Tag Archives: Eternal Life

Cutting of the Scroll

Posted on by under Christian Living

Jehoiakim_Burns_the_Word_of_God_(Bible_Card)     Near the end of the kingdom of Judah, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah and he was told to put all the accusations against Israel in Judah into a scroll. The hope of the Lord was that the people in Judah would hear about all the wrong things that were done, which offended God, and that they would repent before it was too late. The scroll was dictated by Jeremiah and written by the hand of Baruch, who was a scribe. After being read in the temple, the scroll was taken to king Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah (Jeremiah 36:1-4, 16).

     To say the least, Jehoiakim did not appreciate the things that were written on the scroll. He did not like that God was criticizing his practices, nor did he like that God was telling him through Jeremiah that the Babylonians were going to invade and conquer Judah if they did not repent. Jehoiakim made a choice to ignore and disbelieve the prophecies of Jeremiah. In objection to the scroll, the king cut it up and threw it into the fire (Jeremiah 36:23).

     It is interesting to wonder how many times in the many years since this event that others have tried to cut out the parts of God’s word that they did not want to hear, and metaphorically cast God’s word into the fire. Many have a tendency to approach religion as if it were a buffet table. They take what they like, but ignore or cut out those parts of scripture that do not agree with their lifestyle.

     In the case of Jehoiakim, he was not successful in ignoring God. God commanded Jeremiah to write another scroll, so God’s word was not to be defeated or destroyed. Additionally, Jehoiakim’s son lost the path to the throne, and Jehoiakim’s body found no rest after death by not receiving a proper burial (Jeremiah 36:27-30). For a king, this is a grievous insult. Let us think for a moment about what our fate will be if we attempt to do the same as Jehoiakim. We cannot ignore God’s will if we want to lay hold of eternal life. If we want rest after our physical death, we must adhere to the entirety of God’s law for us (Matthew 7:21ff). To cut away the parts of the scroll we don’t personally like is to cut away our own soul.

What is Man’s Greatest Problem?

Posted on by under Christian Living

IRAQI FREEDOM

     If we were to take a survey and ask folks their answer to the question above, we would likely get many different responses. Some would claim that the terrorism that we see in our world today is mankind’s greatest problem. Others might say something related to the economy, the jobless rate, global warming, a want of political leadership, or the lack of unity among us as Americans that threatens to destroy us from within. Above and beyond all of these particular problems, though, is one problem that plagues all of mankind no matter where we live on the globe. That is the problem of sin.

     While all of those worldly problems may threaten us while we are here, the problem of sin transcends this world and has implications in the life that is to come. The Bible says that all the things of this life are going to be destroyed someday. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10, NKJV).   Sin has eternal results. Sin separates us from God. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

     Before you say that you have no sin in your life, consider what the Bible says about that as well. God’s word says that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). If we claim to not have sinned, we lie and the truth is not in us, and we are calling God a liar (1 John 1:8-10). Because of the sin problem that all men have, we need to have Jesus so that we can overcome it. We have to believe in Him and His power to cleanse us from sin if we will walk in the light (1 John 1:7). Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Don’t die lost in your sins. Come to Jesus for His healing power and receive the gift of life instead!

The Downward Spiral

Posted on by under Culture

Trump Clinton Lies     The cycle is beginning again.  As we prepare to be barraged by political ads and debate after debate, political candidates are preparing for their run for the White House in 2016.  What we will likely hear the most is how all of the other candidates are not qualified to be that right person to lead the nation.  Unfortunately, the negative ads are what seem to give candidates the most bang for their advertising buck.

     In tearing one another down, many will take the opportunity to distort or misrepresent the record of their opponents.  Is this the way it should be?  Should we be okay with this turn of events?  Jesus said, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NKJV).  When politicians lie, distort, or misrepresent the deeds of their political opponents, are they treating them in the same way that they in turn wish to be treated?  Hardly!

     We should not try to lift ourselves up by tearing others down.  Why not instead stand upon our own work and our own actions?  Someday, we will be judged by the things that we have done while in our bodies, whether good or bad (Ecclesiastes 12:14).  Yet, voters tend to reward those who tell the grandest stories when it comes to making their opponents disreputable, and thus the cycle continues.

     In addition to tearing each other down, many politicians will promise anything they think will help them to get elected.  However, this is mostly just a game.  Those politicians have no intention of fulfilling their promises.  We voters have no expectation that they will keep their promises either.  Why not just do what the Bible says and allow our yes to be yes and our no to be no (James 5:12)?  Would that not be a better way?

     Just think of how it would be if each candidate was honest; if each candidate stood upon the merits of their own work rather than tearing others down; if each candidate only promised those things that they actually intended to do once they get into office.  Just think if we did things God’s way instead of our way.  Solomon wrote, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).  By comparison, God’s way leads to eternal life (Proverbs 19:23).  Let us choose that way instead!

God’s Path to Salvation – Step Four – Repent

Posted on by under Doctrine

14130441997_a4c5a31a2d_o     The next step in God’s path to salvation is to repent of the things that we have done, or are doing, which are not in accordance with God’s word.  Jesus Himself taught that repentance was necessary when He taught His disciples about those Galileans who were killed by Pilate, or about those upon whom the tower of Siloam had fallen upon.  He told them that unless they repented they would all likewise perish (Luke 13:3, 5).

     Similarly, Paul stood upon Mars’ Hill in Athens and preached to those who were listening about the “unknown” God.  In that address, Paul stated that repentance was necessary for salvation.  Regarding their past ignorance of God’s will he told them, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).  Notice that God calls upon all men, all of mankind to repent.  Notice also that He calls upon all men everywhere.  That means that no one is exempt from the command to repent.

     Later, Paul would tell young Timothy that God wants all men to come to a knowledge of the truth and to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)  Additionally, Peter explains that God is not willing for anyone to perish spiritually.  He wishes for all men, again that is all of mankind, to repent of what they have done wrong.  Peter writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  Because it has been almost 2,000 years since the sacrificial death of Jesus upon the cross, men are likely to wonder about the second coming.  It is God who is holding off on the end of the world, because He does not want anyone to perish.  He wants all men everywhere to come to repentance and be obedient to His will.

     Therefore, we need to repent of our sins in order to lay hold of eternal life, but just what is involved in that repentance?  Is it just saying that I am sorry for what I have done?  Is it just saying that I am sorry that I got caught doing something wrong, or is there more to it than that?  We must not be misled into thinking that repentance is just a feeling of momentary sorrow with no change in our actions.  There is much more to repentance than just that feeling of sorrow.  Repentance means that we make a change in our life.  We do not just feel sorry for what we have done, but if we are sinning against God then we change our lifestyle to reflect His wishes, His commands, His will.  Paul explains this difference in writing to the church at Corinth:

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.  For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter (2 Corinthians 7:9-11)

Notice that Paul is not rejoicing in their sorrow, but in the fact that their godly sorrow produced repentance, a change of direction.

     It is our godly sorrow that will lead us to repentance.  Our repentance, our change of mind, our change of direction will then lead us to God and His salvation.  It is not like the sorrow of the world whereby we might just be sorry that we were caught in wrongdoing.  Let us all put our sins behind us, and throw off that weight so that we may run our race unencumbered by sin (Hebrews 12:1).  Let us learn to repent of what we do that does not match God’s will, so that we can have that hope of eternal salvation when our life here is done!

The Greatest Gift!

Posted on by under Article

3703145222_428db0fdbc_z     Christmas morning!  I remember as a child, my brother and I could hardly sleep the night before in anticipation of the gifts that we would find under the tree.  Invariably, there was always one “big” gift each year, which we would open last.  To build the anticipation, my dad would keep egging us on by saying, “I wonder what’s in that big box.”  As a child, I definitely enjoyed receiving gifts on Christmas.

     As I grew older, I came to realize that there was more joy in giving than in receiving.  To witness the merriment in someone else’s face as they open the gift that you have selected for them was a good feeling that far surpassed whatever I might receive.  Paul understood this to be true as well, when he quoted the words of Jesus that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

     As we search the stores and websites in our modern age, from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, we are looking for just the right gift, the perfect gift, the greatest gift that we can give our loved ones.  As we live here on earth, we should realize that God has given us that perfect gift.  He has given us the greatest gift.  He has given us His Son.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).   God has given us a gift to pay our debt of sin; a debt that we could never repay.  By the blood of Jesus, we can have redemption.

     As we gather with our families and friends on this holiday, we should remember the God who gave us that greatest gift.  Indeed we should always remember the God who loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us on the cross of cavalry.  It is by Jesus’ blood that we can have the hope of eternal life with Him in heaven.  You won’t find a better gift than that under anybody’s tree this morning!