16 August 2009

Sealed In Death

(Kent Heaton)

There is a remarkable thing that happens at the moment of death. When the spirit leaves the body and returns to Him who made us (Ecclesiastes 12:7) everything about our life is sealed permanently. There is no second chance for anything when death strikes. All of the accomplishments of life are ended. All of the opportunities given in life are over. The reality of death is the sobering truth of the finality of it all.

The Bible is our guide to the realm of the dead. Only from the mind of God do we have revealed the nature and character of life beyond this world. Without the revelation of God’s mind to man the knowledge of life beyond the grave would be unknown. No book ever written can lay claim to that distinction. Abel was the first to experience this event when he was killed by his brother, Cain (Genesis 4:8). From that time until now all men that have died found their fates sealed in the twinkling of the moment of death.

Luke tells us the story of two men who shared together the experience of death (Luke 16:19-31). One was a rich man who lived life to the fullest. The other man in the story was a poor, miserable beggar named Lazarus who finally embraced mercy when death took his life. They both shared the same fate – their destiny was sealed in death. The rich man desired for Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his awful pain. Abraham said this could not be done. The rich man then pled with Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to tell his five brothers how awful the place of torment was. Again Abraham denied the request.

The rich man never asked to be sent back. He knew that he would not be able to leave the place of torment. His life was filled with unrighteousness and because of this he would remain in torment. Lazarus, who bore the brunt of human cruelty in life, would remain in the bosom of Abraham; content to dwell with the saints of God. Neither one would be able to change their place. Only one wanted to be somewhere else.

Jesus taught that eternal life would be granted to those who believed on Him and were obedient to Him (Matthew 19:29; 25:46; John 3:15,16; 10:28; 17:3). Eternal life means that life is eternal without any change. However, the same rule is applied to those who are disobedient. “Everlasting punishment” is reserved for those who are wicked (Matthew 25:46) and the punishment is without end. There is no change. Jesus describes the final resurrection in John 5:28-29: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth— those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

Death seals the destiny of each person. The coming of Christ will seal the fate of all mankind. No one can be prayed out of torment. No one can be baptized out of torment (as the Mormon Church teaches). No one can get a second chance. Death seals the fate of everyone. This reality should make us pause and consider our lives before God. Jeremy Taylor wrote, “God hath given to man a short time upon this earth and yet upon this short time eternity depends.” Your actions now will determine your eternal destiny (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The mercy of God ends in death. The grace of God ends in death. The invitation to come to salvation ends in death.

When Jesus comes (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10) the blood shed on the cross will never be offered again. Are you ready for the Lord to come? Are you ready to die?

God Is All We Lack – And More

(Gary Henry)

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

As our perfect and infinite creator, God is everything we are not. He is the Answer to our every question, the Sufficiency who can supply all our needs. Perhaps our greatest need, then, is to RECOGNIZE our need and to seek in God the perfection that we don’t find in ourselves. He is all that we lack . . . and He is even much more than that.

If there is one thing that is obvious about us, it is that we are incomplete. Whether we speak of our needs and our longings or we put it in terms of our tendency toward growth and development, somehow we are always using language that implies our imperfection. We are, as we say, a “work in progress.” There are things about us that we need but do not yet have.

Whatever these things are that we need, God is all of these. There is no necessity that He cannot meet; there is no hole in our hearts that He cannot fill. God is everything that we lack.

But in a sense, God is also the ONLY THING we lack. There is nothing that we really need except God! Whatever other needs we may think we have, these are but manifestations and reminders of that which is our only true need. We were made for fellowship with our Creator. Without that, we’d not be content even if we had all the rest of the world combined. But if we DO have that, we find that we’re able to do without, if necessary, any of the other things we thought we had to have, including even physical life itself. Our having been created by God means simply this: God is all that we truly HAVE to have. Anything else is a bonus.

But there is, in fact, a great deal of bonus in God’s dealings with us. He is all that we lack, and He is also much more. One of the most marvelous aspects of God’s nature is His bounty. He is a God whose grace super-abounds and overflows. When we drink at His fountain, He not only quenches our thirst, but He gives us additional gifts. We are told that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Our Maker is a God who takes great delight in surprising us with the riches of His infinite goodness.

“How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none” (A. W. Tozer).

Gods Of This World: Self

(Ethan R. Longhenry)

Human beings have either idolized or demonized themselves throughout history. These days it seems that the pendulum has swung firmly toward the "idolized" side. Optimism about human capabilities has led to people making a god out of themselves!

This idolization has taken on many forms. Many people today accept a more relativistic view of life, believing that "what is right for you is right for you and what is right for me is right for me." According to this perspective, right and wrong is entirely dependent on individual belief and choice, placing the individual in the position of God. Others place their confidence in the dictates of government or science, which are themselves institutions or structures of men.

This trend is also prevalent in religious beliefs, especially in America. Since "secular" and "sacred" have been separated, according to society, and Americans are all about "choice," how one views the "sacred" is now entirely up to them. People are encouraged to "join the church of your choice." To believe that only one belief system is true is considered narrow-minded and elitist; instead, people are encouraged to develop a "cafeteria-style" belief system, choosing for themselves elements of various religions to accept while discarding whatever does not suit them. In all of these ideals, the main "chooser" is the self. It is all about what one believes or wants to believe!

This tendency can even manifest itself in people who profess the Bible as their spiritual standard in life. They are more than willing to follow what the Bible says in matters with which they are in agreement, but if a given Bible passage contradicts their belief system, or asks them to do something they do not want to do, they will either ignore the passage, attempt to declare the passage irrelevant to the present day, or distort and pervert the passage in an attempt to justify their perspective.

These all represent a form of idolatry, condemned as a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). Granted, people who believe these various ideas about the self are not falling down before a statue, but it remains clear who really is "in charge" in their lives. The self is the one making the decisions. The self, in the end, is the final judge and arbiter. Whether one is a relativist, a follower of the general tendencies of society, or a selective interpreter of the Scriptures, self is placed in the position of God, and the One True God and what He teaches is secondary at best. And it is this very thing that the One True God condemns as idolatry-- when man puts anything in front of God and serves it instead!

As in all of these discussions, we must recognize that human beings and their capabilities are not all bad. After all, God made mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Of all the creation, God endowed man alone with the capability of reason and discernment, and He certainly expects mankind to use it (Romans 1:18-20, Acts 17:24-29)! Furthermore, God does not coerce or compel people; instead, He does exhort mankind to choose (Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Timothy 2:4).

Nevertheless, any time man takes a good thing and turns it into the ultimate, he commits idolatry. God has given mankind the faculty of choice, but the choice is not whatever the self wants it to be. Instead, the choice is between serving God or serving unrighteousness (Romans 6:16-23). While man does have reason, he is not capable of rendering proper judgment on every occasion-- as Jeremiah says, it is not within man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). Solomon clearly establishes that there is a way that seems right to a man-- but its way is not life, but death (Proverbs 14:12)!

It is clear that God made man to think and reason, and that God has endowed mankind with free will to decide whether to serve Him or not. These abilities and freedoms were not given so that man would exalt himself and his abilities to a divine level. Instead, man is to recognize that he is limited, finite, and quite prone to sin (Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 3:9-23). Humans are to recognize that there is a God who is greater than they are, and that they should look to Him for guidance and instruction (Acts 17:24-29, Proverbs 3:5-8). That guidance and instruction is now found in the Scriptures that God gave to man to equip him for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Bible should be consulted in order to learn what God would have us to do and not as a pretext to justify whatever it is that we desire (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-16, Jude 1:10). In all things, we must remember that we are the creation and God the Creator-- He is the Potter, we are the clay (Romans 9:20-21). Let us not turn ourselves into gods; instead, let us serve the One True God!

Is That What You Meant to Say?

(Steve Klein)

An insurance agent was writing a policy for a cowboy. "Have you ever had any accidents?" the agent asked. "No, not really," replied the cowboy. "A horse threw me off and kicked me in the ribs once, and I got bit a couple of times by a rattlesnake, but that's about it." "Don't you call those accidents?" demanded the agent. "Oh no," said the cowboy, "They did them things on purpose!"

It occurs to me that many things that appear to be accidents, or that we pretend are accidents, are actually intended outcomes. Sin is seldom if ever accidental. We may say that we "didn't mean to do it" or "didn't mean to say it," but, most of the time, that isn't really true. And, even if we didn't mean to do it or say it, surely the tempter meant for us to. Righteousness isn't an accident either. Jesus didn't accidentally live a sinless life. It took purpose of heart to resist temptation and do right at every turn.

Barnabas encouraged Christians that "with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord" (Acts 11:23). Paul commended Timothy because he had "carefully followed" Paul's "doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance" (2 Timothy 3:10). The life of a Christian is truly a purpose-driven life. It is lived with a sense of purpose, by those who choose to do right on purpose.

This applies to every aspect of our lives, including our speech. We will not say the right things accidentally. We must choose to say them. In Psalm 17:3 David wrote, "You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." David was right before God because he had determined to control his mouth. We must also control our speech if we are to be acceptable to God. The Bible says that "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless" (James 1:26).

We are to be thoughtful and purposeful with everything we say. Proverbs 15:28 states that, "The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil." The righteous man doesn't just say whatever comes into his mind. He "studies how to answer!" The New Testament commands, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29).

Yet how often do we just talk without thinking about the effect of our words? In the Book of Job, Job's three friends had a lot to say to him that was pretty useless. Of them and their words Job says, "I have heard many such things; Miserable comforters are you all! Shall words of wind have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?" (Job 16:2-3). One paraphrased translation of this has, "I've had all I can take of your talk. What a bunch of miserable comforters! Is there no end to your windbag speeches? What's your problem that you go on and on like this?" (MSG). Job's friends, though intelligent men, had not chosen to speak words that would have a positive effect.

Let us all give thought to the impact of our words. Words are powerful, and they will not be a power for good unless we purpose to make them so. Let's do our best to make sure that what we say is what we mean to say, and that what we mean to say is good.