Freedom is Good News Part 205

Allow me to bring forth a quote from our previous article, “It is the life of our Savior that brings us light.”  This is in reference to John’s opening remarks in his gospel, that Jesus is the light of man.  Having experienced this ‘light’ in my life these past 44 years I cannot conceive of walking in the darkness that is the fleshly/sinful aspect of this world! 

Paul says it this way in his letter to the Colossians, “We give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  The light of the kingdom is mine!

Those who understand and accept the salvation that is from God, through His Son Jesus Christ, know full well the difference between darkness and light.  Everyone reading this article understands the difference between walking into a dark room and a well-lit room.  The darkness may cause us to stumble over some object we can’t see.  But turn on the light and behold, all is visible.  So it is when we walk through this morally dark world around us.  Without the light of life that exists in the Savior to guide us, we stumble, we fall and we know not how to navigate our lives.

I know some folks who do not accept God in any way; by definition we might call them atheists.  They are very nice people; and they seem to follow a set of ethics and moral values as they make their way through life.  But I wonder where it is that they have found these morals and ethics.  Are they built into the fabric of humanity?  They would probably say yes to such a question.  But who built these morals into us?  Who decided that we should not kill one another; steal from one another; lie to each other?  Is it just ‘dumb luck’ that leads us to such laws?

Paul answers these questions in his letter to the Romans (7:7-8), “What then shall we say? That the law is sin?  By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  Paul here tells us that it is God’s law that informs us of sin and John lets us know that “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4)

God gets the credit for the laws that govern society – we humans are not the author of morality.  The 119th Psalm, (which is the one that glorifies and praises the law of God) tells us in the 105th verse, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  

But God’s law is not only a pathway for us as we negotiate our life in society.  In His system of laws we also find out how He desires to be worshiped.  This is an interesting aspect of these “laws of light”.  We, who are a part of God’s creation, could never understand how the Creator should be worshiped.  It is God who gives us the blue print for such an endeavor and it is a part of that ‘light’ of His word.  Shall we consider the good news of worship in our next article?  Stay tuned!!!

Freedom is Good News Part 204

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you.  The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.  Believe in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” (John 12:35-36) 

In our previous article we talked about how God spoke light into existence; “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3)  We mentioned that this entity of creation was not the sun; for the sun was not created until the 4th day and the sun is a producer of light but is not light itself.

Some 4,000 years later, Jesus is on the earth telling His disciples to walk in the light; that they will have the light only a ‘little while longer’.  His testimony here is a shadowy reference to His death which was only a short time away.  But He wanted them to understand that the light that He was must be comprehended by them.  There is a darkness that permeates the world and they needed to remain in His light.

In the book of John alone, we are to find 16 references to Jesus Christ being the light or being connected to light.  In John’s opening statement he makes this comment concerning Jesus, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)  It is the life of our Savior that brings us light. 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  This quote is from the book of Psalms 119:105.  I previously mentioned that the idea of light might have several facets.  Jesus, the Son of God and Son of man, is referenced as light as well as the word of God, that is, the bible is also mentioned as light.  So what was this ‘light’ that was spoken of in the opening of the book of Genesis?

The Apostle Paul takes note of this term ‘light’ in a very curious way.  In 2 Corinthians 4:4, he writes, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what  we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 

Paul’s reference here to ‘the god of this world’ is of course Satan.  He tells us, in this letter, that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers.  But we must understand that it is God, our God who brings light, who gives sight, who informs us of the vision of His Son and who opens up our hearts to this “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of His Son.”  He would have us understand that it is Satan who would cover up the real truth of the good news.  Are your eyes open?  Remember, the real life of Jesus Christ is the light of men!!

Freedom is Good News Part 203

God opens the scriptures with the words, “In the beginning”.  I might be hard pressed to find someone who did not already know this.  It seems logical to start a story from where it begins.  But where does God begin?  If we accept that the entirety of the universe was created by God, then where did He come from?

Pondering that question for too long puts my brain in a quandary!!  One solution might be that He is not affected by time; we are finite beings here on planet earth.  If you are reading this, I shall assume you are not dead and so, you have life within you.  If I said that God will live forever, you might not have a great deal of consternation with that statement because you realize your own future is still ahead of you and you cannot see its end.

But your own beginning had a fixed starting point – making it quite impossible to conceive of that which had no beginning.  We spend our entire existence within this concept we call ‘time’.  And so God starts us on a journey into His Word by stating, “In the beginning”. He realizes our quandary and offers us a starting point.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  Many theories and constructs have been posited throughout the ages as to when this took place – I have my own theory but for now let’s just say it took place ‘in the beginning’!  OK!  Are you with me so far?  I don’t want to lose anyone here. 

“Now the earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep”.  God lets us know, in this second verse, that the creation was not finished.  We understand this because we can see our world is full of ‘formed things’ and we do live in a world with light.  He goes on to say, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”  The agency of God’s power, His Spirit, is now introduced to us!

There are numerous places in scripture that talk of the importance of light and we can all agree that without light (which has more than one facet) we would be helpless to get anything done and so “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Verse 3)  Let us notice here that God did not say, let there be the sun to give us light.  No, the sun as we know it was not brought forth until day four of creation.  God, has here, created and brought forth that which is light.

Let’s step back for a moment and consider what we have; 1) we have a starting point: ‘the beginning’, 2) God steps into view as the ‘creator’, 3) that which is set before us is dark and void, and 4) God creates that which He calls light.  So far so good – and yes, God Himself proclaimed that ‘it was good’!!

This is indeed fascinating but we are out of room and must continue next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 202

A new year, as man declares it, has arrived.  We have a ‘new number’ to get used to writing – 2023.  So where have you been this past year and what have you accomplished?  It seems that our society delights in considering the things of the past.  Our magazines, newspapers and TV reports spend much time discussing the topic of ‘2022’ and what went on.

Have you taken any trips of note this past year?  Sally and I put about 3300 miles on our Buick La Cross in our travels ‘back east’ to visit family and to attend our grandson’s wedding.  But like all of you, we managed another trip of much greater proportions – we all went on a collective journey of approximately 586 million miles around the sun!!  Written out, that’s 586,000,000 miles!!

That’s a big number, so let me break it down to something more manageable – each 24 hour period (one day) we traveled slightly more than 1.6 million miles at a speed of about 67,000 miles per hour.  And it didn’t even mess up our hair!  Truth is, we really didn’t even notice the movement.  God saw fit to provide us with the gravity and atmosphere we need that allows us to ‘live and move and have our being’ (Acts 27:28).

It’s a long trip that we take each and every year, and each and every year we come back to the spot from which we started (in relation to the sun) without mishap.  How does God do that?  How has He ordered all things such that we do not even take notice of the fantastic journey of the earth’s orbit around the sun?  Oh, some of us take notice of the sun’s progression from south to north and back again, but we really don’t feel the movement.

King David said it like this in the 131st Psalm, “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother.”  What a beautiful picture that is!!  God’s thoughts and God’s ways are higher than our thoughts and ways – higher than the heavens are above the earth. (Isaiah 55:9)  I desire to be as David was, not clever enough to understand the wonderful things of God, yet stilled and quieted in my soul.  God is sovereign over all.

So I’m thinking that with the start of a new year let us go back to the beginning of things and take a look at Genesis 1:1; let me quote just the first 4 words of the bible, “In the beginning, God …”  it might be said that these are the 4 most important words of the entire bible.  How so?  This four word phrase lays all the ground work for what follows.  Simply put, NO GOD - NO NOTHING.  We have no existence without the one who is self-existent!  He is the creator, the one who said, “Let there be light and there was light”.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Let’s spend some time this New Year looking at our God.

Freedom is Good News Part 201

In our previous article we saw that an essential ingredient to any government is a set of laws.  God, the creator and sustainer of all things, has indeed given to His children a good, holy and righteous set of laws.  The Apostle Paul said as much in his letter to the
Church in Rome; “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” (Rom. 7:12)  Paul himself acknowledged the Law of God in a New Testament writing to God’s people and he called it good!!

As a side light, I find it interesting that in the realm of science, we see certain concepts that are labeled ‘law’.  We have ‘the law of gravity’, the ‘laws of thermodynamics’, Boyles ‘law of gases’ etc.  And, yes, God is the author of these laws also – one must say that God is the originator of science.  I have often said that even the atheist is governed by God’s laws; just because you do not believe in God, doesn’t mean you can jump out of a window and not crash to the ground!!

God’s judicial laws are perfect and teach us about the attributes and character of God.  Allow me to quote my daughter Cynthia Saladin from an article she wrote concerning this topic, “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 acceptable conduct in His presence is.  The law is a reflection of the character of God.”

God did not give His people the law to be a ‘ball and chain’ around their feet.  No, it was a gift, a beautiful gift that was placed in the hands Moses on Mount Sinai.  And, of course, the chief part of His law, the Ten Commandments were written in stone by the finger of God. 

Jesus Himself said that the greatest commandment was this, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your life and with all your mind.”  He did not pull this out of thin air; He was quoting from the book of Deuteronomy 6:5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

God is all powerful and all knowing; He is perfect in wisdom and He is from everlasting to everlasting and, guess what, we are not!!  He is life itself and the author of all things, and we are not!!  He is Spirit and has given us everything we need for life and godliness and yet we take Him lightly?  What really should our response be to His greatness and His love?  There is nothing we have, that did not come from Him!!  Is He worthy of our love?  Is He worthy of our adoration?  Is He worthy of our acknowledgement of Him?

We have just recently come through the season we call ‘Thanksgiving’; to whom should we give thanks?  The law, which defines God’s character, addresses the way in which He desires to be worshiped and gives us all a code of morality in which to walk, is indeed perfect and we should thank Him for this gift. 

Can I get an AMEN!

Freedom is Good News Part 200

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  We do have a King; Jesus Christ, the King of kings!!  He does have land; “The man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” (Isaiah 57:13)  And there are subjects to this kingdom; “Those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land” and “The meek will inherit the land” and “Those the LORD blesses will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:9, 11 & 22).  These things we have discussed in previous articles.  The only piece that remains for the establishment of a kingdom is the creation of a set of laws.  Laws are an integral part of any new government.

Almost 240 years ago a group of men sat down together to consider the creation of a new nation; their gathering was known as The Constitutional Convention and they met in Philadelphia, Penn.  They began the process of writing a constitution on May 25th 1787 and after much discussion, wrangling, compromising and yes, prayer, 39 of the 55 delegates signed this document into law on September 17th, almost 4 months later the concept of the United States of America could move forward.

Without this set of fundamental laws of rights, liberties, and governing authority, our nation would not, could not exist.  Now, our government was not set forth as a kingdom; we understand this.  Our forefathers had had enough of the King of England.  They had just fought a war to be free from that type of rulership.

But God, the one who is sovereign over the universe, will set up His kingdom here on earth when His Son Jesus Christ returns; as the book or Revelation puts it, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever.”  God will have an eternal kingdom!  And His eternal kingdom will have a set of holy, good and righteous laws.  Let’s look at God’s induction of His laws.

Approximately 3600 years ago God brought forth a rather large family of people from out of the nation of Egypt – we know them as the children of Israel.  He would eventually take this rebellious people to a land that He had promised to their progenitor, Abraham.  God knew that these people would need a system of laws that would regulate their nation, their society and their families and most importantly, show them how they should worship a holy God!!

This is how we read it from the hand of Moses, “See, I have taught you statutes and laws, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.  Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’  For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?  And what great nation is there, that has statutes and laws so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)

God is perfect in wisdom and in knowledge.  What a beautiful gift it was that He gave to His people!  More on this next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 199

Good news is the overall theme of these articles.  Lately we have been considering the topic ‘The Kingdom of God’.  We know that as Jesus began His ministry, His first words were, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  Shortly thereafter Matthew writes that Jesus went around preaching ‘the good news of the kingdom’. 

One of the things that I know to be true is that we all need good news from time to time.  Good news can be hard to find in our secular lives.

What would it be worth to be a part of this kingdom of good news?  Here is what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Paul, before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, had a lot going for him in his life as a Jewish religious leader, but he now considered them to be rubbish!!  More than anything else, He wanted to know Jesus Christ.  More than anything else, He wanted to be a part of the Kingdom of God!  You see, Paul had a taste of that kingdom, when he spent time, at the beginning of his ministry, being taught by Jesus Himself through revelation at Mount Sinai.  He later tells us (through a letter to the Corinthians), “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.” (2 Corinthians. 12:1-4)

This was Paul’s way of expressing the awesome vision he had while in the third heaven – the realm of God’s throne room.  But he was not permitted to tell us what he experienced.

Paul was an eyewitness to the presence of the resurrected Messiah.  His word has come down to us through almost two thousand years.  That in itself is an amazing feat.  And yet there are some who do not believe; or who take these things lightly.

What would it be worth to you to be a part of this kingdom of good news?  For me, like Paul, it is worth everything I have in this life, and it costs me nothing.  The salvation that was purchased for us by the blood of our Savior is free; the glory we receive is priceless.

This third ingredient of God’s Kingdom of good news is made up of His subjects; what an awesome gift to be able to serve the King of kings.

Freedom is Good News Part 198

In consideration of the four ingredients for a kingdom, the next item on our list should be “law”.  But I just reread the previous article and noticed the final quote, “But the man who makes Me his refuge will inherit the land and possess My Holy Mountain.” (Is. 57:13)  My mind immediately went to the fourth item on our list, “subjects”.

Yes, a King must have subjects to rule over.  How then shall we consider this topic?  Who are the subjects?  We have but to look at the above quote and we have a good idea of the answer.  The one who makes God his refuge shall possess the mountain of the LORD!  And not only that, but this one will inherit the land. 

The topic of God’s Holy Mountain is a theme that runs through the book of Isaiah … we also find it given to us from the pen of Israel’s greatest king, David.  In the history of Israel, we find many types and patterns of things to come.  King David is a type of the future coming King, Jesus Christ – of whom we have already spoken, two articles ago.

We also see a type or pattern for us in Psalm 15, “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?  Who may live on your holy Mount?”  In this Psalm David poses the question of ‘who’ and then lists the requirements for being a subject of the King – the true and future King.  It is a short Psalm and I will include it in its entirety;  verse 2-5, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on  his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken.”

Wow, that is quite a list.  Who among us has a blameless walk and does what is righteous?  NO ONE!!  So how can we ever become the subjects of our God and King?  Well, that is what the true good news of these articles is all about.  Jesus Christ, the one who has become King of kings and Lord of lords has given His life for us.  It was He that shed His blood to cover our sins.  It was He that came down to earth to present Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.  And so because of what He did – it is by the grace of God that redemption and righteousness has come to us through Christ Jesus.

I am reminded of the words of a song that is very dear to me, “Amazing love, how can it be, that you my King would die for me.  Amazing love, I know it’s true, and it’s my joy to honor You.” (Written by Billy Foote and sung by Guy Penrod)

Is there any other king that would die for his subjects?  I know not one!  Is there any other king that has the power to give eternal life to his subjects?  The question is absurd!

David has much more to say on this subject and so does the Apostle Paul.  Perhaps we should look deeper into this part of God’s Kingdom for it is really the part that includes all of us.  Until next time – reflect upon the “good news” of Jesus Christ.

Freedom is Good News Part 197

A king, some land, laws and subjects; add them all up and … one has a kingdom!

In our previous articles we have been considering the topic of ‘The Kingdom of God’ and what that means.  Last article centered on the idea of a King.  We looked at the Old and New Testaments and saw that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, occupies the role of King in God’s Kingdom.

Let us move on to the second item on our list: some land.  We have already noticed that both John the Baptist and Jesus spoke to the idea that the ‘Kingdom of God is at hand’.  The words ‘at hand’ in the Greek may be defined as ‘imminent’ or ‘urgent’.  So I’m sure we will come to see that His land will not be hard to find!!  By the way, they said it was imminent almost 2000 years ago!!  Are we living in it or are we partaking of it today?

The 37th Psalm is one written by King David, the title of it could be “Inherit the land”.  Let us take a short trip through that Psalm and read what David had to say concerning “the land”.  Verse 3: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and feed securely”.  Verse 9: “For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.”  Verse 11: “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”  Verse 22: “For those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.”  Verse 29: “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.  Verse 34: “Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land.”

Some might say that this is talking about the geographical area in the Middle East known as Israel.  But in David’s day the entire physical land had already been divided and occupied by the ancient Israelites and he, in this Psalm, refers to a future inheritance with the word “shall”.  There is a future fulfillment of these statements and David refers to them as “land”.

In the book of Isaiah, chapter 60, the prophet tells of the future Glory of Zion with a most beautiful piece of poetry.  In that poem he speaks of a future time wherein “No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your boarders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.” (Verse 18)  In verse 21 Isaiah quotes God with these words, “Then will all your people be righteous and they will inherit the land forever, for they are the shoot I will plant, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.”

Yes the Kingdom of God has what God Himself calls “land”.  How does that play out for spiritual beings?  That’s the beauty and the joy of our anticipation.  For God is good – this we know; and yet the scriptures tell us that His ways are past finding out (Isaiah 55:8-12).  Again, in the book of Isaiah we find these words, “But the man who makes Me his refuge will inherit the land and possess My Holy Mountain.” (Is. 57:13)

Yes this is good news and there is still more to come!

Freedom is Good News Part 196

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33)  A few weeks ago we began considering what the scriptures call, “The Kingdom of God”.  I would like to pursue that idea today.

What is a kingdom?  Several days ago Queen Elizabeth passed away after serving as the British monarch for 70 years.  She will be succeeded by her son and he is to be crowned King Charles.  So, today, we have right before our eyes the concept of a kingdom.  Most scholars agree that a kingdom consists of 4 things: a king, land, laws and subjects; maybe that seems quite obvious, but let’s look at these four from a biblical perspective. 

In the New Testament we have the word ‘King’ used some 85 times.  It is used to designate Herod the king, Matt. 2:1; King David, Matt. 1:6; Caesar, John 19:15, Pharaoh, Acts 7:10; etc.  But the overwhelming majority of uses are in relation to our Savior Jesus the Messiah, for He is the King of kings.  The first usage of this title is found in Matt. 2:2 where the Magi, looking for the baby born to Mary, asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?” 

Throughout His life references are made to His kingship and even as He faced death Pilate asked Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  He answered Pilate, “It is as you say.” (Matt.27:11).  We are told in the book of John that Pilate had a notice fastened to the cross with the words, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (John 19:19)

In the Old Testament the word king appears over 2100 times!!  Of course it is used for many kings of Israel and Judah and other foreign nations.  But it is also used of Jesus hundreds of years before His birth – He is not called by that name but we can be sure it is Him.

The concept of a coming King is prevalent in the Psalms; as one example we read in Psalm 145, “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.”  The Psalms from 93 through 99 are called the Kingly Psalms because of their references to ‘the Lord who reigns.  In Isaiah 43:15 we read, “I am the LORD your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.”  And in the Minor Prophets we see Malachi 1:14 giving a quote from God, “I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.”

In the last book of the bible, Revelation 19, we have a most wonderful description of the coming King.  We see heaven standing open with one who rides upon a white horse whose robe is dipped in blood; His name is ‘the Word of God’ and He rules with an iron scepter and “On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written, ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords.’” (Rev. 19:11-16)

The first item that defines a kingdom is before us; Jesus Christ is the King and He will rule over the Kingdom of God!!  We shall look at the other items that make up a kingdom in our future articles.

Freedom is Good News Part 195

Reading over our previous installment, a certain phrase caught my eye, “We must seek Him daily”.  Does that in any way bother you?  We, who call ourselves Christians, would most likely answer ‘no’ to my question.  We should already understand that God wants to have a relationship with us, so a close proximity and a good conversation is needful to any good relationship.

But what about you who are not sure about the concept of God, His kingdom and what they might be?  Does it seem a little burdensome to spend a lot of time pursuing something you are not sure even exists?

It was approximately 45 years ago that I felt this same way.  I was very happy pursuing those things that I considered important to me and the concept of God was not on my radar.  And yet, I was on God’s radar.  He wanted me as one of His children.  When that understanding finally hit me, I was awe struck.  God wants me!!

I had friends who were members of certain clubs and they wanted me to join the organization or society they were associated with.  But joining some club or other outfit was not my cup of tea.  And yet, here was God, the one who created the universe, and ruled over it, wanting me to partake in His family.  I had to know more!  I desired to know more.

Since the day I made the decision to seek God and His kingdom, I have been showered with blessings, some of which I did not even know existed.  The reality of (and I use the word reality in all of its force) living in God’s kingdom and being a part of His family is a much greater reality than having my feet touch the ground as I type this article!! 

I know that there are many people who pooh-pooh the idea of a God who exists.  I am not sure where that misunderstanding comes from.  You see, 45 years ago, I never denied the existence of God, I just did not have the time for Him.

So then what did I mean when I said that we must seek Him and His kingdom daily?  Well, have you ever talked to God?  We oft times use the religious word “pray” when we think of talking to Him.  But as any good father understands, it is a pleasant thing to talk with one’s daughter or son.  Some might say that they do not know how to pray.  God is a living being who enjoys conversation.  We can come to Him just as we might come before our earthly parents for a visit. 

I believe that everyone is familiar with the scripture in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son …”  Yes, He loves His creation, and that’s the truth; that’s the reality of who He is!  Yes, the times we are in, the troubles we see all around us may get the best of us at times, but He, our Father, wants to comfort us and take us into His care.  His kingdom does exist.  And His kingdom is what He offers to us.  We’ll talk more, sometime soon, concerning this. 

Freedom is Good News Part 194

There are many things that one can seek in this life.  There is the immediate search when you’ve lost your car keys and you seek for them until you find them – search over!  Then there is the lengthy search of seeking to become proficient at playing the piano.  For many years you will take lessons and you will practice for days on end until you are satisfied with you musical capabilities with the piano.

There are intermediate searches also: you need a new car and so you do your research on the new or used models you prefer and it’s time to take your homework to the dealership to seek an agreement for the best price for the car you have selected.

There is also a lifelong search: in Matthew 6:28-34 Jesus tells a story concerning someone who is seeking out some new clothing and another who is seeking something to eat and drink.  He tells the crowd listening to Him that they should not worry about such things; God knows that we need them.  The point to His story is told to us in verses 33 and 34, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is to be our first order of business if we desire to follow the Son of God.  Wow!  This seems to be a tall order; how do we do this and where do we begin?  I’m glad you asked – let’s explore this because it is a many faceted concept.

First, Jesus is comforting those who may worry about such things as food, shelter and clothing.  His Father is more than equal to the task of providing the things we need.  We all may, at times, wonder where the next meal will come from.  But straight from His lips, which can only tell the truth, Jesus lets us know that we should be examining our hearts to see if we are sincere about our faith in God.  Are we really seeking God’s Kingdom?  Again I ask, what does it mean to seek His kingdom and how do we do it?

There is an interesting word in the Hebrew language (and yes, Jesus spoke Hebrew) it is “darash” and it literally means “to tread or trample”.  This word is translated “seek” about 90 times in the scriptures.  In Psalm 34:10 we find a fitting example for the discussion we are in, “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”  The word “darash” is used here. 

We who live in Iowa know that sometimes we must tread through tall grass to get to a farm shed.  When we go there once we may turn around and see our path for we have disturbed the grass.  But tomorrow the wind has turned those blades about and the path we took is no longer seen.  However, if we go back and forth through that grass often, we will eventually trample it down and beat a new path to the shed. So it is with our seeking God and His kingdom.  It is not a onetime event; if we are serious about our commitment to Him we must seek Him daily.  Yes, one might say that we must beat a path to our God because that is how we seek His kingdom.  Don’t go away folks, there’s still more to come.

Freedom is Good News Part 193

The good news today is that I get to, once again, contemplate and formulate a lesson of importance from the word of God.  As I see it, we left off talking about the Kingdom of God.  I mentioned, in that article, that the first time the word ‘kingdom’ is used in the gospel accounts, it is spoken by John the Baptist “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  John understood the commission he was given.  He was to prepare the way for the Son of God. 

John the Baptist and Jesus were relatives, perhaps second cousins; for the scripture tells us that John’s mother, Elizabeth and Jesus’ mother, Mary were relatives (Luke 1:36) When John was asked by the authorities who he was, he replied to them with the words of Isaiah the prophet, “A voice of one calling; in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”  When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John pointed to Him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)

The Son of God, born of a virgin, also spoke of the kingdom. The first time we find this word on Jesus lips, He says this, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   (The same words that were spoken by John.)  And so, yes, the message of the kingdom is quite important.  In fact, twice Mathew tells us that “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every sickness and disease among the people.” (Matt. 4:23 and 9:35)

What did the people in Jesus day know about this kingdom?  Well, they were waiting, even longing, for a redeemer who was a descendent of King David, He would reign over them.  They were under the control of the Roman Government and were not truly free citizens.  They had been taught from the words of Isaiah and understood the prophecy of a coming kingdom; “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end.  He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Throughout the book of Isaiah there are many references to this kingdom to come but the people in Jesus day couldn’t see beyond the physical aspects of such a kingdom.

Toward the end of our previous article I asked several questions: How much do you know about the Kingdom of God?  What will it look like?  Does it exist today?  And if it does where is it?  And now that we have caught ourselves up on this subject, maybe we might look at some answers to this topic that was on Jesus lips some 100 times!!

Jesus Himself said it was the “good news of the kingdom”.

Freedom is Good News Part 192

When the angel first appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, he told her that she would give birth to a male child, one who would be “Son of the Most High”.  The angel said that His name was to be Jesus and that the Lord God would give Him the throne of His Father David.  And then she was told this, “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

In our previous article I mentioned that Jesus taught extensively about the “good news of the Kingdom”.  I mentioned that His ways are perfect and then asked the question, “So what is this Kingdom of God all about?

When we consider what might be most important for Jesus to teach, we may think of the word ‘love’; and we understand that this is very much at the forefront of His mind.  But if we consider how frequently Jesus used a word, we would count 72 times that the word ‘love’ appeared on His lips in the four Gospels but the word ‘Kingdom’ appears 108 times in His teachings.  The people of His day understood that love was an important concept; after all they had in the Torah the two most important commandments, love for God and love for their neighbor.  But the concept of the Kingdom of God was not that readily apparent to them.

They could look into their history and recall tales of the Kingdom of Israel and of Judah.  The scrolls that were read every Sabbath were replete with these stories.  And of course the prophets told about the Kingdom of God that was to come.  In fact the prophet Isaiah put it this way, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given… Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his Kingdom.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)  These words are reminiscent of the very words the angel spoke to Mary that were mentioned above.

The first time the word ‘kingdom’ is used in the gospel accounts it is spoken by John the Baptist, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”  This first time we find this word on Jesus lips, He says this, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Yes the same phrase is used by them both – indeed it was a very important point to be made.

How much do you know about the Kingdom of God or as Matthew put it, “The Kingdom of Heaven?  What will it look like?  Does it exist today?  And if it does where is it?

Matthew tells us that “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Matt. 4:23)  It is within the Kingdom of God that we really discover the “good news”.  And remember the word ‘gospel’ is defined as ‘good news’.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)  And so now we know a little something about this ‘Kingdom’!!

Freedom is Good News Part 191

In our previous article I suggested that we all might accept the challenge “to come to our Father and His Son and to seek out His ways and His thoughts in His word.”  Yes, God has set forth His ways and His thoughts in the bible and He wants us to learn from Him. 

I drive a school bus and have a great deal of interaction with school age children.  Sometimes they complain about having to go to school and wish it were all over for them (All of us can identify with that!!)  But I usually try to encourage them by getting them to understand that we never really stop learning.  I joke with them and tell them that I am in 64th grade.  We may graduate from high school or even from college but learning is a life- long endeavor.

In the book of Matthew we read that Jesus “went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease …” (Matt. 4:23) I cannot imagine that there has ever been a greater teacher on earth than the Son of God. 

In the New Testament we find the word Rabbi used several times when the disciples and others addressed Jesus Christ.  This word is used as a term of respect for one who is considered a teacher; and Jesus was known as a teacher.  Even a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, addressed Jesus like this, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.” (John 3:2)

I suggest that there never was nor will be a teacher greater than our Savior and now that we, today, need teaching and direction and insight more than ever before I find it quite odd that more people are not opening their bibles to learn from the one who can open their minds up to the wonders of the universe and beyond!

I suggest that we are living in a world that is growing darker and darker to the ways of God.  And if you were paying attention, I just quoted a line from the book of Matthew that Jesus was preaching the good news of the kingdom.  Friends, there is tremendous good news in the words of scripture.  Paul tells his assistant Timothy in his second letter to him that, “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16)

If you see that we are sliding toward darkness in this world, then please take hope in what Jesus had to say in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Do you believe that?  Jesus even went so far as to teach in the Sermon on the Mount that we are “the light of the world”.

Several years ago when I was first asked to write an article for the local newspaper, I desired to bring good news to you, the reader; thus the title above.  Jesus is the real teacher and He does teach about the “good news of the kingdom”.  His ways are perfect; so what is this Kingdom of God all about?

Freedom is Good News Part 190

What is the depth of God’s heart?  Wow, now that’s an interesting question.  But it is one that must be considered; it is a depth that must be sounded.  The problem is, we as finite human beings do not have the physical resources to understand the depths of an infinite God!  What’s a person to do?

In our previous article we contemplated some of the decisions that God’s messengers have had to make (Noah, Abraham and Moses).  Choices are, of course, set before us each and every day and we can make our decisions based on two separate points of view: a worldly perspective or a Godly perspective.  We are very familiar with the world and its ways.  Everywhere we look we see the physical world and its influences.  Most times we take the easy way out and chose according to a worldly set of parameters. 

But God’s ways, His thoughts, His parameters are deeper and more difficult.  I am reminder of the old saying concerning decisions:  Is it right or is it easier?  Unfortunately in this age many just take the easy way and not the right way.

How do we start to make choices according to a Godly perspective?  It begins by knowing God’s ways and His thoughts!  But someone might quote the book of Isaiah to me, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8)  Oh yes, there’s the challenge!!  But we do not have to know God in all of His being, in all of His thoughts and in all of His ways - He has given to us a manual of instruction to find and understand the WAY. You and I know it as the Bible and it is a set of instructions concerning all that God wants us to know today.

In our previous article we did talk about Noah, Abraham and Moses and the choices they were given to make.  God laid out before them an opportunity, yes, even a challenge to obey His words.  Abraham had a tremendously difficult decision set before him; Genesis puts it this way, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here am I.  God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Gen. 22)  But if we know the bible, we realize that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  He chose to act according to a Godly point of view.  He went to Moriah with Isaac.  Isaac lived and Abraham received a strong and beautiful message from God.

So what has God put before you in your walk?  It can’t be as great a choice as Abraham dealt with.  But maybe God is working with you.  Maybe He is asking you to choose between two ways of life.  Maybe it is time to come to our Father and His Son and to seek out His ways and His thoughts in His word.  Here is a great place to start whether you’re brand new to His word or have been reading it for years and somehow are not inspired, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11-12)  And that is a long, long way!!

Freedom is Good News Part 189

“The worldview of a Christian” is the topic at which we have been looking.  And within that framework we began a study of the doctrine of the resurrection.  Think about it this way; if there is no resurrection of the dead, then all we have to live for is this physical life.  Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:35, puts it this way, “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” 

It was several years back that I first encountered this term “worldview” and it was used with the idea that there are only two differing worldviews; one being ‘the Christian worldview’ and the other called ‘the secular worldview’.  It took me some time to understand what was meant by these two terms (I guess I’m a little slow sometimes) but I came to see that a person must see the world either from a biblical standpoint or from a worldly standpoint.

The bible, as we have seen, speaks of a resurrection of the dead; the secular view has no such concept.  The bible speaks of a God who is merciful and gracious and gave His only begotten Son to save us from death; the secular view has no such concept.  The bible tells us that we can be right with God through the righteousness of His Son; the secular knows of no such idea.  The bible tells us that God desires to have a relationship with those whom He has created; but alas we find no such thing in the secular view.

Let me state this emphatically: we have a book that tells us exactly what the creator God has for us and what He wants for us.  We may turn away from that and look to the societies and civilizations we have built that offer us no hope beyond the physical life we are living.  I guess I‘m going to choose the life and hope that God offers.

That is a very rudimentary explanation of the two worldviews we have to choose from,

Oh!  Now there’s an interesting word to consider, “choose”.  God does give us a choice in this process.  He is the author of freedom and we are free to choose how we will live. 

Kind of like Adam and Eve had a choice!  They could eat from the tree of life or eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They made a very wrong choice and we sit here six thousand years later blaming God for the mess we are in!! 

Speaking of choices, the bible is filled with examples of the choices people have made over the centuries:  Noah had a choice to build a boat so as to be the savior of mankind (kind of sounds like he was a type of Jesus Christ).  Abraham had a choice to “Leave Your country, your people and your father’s household and come to the land I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1) (Hmmm … sounds like he was a type of Jesus Christ who left His Father’s household in heaven to come to earth).  Moses had a choice to go to Egypt and rescue the nation of Israel (yeah, sounds like Jesus Christ who came to the land of sin and redeemed the people that God would choose).  God shows us, in His word, many types.

We could go on for a while considering God’s messengers and the choices they made but perhaps we’ll do that next time. 

Freedom is Good News Part 188

Within the Christian worldview there are words in the English language that stand out.  For instance, righteousness; how often is that used in one’s day to day life?  Or how about sanctification, how would one even use that?  “I believe this spring I will sanctify the tomatoes in my garden.”  No, I didn’t think so!!  Actually the word sanctification literally means to set something apart for a special purpose.  Do you have a special purpose for the tomatoes to be separated from the rest of the garden?  Then sanctify away!!

But in these articles we are striving to consider the “worldview of a Christian” and so we use them now and again.  In our previous article, in the final paragraph, I used the word “resurrection”.  The sentence read, “Paul does spend some time in this 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians giving proof to all who have eyes to see that there is a resurrection from the dead.”  The word resurrection does have religious overtones and for the most part we understand what it means.  Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 15, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”  We understand that one who dies and is buried and is raised from the dead has indeed been resurrected.

It is easy to make a statement and claim it to be true; but is it verifiable?  Paul, in verse 5, goes on to let you know that it is verifiable, for he says, “And he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 

Paul tells us that there are well over 260 eye witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ died and was found to be alive!!  The bible tells us in Deuteronomy 19:15, “Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.”  And our Savior Himself confirms these words in Matthew 18:16, “But if a brother will not listen take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’”  Yes, Paul’s testimony is verified by a huge number of eye witnesses.

The bible is a very unusual book.  Its veracity is established above and beyond any other piece of writing (factual or otherwise) in the history of the world.  Let me state it this way by quoting Vodie Baucham, “The bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eye witnesses during the life time of other witnesses.  It was written on three continents (Africa, Asia and Europe) using three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) by 40 authors from multiple walks of life in 66 volumes covering hundreds of subjects over a period of 1500 years.” No other body of writing even comes close to that kind of proof!!

My friends and brethren, we have a book that is true and can be trusted.  So let us consider this “Christian worldview” in our next article.

Freedom is Good News Part 187

God in all of His wisdom has not only created a world where life can exist and prosper and grow (the earth), but has given to us the reality (if we will accept it) of an eternal life where His creation (that’s us) may fully engage with Him as we fully come to know Him.

The prayer Jesus offered up to the Father at the end of His final Passover meal is found in John 17.  The entirety of the chapter contains this prayer that He gave for His apostles, His disciples and for “those who will believe in Him through their message” (John 17:20).

He begins that prayer with this:  “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.  For you granted to Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those you have given Him.  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:1-3)

It has been said that the Gospel of John is one where we find many definitions of spiritual ideas.  In the above quote, Jesus gives us (through the pen of John) an interesting definition of eternal life: ‘That we may know God and His Son’.  I guess when I read that, I come to understand just how incredibly complex and how awesome our God is!!

Today, in this fleshly body, our small minds can, in no way, comprehend the nature and the abilities of an eternal God.  But in that day (the day of eternity), all mysteries will be made known.  Paul puts it this way in his first letter to the Corinthians in 2:9, “It is written that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”.  Paul is here quoting from Isaiah 64:4 but he goes on to make this statement, “But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.” 

Those who have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in them today, have a head start in coming to know God.  Later in that same letter, Paul tells us that “Now we see but through a glass darkly, (kind of like a poor reflection in a mirror) but then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully.” (1 Cor. 13:12)  What an awesome thought to hang our hope onto; face to face with God our Father.  And remember what we talked about in our previous article “The hope that God intends for us is an assurance of what He has promised based on His word of truth.  And God’s words are pure, holy and true.”

Paul tells us about this resurrection from the dead in this same letter to the Corinthians.  In Chapter 15 Paul elaborates on the topic.  Paul makes these comments, “If for this life only we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (verse 19)  “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” (verse 32)  If all we have is this life – well, really what’s the use?

Paul does spend some time in this chapter 15 giving proof to all who have eyes to see that there is a resurrection from the dead.  Perhaps we’ll consider more of his words in our next article.

Freedom is Good News Part 186

In December of last year (six articles ago) I proposed that we who are interested in good news (i.e. the Gospel) might consider that this Gospel can be understood within a four-fold purpose of God.  I hope that all of you are with me on this topic, for we are to begin looking into the fourth phase.

The final purpose of the Gospel is not the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is not the receiving of the Holy Spirit as a gift to those who accept the blood of Jesus, who repent of their sins and who undergo the waters of Baptism.

The real goal of the gospel, as Paul states it is, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” (1Corinthians 15:51-54)

The implications of this scripture, if completely understood, should bring forth immense joy to all who will believe.  God, our God, our Father in heaven desires to impart to us an imperishable and immortal body!! 

Paul says a very similar thing in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words”

Paul tells us that these words are for those of us who have a hope.  This is not a hope such as “I hope it doesn’t rain” or “I hope I’ll catch some fish”.  Those uses of the word hope are actually a wish based on nothing real.  The hope that God intends for us is an assurance of what He has promised based on His word of truth.  And God’s words are pure, holy and true.  Some of us believe this and some of us do not. 

First, to those who do not believe I must ask, what do you place your hope in?  Is it in this life that only ends in death?  That seems to me to be quite short sighted and actually very sad.  The world today seems to be spinning helplessly out of control (to borrow a lyric from Willie Nelson). 

But wait… let us rather look at the Good News.