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July,
2018
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Volume
10
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Issue
#3
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"Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Psalm
119:105
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Robert T. Oliver
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What is it
(LIFE) all About?
What
do you want to be when you grow up? Most everyone has been asked that
question. We spend many hours preparing for a career. We encourage
and push our children to work hard in school so they will have a
successful life. And this is a good thing. Paul writes in 1 Timothy
5:8 "But
if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own
house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."God expects His
people to work. Paul further instructed the church in Thessalonica in
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we
commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he
eat. Therefore, these things are important.
But
how does that measure up to our eternal destination? Do we have a
concern for our children's eternal home? How many hours do we spend
getting ready for the next phase of our life? From God's standpoint,
death is the beginning not the end. When we die it does not matter
whether we were a doctor, lawyer, factory worker, or garbage
collector. All of these are needed in this life, but they mean
nothing in the next. These jobs are to get us through our three score
and ten years. Then what? What will get us safely into eternity?
In
James 4:14 the text reads, "...For what is your
life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then
vanisheth away."For
the young, that passage seems to be unrealistic. For the old, it is
completely understood. It seems to the elderly that we very quickly
go through this life.
That
being understood, what are we doing to prepare for our eternal life?
Jesus tried to get this point across when he said: "For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and
the daughter in law against her mother in law.... He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy
of me."(Matthew 10:35, 37)
Here
are the danger signs. When we defer our spiritual needs to our
physical desires, or even needs, we are endangering our eternity for
just a few years in this portion of our life.
When
we miss an opportunity to worship God, we are telling Him something
is more important than is He. In other words, He is not
"first" in our life. We have opted to put something before
Him. Whether it is providing food or clothing, recreation or work,
God expects to be first in our life. Jesus discussed this in Matthew
6:25-34. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for
your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and
the body than raiment?Behold the fowls of the air:
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than
they?Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his
stature?And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:And yet
I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these.Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field,
which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little
faith?Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What
shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all
these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things.But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow
shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
So,
as I close these thoughts, I ask you two simple questions. Where will
you be in ten years? Twenty-five years? Fifty years? One hundred
years? Also, where will your children be?
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Feature
Two: an article by R. C. Oliver
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R C Oliver
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Christians and the Sabbath
Radio address over WDXI,
Jackson, Tennessee
April 7, 1972
Edited by Robert Oliver
It does make a difference what
men believe today. I want your faith to rest in the word of God and
not in the wisdom of man. It is for this reason that I ask that you
study this lesson carefully to see what I shall have to say, and then
"search the scriptures daily to see whether or not these things
are so." If you find what I affirm to be actually what your
Bible teaches, believe it because you have found it and read it in
your own Bible and not because I chanced to be the one who introduced
it to you.
There are those today who
believe that every time the Bible speaks of God's commandments, it is
always to be understood that those commandments are the ten
commandments. For instance, in Revelation 22:14, John writes: "Blessed
are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the
tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city. "The
question is this: Which commandments does John have in mind?
Certainly, the commandments that John had in mind were not all the
commandments that God has ever issued, for he was thinking about
those to which men were at that time answerable or amenable. The
principle of this text is as applicable to one man of one age as it
is of another man in another age. Regardless of what age it is in
which a man lives, if he keeps the commandments of God to which he is
answerable, he shall be a blessed man. But some people have not
stopped to consider that God has not always issued the same
commandments to all men! One man, or one group of men, in one age,
might have been commanded of God to do one thing; whereas, another
man, or group of men, of another age, or period, may have been
commanded of God to do an entirely different thing. In fact, there
are some of God's commandments that it would be impossible for a man
to either obey or disobey today. There are other commandments of God
that it would be utterly ridiculous and absurd for a man to obey
today. And there are still other commandments of God that it would be
downright sinful for a man to obey today! But to affirm this is not
sufficient, here, therefore, is the proof.
In the garden of Eden God gave to Adam and Eve
the commandment that said: "But of the
fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:3.
Let
me ask you a question: How are you either going to obey or disobey
that commandment of God? We no longer have access to the tree, how
then is it possible for one to either obey or disobey the commandment
that forbids our partaking of its fruit? It is certainly one of God's
commandments, but it would be absolutely impossible for one to obey
or disobey it today.
Again,
according to Genesis 6, God came to Noah and commanded him to build
an ark, and to take into the ark all manner of living creatures for
He said He would destroy the earth with a flood. And in this chapter
closes in these words: "Thus
did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." So,
All these
instructions to Noah are here identified as the commandments of God.
But what would you think of a friend if he were to, because of God's
commands, commence building an ark that was fashioned after these
commandments of God? You would think he was out of his mind and he,
no doubt, would be. Why? Simply because the Lord was speaking only to
Noah and those immediately associated with him when He issued those
commands. And though they were the commandments of God, it would be
utterly ridiculous and absurd for a man to obey those commandments
today.
Further,
when the Israelites found a man picking up sticks on the Sabbath day,
it was not known what should be done to him, for his picking up
sticks was a violation of the commandment to keep holy the Sabbath.
An account of this story is given in your Bible in Numbers 15
beginning with verse 32. Here the people are told to take the man and
bring him before the congregation and stone him until he is dead! But
imagine what would happen if we were to take a man before the
congregation today and stone him until he is dead, simply because he
was picking up stick on Saturday, or the Sabbath. We would be picked
up for murder, and rightly so. Indeed, if we were to do today what
the people were commanded by God to do then it would be one of the
vilest of sins. This, therefore, is a commandment of God which the
Israelites would have been sinning had they disobeyed, but we would
be sinning if we were to obey. Why? Simply because this commandment
of God was never given to us! It was given to the Children of
Israel-not to Christians.
We
conclude, therefore, that some commandments of God are such that they
can neither be obeyed nor disobeyed today others it would be utterly
ridiculous for us to try to obey, and still others of God's
commandments would be sinful for us, as Christians, to obey.
What
then does God require of his people today? The answer to this
question is answered by Paul in Hebrews 12:18-22. "For ye are not come unto the mount that might
be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and
darkness, and tempest,And the
sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that
heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:(For they could not endure that which was
commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be
stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I
exceedingly fear and quake:)But ye
are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels...."Here he affirms that Christians have not come
to Mt. Sinai, but rather to Mt. Sion. Christians are not subjects to
what God commanded Adam and Eve to do. Christians are not subject to
what God told Noah to do. Neither are they subject to what God told
Israel to do when he came down to them upon Mt. Sinai and gave them
the ten commandments and other laws, statutes, and judgments. Indeed,
Christians are not subject to that law containing the ten
commandments which God gave at Sinai, for Paul distinctly affirms
that we have not come to that mountain that might not be touched.
Does this mean that Christians, if not subject to the ten
commandments, can have other gods, worship graven images, steal, bear
false witness, et cetera? But such reasoning is not sound
for while Christians are not subject to the ten commandment law, they
are subject to the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans
8:1-4). And the law to which Christians are subject has many things
in common with the law that God gave to his people through Moses when
God met with them upon Mt. Sinai. But there are also many differences
to be found between the two laws. One great difference is this: The
law God gave from Mt. Sinai required the people to keep the Sabbath
Day which is the seventh day of the week, or our Saturday, so named
after the pagan god Saturn. But the law that went forth from Mt. Zion
(Sion) nowhere requires the Christians to keep the Sabbath day. Paul
writing to Christians, affirmed that the things that he wrote are the
commandments of the Lord, but nowhere does Paul or any other New
Testament writer command Christians to keep the Sabbath. In fact,
Paul teaches the very opposite, for he teaches the sabbath along with
animal sacrifices, drink offerings holy days, and the new moon all
were shadows and all passed away at the cross. Note Colossians
2:14-17. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he
made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:Which are a shadow of things
to come; but the body is of Christ." Indeed, there is as much
propriety in the Christian's offering an animal sacrifice as there
would be in his keeping the sabbath day.
Some
might ask, "Isn't it true that Paul and other early Christians
kept the Sabbath Day? Did they not attend the synagogue every
Sabbath, according to the book of Acts?" Indeed, Paul and other
Christian teachers went into the synagogues on the Sabbath, but their
purpose there was not to worship as Christians, but it was to teach
those who regularly worshipped there on the Sabbath day. There would
have been no point in their going there on some day on which those
who revered the law from Mt. Sinai did not meet, so they went on the
day the worshippers met together. The proof that they did not go
there in agreement with the people can be seen by studying the
results of their going. In most every case they were persecuted by
those who kept the Sabbath. In fact, it was Sabbath keepers who
killed the first Christian martyr, an account of which we have in
Acts 7. Do you think for one moment that Stephen was in agreement
with those Sabbath keepers? Why, then, did they kill him? I affirm
that the man doesn't live who can present one verse of evidence to
show that Christians as such have ever been required to keep the
Sabbath day. Therefore, when it is said by John: "Blessed are
those who do his commandments," so far as the Christian is
concerned, John was not talking about the ten commandments, but he
was talking about the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and
with this law in mind Paul wrote; "If
any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him
acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord." I
Corinthians 14:37.
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Feature Three: Sandy's Women's
Corner
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Sandra Oliver
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Editor's Note: You
can read weekly articles from Sandy at the following Web site:
abiblecommentary.com "Blog for Christian Women"
THE INTERN
Our
congregation is so blessed to have a wonderful young man serving as
an intern with our youth minister this summer. He is one of our own,
so that makes us especially glad to have him with us.
On
Sunday evening, a few weeks ago, this young man stood before our
congregation and delivered a powerful message on the young man
Absalom.
I
had just finished reading the entire story of Absalom and his
relationship with his father, King David. I was especially interested
in what our young intern would suggest we might learn from this
story.
He
suggested that pride was Absalom's downfall. Absalom grew up with the
example of his father's failure to deal with Amnon for his sin
against Tamar. Failure to punish Amnon led to Absalom being filled
with hatred and his taking things into his own hands.
Absalom
thought he deserved special attention. Because he was the oldest, he
felt entitled to the throne, stole the hearts of the people, and
allowed them to declare him king.
In
the end, Absalom isolated himself from his father. He
showed deliberate disrespect to King David, took
the word of the wrong person; and he was killed by men who should
have been his friends, not his enemies.
I
watched this young man who stood before us and remembered him about
ten years ago as he sat in my Bible class. He was always courteous,
inquisitive, and humble. He was smart, but he never let that control
him.
When
service was over, I stood in line to congratulate our speaker. I
watched as he shook hands with the members, two other of his former
teachers waiting with me. When it was my turn, I told him how
powerful his message was and how much I appreciate the fine young man
he has become. His answer was as powerful as his sermon. He said,
"I had great teachers".
The
young man Absalom was a failure, a disappointment to his father. He
gave credit to no one. His good looks, the desire of his heart and
his position ruled his life.
Our
young intern is a handsome young man, smart, with many abilities. I
predict that his life will reflect his teaching from Godly parents,
sound teachers at home and at school, and a devotion to a God whom he
loves and serves.
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Feature Four: Our Communication
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There are specific things to
do that can improve your communication skills:
1.
Listen,
listen, and listen. ...
2. Who you are talking to
matters. ....
3. Body language matters.
...
4. Check your message before you
hit send. ...
5. Be brief, yet specific.
...
6. Write things down. ...
7. Sometimes it's better to pick
up the phone. ...
8. Think before you speak.
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Feature Five:
Bible Question
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Does
Genesis 11 teach that men tried to build a tower to get to heaven?
It
is sometimes heard that the human family has attempted to save itself
in three ways, (1) Physically, (2) Morally, and (3) Philosophically.
There is an attempt to prove number "one" by referring to
the narrative in the eleventh chapter of Genesis. However, no one who
has studied the narrative carefully will so teach, for they were not
building the tower to get to heaven; rather, they said: "Let
us build us a city and a tower...lest we be scattered abroad upon the
face of the whole earth."They intended to make the tower a
landmark upon earth not a gateway to heaven! The Bible never speaks
of man trying to get to heaven by means of a tower.
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In a fourth-grade Bible class
the teacher was preparing to study the subject of the death, burial,
and resurrection of Christ. She had a pre-test prepared for her
students asking them questions about what the Bible said concerning
this topic. One of her questions was, "What was on the sign on
the cross?" One little enterprising student, didn't know the
answer, but decided to guess. He wrote. "Don't Get Too
Close".
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I would like to encourage you to attend the
lectureship entitled Polishing the Pulpit.The dates are
August 17-23rd. There are many lessons from which to
choose every hour. You will leave exhausted, but greatly spiritually
refreshed. It is in Sevierville, Tennessee. Last year there were over
3000 in attendance. If you are by chance homeschooling a child, they
have a great homeschool program for children. Check with PTP on the
Internet.
Remember: Past issues of "Light for our
Age" can be found on this Web page:
If
at any time you would like to opt out of Light for our Age, simply
return this email with the instructions to "Opt Out".
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