Freedom is Good News Part 124

I mentioned in our previous article that, “the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Remember the short definition of grace we used last week?  “Grace is getting something that you do not deserve.”  Do any of us deserve eternal life?  Well, actually – NO, we do not.  Does that come as a surprise to you?  It should not be surprising if you are familiar with the word of God.  Because through the scriptures we are brought into a knowledge of God – who He is and what His will is for us, His children.  We come to see just what it is that God requires of us and just what God will do for us.

I have mentioned many times before that God desires a relationship with us, but that there is no way for us to enter into that relationship while we are dead in our sins.  Yes, it is axiomatic that we needed a Savior, a Redeemer, someone who would be willing to bear the burden of our sins – and that someone is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.  This redemption from God fits within our short definition of mercy, “mercy is not getting what you deserve.”

Our God is a Holy God, this we know.  But do we truly realize that our Holy God cannot dwell with that which is unclean (unholy)?  We accept the blood of Jesus, we believe He cleanses us from our sin and we obey His holy and righteous commands so as to begin to form a relationship with Him.  And God promises eternal life.  If we will accept it, He gives us a “helper” to guide us in this path of righteousness.  Why do I say, ‘if we will accept it’?  Because many of us do not utilize this gift – this grace – of our Father. 

I know that some of this can be quite deep.  But it really only brushes the surface of the depth of the goodness and love that God has for us, His children. 

At His last Passover (sometimes called the last supper) Jesus says this, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to abide with you forever – the Holy Spirit of truth” (John 14:15-17).   Some translations of the bible say He will give us a ‘Comforter’ and the Greek word that Jesus uses actually has the meaning of ‘one who come to the aid, comfort or consolation of another’.  God in His goodness and His grace is willing to give to us repentant sinners, a piece of His very self to aid, comfort and console us.

In other words, God is rooting for us all the way.  He wants – yea even desires – that we successfully navigate this world around us, to keep our hearts, our minds and our eyes fixed upon Him. 

He has given us His only begotten Son.  He has given us His written instructions in the bible.  He has given to us the counselor; a part of His very being.  These are things that a hundred generations before us never were privileged to understand.

Yes, He loves us more that we could ever know.  Would you meditate upon these things?  Would you get on your knees today and visit with Him?  Would you thank Him for His GOOD NEWS?

Freedom is Good News Part 123

In our last article we talked a little about the Godly concepts of justice and mercy.  You see, if God were not a God of justice He could not show forth His mercy.  For mercy does not, yea cannot, exist where there is no justice.  How can someone show forgiveness if there is nothing to be forgiven of? 

There is a third aspect of God’s character that must be introduced at this point: grace!  May I give you a succinct definition of these three aspects of God’s character?  Justice is getting what you deserve; mercy is not getting what you deserve; and grace is getting something that you do not deserve. 

And so, we are sinners – what is the result of sin?  “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23)  You and I as unrepentant sinners will find, in the justice system of God, the verdict of “death”.  We cannot complain for God has spelled it out for us.  But God has provided a way out and lets us know that He has sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice to take away our sin.  1 John 4:10, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  WOW – now that is mercy, tremendous mercy.  But wait!  God does not stop there.  He goes on to express unto us the third element of who He is – grace!

What is this grace that God showers upon His children?  What is this gift of God that goes beyond what we deserve?  Let’s go back to finish the scripture quote in Rom. 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  So does this ‘three part trail’ go from: 1) we are sinners worthy of death to; 2) we accept the mercy God has provided through the blood of His Son to; 3) eternal life in our Savior?  If that were so, then once we repented and received baptism we would be whisked away into the kingdom of God to be with Him forever – no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain, just joy and bliss with God.  Guess what, that did not happen.  Not even with the Apostles!  In March of 1979 after I came up out of the waters of baptism, the same people were in the room, the same snowstorm was happening outside.  That was almost 40 years ago and this physical life is still all I see around me.

God is good!  Remember, Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone”.  And so God in His goodness provides for the repentant sinner in many ways.  Acts 2:36-39 says, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”  Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The gift of the Holy Spirit!  To have a piece of God in-dwell the new child of God is an amazing concept – so let’s take a look at that next time, God willing.

Freedom is Good News Part 122

In our previous article we considered the statement ‘God is good’.  And I asked the question as to whether you might know someone who believes that the God of the Old Testament is mean, angry and harsh.  How would you answer them?

I might start off by quoting the verse from James 1:17 (the verse I ended with last week) “(God) does not change like shifting shadows”; or perhaps the verse in Malachi 3:6, ‘I the LORD do not change’; or maybe Hebrews 13:8, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever’.  These three scriptures are quite persuasive in letting us know that God did not change His ways from the front of our bibles to the back of them! 

It was Jesus Himself who told us that ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’.  And in the letter of 1 John 4:8 & 16 we find out that ‘God is love’!  Peter chimes in with his second letter 3:9, ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you; He is  not willing that anyone should perish, but that  everyone should come to repentance.’

Wow!!  This God we are called to serve really does love His creation – He loves us and desires that we abide with Him and His Son for all eternity. 

One thing we must know about God; He is a God of justice.  He told our first parents, Adam and Eve, what not to do.  They paid no attention and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and then they denied culpability for the sin, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”  The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”  Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen. 3:11-21)  This was the world’s first example of passing the buck. 

Again, God is a God of justice and so punishment needed to be meted out.  God went back up this ladder of blame and cursed the serpent first, then punished the woman and finally pronounced punishment upon the man.  Then God, in His mercy and love for His children, provided garments of protection and modesty.

Do you remember how God worded His one and only commandment to Adam?  “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 

In a manner of speaking, they did die that day.  The special fellowship they had enjoyed with God in the garden ended and any promise of eternal life for them ended that day.  But on the other hand, the God of mercy and grace, bestowed upon them His forgiveness. 

Freedom is Good News Part 121

“As Jesus was walking along the way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him.  ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  ‘Why do you call me good,’ Jesus answered.  ‘No one is good except God alone.’” (Mark 10:17-18)

We may get into this “eternal life” question at some time but I would like to ponder Jesus statement that “No one is good except God alone”.  Have you ever run into someone who said, “The God of the Old Testament was mean, angry and harsh”?  Perhaps you have said it yourself!  Or maybe you know someone who thinks that God cannot be good because there is so much suffering in the world.

Since the beginning of time, from when Adam and Eve were created, has there been anyone who has known God the Father better than the Son of God, Jesus Christ?  In the book of Matthew 11:27 Jesus makes this statement, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”  If ever there was a tight relationship it would have to be between God, the creator of all things, and His Son, the Savior of all mankind.

A question for you:  has the Son of God chosen to reveal to you the Heavenly Father?  This is a very personal question.  Many people go around talking about Jesus and how He has done many things in their lives; they preface their prayers with “Dear Lord” and so address our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  But in Matthew 6:9, Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father …” And I very seldom hear people talk about what the Father has done for them in their lives.

And so it is good to understand your relationship with Jesus.  It is also good to develop closeness to the Father of all mankind.  Jesus tells us He is good.  Let’s let the scriptures tell us how good He really is.

Shall we take a look at a couple of verses from the book of Isaiah and consider  his thoughts about our God and Father?  “So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand…. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” (Is. 41:10&13)  This One who desires to take hold of our right hand is God.  Some may incorrectly state that the God of the Old Testament is harsh – but the God I serve wants, yes desires my love and attention.  He wants to strengthen and help me.  Jeremiah tells it this way, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I will hope in him.”  The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentation 3:21-26)

“He does not change like shifting shadows.”  (James 1:17)   Oh, there is so much more - God is good, all the time!!

Freedom is Good News Part 120

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of (faithful) witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

How strong was the faith of Jesus Christ?  To be slightly glib, I would say that on a scale of 1 to 10, He was at a 12!!  He came down from heaven (from the heavenly throne room of the Father) and became flesh.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians 2:5-8, says this, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Our Savior went to the cross for us.  As He hung there, losing every drop of blood unto death, He had to have profound faith that He would be brought up unto resurrection from the grave by the mighty hand of the Father.  And then we read in the book of Hebrews, quoted above, that He is “the founder and perfecter of our faith”.

If you have faith in what the Heavenly Father has done; if you have faith in what your Savior, Jesus Christ, has done; and if you have faith in the understanding that you are walking in the path of righteousness with your Father and His Son, then you can rejoice that your faith has been founded in Jesus Christ and will be perfected in Him.  In his letter to the Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Wow!! This is heavy stuff!!  But whoever said the bible was light?  These words of Paul are not things to be read over and forgotten – they are the truth of God and they are facts.

The good news here is that our Heavenly Father and His Son love us so much that “We have been given everything we need for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)  Paul says as much in his letter to the Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” 

But you must take the next step.  You must ponder, you must meditate upon whether you have received this calling (yes this calling, right here in the words of this article) and that you have prepared the soil of your heart so as to receive the seeds of the Gospel and to become one of the chosen ones of God.  In Acts 2:38, Peter told us what to do, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Do you have the faith to take this step?  “And with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Freedom is Good News Part 119

Some might feel that the activity of having faith is as easy as falling off a log (I’ve never actually done that! – fall off a log, that is!).  We have been considering faith – the faith that Abraham had – and that it involves much more than just some mental exercise.  It truly involves some kind of activity, just as Abraham’s faith did!

Ultimately, what are we looking for?  As I see it, God has given us life so that we might begin a journey toward Him!  A good word to use here would be “relationship”.  God wants to have a relationship with His creation, yes, with His children.  Isn’t that what we are looking for?

But one thing the scriptures teach us is that our God is Holy and we are not; and that presents a problem, because that which is unholy cannot draw near to that which is holy.  This we know, for the scriptures also teach us that we need to be redeemed from our unholyness, our sinful nature.  God, in His wisdom and understanding, has, from the foundation of the world, considered and provided for our needs in this case.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  “Whoever believes in Him” … Did you catch that?  Faith or belief is involved here!

OK, so back to my question, ultimately, what are we looking for?  In a word, we are looking for righteousness!  It is righteousness that will bring us into a relationship with our Heavenly Father and because we have no righteousness of our own, we must be redeemed by Jesus Christ and so accept His righteousness through the blood of His sacrifice.  Do you believe that Jesus’ blood imputes righteousness to you so that you might fellowship with the Father?

We have come a long way in just a short space; allow me to insert here a quote from my daughter, Cynthia Saladin, “If God is your God and you want fellowship with Him, the law is part and parcel of your relationship with Him.  It defines what is acceptable conduct in His presence.  The law is a reflection of the character of God.”  I know I am prejudice toward my daughter but that statement says a mouthful!!  Remember what James said, “Faith without works is dead.”  A short perusal of the faith chapter in the book of Hebrews should give us understanding here, “By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and thereby was commended as a righteous man … By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family … By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going …by faith, Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, … because they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Hebrews 11:4-23)  We could go on but I believe we see that each of these (and more) were commended for their faith by doing something.

Oh yes, faith is a huge subject – there is still more to come!!

Freedom is Good News Part 118

“You have faith that there is one God.  Good!  But even the demons believe that and shudder.” (James 2:19)  This is quite an interesting verse.  And one that should make us stop and think about our belief system.  There are many people in our society that say they believe in God and they will even say that they believe in the God of the bible.  But this same bible tells us that this kind of belief is no better than the belief of Satan and his minions. 

In our previous article I mentioned that Jesus says in John 8:39, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works Abraham did.”  Are you a child of Abraham?  In Romans 4:11 we read, “So then, he (Abraham) is the father of all who believe …”; and again in Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”  Well, only you can answer the question as to whether you are Abrahams offspring or not, and only you can answer the question as to if you are doing the works that Abraham did. 

Friends and brethren, this is an important discussion.  We have been considering the scripture in Rev. 17:4 concerning the “called, the chosen and the faithful”.  Each one of these concepts builds upon the next – for how can you be a chosen one of God if you have never been called and to whom are you to be faithful if God has not chosen you?  Can you begin to grasp the depth of all this?  Those who are “called, chosen and faithful” are those who will accompany our Savior in the last days as Satan is being defeated and Christ is beginning the process of setting up the Kingdom of God on this earth!!!

Let’s consider the word “faithful”.  First, let’s notice it does not say “faithsome”.  OK, my computer is telling me that I just made that word up; but you get the point, our faith must be full and not just partial. 

Remember the incident in Mark 9:14-28, where a certain man asked Jesus to cast a demon out of his son?  The man’s words were, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  Jesus’ response was, “If you can?  Everything is possible for him who believes”.  And immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe help my unbelief!”  Jesus cast the demon out of the child but the father’s reply is one that we all share: “I believe, help my unbelief!”  Our God is loving and kind and merciful and full of grace toward His children, He does help our unbelief but we must do as the father did and ask.  This subject of faith is not an easy one.  The word itself is tied in with the concept of obedience. In the book of Hebrews we see that when the Israelites sinned in the wilderness and refused to enter the promised land, they were punished for their unbelief: “And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:18-19)

Oh yes – there is still more to come.  We are just coming to the part where the rubber meets the road!!

Freedom is Good News Part 117

As we have peered into the topic of “good news” these past few articles, we have been considering an interesting scripture in the book of Revelation 17:14:  “And they will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”  We have talked about how it would be a good thing to be with our Savior at this point in time and so perhaps we should understand these 3 terms from a biblical standpoint.   We have seen how we may be called by God and we have seen how the choosing takes place, but what about the third category, “faithful”?  And then there is that fourth word, “followers”.  Let’s take a look at these last two words; shall we?

So let’s say you have been called by God (and I believe that if you have been reading these articles, you have been); and let’s assume you have prepared the soil for the scattered seeds that are being sown, and are being chosen by God; now you must pursue faithfulness!

In Romans 4 Paul gives us the ultimate example of a man of faith.  4:1 “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness….  ”.  Later, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, often called the “Hall of Fame of the Faithful”, we read about Abraham in verse 8, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land… By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.”

Abraham had faith in God when he was told that even in his old age he would have a son.  Abraham had faith in God when he was told to leave the land of his fathers and move to a new land.  Abraham had faith when God told him to sacrifice this very son that God had promised to him.  And then Jesus says in John 8:39, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works Abraham did.”  Wow, did I just read the word “works”?  I thought we were talking about faith.  Abraham is the father of the faithful – what is this about his works?  

The letter of James has something to say about this:  James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead … You have faith that there is one God.  Good!  But even the demons believe that and shudder.”

We shall, God willing, look further into this subject the next time.  But isn’t this exciting – we have, in this study, gone from the book of Romans to Hebrews to John and finally to James.  The bible is a unified book and a treasure trove of knowledge!!

Freedom is Good News Part 116

“He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”  Who are the called, who are the chosen and who are the faithful? 

We saw, in our last installment, that the bible tells us, “Many are called but few are chosen.”  And yes, that call goes out in many ways.  For me, it was a conversation I had with a co-worker who told me of the truth of God.  I listened to him and realized that God was calling to me; God wanted me, a sinner, to be a part of His family.  Wow!  Imagine that, the God who created all things wanted me, this “nobody”; this blue collar welder, working in the oil fields of Wyoming, to be His child!

But I was hard headed and I balked.  It took two years of inner struggle with my old ways to finally realize that I could no longer ignore God.  The great God of the universe wanted my heart.  And I finally gave it to Him!

The call goes out in many ways.  Some might read something on the internet; some will read a tract or booklet left lying around.  Some might turn on a TV program that opens their eyes to the truth of God and still some might read an article written in a small town give away newspaper called the Danish Villages News.  Has God called you?  Does God want you to become one of His precious children?  Does the creator of all things want you to open up your heart to all that He has for you?  Only you can answer these questions.  But answer them you will; either with an emphatic yes, or a destructive no; for “Many are called but few are chosen”.

As we saw in the previous article, the seed of God’s calling will only produce fruit in the right type of soil:  “But some fell on good fertile soil and grew, producing a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”  In that parable of Matthew 13, three quarters of the seed scattered did not produce any fruit – there was no “choosing” by God in those cases.  But God is truly looking for those few who will open up their hearts to Him.

When did God call you?  Do you remember His gentle hand leading you into the sheep fold?  Wait a minute Bill, you are mixing metaphors here – our ninth grade English teachers would be appalled – you started off talking about agriculture and now shifted to animal husbandry! 

Hmmm!!  God uses many metaphors to teach and to call.  Sometimes He uses fishing and other times He uses building construction.  God wants all of His children to “get” what He is saying and does not limit Himself to only one avenue. 

Are you being called now?  Do you have the good soil that will produce a hungry heart for God?  I hope you do.  We are not playing games here with God – He wants sons and daughters to love Him so that He might teach and bless.  Next time (God willing) we will talk about the third aspect of this topic – the faithful!

Freedom is Good News Part 115

In the past couple of articles, we have seen that although the good news of the Gospel consists of the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it does not end there.  In fact, the resurrection of Christ begins for us (upon whom the ends of the age have come) the realization of the good news that was prophesied in the Old Testament.  But this good news, in all actuality, never ends!  For it finds its fulfillment in the eternal life that is promised to God’s called, chosen and faithful followers.

Are you there yet?  Have you been called by God?  If called, then have you been chosen?  And so, if called and chosen, are you faithful?

These three categories, called, chosen and faithful, are found in the book of Revelation 17:14:  “And they will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”

To be with our Lord and King at that time, is news of such great joy that it is really inexpressible!  But you must be called, chosen and faithful!!

In Matthew 22:14, just after Jesus telling of the parable of the wedding supper, we read, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”  Does that concern you?  Do you wonder, sometimes; perhaps you have been called of God but for some reason haven’t been chosen of God?  I mean, why would God call someone and not chose him?

There are many ways in which God may call an individual.  Paul addresses this when he says in 1Cor. 3:6, “I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but it is only God who makes it grow.”  I must figure that everyone who is reading these articles are familiar with their bibles.  Perhaps many of you attend a worship service, at least from time to time.  Within the pages of the bible are many potential seeds that may be planted in the heart of the reader.  Within the words of a sermon or bible study are also many potential seeds.  And so it is within these articles, potential seeds abound. 

I mention that they are “potential seeds” because although they enter your brain through your reading or your hearing, those who are chosen of God are the ones that allow them to be planted within their hearts.  Remember the parable in Matthew 13 concerning the “Sower and the Seed”.  Some seed fell on the path to be eaten by the passing birds; some fell on rocky places but because of shallow soil the new shoots quickly withered; some fell  among the thorns and were choked out and died; but some fell on good fertile soil and grew, producing a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

So, receiving the seeds means you have been called.  But what kind of soil are you?  I believe God makes it clear that we must be good soil if we are to be found chosen.  God does the calling and the choosing but we must prepare the soil!!

Perhaps we should look at this some more next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 114

Well of course there is “good news”.  It is all around us.  There is joy and there is happiness and there is a merry heart for all who will believe!!  God tells us through Moses, “The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”  Jesus Christ died for you and for me that we might be reconciled to the Heavenly Father; that is good news.  We had been reckoned as sinners as the result of being descendants of our first father and mother; Adam and Eve.  But thanks be to God for the life we are offered through the Son of God!

May we level with each other through the confines of these words – without this sacrifice of the Son of God, we have no hope!!  As I mentioned in our previous article, we will have perhaps 70, 80 or 90 years to enjoy physical life (the only thing we, as human beings, know), and then we die.  Or as the scripture in John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  If we do not believe, we perish!

This is quite interesting because our God (the one and only God) is offering to us, free of charge, an extension of this life we have been experiencing and yet this extension is in no way to be compared to some overtime period in a field of sports – this is life eternal!!  It is interesting because most people on this earth do not accept this idea.  Let us bring that closer to home – most people in this country of ours do not accept this idea.  What about in the state of Iowa, the county of Shelby or even this local community of ours?  How about those of you reading this newspaper – do you accept this idea?

In our previous article, we paid a short visit (through a vision of the Apostle John) to the throne room of God.  We were in Revelation chapter 4.  John was permitted to see things that he, frankly, had no words to describe.  Throughout the book of Revelation, John uses metaphors, similes and analogies to try and get across the idea of what he saw.  The Apostle Paul had a similar experience that he mentions in 2 Corinthians 12:1, “I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.  And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—  and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.”  Paul, one of the foremost servants of God in the New Testament, was not permitted to tell of his experiences when in the “third heaven” that is, the place where God dwells.

Then we find Moses, one of the foremost servants of God in the Old Testament, spending time in the presence of God.  Moses was not permitted to see God’s face but was allowed to experience that presence.  When God came down in the cloud on Mount Sinai, Moses bowed his face to the ground and worshiped.  And when Moses came down from the mount into the camp of Israel, his face had a radiant glow.  The scriptures say that the people were afraid to come near him!! (Ex. 34:8 & 29-30)  My friends, think upon these things and until next time, remember, we have good news all around us.

Freedom is Good News Part 113

What is it that you expect to be doing one thousand years from now?  To tell you the truth, it is hard to see that far into the future isn’t it?  On this earth, the bible tells us, we might expect to have 70 years of physical life.  This is what it says in Psalm 90:10, “The length of our days is seventy years – or eighty if we have the strength.”

There are many people in our little community that must have great strength for they have reached into their eighties and even into their nineties!!  At some point though, we must die – as the old saying goes, “there are no survivors on this planet”.  But then what?  If our names are written in the book of life, we wait for the resurrection from the dead.  But then what?  Whoa, let’s not go too fast here.  What do I mean by no survivors?

In the book of Hebrews 9:27 it is written, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement….”  Yes, all of us are given just this one opportunity to live a fleshly existence.  And even though Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, says, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:51), those that do not “sleep” must shed this flesh and be clothed with a new body.  Paul goes on to say, “For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed,  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” (1 Cor. 15:52-53)

OK, so what do you expect to be doing one thousand years from now? Is your name written in God’s book of life?

The most famous scripture in the bible is arguably John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  It we are looking for good news, this is a very good place to start.  (OK, if we are true to God’s word, we should start at Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” But that is a topic for another time!)

God gave us His only begotten Son that through His death, we may receive life.  And that life is the life we are talking about – eternal life!  That life is beyond our understanding, beyond our comprehension and beyond anything we might imagine!!  It is a life spent with our Heavenly Father and with His Son.  It is a life that will be filled with joy and peace.  It is a life that will be spent experiencing the true glory of God – a glory that today is not available to us.  “Then Moses said, ‘show me your glory’.  And the LORD said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you and I will proclaim my name, Yahovah, …. But you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’” (Ex. 33:18-20)  In that day we will be allowed to see what the Apostle John saw when he was “in the Spirit”, “At once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.  A rainbow resembling an emerald, encircled the throne …. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder ….”

What an awesome experience!!  And truly Good News.  Stay tuned for more.

Freedom is Good News Part 112

“Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)

“Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105)

It is, indeed, a beautiful thing to have access to the word of our Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth!!  He is the Creator of all things and just as any manufacturing company will provide the user with an instruction manual, so our Maker and Designer has given us a manual to instruct us on the proper use and care of who we are and how we operate.

We have spent a few weeks looking into the first Five of the Ten Commandments of God.  And so now we will consider the last five.  God has not put as many details into these final five as He has the first ones but one of the first things we should take note of is that they all begin on a negative footing: “You shall not …”

I believe we all know what it means to murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness and covet.  These are not obscure words that send us to the dictionary to search for their meanings.  And I believe if we spent some time in consideration of these 5, we would understand, if we are rational, just how good they are and how necessary they are for the safety and health of a society.  We all know that we “should not ……”!

But let’s take a look at some of these five from a positive perspective.  How do we do that?  I’m glad you asked! 

The Sixth Commandment is: “You shall not murder.”  So how do we look at this in a positive light?  Perhaps the simplest way is to consider how we might help others to live a better life.  In our little community of Elk Horn it has been my observation that we do a very good job.  There is always a helping hand, a visit to the sick or bereaved, a donation to those in need when tragedy strikes. 

When considering theft, we might turn it around and think about those in need and how we might give of ourselves.  Here in this community, we have a food pantry to donate to.  And there is usually a notice in the newspaper concerning an organization putting on a charitable fund drive.  We are so blessed to be able to give!

I am sure that you could add to this “positive aspect” list of the final five commands.  But let’s stop and take a quick look at what Jesus had to say about these commands.  Remember, He came not to abolish the law but to fill it to the full.  “You have heard that it was said ‘Do not commit adultery’.  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’”  (Matthew 5:27)

There is an immense amount of instruction given to us in the Word of God.  Sometimes we may think that the law is only found in the Old Testament but according to many commentaries, there are more commands in the New Testament – Jesus came to fill to the full.  God’s word is good and “the commandment is holy, righteous and good.”  Rom. 7:12.

Freedom is Good News Part 111

Several articles ago we began looking at the Ten Commandments and we’ve come through the first five with five more to go.  We have seen that God placed many details within the first five and have considered just how we should look at them.  But as we come to the last half of the Ten, they come at us rapid fire and quite straight forward.  “You shall not murder.  You shall not commit adultery.  You shall not steal.  You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  You shall not covet: your neighbor’s house; your neighbor’s wife; his manservant or maidservant; his ox or donkey; or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

In Matthew 4 we read about Jesus baptism, His 40 days of fasting in the wilderness and, immediately following, the temptation by Satan in the wilderness.  Then in verse 17, we see that: “From thence forth Jesus began to preach.”  We read in chapter 5 that His message to the crowds began with what we call the beatitudes.  And then in chapter 5:17 we find Jesus laying down the “ground rules” for His ministry; He did not want anyone (including you or me) to misunderstand just how He approached His ministry.  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fill them to the full.  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the Law until everything has come to pass.”

We will (God willing) take a closer look at these final 5 commandments but for now I suggest that we take a short sidetrack and see just how our Savior saw this “Law” that was codified in the part of our bibles called “The Old Testament”.  I use the word “codify” here because this is what Jesus is talking about when He used the terms, “smallest letter” and “least stroke of the pen”.  To codify something means to write it down.

The Jews of His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, etc., had developed something called the “oral law”.  This was not a part of the law that God gave to Moses to write down.  The Jews had their traditions and passed them on down through the generations by word of mouth – thus the “oral law”.  We find, later on in Matthew, that Jesus upbraided the Pharisees for this, calling them hypocrites and so in Matthew 15:3 we read, “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? … Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your traditions.”

This is a very important concept to understand.  Jesus specifically used the terms “smallest letter” and “least stroke of the pen” (in Matthew 5:18) in order to differentiate the written word of God from this so called “oral law”.  God’s word is truth – the Rabbi’s words, not so much!

As Jesus continues His preaching to the crowds in Matthew 5, He begins to teach about God’s law and to “fill it to the full”.  And we will look some more at this in our next article.  But remember this:  The Apostle Paul tells us in Rom. 7:12 that the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.”  And that my friend is Good News!!                                                                 

Freedom is Good News Part 110

When I was young I was introduced to the Ten Commandments and given a simplified version of them to memorize.  I recall that I memorized the fifth commandment as, “Honor your father and your mother.”  And this is the gist of what is said there, but our Heavenly Father gives us a few more details in this next commandment.

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 5:16)  These are interesting details, are they not? 

God has given us the first 4 commandments that teach us how our Heavenly Father desires to be worshiped; but before He gives us the last 5 commandments, ones that teach us how to enjoy a prosperous society, He tells us that we must honor our parents.  This fifth commandment acts as a bridge from God to society.  In it He teaches us that the family unit is the foundation of society.  Without this understanding, society has no substance upon which to stand. 

Our society today appears to be on a slippery slope downward toward calamity.  The honor that a child is required to have for his parents becomes hard to find today.  God, the creator of all things and all people, knew that this command was imperative for an orderly society and so He added the promises to the base command.

Do we want a long life?  I believe most of us, if not all, would answer yes.  Do we want a long life that goes well for us?  If I get to live a long life, I sure would desire it to go well!!  I believe a sane person would answer, yes!  And what’s this about “the land the LORD your God is giving you”? 

God is the owner of all things.  In Leviticus 25:23 He tells us that the land is His.  As the old song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through” – God brought the land into existence and He can surely take it all away.

There is a principle tucked away in this 5th Commandment – and it involves respect for authority.  The first authority for a family (after God) is the parents.  But in a solid society, authority extends outward to what the bible calls “elders”.  When I was a kid, I knew that when my friend’s parents told me to change my behavior, I had better obey.  I also understood that policemen were around for our good and they were to be respected.

God is the ultimate authority but He has placed others in society to keep order.  Paul says it this way in Romans 13:1, “… there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.” 

God has told us to “Honor our father and mother.”  And so I see that Jesus tells us that God is our Father – He is our Heavenly Father.  Therefore honor God, all you His children!!

Freedom is Good News Part 109

In looking at the Fourth Commandment we saw, in our previous article, that there was a slight difference in the two instances where the Ten Commandments are written.  Deuteronomy begins by telling us to “Observe the Sabbath day” and Exodus starts by telling us to “Remember the Sabbath day.  In Exodus the emphasis of this command is related to the creation found in Genesis 1 and 2.  Within this version we find written, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your animals, not the alien within your gates.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” 

As we look at this, let us note that God is concerned with animals.  He is the creator and He has compassion upon all the He has created.  The alien that might have been living among them (there were a few Egyptians that tagged along with them as they left Egypt) was also to be given a rest day.  But the emphasis here is upon creation week. 

In the other version of the commandments found in Deuteronomy we find this addition, “The seventh day is a Sabbath day to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, not your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.  Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.  Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath Day.”  The emphasis here is on the fact that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt.  This was something that God wanted His people to remember and so to memorialize it by keeping the Sabbath day; a day of freedom.

Allow me to consider here what the Apostle Paul tells us about our own slavery.  In Romans 6:16 we read, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  Jesus Himself said in John 8:34, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

And so, what is the sign that leads us to remember our freedom?  It is the Sabbath day!  And our freedom leads us to rejoice in the freedom of obedience. 

Within both of these versions we find written that the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD.  This is not a man-made concept.  God blessed the day and made it holy; only God can make a day holy!  It is a gift from God to us and is something to be valued.

In everyplace I look, I see the hand of God giving good gifts and blessing His people – let us rejoice in our God!

Freedom is Good News Part 108

We have taken a look at the first three Commandments in our previous articles and so we come to the fourth.  When we consider these first four we see that they all pertain to our worship of God and that is an important observation.  God does indeed, come first in everything.

I have my bible open to Deuteronomy 5, which is where we find the second entry of the 10 Commandments (the first being in Exodus 20).  The first thing that grabs my attention is that this fourth Commandment is the longest of all the ten.  Our God does not waste words.  Words are of great importance to Him.  Remember in the gospel of John chapter one it is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the word was God.”  Two things are to be understood here.  First: this is a reference to the Son of God, who in the book of Revelation 19:13, is referred to as the “Word of God” and second: we see in the book of Genesis that it was with the use of words that God created all things – “And God said, ‘Let there be light and there was light’” etc.

Our God does not waste words!  Deut. 5:12, “Observe the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.”  In the book of Exodus it is written, “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.”  One version tells us to “remember the Sabbath” and the other tells us to “observe the Sabbath”. 

The version in Exodus is calling us to remember.  What does it want us to remember?  The idea of this day of rest is not something new.  It is not something that was given to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt.  God established the Sabbath at creation!!  “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.  By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He ceased from all His work.  And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He ceased from all the work of creating that He had done.” (Gen. 2:1-3)  It was God who gave to His created ones, a day of rest and because the Israelites had been slaves to the Egyptians for over 200 years, He wanted to remind them of this extremely important day. 

As slaves, they most likely had been working seven days a week – no time off.  God reminded them of this wonderful gift and commanded that they cease form their labor and spend one day out of seven, worshiping Him.  What a beautiful gift for God’s people.  Are you one of God’s people? 

Just as we saw in considering the importance God places on words, we see a similar concept here in the Sabbath day, a day of rest.  When God began to create, He used words and when He refers to His Son he calls Him “the Word”; so, when we consider His Sabbath, we remember this creation and when we ponder His Son we find in Him the true rest for our souls, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)  There is more on this topic to come!!

Freedom is Good News Part 107

“It is not about us and what we want.  Rather it is about Him and what He wants!”  And so we come once again to the Third Commandment.  Here we see that God’s name is not something to be taken lightly.  It is this name that one may call on to attain salvation.  We find this statement in both the book of Joel in the Old Testament, and the book of Acts in the New. (Joel 2:32 & Acts 2:21)

But what does it mean to “call upon the name of the LORD”?  In our previous article, we saw that this statement in Joel is shown to mean “Everyone who calls on the name of the One who is LIFE itself will be saved.”  The God that we serve is not only good and kind and loving, He is also awesome.  The book of Hebrews tells us this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold to grace and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

The name of God – I AM THAT I AM – is not just His moniker; it is a statement of who He is.  It is the awesome name of an awesome God!!  His name is indeed a heavy name.  What do I mean by this?  In Psalms 29:2 we read, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name.”  Have you ever thought about the word glory?  And why is it that God’s name is due  glory?  In Hebrew the word for glory is “kabowd” and by definition it means, “a weight, a great quantity, a copious amount”.  When applied to God it means “to recognize His importance, worth and significance.”  (Vines Expository Dictionary)

Backing up one verse in Psalm 29 we are admonished to, “Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.”  God himself is due glory from us His children and as such, His name is also due glory.  So when I said, up above, that we should not take God’s name lightly, it was because His name is due a great weight of glory! 

Now, back to the Third Commandment, “You shall not take the name of God in vain (that is, in an empty manner).”  God’s name is not empty.  It is full.  His name is not light.  It is heavy.  And so God says, “For the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain.”

May I run a few scriptures by you?  Psalm 5:11, “May those who love your name, rejoice in you.”  Psalm 8:1, “O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”  Psalm 9:2, “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”  Verse 10, “Those who know your name will trust in you.”  This stroll through the book of Psalms could go on and on.  Psalm 34:3, “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together.” 

When you read in the scriptures the all capitals “LORD”, it is a signal that the name of God “YHVH” is being used.  This is a convention that most of the translators have used over the years. 

Call upon the name of God for salvation, but do not do it lightly.  There is a weight to that name and it is to be used reverently.  It is God alone that we must revere!!

Freedom is Good News Part 106

A couple of articles ago I made the statement, “It is not about us and what we want; rather it is about Him and what He wants!”  I added it at the end of the article as a passing comment.  However, this statement is one that should be forefront in our minds.  God is Sovereign and so it is His jurisdiction to dictate the rules that we live by!!  This is important to understand.

We have been looking into the 10 Commandments recently and find ourselves in the midst of the third Commandment; “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.  For the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who takes His name in vain”.  In our last article we covered the first half of this by considering what is meant by taking God’s name in an empty manner.  But what about the second half?  This is the only one of the ten that tells us that God will not hold us guiltless if we break it.  Why?

In the book of Acts chapter 2, Peter addresses the crowd on the day of Pentecost after having received the Holy Spirit.  In this episode, the crowd is confused as to what was happening – in fact some were accusing the disciples of having drunk too much wine.  Peter assures them that they had not and then proceeds to tell them, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel …”.  He then quotes from Joel 2:28-32.  This is an important piece of scripture and I will leave it to you to read the entire segment.  But in keeping with our discussion today I want to center in on the last part of the quote:  “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

In our previous article I mentioned that God’s name consisted of 4 Hebrew letters that transliterate into the 4 English letters: “YHVH” which have been pronounced in various ways.  It was Moses, who was talking to God in the incident of the burning bush, who asked God to tell him what His name was.  We find this in Exodus 3:2-15, “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’”

In our day, names are only a series of letters, such as Bill or Jerry or Mary, that allow another to get our attention or address us specifically.  In ancient times it was not so.  Names meant something.  God changed the name of Abram (which means, “exalted father”) to Abraham (which means, “father of many”).  Because both Abraham and Sarah laughed when told by God that they were to have a child in their old age, God said that the name of the child would be Isaac.  In Hebrew the word Isaac means, “he laughs”.  And on and on it goes.  It can be an interesting study into the meaning of some of the names in the bible!

God’s name, however, is unique!  It can be transliterated as “I AM THAT I AM” or “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE”.  The emphasis upon His name is LIFE itself!  Some, in an effort to bring this name into English, translate it as “THE ETERNAL ONE”.  And so, “Everyone who calls on the name of the One who is LIFE itself will be saved.”

We will go further with this, God willing, in our next article.

Freedom is Good News Part 105

So we know that we are not to have any other gods besides the one true God – the Creator of heaven and earth!!  And that’s not all.  Even if we know who God is and desire to worship Him, we must not do so by any means other than what He has prescribed.  There are to be no images made “in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations, of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)

So let’s say we understand these first two Commandments and we proclaim to worship the one true God and we have not considered any images of Him to utilize in our worship – and now we come to the third Commandment, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”  If you are following along, you will notice I only quoted the first half of this commandment.  But let us pause here and consider this first half.  Some translations tell us we must not “misuse the name of God”.   This is not the true meaning here.  God is telling us that He will not have us take His name in an empty manner.  The Hebrew word “shav” has the basic meaning of, “deceit, vanity emptiness or falsehood”.

It is not good to falsely use God’s name.  And most of us probably consider this in conjunction with using His name as a profanity by cursing; this is true.  But it goes much deeper.  I shall assume that most of us would consider ourselves to be Christians.  This name is derived from our being followers of Jesus Christ.  In other words, we have taken upon ourselves the name of the Son of God.  Do we take upon us this name as something sacred and something to be held in high esteem? 

The true name of God is made up of 4 Hebrew letters – in English the letters are YHVH.  This has been translated at times as Jehovah, Yahovah, Yahweh and Yahveh.  The name of the Son of God, in Hebrew, is Yahoshea.  (Jesus is an Anglican version of the Greek.)  The first two letters “Ya”, being the shortened form of the Father’s name and the last six letters spell out the Hebrew word for “salvation”.  In other words Jesus’ name in the original Hebrew means, “The Salvation of Ya”.  The name our Savior was given encompassed the shortened form of God’s true name. 

Other than that it is a nice bible study, why am I telling you all this?  Jesus did not take upon Himself the Father’s name “in vain”!  He understood the gravity, the seriousness and the responsibility of having the name of God placed upon Him.  So I must ask you, do you take upon yourself the name of God?  Do you take upon yourself the name of the Son of God?  There is a heavy weight attached to this name we sometimes so carelessly use for our own honor. 

Oh … the second half of this third Commandment?  “For the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who takes His name in vain”.  Think about it.  There is still more to come!!