“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20).

There is an old Scottish legend about a shepherd boy tending sheep on the mountain side.  He saw a beautiful flower and pulled it up.  The side of the mountain opened up and revealed a cave.  In the cave was gold and precious jewels.  He dropped the flower and picked up all the gold and jewels he could carry.  As he was about to leave, he heard a voice say, “Don’t forget the key to the vaults.”  When he walked outside, the doors to the cave closed and the gold and jewels turned to dust in his hands.  It was then he realized the key to the vaults was the flower that he had left inside.

Many are like the shepherd boy.  We become so involved in material wealth, we forget that the true treasure is in heaven.  Material wealth will one day be dissolved.  We forget the key to the real treasures and just leave it lying while the things we live for turn to dust in our hands.

Today I want to talk to you about the key to the vaults where the true treasure is found.  A treasure that will never turn to dust, where not thief will take it from you.  A treasure that will not dissolve when this world is done away.

JESUS THE KEY TO TRUE HAPPINESS.  Millions in the world today are suffering from depression.  Millions of dollars are spent each year by folks going to psychiatrists, counselors, etc., seeking happiness.  People are unhappy and maladjusted because they do not have Jesus in their lives.  Jesus invited: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-30).  This is not rest from physical labor.  We were created to work, and feel better when involved in productive pursuits.  It is not quiet solitude though this is sometimes restful. This is the inward peace that calms the troubled waters of life’s stormy seas.

JESUS IS THE KEY TO ETERNAL LIFE!  “He that believes on the Son has eternal life; but he that obeys not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”  (John 3:36).  Notice that believe and obey are used interchangeable in this verse.  You cannot say you believe in Jesus and refuse to obey Him.  “This is the will of my Father, that every one that beholds the son, and believes on him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day”  (John 5:24)  Most fear death.  But for the faithful Christian, death is only the door to eternal life.  Jesus overcame death, He is the key, and through him we too, will overcome.

JESUS IS THE KEY TO HEAVEN!  “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).  Christians have an inheritance in the next life.  It is sure.  It cannot be destroyed.  Christians have a reservation in heaven.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy began us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”  (I Peter 13-4).

Jesus is the only key to heaven’s gate.  Do you want to be saved?  The key is available….If you leave it until the doors of eternity are closed….it will be too late!

Frank Briscoe

You can ignore God’s warnings; you can refuse his  blessings; you can reject all his wondrous love, but you can’t go to heaven doing so.

You can believe any doctrine you choose; you can belong to the church of your choice; you can worship God as you please, but you can’t please God doing so (2 Jno. 9; Mt. 15:9,13; Rom. 10:1).

It seems that Satan has done a remarkable job of convincing the people that their religion is a matter of their choice, not God’s; that it is a matter of their being pleased,

– by Grover Stevens

When people express a desire to baptize their babies, they might do so for many reasons. The motivation might be to fit in with their family’s religious or cultural traditions. Familial acceptance can provide a powerful force. Or perhaps a priest or preacher might have told them it is necessary. There can also be a concern that their baby is spiritually lost until this is accomplished.

If we are going to allow the Bible to shape our understanding regarding whether babies should be baptized, here is what we discover:

• Within scripture, whenever people are baptized they do so as a result of hearing the gospel, believing it and choosing to rely upon Jesus. Baptism is for those who believe what God has provided for us in Christ (Acts 2:38,41;8:12,35-38;10:44-11:1;16:14-15;16:32-34;18:8-9; Colossians 2:12). If baptism could bestow salvation upon those who do not believe, then other verses like Hebrews 11:6 become nonsensical.
• The New Testament provides no examples of babies receiving baptism.
• There are Bible stories of entire households being baptized. However, those entire households were capable of understanding and believing the message (Acts 16:30-35; 18:8; 10:2,33,47-48; 11:14).
• Some people, believing that their babies are born with sin, want to request it in order to save them. However, babies are not born with sin (Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 18:3-4).  Rather, we become guilty of sin when we sin and all of us have sinned. Romans 3:23; 5:12

I anticipate the objection, “Does not Psalm 51 teach babies are sinners?” No. Just as poetic hyperbole in texts like Ps. 22:6 and Job 3:1-10 vividly reveal the depths of human emotion, not theological truth, so too David poetically poured out with hyperbole his profound disgust over his sinfulness. We gain access to his turmoil and state of mind, not doctrinal truths about all babies.

The nature of David’s language in Psalm 51 becomes clear when we consider his statement, “I am forever conscious of my sin” (Ps. 51:3). Really? David never had a moment of distraction when he forgot his sin? To press this language as being literal would distort his message.

We understand what someone means when they say, “I have been a failure my whole life. I have never done anything right.” We realize what they are communicating. We do not force their words into conveying a literalness that would be untrue.

• Water baptism within the New Testament involves a burial and raising up from water (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12; John 3:23), is based upon the authority of Christ (Acts 2:38; 19:5) and from the earliest of times has been performed invoking the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Within scripture, baptism is for those who desire to respond to the good news about Jesus. Babies are incapable of believing the message. Babies have not committed any sins, so they do not need forgiveness. Baptism was not intended for babies.

Barry Newton

“But Jesus said to her, ‘Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ And she answered and said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs’” (Mark 7:27-28, NKJV).

Khulna Bible College replaced an outside cooking shelter because the tin was rusted and full of holes so that it leaked to the point of making it difficult to keep the wood fires going as they cooked in rainy weather. Members of a local congregation saw the pile of discarded metal and asked if they could have it to build a meeting place in which to worship. As a church building, it is much less than perfect but certainly better than nothing.

One of the most difficult virtues to obtain is contentment. James taught about the vicious cycle of desire and sin:

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3).

In contrast to that very human tendency, a Gentile woman from Syro-Phoenicia showed a willingness to settle for the very crumbs of God’s blessings. When Jesus stated that he was not there to help the Gentiles, but had come to minister among the Jews, she asked only for what might fall from his table. Such faith impressed the Lord and he gladly granted her wish.

A friend told of having an offered tip refused by a waiter who demanded a higher percentage of the bill. Originally conceived as a voluntary gift in response to good service, “gratuities” are now viewed as the server’s rightful due. Frequently gratitude for them is no longer felt, much less expressed to the giver.

The fact is that most of us can survive and prosper on much less than we want. A less expensive car or home or wardrobe would serve us adequately, yet we set our hopes and aspirations on things of greater cost than we can easily afford. The inability to live at a higher standard creates discontent. Discontent often leads to envy, covetousness, and other sins.

How much happier we will be if we can only learn, like Paul, to be content in whatever conditions we find ourselves (Philippians 4:11). Whether hungry or filled, in abundance or want, the Apostle was satisfied and comforted, knowing that he was within the shelter of God’s love. Let us seek always to do God’s will and leave to him the task of providing for our needs (Matthew 6:33).

Michael Brooks

What some will pay for a moment’s reckless folly is recorded again and again in the Book of Ages. Do you think these people got their “money’s worth?”

1. Adam and Eve, for one bit of luscious fruit when they may not have been hungry, brought sin, suffering, shame, and death upon themselves and the human race (Genesis 3).

2. Lot’s wife, revealing her longing for the things that pertain to earth, took one look back at Sodom and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19).

3. Esau, to satisfy one day’s fleshly appetite, lightly esteemed his birthright and forfeited his right to the ancestry of Christ (Genesis 25).

4. Achan, for a garment he could not wear, and silver and gold he could not spend, paid with all his possessions, his family, and his life (Joshua 7).

5. Samson, for the caress of a hypocritical woman, lost his eyes, and finally his life (Judges 16).

6. David, to enjoy another man’s wife, hands to posterity a tale of his life with adultery, shame, and tears, boldly written for all to read (2 Samuel 11).

7. Ahab, coveting another’s little vineyard, permitted his wife to have its owner killed, claimed it for his own, and heard his own funeral preached in these words, “In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall the dogs lick thy blood, even thine” (I Kings 21).

– Selected

Some people make it almost a life’s goal to avoid or remove any type of discomfort in their lives. They live by a dangerous misconception that happiness depends upon the absence of suffering and pain. Jesus’ gave us the supreme example of humility and also the supreme example of suffering. Following him is the key to joy and meaning.

Originally, man was created to enjoy life with God without suffering or pain. (Perhaps the deep-seated aversion to them and attempts to avoid them rise from this truth.) The Garden of Eden was the perfect place for man’s fellowship (relationship) with God. He had all he wanted or needed. Nothing lacked. Everything abounded in supply and variety. In the Garden, Adam and Eve had no worries, no cares, no difficulties. This was God’s eternal design.

The human decision to sin changed everything in his earthly condition. He was deprived of God’s presence, expelled from the Garden. He experienced death, both spiritual and physical. He came to know every type of physical, emotional, and relational pain. God had also made a decision: He would not remove man nor undo his sin or its consequences upon earth. Rather, he would use this experience for good — for present and eternal benefit.

So at the right time, several millennia later, actually, God sent his Son to become a man and to submit himself to the cruelest possible death. In so doing, God provided the highest possible benefit for man, by restoring to him that original fellowship. Suffering had become, in the profoundest sense, redemptive.

Suffering now, after the Messiah’s sacrifice, continues to be redemptive. His death continues to save and sanctify. Also, our own suffering in Christ complements (Paul said it completes) the Master’s, because the sovereign God has overpowered its negative effects and now causes it to produce what he determines, the salvation and sanctification of people distanced from himself.

Jesus is the only Lord and Savior. But we, through our own suffering, enter into, and participate in, his blessed work. In a secondary sense, we actually do save others. But if we recoil from suffering and pain, if we seek to avoid it, if we run from it as if it brought no one any benefit, we will frustrate the purpose of God, as much, or more, as those Pharisees and scribes of old who refused John’s immersion and thereby rejected God’s purpose for themselves, Luke 7.30.

Jesus, then, becomes our example in suffering and pain. It now has positive purpose. It now has the potential to produce eternal good. But we must accept the price of suffering in order to participate in his mission.

So many Christians and congregations close down the work of God in their lives because they have missed this connection. Nothing happens because we want our comfort, and we prefer to avoid distress, inconvenience, or hardship. We wear out our recliners and our remote controls and lose the sense that God brings to suffering. It again becomes meaningless, and despair recovers its victims.

Please note the first words of Peter as he urges us to follow the example of Christ in suffering: For to this you were called.

For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls, 1 Peter 2.21-25.

What ought we to do, then? This question is as appropriate to Christians as to those outside of Christ. What must we do?

“… do good and suffer and so endure, [for] this finds favor with God” 1 Peter 2.20. In this action is redemption, for ourselves and for all those whom God desires to reach.

J. Randal Matheny

“Love” is a key word in the first letter of John… It is, in fact, a key word in the whole Bible. The word “love” is found 484 times in the Bible: 250 in the OT and 234 in the NT, so you can see that there is a greater concentration in the NT. The word “love” is used in every single book of the NT, one of the very few words that is used in every single book. I decided to see which book in the NT has the most dense concentration of the word “love.” So, I took the number of times “love” was found in a book and divided it into the number of chapters a book has:

Matthew 28; 13 uses; a total of 0.46 times per chpt
Mark 16; 5 uses; a total of 0.31 times per chpt
Luke 24; 15 uses; a total of 0.62 times per chpt
John 21; 57 uses; a total of 2.71 times per chpt
Acts 28; 1 uses; a total of 0.03 times per chpt
Romans 16; 16 uses; a total of 1 time per chpt
1 Corinthians 16; 17 uses; a total of 1.06 times per chpt
2 Corinthians 13; 13 uses; a total of 1 time per chpt
Galatians 6; 5 uses; a total of 0.83 times per chpt
Ephesians 6; 20 uses; a total of 3.33 times per chpt
Philippians 4; 5 uses; a total of 1.25 times per chpt
Colossians 4; 5 uses; a total of 1.25 times per chpt
1 Thessalonians 5; 7 uses; a total of 1.40 times per chpt
2 Thessalonians 3; 4 uses; a total of 1.33 times per chpt
1 Timothy 6; 7 uses; a total of 1.16 times per chpt
2 Timothy 4; 6 uses; a total of 1.5 times per chpt
Titus 3; 6 uses; a total of 2 times per chpt
Philemon 1; 3 uses; a total of 3 times per chpt
Hebrews 13; 6 uses; a total of 0.46 times per chpt
James 5; 3 uses; a total of 0.60 times per chpt
1 Peter 5; 8 uses; a total of 1.60 times per chpt
2 Peter 3; 2 uses; a total of 0.66 times per chpt
1 John 5; 46 uses; a total of 9.20 times per chpt
2 John 1; 4 uses; a total of 4 times per chpt
3 John 1; 3 uses; a total of 3 times per chpt
Jude 1; 3 uses; a total of 3 times per chpt
Revelation 22; 7 uses; a total of 0.31 times per chpt

If you combine all of John’s works, he wrote a total of 50 chapters and used “love” a total of 117 times, for a grand total of 2.34 uses per chapter. In all of Paul’s works, we have a total of 100 chapters with a total of 120 uses of “love,” for a total of 1.2 uses per chapter. Without a doubt, John wrote of love more frequently than any other NT writer!

The word “love” slowly picks up its intensity as we move through 1 John. It is not found in chapter 1. In chapter 2, three times. Chapter 3: eight times. Chapter 4: 27 times. Chapter 5: 4 times. Clearly, chapter 4 has the highest density of the word in the letter.

Paul Holland

Facebook says I have 715 “friends.” Some are casual friends and others are good friends.  A good friend is one you can share your life with -your feelings, thoughts and frustrations. A good friend is one you can work with, share time with, and is patient with you. I cannot imagine living without good friends.

Everyone needs good friends. We need the positive influence they provide and the help and support in our troubling times. Proverbs 17:17a says, “A friend loves at all times” and will make sacrifices for you. Jesus is the perfect example of that (John 15:13).

Yes, we have to be careful about the influences around us (1 Corinthians 15:33).  We want good influences from a good friend. A good friend will be honest with you and not tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear (Proverbs 27:6,9).  Here again, Jesus does that for us.

As the song says, “What a friend we have in Jesus.”

– Rob Albright

Typically, when the doctrine of God’s providence is discussed, a handful of well-known Scriptures are used to illustrate his protective care and blessings. For example, we frequently reference Joseph (Genesis 50:19-20), Esther (Esther 4:14), and Onesimus (Philemon 15), but rarely have we referenced the following passage I want you to consider.

When Israel crossed the Jordan to take possession of the “promised land,” the nations in Canaan took up arms against them and did what they could to destroy them. The Philistines, Amalekites, Moabites, and others were constantly at war with Israel. They continually sought out ways to destroy Israel and exploit any weakness they could find. (Numbers 30:16).

With their environment understood, consider one of the commands God gave Israel.  God commanded all the men in Israel to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to worship (Deuteronomy 16:16). Have you ever considered how vulnerable that would have left Israel? With all the men gone from all the villages, Israel’s enemies could have easily overrun these cities and villages occupied only by women and children? Three times a year, Israel made themselves vulnerable to their enemies who wanted to destroy them. Yet, there is not a single example of which I am aware, of any raid by Israel’s enemies during these times when the men were gone from their cities.

The question that begs to be asked is, “Why not?” Why didn’t Israel’s enemies take advantage of this vulnerability? The Bible gives us the answer.  God said, “Three times a year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year” (Exodus 34:23-24).

Did you see that? The reason Israel didn’t suffer during a period of extreme vulnerability is because of God’s providence and protection. He promised that the enemies of Israel would not covet Israel’s land when the men were on their pilgrimage three times a year. Don’t you find that interesting? Doesn’t that impress you with the power of God and the control he wields in the affairs of men?

Next time you feel overwhelmed and defeated, you need to remember that you serve a powerful God who answers prayer and promises to work on our behalf for our good.

by Steve Higginbotham

Psalm 46:10 has delivered peace to innumerable souls. It is a passage that many go to in times of heartache, confusion, and loneliness. But what exactly does it mean to be “still” as the Lord demands in the Psalm?

The Hebrew language is quite peculiar because a word can have a variety of different uses. For example, Samuel uses the word “still” in 1 Samuel 15:16 when he tells Saul to “stop” or “wait.” This was Samuel’s way of getting Saul to cease whatever he was doing or thinking; it was a time of correction.

     The  Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains defines this word as being slack, waiting, no movement, and remaining alone. Literally speaking, it means to be liberated from any activity.

When looking at the LXX (Greek Old Testament), the word is translated to skole. This is the origin of our English word, “school.” When modified, the word means “to be without occupants, to stand empty” (Greek-English Lexicon). This can be seen in something like an empty lecture hall (Acts 19:9).

With this in mind, one can approach Psalm 43 in a new light. The song is composed of three strophes and a central idea of God being a reliable source of shelter. The first strophe (46:1-3) focuses on the confidence spawned from God’s presence. The second strophe (46:4-7) hones in on God’s power over all creation. The third and final strophe (46:8-11) is an invitation to observe God’s hand in all wars.

Battles come in all shapes and sizes. People fight with grief, fear, guilt, anxiety, hatred, resentment, and most prominent of all is the battle with self. God very plainly and simply says, “be still.” Stop, cease your activity, empty yourself, be as an open lecture hall – and know that He is.

One more interesting thing to note about this word “still,” is the idea of bringing down. As mentioned earlier, Hebrew words can be used in different ways. This particular word can be used to denote. Passages like Isaiah 5:24, Ezekiel 1:24, Nehemiah 6:9, and Judges 8:3 all use the word in order to dictate a “letting down” or a “lowering” action. This seems to fit the Psalm as well. It seems that everyone knows the first part of Psalm 46:10, “be still and know that I am God,” but forgets to mention the following two statements: “I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”

Our only opportunity to lower ourselves is when we are still. And when we lower ourselves, we can then lift God up and know His power to conquer all.

I can’t help but remember when Jesus spoke, “peace, be still” to the violent waves. What powerful words from an almighty King to stop the raging sea. God, in the midst of your storm, demands you to be still and allow Him to be exalted.

Tyler King

Covenant 

“And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.” Hebrews 9:15-17 

About a month ago now I bought a new computer to install in my office. The fact is my old computer has become obsolete. According to definition the word obsolete means “no longer produced or used, out of date.” I still have the old XP operating system on the old computer and have been receiving repeated messages that this system is no longer supported and that I need to update my system. I experience crashes quite often and things run very slowly. I cannot update my browsers because my operating system is obsolete. I hope to complete a transition to the new computer soon. 

The writer of Hebrews refers to the Old Testament, or Old Covenant, as being obsolete, “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Heb. 8:13). The entire book of Hebrews is a contrast between the Old Covenant given to Israel through Moses and the New Covenant given to spiritual Israel (the church) through Jesus Christ. Jesus is set forth as superior to Moses, “For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house” (Heb. 3:3).

Jesus comes as the mediator of the new and better covenant, “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Heb. 8:1-2). The Hebrew writer explains to us that the earthly tabernacle was just a copy of the true tabernacle in heaven, “For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Heb. 8:4-6).

There was a progression of covenants in the Old Testament that culminated in the Mosaic Covenant (Gen. 19) and the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7). However, both of these covenants were only copies or shadows. They prefigured and pointed to the new and better covenant which God would establish through his son Jesus Christ. Jesus ministers in the tabernacle not made with hands, “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (Heb.9:11). Jesus has entered into heaven itself where he appears in the presence of God, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24).

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…” Heb.10:12

-Scott Gag

    Though no one can predict the future of our nation, we can say with confidence that God is in control, His cause will triumph, and He judges nations.  ‘The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17). ‘Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

Gibbon’s famous work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, lists five reasons for the fall of Rome. There are several parallels between ancient Israel and Rome, and even more disturbing, between Rome and America.

1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society. American families are under attack by humanists, homosexuals, and Hollywood. Some don’t even know what a family is any more (Matthew 19:4-9).

2.  Higher and higher taxes: the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses or the populace. America is on the greatest spending binge in history. Many have forgotten how to work; they expect the government to support them (2 Thessalonians 3:10; I Timothy 5:8).

3.  The mad craze for pleasure: sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal. Many Americans are so obsessed with sports that they have no time for Bible studies (2 Tim. 3:4; Hebrews 11:25).

4.  The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within – the decadence of the people. Babylon’s wall, water, and wealth could not prevent the Persian invasion (Daniel 5). No armament can protect a nation that has rotted from within – not even America’s.

5.  The decay of religion: faith fading into mere form; losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people. Most churches have become social clubs, pursuing entertainment to attract bigger crowds.  Many audiences no longer expect to hear book, chapter, and verse (2 Timothy 4:1-4). They have replaced the house of prayer with food, fun, and frolic (Matthew 2 1:12-14).

Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.  – by Rick Duggin

Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans?” (Luke 13:2, NASB).

Is there such a thing as one sin being greater than another?

Jesus was asked about some Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Josephus wrote about skirmishes between the Jews and the Romans – particularly around Jewish feasts – that resulted in heavy bloodshed (Pulpit Commentary). Perhaps such an event is here referenced.

Jesus’ answer is interesting: “Do you suppose these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered these things?” On another occasion, Jesus illustrated the same truth. When a woman was brought before him who was caught in adultery, he famously instructed those who were without sin to cast the first stone (John 8:1-11). This would imply that their sins were no less significance than hers.

There are numerous passages that help us understand sin’s consequences. Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was called “very grievous” (Gen. 18:20). Then in Lamentations, Judah’s sin was considered worse than Sodom’s (Lam. 4:6). In John 19:11, Jesus told Pilate that those who delivered him to Pilate had “the greater sin.”

Some sins are indeed more grievous than others. There is a difference between sins of presumption, sins of ignorance, and sins of premeditation/outright rebellion. For example, Paul, who was “a blasphemer, a persecutor and an insolent man” – the “chief of sinners” – received mercy “because [he] did it ignorantly, in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13). Yet, the Jews who persecuted the prophets of old and then the church during the days of the apostles were not shown such mercy (see: Matthew 12:41). They did so, not out of ignorance, but out of envy and wrath. Obviously, motive matters.

We might also point out that God once overlooked the ignorance of idolatry in a way that He will not for people living under the reign of His Son (see: Acts 17:30-31). Opportunity matters.

Certainly, we can understand that saying a word that we shouldn’t in a moment of anger is consequentially different than planning and carrying out a murder. Both the Law of Moses, and human law recognize these differences – at least in the punitive sense.

Not every sin carries the same weight of consequence. But any sin has the power to condemn eternally. Let us not worry about other people’s sins as much as we do our own. And may our lives reflect the understanding that while the earthly consequences for sins may vary, the eternal consequences will not.

Rick Kelley

There’s a lot of buzz these days about doing away with the holidays as we know them. Everything from alternative menus to refusing to celebrate the day itself b/c of it’s supposed by some to be a symbol of exploitation of other people.

1. But I love it. I love that families go to great lengths to be together, that we enjoy special foods together, that it’s a time when most normal activities stop & we focus on other things.
2. I mostly love it b/c it’s an to collectively give thanks to God for all of His blessings. I’ve always loved the fact that even people who claim they don’t believe often talk about being “thankful,” & you can’t be thankful w/out being thankful TO someone.
3. And I fear that many of the attempts to alter or eliminate Thanksgiving have more to do with wanting to eliminate God from our cultural mindset than with any of the supposed “causes” people claim to be championing.
4. But in reality, a day like Thanksgiving isn’t about a particular day, is it? It’s about an attitude of the heart, an attitude with which we live day by day, an attitude that shapes how we behave, not just toward God, but toward each other.
5. Did you notice in our reading that 3 times Paul says something about being thankful? V. 15 – “And be thankful.” V. 16 – sing “with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” V. 17 – “Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
6. And yet, if you look closely at vs. 12-17, they aren’t directly about being thankful, they’re about how we treat one another. About whether or not we’re compassionate, kind, humble, patient, & forgiving. And above all, whether or not we act in love toward each other.
7. In that spirit – & with that attitude – we are to teach & admonish one another as we sing to God.
8. Did you get that? Our gratitude to God should motivate our Godly behavior toward each other. A truly thankful heart is more capable of extending mercy, patience, & forgiveness to others than is an ungrateful one. Thankful people live differently than those who aren’t thankful.
9. So, “whatever you do,” Paul says, “in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
10. And when you do that, you’ll find that your relationships with others will improve dramatically.

As we close, I want to ask you to do two things – silently. First, think of what you are most thankful for that happened to you w/in the past year. Second, think of what you are most thankful for that DIDN’T happen in the past year, something you dreaded or feared, but it didn’t take place, and you’re glad it didn’t. And then let your gratitude overflow all year long.

Tommy South

In 2002, Song Jiang escaped from prison. The Chinese police searched for years, but to no avail. Finally, in September, some 17 years later, they received some clues about Jiang’s possible location. The problem was that it was located in a mountainous area thick with forests. He proved too hard to find in such terrain. Then the police decide to dispatch some drones. They noticed some blue colored steel and debris in a particular stop. The police trekked into the forest to this location and, at long last, found and captured Song Jiang (BBC).

Over time, there have been some incredibly infamous prison escapes. In 1962, three men escaped from Alcatraz, the prison many thought to be impossible to escape from. In 1971, Frank Abagnale, the famous conman, escaped from prison by convincing guards he was an undercover prison inspector. In 1977, convicted murderer James Robert Jones escaped from prison and eluded the police for 37 years thereafter. In 2015, David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped a New York maximum-security correctional facility by making their way into the main duct work and cutting their way out with power tools.

While all of these people, and certainly many others, escaped their punishment for a time, they all have one thing in common – they never eluded God. The Lord wasn’t fooled. The Almighty never lost track of their whereabouts. The Holy One was never, for even a single second, unaware of their thoughts and actions.

Hebrews 4:13 says it plainly, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

While no escaped convict has ever eluded God, let’s not be so quick to point the finger. You’ve never escaped God either. Nor have I.

No one and nothing is hiding from God’s all-seeing eyes. Everything we do, say, and think is open and exposed before our almighty God. There are no secrets. There is no escape. But there will most certainly be a day when we will answer for our deeds (Matthew 25:31-46; 16:27; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; etc).

It’s possible to elude man. It’s not possible to elude God. So we can either face the Lord now, by our free will, and seek His grace and mercy (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1-7; etc), or we can be forced to bow the knee at the judgment (Philippians 2:9-11).

God so badly wants us to turn back to Him. His open, loving arms are waiting to welcome us to Him (Luke 15:20). But they won’t always stay open.

Let’s stop running. Let’s stop hiding. Let’s “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Brett Petrillo

As children of God, our dearest wish is to hear the final commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The hope of hearing those words at the end of our journey helps us suffer the trials of this world, and brings us comfort when we part with loved ones.

Two people who received this reward are described in Matthew 25. The five and two talent servants have been upheld as positive examples in many lessons through the years, while the one talent man is pointed to as a warning against laziness in the kingdom.

And yet, I fear that many of us see ourselves in that one talent man. And even if we don’t see it, we certainly follow in his footsteps more often than we should.

It’s very easy to see the accomplishments of others. It’s easier still to think of those accomplishments as something unattainable for ourselves; such lofty endeavors are best left to people more talented, more suitable. How many times have you said or thought, “I wish I could do that”?

When we think this way, we are falling prey to the same thinking that the one talent man did – we forget that one isn’t the same as none. We also forget that even if there really is only one thing we can do for our Lord then we had best get busy doing it rather than lamenting all of the things that are beyond our ability. How much more productive could we be if we were to focus on what we can do rather than on what we can’t?

Moses, one of God’s most faithful and noteworthy servants, attempted to reason with God by this logic, and failed. When presented with the enormous task of facing Pharaoh and leading the Hebrews out of bondage, Moses very quickly protested that he was the wrong man for the job.

“Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4: 10)

This was hardly Moses’ first excuse that he offered in his attempt to dodge the work God had for him. But the Lord was no more impressed with this excuse than He had been with the previous ones.

“Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?” (v. 11)

We need this reminder just as much as Moses did. Complaining to God about all of the abilities we do not have will not give us a “pass” – especially because He is the one who gave us those abilities in the first place. He knows the exact inventory and limits of each and every person far better than we do. Telling Him that He did not properly equip us for the work He has given will not do us any favors. We must not forget that if God has commanded us to do something, then we can safely assume that our ability to obey that command is within our reach.

But our spiritual productivity is not threatened merely by throwing this sort of pity party; falling stagnant and being content with our abilities rather than expanding them is equally dangerous. How much more do you think the one talent man would have been able to do if he had raised his own expectations to meet the ones that his master had of him?

God is better than anyone for seeing untapped potential in the most unlikely places. He has made apostles out of murderers and fishermen, out of doubters and tax collectors. He has made kings out of shepherds and military leaders out of men who had hidden from their enemies. And He has raised prophets out of men who were heartbroken and weary by a nation left desolate from sin.

Numerous characters in the Bible story give the reaction of “Who, me?” when they are given a task by God, and every time God assures them that yes, they are exactly what He is looking for. With such examples, what reason do we have to doubt His hope for what we can accomplish by His strength?

The question then, is not whether we are the five or two or one talent man. Some of us have a larger “toolbox” than others, and some of us might only be able to do a few things for God’s kingdom. But as we see throughout Scripture, it is not how much we can do that truly matters – it is how much we are willing to try. That is the mark of a “good and faithful servant”.

– by K. M. Smith

“And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies” (Exodus 8:24 NKJV).

I was standing recently under the shade of a mango tree in an Asian country and noticed several flies swarming around. When I looked more closely I saw many large flies sitting on the leaves and fruit. Other insects were also flying about, but the flies were especially numerous. Almost without thinking I moved back several feet to get away from them.

Have you noticed among the ten plagues which God sent upon Egypt how many of them were of small, normally inconsequential things? There were frogs, lice, flies, and locusts, none of which normally cause much of a problem individually. But when they swarm in huge numbers the impact can be devastating, and so it was in Egypt.

Some have speculated that the sheer numbers of insects on earth may be God’s compensation to the tiny creatures for their small size. A hill of fire ants or a hive of “killer bees” has power far out of proportion to the small body of each one.

Many times when we find ourselves stressed to the point of breaking, it is not the size of the problem that overwhelms us. It is rather the sheer number of smaller problems, each one manageable alone, but in combination more than we feel able to bear. Non-fatal but worrisome illness may come together with difficulties in relationships, stress in the workplace, and financial reverses. We become worn down and unable to cope. Like the series of frogs and bugs and other problems in Egypt, the land is suddenly almost uninhabitable.

What is to be done in such times? Pharaoh knew the answer. “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, ‘Entreat the Lord that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go” (Exodus 8:8). The King knew from where the plague had come, and he knew who had the power to make it go away. He also knew that in order to persuade God he had only to ask him and to repent from his previous errors.

Pharaoh’s problem was that he was not truly repentant. Time after time he stated, “I will let the people go,” but once the plagues ceased he changed his mind. Of course that resulted in yet another plague. Whether each one was more severe and harder to bear than the previous plagues is not clear, until the last one, but it is obvious that their cumulative effect was terrible to the people.

When we pray and repent insincerely, or simply endure a problem until it seems to go away, we may find temporary relief. But it is certain that more problems will follow. “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 5:7). Only when our repentance is genuine and our prayers are fervent will true and lasting relief come. Even then, it may not be the cessation of our suffering, but rather the strength to endure and overcome it (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). James stated it well:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).

Problems will continue to beset us. But if we maintain trust in God and look to him, help will come. Sometimes the trouble will cease. Sometimes strength to cope will be given. Always, God gives to everyone who asks with great generosity.

Michael Brooks

Doctrine: False Teaching and the Pastoral Epistles
1 Timothy 1:1-11

    An enterprising little boy set up a lemonade stand. To attract his customers, he painted a large sign that read: “ALL YOU CAN DRINK FOR A DIME.”

    His first customer came along, a businessman, to enjoy a glass of lemonade. He downed his first glass and asked the young fellow for another. The boy asked for a dime. The man protested that he was to drink all he could, for a dime.

    The little boy said, “That, sir, is all you can drink for a dime.”

    Have you ever been swindled based on the fine print? Or a sweet talker? Or an ambiguous word? There is a lot of that going on in the name of Christianity. Since the very earliest days of Christianity, men have been twisting and distorting and perverting the gospel of Christ to make it more pleasing to their own culture. So, this practice is about 2,000 years old. It should come as no surprise that we have people in our day who do not teach Christianity as it is revealed in the NT. Paul had the same issue, as we see in 1 Timothy. 

PAUL’S INTRODUCTION – 1:1-2:

    Notice how Paul begins the letter, saying he is an “apostle of Christ Jesus.” Since he is going to be dealing with false doctrine in his letter, he needs to remind his audience that he is an apostle, with all of the authority that was given to his role. To emphasize that point, he says he is an apostle “according to the commandment of God …and of Christ Jesus.” Some might have argued that Paul could not have had as much authority as the other apostles because he was not among the original twelve. But, he states here that he was an apostle by the commandment of God and of Christ. He wrote and spoke with their authority.

    That is why Paul could say things like: “The things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment” (1 Cor. 14:37). And, “if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame” (2 Thess. 3:14).

STOP FALSE TEACHERS – 1:3-7:

    The main point in this first paragraph is found here in verse 3: “I urge to to instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” It is interesting that this phrase “to teach strange doctrines” is all one word in the original language; it is only used one other time, in 6:3. Notice what Paul says about these people in 6:3-5.

    There are certain truths that are central to Christian belief that we must not swerve from. There are commands nonChristians must obey in order to become Christians. There are commands Christians must obey in order to be fruitful in the work of the Lord. These people were teaching something different from that.

    Paul says these men were “straying from these things.” Notice that “straying” carries the idea of slowly moving away from the truth. It doesn’t take long for us to move away from the truth if we just take one small step away from it. These men strayed from the truth, since they turned aside to “fruitless discussion.” Is this question really going to help me get to heaven or not? That’s what is fruitful. 

THE TRUE VIEW OF THE LAW – 1:8-11:

    Paul says the law is good if you use it correctly, if you understand why God gave it to us. God never disparages “law” or commandment keeping in the Bible, nowhere. In fact, God always emphasizes how important it is for us to meticulously keep His commandments in every way possible; to cut off our hand or foot or pluck out our eye if these keep us from keeping the commandments of Christ. If and when we find that we are straying from His commandments, then we need to repent of that behavior and return to showing our love through our obedience. The law is good, if we use it lawfully.

    Paul says the law is given for the lawless and rebellious, presumably to show their evildoing and lead them to repentance, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane. The law condemns the “father-murderers” (one word in Greek) and “mother-murderers” (again, one word in Greek), “murderers,” fornicators (or immoral people), homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, and perjurers, and, in fact, anyone who lives and teaches what is contrary to sound and healthy teaching. The word “sound” here gives us our English word “hygiene.” Good “hygiene” is proper teaching from the mouth of God, found in the Word of God. 

    Let’s dedicate ourselves to the gospel that we might remain faithful to the message of Jesus Christ despite the false teachers we see around us.

What is the significance of the first day of the week to Christians? The Jews, under Jewish (Old Testament) Law observed the seventh-day Sabbath as a day of rest, recognizing that God rested on the 7th day of Creation, while most of those who claim to follow Christ observe the first day of the week in worship.  What is the special significance of the first day?

1) Light was spoken into existence by God on the first day of Creation (Genesis 1:5).  God’s material creation was wrapped in darkness until light was brought into existence to dispel the darkness.  On the first day of the week we give honor to Him who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12), a world in darkness without Him as its light.  John wrote of Him: “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus, see v. 14), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….  All things were made by Him, and without Him not anything was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1, 3-4).  Jesus is the light of the New Creation, those delivered from the kingdom of darkness.

2) The resurrection of Jesus, “the light of the world”, was upon “the first day of the week” (Luke 24:1), the third day after His death, which He had promised to be the day of His resurrection (Mark 16:9;; Luke 9:22; 24:21).

3) The recorded appearances of Jesus to His disciples were upon the first day of the week (Matthew 28:9-10; Luke 24:33-36; John 19:26).

4) The Lord’s Church had its beginning upon the first day of the week with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2:1-4).  Note: Pentecost was always on the first day following the Sabbath (Saturday), and thus was on the first day of the week. (Leviticus 23:11, 15-16)

5) The early church assembled upon the first day of the week to “break bread” (Acts 20:7), a term used in regard to the breaking of the bread in the Lord’s Supper, as instituted by Jesus for a memorial of His sacrifice for us (Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:19).  Paul gave instructions as to the proper partaking of the Lord’s supper at their assemblies (1 Corinthians 11:18-34).  The breaking of bread was at their weekly assemblies, not quarterly or yearly.  They were steadfast in the practice (Acts 2:42).  Contributions were also made on the first day of every week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2, NASB, ESV).  Scripture plainly warns of the danger that exists in a Christian’s willful forsaking the assemblies of the church (Hebrews 10:35-31).  The first day of the week is a very significant day for God’s people.

By Ron Bartanen

“In 1846 former president John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke. Although he returned to Congress the following year, his health was clearly failing. A friend of his came in and made particular inquiry of his health.  Adams answered, ‘I inhabit a weak, frail, decayed tenement; battered by the winds and broken in upon by the storms, and from all I can learn, the landlord does not intend to repair'” (Today in the Word, April 11, 1992).

The sad reality of life is the inevitability of death. All of our bodies will break down, some sooner than others. Cultures throughout time have tried to slow down and even beat the aging process, but all have failed. Death is one battle we will all eventually lose unless the Lord comes first.  John Adams had the right perspective on life. He realized that (1) God is the owner, the landlord, of our bodies, and (2) He is in control of how long we live.

This is sad and discouraging, but there is good news!  As 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “… Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Just because we are breaking down physically, doesn’t mean we have to let it happen spiritually.  We may get old physically, but we can remain young spiritually.  We may get sick physically, but we can stay spiritually healthy.  We may get physically weak and frail, but we can remain spiritually strong.  We may be persecuted and beaten down, but our spiritual bodies can be renewed and protected. Being a Christian comes with so much hope and reassurance!

It’s important to keep ourselves physically healthy for as long as God allows us to live. However, there is nothing more important than remaining spiritually healthy and “renewing our inner man day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Brett Petrillo