in the Bible, but the Bible also shows that “it did not come to stay.”

We recognize this when it comes to how swiftly life passes. Life may seem to drag on and on to a child, but soon we have an appreciation of how rapid time passes us by. The Bible describes the brevity of life by comparing it to a vapor, like the morning fog that disappears so rapidly (James 4:14); to a messenger who runs to deliver his message (Job 9:25); to a shadow (1 Chron. 29:15); to water poured out on the ground (2 Sam. 14:14);  to a tale that is told (Psalm 90:9) and to grass that withers (1 Peter 1:24). Life truly comes to pass!

Sorrow and tears also come to pass. Does not the Bible talk about God wiping away our tears? God does not forbid sorrow, but He forbids sorrowing like those who have no hope. David’s life had many times of grief and sorrow, but we must not forget that he said, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The next time the clouds surround you and you are filled with despair, just remember that it came to pass.

Temptation is another thing which comes to pass. Think of how life would be if there were never any relief from those agonizing times when we are tempted to do wrong. Yet how comforting are the words, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

How wonderful it is to remember that death too comes to pass. While death is certain, so also is the resurrection! How tragic it would be if we were like animals who live and die, and that’s all there is! However, there is the resurrection morning. Death is not permanent but simply a door of transition from time to eternity. Death comes to pass.

There is a sense in which we too come to pass. That is why the Bible describes us as being sojourners who will soon leave this world (1 Peter 2:14). We are travelers and wanderers, who are simply awaiting the call to come home. The older you get, the more you realize this truth.

There will be many things in our lives which temporarily can upset us. Just remember that all these come to pass.

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on “And It Came to Pass”

When Does Jesus Get Here?

He was only three years old and knew very little about worship, but he knew more than many adults. As he waited for worship to start, he kept looking around and finally asked, “Mommy, what time does Jesus get here?” Wow! Such profound truths so often come out of the mouths of children.

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus is present in our worship. He is present around His table. As He instituted the Lord’s supper in the upper room, He said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you” (Luke 22:15).

The repetition of the word desire is a Hebrewism expressing the most intense feeling. This repetition is found in John 3:29, where John describes  himself as the friend of the Bridegroom who was coming. “The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.” The Greek  literally says, “He rejoices with joy.” It is also found in Acts 4:17, where the Greek says, “Let us threaten them with threats.” Jesus looked at that night around His table and expressed His feeling in the most intense way a Jew could show His feelings, “With desire have I desired.” These words are the preamble to the institution of the Lord’s supper.

Another very significant statement of Jesus in the upper room is His promise to be around the table with us. “I will . . . drink it new with you in My father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). Jesus is with us and we commune with Him.

Jesus is present with us when we sing together. “In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee” (Heb. 2:12). That three year old child might not have seen Him, but He was there as the singing began.

He is there when we pray. Did He not promise that wherever two or three gather to pray that He would be there (Matt. 18:20)? Bowed head cannot see Him, but we can know that as we pray He is in our midst.

The truth is that Jesus “gets here” every time we worship. I shall never understand why some do not want to be in Jesus’ presence every time He assembles with the saints. If we don’t want to be with Him here, why should He want to be with us there? What is your attitude toward worship? Do you “desire with desire” to feast with Him around His table, to sit at His feet to learn more about Him and to sing with Him?

The real question is not what time does Jesus get here, but what time do you get here!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on When Does Jesus Get Here?

The Importance of Those Short Verses in the Bible

There was that time in my life where I sought to find the shortest verses in the Bible to memorize. I became an expert and somewhat of a scholar because the West Huntsville congregation, where I grew up, had a class for all young people every Sunday afternoon before our evening service. We began every class with every person quoting a memory verse. I was the youngest member of that class. Since you could not quote a verse someone else had quoted I was constantly on the lookout for those short verses. I may be the only person on earth who knows where the Bible says, “There was great joy in that city.” At least I was the only person at West Huntsville who knew it! I still remember most of the other short verses!

Over the years one of those verses has taken on a special meaning for me. Paul said, “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess. 5:25). At one time I may have seen no value in it, other than that I would be the “champion of short verses,” but all that has changed. As an older Christian I have a deep appreciation for the importance of having others pray for you.

I was reminded of this last week when I phoned Henry Dawson to express my sympathy to him at the passing of his wife, Louise. Henry was an elder at Shades Mountain where I preached for the seven years before moving to Florida. Henry, Louise and I spent thousands of hours writing the Engraving Heavenly Truths Bible flashcard literature. How I treasure those truths we learned together.

Near the end of our conversation Henry said, “Dan, I want you to know that I have prayed for you every day for the last forty years.” As I think about all that has happened over those forty years, I know emphatically that if I have made any difference it is because of the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” named Henry.

He is not the only one who has told me that they are praying for me. There are several at Palm Beach Lakes who have told me they pray for me, and my life is blessed because of them. The same is true of people I have met in the past who have gone on to their reward. Oh, what a debt I owe to people like Willette, Evelyn, Ruby, Ludell and a host of others who have made a difference in my life because they talked to God about me.

At one time it was nothing more than a short memory verse. Now I see it as the avenue of greater doors of service and strength to accomplish more. I understand Paul’s request to those Christians in Thessalonica. I make the same request of all who read this bulletin, “Brethren, pray for me.”

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Importance of Those Short Verses in the Bible

For Such a Time as This

Whenever the ancient Persians passed a law, it was impossible to revoke it. This law was seized upon by Haman, who attempted to use it to destroy every Jew and especially Mordecai. Mordecai was the cousin of Queen Esther, who had used his wise counsel to become queen of the vast Medo-Persian Empire. The only visible hope for the salvation of the Jews was for Esther to intervene. Mordecai motivated his younger cousin, telling her that perhaps God had placed her on the throne for this very action. His precise words were, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

These words sum up the extent of our precise knowledge that whatever is happening in our lives is a precise event in which God has placed us. There are those specific times and specific people who were raised up by God, and because of Divine revelation, we know emphatically that that person was at that place at that precise time to accomplish a precise action. However, without such specific revelation, we find ourselves in the same situation as did Mordecai and Esther. We can know that perhaps God has placed a door of opportunity before us that we might be the avenue for Him to accomplish His purpose. This concept makes life amazingly exciting.

How often have you sung the song, Lead Me to Some Soul Today? Do you believe that He heard that prayer? Do you really believe that He will answer that prayer? If so, then think of the words of Mordecai every time you meet someone today. How do you know if that person is not an answer to your prayers? How do you know, even if he has in the past told you he was not interested, what is happening in his life right now which would make him receptive to your interest in his soul? How do you know whether you have been brought to that person for such a time as this? This concept makes life so exciting!

Our Friends and Family Day is just a few days away. Have you been praying that God would help you find someone to invite? Even if you have not been praying this specific prayer, are you aware that others have been praying for you? Do you believe He is hearing those prayers? Do you really believe that He will answer those prayers? Think about it! God may be trying to use you to lead another person to the Lord!

Let me appeal to every member of this congregation to join with others to pray that God will lead us to receptive people who are needing the Lord and just haven’t found their way. Isaiah’s response to the call of God was, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” Our response should be, “Here we are, Lord, use us.” Wow—for such a time as this—it makes life so exciting!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on For Such a Time as This

I Have Tried to Teach Others, But They Will Not Listen

How many Christians do you know who grieve because they cannot seem to reach others, especially their relatives? We long for all the world to be saved, but have special grief for those who are closest to us. Paul longed for the salvation of the nation of Israel and expressed it so vividly when he said, “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3-4).

I got to thinking the other day about how Noah must have felt as he tried to reach the lost. The Bible describes Noah as “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5). God decided 120 years before the actual flood that He would send it (Gen. 6:3). We do not know when Noah began preaching, but we often think of him preaching during that entire period. It is possible that he had been preaching long before this as he saw the wickedness of his world.

Now here’s a thought. How many uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters and other relatives did he have? Since people lived for hundreds of years, they likely would have had far more children than we often think they did. Josephus was a Jewish historian of the first century and he gives insight into what was commonly believed by the Jews of his day. “The number of Adam’s children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.” While noting that these numbers are uninspired, they certainly change our perception of the ancient world. Consider the second generation after Adam and then how many people there would be in each succeeding generation. Noah was ten generations after the creation. Pause and think of how many ungodly relatives he had, but that did not change his attempts to teach them.

As he sought to teach them, they all rejected him. Jesus described Noah’s world when He said,  “In the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away” (Matt. 24:37-38). They did not know! They could have, for their own relative was trying to teach them.

So the next time you get frustrated about the fact that those you love so much are not receptive to love you are showing toward them, think about Noah, the preacher of righteousness. Even his own grandfather, Methuselah, died the year of the flood.

We are called to teach others. This is our mission and we must not lose sight of His commission to us. The fact that people are not receptive does not change our responsibility. There is another judgment day coming! Think about Noah!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on I Have Tried to Teach Others, But They Will Not Listen