Freedom is Good News Part 117

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 116

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 115

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Perhaps we should look at this some more next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 114

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 113

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 112

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 111

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 110

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 109

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 108

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 107

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 106

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 105

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is Good News Part 104

It appears that God wanted us to know how important the 10 commandments were and so He caused them to be written completely in two separate books of the bible.  We find them first in the 20th chapter of Exodus.  The time line for this is shortly after the Israelites came to Mount Sinai after crossing the Red Sea. 

The build up to the event of God speaking these commands, is given to us in chapter 19.

God tells Moses, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the sons of Israel:  You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.  Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.  Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” 

God had great plans for the people of Israel but as we know, they turned from God and broke His covenant.  This 19th chapter is a very beautiful story of God calling His people to meet with Him and so hear Him speak all these words.  Listen to the description of this meeting:  “On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.  Everyone in the camp trembled. … Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD descended on it in fire.  The smoke billowed up from it … the whole mountain trembled violently and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.”  Yes, the presence of God is an awesome thing!!

God Himself spoke all the words of the 10 commandments in the hearing of the people.  Moses wrote down all the words for us to read and learn from but he also re-wrote them in the book of Deuteronomy.  We find them, with only a very small variation, in Deuteronomy 5.

Last article, we took a look at the first commandment and considered why it is the most important one.  “You shall have no other gods before me.”  So we know that God doesn’t want us to worship anything or anyone beside Him.  The second commandment follows with God stating that even if you do not have another god, He does not want us worshiping Him by trying to create an image.  We just read a part of what it was like when God went to meet with the children of Israel; how could anyone believe that they might capture the might and awe and splendor and glory of the Creator God by making a statue of Him? 

Do you think you have a picture in your mind of what God looks like?  I must say, get rid of it.  Our small minds with their finite capabilities cannot create an image of the God who is life itself, the God who dwells in unapproachable light, the God who is an all-consuming fire.  If we create an image of God in our minds we are breaking this second commandment.  We find this one in Exodus 20:4-6.  Let us worship God as He would have us worship Him.  It is not about us and what we want.  Rather it is about Him and what He wants! 

Freedom is Good News Part 103

“You shall have no other gods before me.”  As it stands, this is the first of the 10 Commandments.  We have been talking about the greatest commandment – the one Jesus cited in Matthew 22:37 and have seen that the first step in loving God with all that we have and all that we are is to be obedient children of our Heavenly Father.  When considering obedience, our first stop must be the 10 Commandments.

Some time ago, I read that there are approximately 5,000 laws enacted every year in the U.S. - in federal, state, and local legislatures.  God told Israel, “I give you ten!!”  We know that as time went on, Moses asked for guidance in dealing with the multitude of people that accompanied him in the wilderness.  God gave him statutes and precepts to go along with the ten – but that’s another story for another time.

The first commandment had to do with God’s mandate that His people worship Him alone.  Let us consider why.  God is a God of forgiveness and mercy and grace.  The bible tells us that He knows our frame and that we really are prone to sin.  He so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to save us from our sins.  Knowing this, then, if we break any of the other commands, we are called to go to Him and repent of our sin and He is true to His word and will forgive us.  Correct?  Yes! 

OK then, if I have another god before Him and in this way sin, who is going to forgive me?  The reality is, there are no other gods to offer me forgiveness. 

But, you ask, we really don’t have statues of Molech, Dagon, Baal or Rephan as did the pagan people of Israel’s day.  True, but we have made many other gods that we in the 21st century serve and worship and place before our heavenly Father.  Have you ever heard the term, “the almighty dollar”?  Many people chase “the buck” to the exclusion of faith or family.  There is only one who is Almighty and He tells us to trust in Him with all of our heart.  But I have a better one for today; the internet in all of its various forms.  Hours spent in front of a screen – any screen – whether playing games, texting, checking e-mails or facebook posts, we can very easily find ourselves being addicted to the “machine”; a sorry sight indeed.  We are serving a machine rather than have it serve us.

Some people serve the entertainment industry.  I read about a man who claims to have seen over 5000 movies in his short life.  Why?  Some people serve the fashion industry.  The desire to have the best clothing and accessories to the point of spending beyond ones budget is a sin and a placing something before God.  We in the U.S. have an abundance of food, whether it is in the grocery stores or at restaurants.  Sometimes our appetites control us rather than the other way around.  I could go on but I believe you get the point.

Is there something in your life that takes precedence over obedience to God?  The word worship literally means to deem something to have a great amount of worth.  Worship is a shortened form of the two words – worth ship.  This worshiping God with our whole heart and soul is not too hard.  But we’ll talk more next time.  Obedience = love for God = good news.

Freedom is Good News Part 102

We’ve been considering, what I have called, the prime directive given to us from God.  And we have come to see that Jesus labeled the words from Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”, as the greatest commandment (or prime directive).  I’m not sure we’ll ever get anything closer than that. 

But how do we attain that directive?  It is my belief that this command to love God is a life-long goal for us.  When you put together the heart, which in Hebrew is understood as our feelings, thoughts, motives, aims and will; the soul, which basically means a “breathing creature” and refers to the essence of life; and strength, which is easily understood as power; we have a complete picture of who we are.  This may sound overwhelming at first but as in any journey, it starts with a single step!

So, what if I told you that this first step is as simple as obedience?  But is obedience really all that simple?  Yes, it can be!  Take for example, “You shall not steal.”  Is it difficult for you not to steal from another person?  Is it difficult for you to logically consider that some tool sitting in the middle of the shop floor when no one is around, really belongs to someone else?

The laws that God gave to us are for our own good and the good of society.  Stealing, lying, murder and adultery, etc. cannot be permitted if a society is to survive.  But how does this apply to our love for God?

I’m glad you asked!!  In John 14:21 Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and manifest myself to him.”  He goes on in verse 23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my words.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.”  To bring this down to everyday life; what parent wouldn’t feel the love of their children in their obedience to the rules mom and dad placed upon them – always coming home at curfew time, being honest about the company they keep, mowing the lawn without having to mention it more than once.  Oh!  Perhaps I’m talking about an ideal world!!  But I think you get the point.

God delights in our obedience.  God blesses us for our obedience.  Our Father in heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ want to abide with us!!  How amazing is that!!  The God of the entire universe, Creator of all things wants to have us near Him!!  Friends and brethren, I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

This prime command that we are looking at is not unlike the first commandment, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me.”  Let’s take a look at what it means to have no other god before Him.

Freedom is Good News Part 101

In our last article we were considering the topic of a “prime directive” for our lives.  We first came upon the idea of the resurrection from the dead as fitting the bill.  But really, this is the result of that which should be a directive for us and not the directive itself.

Perhaps we should define what I mean by this terminology.  I mentioned that I had learned the term from the old TV show, Star Trek.  As they set out on their journey they were given a “prime directive” from the powers that be.  It took precedence over all other instructions.

The word “prime”, comes from a Latin word meaning “first”.  And in English we define it as, “first in time, rank authority, quality or importance”.  For our purposes, we will be looking at, “first in importance”.  For the word “directive”, Webster tells us it is “a general instruction or order issued authoritatively”.  Putting this together, we are looking for an instruction from God that is given to us and is the most important!

Wow!!  This could certainly be a tough task – but let’s dig in!

Some time ago, I wrote a series of articles concerning being “wholehearted” in our serving God.  And as I sit here I am wondering if this most important directive has anything to do with God wanting us to be wholehearted in something – let’s take a look!

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  This directive from Moses to Israel is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.  This is more than a wholehearted love.  It is also an, “all your soul, and all your strength” love.  These words carry a lot of weight.  They carry so much weight that when Jesus was asked by an expert in the law, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus quoted this very scripture in Deuteronomy.  And when He finished quoting it, He said, “This is the first and greatest commandment.”  (Matt. 22:37, Mark 12:30)

Well, that wasn’t so hard was it?  Jesus said it was the first (prime) and greatest commandment (directive).  And here I thought it might take a couple of articles to get there.  But maybe we should take some time and consider what it means to love God this way.  In the book of Luke, we have this same scripture quoted from Deuteronomy but this time, it is from the mouth of a scribe who asks Jesus what must be done in order to inherit eternal life.  Jesus turns the tables on him and asks him what he thinks the answer is.  The scribe replies with this same scripture and Jesus responds with these words, “You have answered correctly.  Do this and you will live.” (Luke 10:25-28)

Wasn’t it last week we were looking at the concept of resurrection – to have life eternal?  We will have to look into this in the next article.  Until then, think about what it means for you to love God with all that you have – the result is “good news”.

Freedom is Good News Part 100

It seems that the sci-fi movie genre today is mostly about comic book heroes and Star Wars.  But when I was younger, the big news in television sci-fi was Star Trek.  Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock moved on from saving the world to saving the galaxy – heady stuff in those days.

Like most things these days, I have forgotten the details of their adventures but there is one thing that has stuck with me all these years; they were given a commission to explore “strange new worlds” and to seek out new life forms – kind of like a future Lewis and Clark expedition!  But they were also commissioned with what was called a “prime directive”.  Those two words have embedded themselves in my memory.

Do you have a prime directive today?  All of us have directives and visions and dreams that we either follow closely or fantasize about.  One of the dreams from my younger days was to build a straw bale house.  Now that I am older and not as physically capable, this dream has shifted into the realm of fantasy.

Ah, but what about those things which are first and foremost in your mind?  Well, as a parent, you must have the directive to provide for a family; not just financially, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  That is an extremely important concept.  There are many more that I am sure we could think of and share. 

But what about in our spiritual lives?  Someone may say, “I am not concerned with things spiritual.”  I am sorry for you.  If it is only for this physical life that you strive then the Apostle Paul has a word for you, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Cor. 15:32)  How sad!

Paul’s comment here deals with those who say there is no resurrection of the dead.  Hmmm!!  Could this be a “prime directive” for us, being raise from the dead?  Paul spends an entire 58 verse chapter in 1 Corinthians on this very subject.  The bible tells us that death is an enemy and even an atheist will agree with that.  A loved one dies and we are filled with sorrow.  And yet our true “loved one” died – yes He died for us that we may live – and He was resurrected from the grave, sits at the right hand of the majesty on high and is looking forward to spending eternity with those who have a faith in His saving power.  It is in the death of this One that we rejoice.  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You trust in God, trust also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many abodes, if it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may abide where I am.”  What a promise!!

Let us take a look at this directive again and see if it is the “prime directive” we might be searching for.  Until next time remember, in Christ we have good news!!

Freedom is Good News Part 99

“Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’”  This is from the sixth verse of Psalm 4 and it seems quite appropriate for us today!  In fact, if I go back to where these articles began, I realize this is the reason for writing these articles.  Where do we find any good?

Would you mind if we take a look at this Psalm in its entirety?  Perhaps there is a lesson in it for us all.

This particular Psalm is a Psalm of King David (not all Psalms were written by him).  If we know anything about David, we understand that his life, although filled with a desire for God’s presence, was never really a “bed of roses”.  In Psalm 3:1 he writes, “O LORD, how many are my foes!”  This was written when he was fleeing from his son Absalom (the tale is told in 2 Samuel 15.)  As is true of most of God’s true servants, David had a hard life.

Psalm 4 may be broken down into 3 separate sections: first - verse 1, an urgent plea; second - verses 2–5, a protest against his enemies; and third - verses 6–8, an expression of security in God.  Verse 1 is actually 4 separate pleas to God: “Answer me when I call”, “Give me relief”, “Be merciful to me” and “Hear my prayer”.  These 4 pleas, made in rapid succession, emphasize the urgency of David’s plight.

Verse 2: “How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?  How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?”  David knew that he had enemies but he also knew – as it is said in the next verse – “The LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD will hear when I call to Him.”  At this point, David turns toward you and me, the readers, and admonishes us in verses 4 & 5, “In your anger do not sin … search your hearts and be silent … and trust in the LORD.” 

David gives us a snapshot of his trials.  He lets us know that the things in life aren’t always fair and pleasant, but we can always turn to our Heavenly Father for help.

And so we come to where we started, “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’”  David goes on from here to answer this question, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.  You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.  I will lie down and sleep in peace for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Perhaps the lesson for us is that even though David found himself in difficult situations in this physical life, he knew that it was only in the presence of God that true joy might be found!  So then, who alone can show us any good?  I believe you know the answer – God alone!!  And that is good news.

Freedom is Good News Part 98

Is there good news in examining a poem closely?  If it is in God’s word there is! 

I mentioned in a previous article that Solomon wrote this book of Ecclesiastes, which I believe is his book of repentance.  And in the 12th chapter Solomon has an admonition for all of us.  “Remember your creator” before it’s too late.  “Remember Him before the silver cord is severed or the golden bowl is broken.  Before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the breath returns to God who gave it.”  What a beautiful ending to a remarkable poem. 

We have, here in these first 7 verses of Ecclesiastes 12, a short yet vivid picture of the aging process.  So why have we come to study this poem in our article about “good news”?

We began four weeks ago considering the question “Do you find satisfaction through the things you accomplish in your life day to day?  And as an aid in answering this important question, I suggested we take a look at the book of Ecclesiastes.  In it we saw Solomon suggesting that the things done in this life, for purely secular and selfish reasons are a chasing after the wind and are utterly meaningless.  The truth of the matter is, anything we strive for in this world (i.e. “under the sun”), has little or no value if we have no hope of achieving entrance into the kingdom of God. 

Let’s look again at an entry from that previous article: “There is a book in the bible that, in my opinion, addresses this subject.  It is a book that I enjoy reading when the things of this life have gotten me down.  It has the tendency to help me center myself in the true meaning and reason that God has placed us here on earth.  The book of Ecclesiastes is a part of the bible called The Wisdom Literature”. 

As I read this book and slowly ponder its words, I consider the joy I get from serving a true and living and mighty and wonderful God!!!  I begin to forget my failures and frustrations and begin to let God erase them from my heart.  I ponder the joy of the blessing He has given to me.  I can once again “stand in awe of the works of His hands” and see and feel the beauty of His creation.  When read in this fashion, the book of Ecclesiastes can truly refresh.

The reality in all of this?  It becomes clear to me that it is all about God and not about me.  And so I come to the conclusion of the matter:  chapter 12 verse 10, “The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.  The word of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails – given by one Shepherd. …  Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”