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Buries His Hand in the Dish

O those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer …

I come from a long line of work-aholics … therefore, I’ve always struggled in this area.  Work first, play later–but later there’s always more work to do!  Because I’ve always filled every moment of every day with tasks to accomplish, I’ve never really learned to relax or develop hobbies.  Industriousness, after all, is praised in the Bible:

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise …. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man” Proverbs 6:6-11.

But so is rest!  “There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest …” Leviticus 23:3.  I know, I know, that’s Old Testament Law and meant for the Israelites, but does that mean that we in the New Testament age should never rest?

I suppose that many in my position as an evangelist of a small church in a remote area of the U.S. surrounded by all of the cultural opulence and abundance of the 21st Century might go the opposite direction and be lazy in leisure and luxury.  I cheer inwardly when I read the many proverbs against this, like … “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth” Proverbs 26:15.

But maybe it’s because that’s someone else’s problem, not mine!  We had a cat who would eat lying down with her head in her dish, munching every once in a while when she was not napping there.  We mocked her for it, but she didn’t care–she was a cat!

It’s easier to point out the sins of others than deal with our own weaknesses.  Isn’t that what the self-righteous Pharisee said about the humble tax-collector too ashamed to lift his eyes?  “God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11).

Maybe that’s the point.  In this polarized age of immersing ourselves in what we agree with, we cannot do that with God’s Word.  We have to let the double-edge of the Sword come back on us (Hebrews 4:12-13) and let ourselves be taught, corrected, rebuked, and trained (2 Timothy 3:16-17) by the passages that make us squirm the most.

So, I think I might go read a book … right after I mow the lawn.

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But If It Loses its Saltiness

Most lessons on salt from the Bible have to do with its unique ability to flavor, preserve, and create thirst–all qualities Christians should possess for the world around them.  But what does salt have to do with the cost of discipleship?

I. Luke 14:1-35.  It costs much to have saltiness, for someone to stay on the narrow path.  There are sacrifices that need to be made and hard choices to endure … and God doesn’t take excuses.  Rather, He looks for a disciple who will put God’s Kingdom first in His life–or is worth his, erm, salt.

II. 2 Peter 2:20-22.  There are ways that Christians lose their saltiness.  In just the example from Luke 14, we see that they can exert worldly strength over godly weakness, exalt self, look to be repaid here, believe excuses will justify contrary behaviors to God, not put God’s Kingdom and righteousness first, not carry his cross, or place too much emphasis on material goods.

III. Luke 12:32-34.  We must hold onto our saltiness.  Our eternity depends on it.  In the Old Testament, which was a shadow of the reality to come, salt was required when offering sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13).  So, how much more should we include salt in ourselves offered as living sacrifices to God in the New Testament time (Romans 12:1)?

We must hold onto our saltiness–persevering through our many trials and living for God!

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Bible.04: But Men Spoke from God

A parent leaves a kid at home with a note that reads “Clean your room!”  The kid respects the parent’s authority and so obeys the command, but if he interprets the note how he wants by stuffing toys out-of-sight in the closet or clean clothing under the bed, is he truly pleasing to his parent?  No, of course not!  Yet, even if we all can agree that God’s Word is authoritative over our lives but interpret it however we would would like, can we be pleasing to God?

I. 2 Peter 1:19-21.  Authority came from the Father to the Son to men inspired to write God’s Word for us to obey.  Just as a cop cannot interpret the law however he wants, we cannot make God’s Word mean whatever we would like it to or best suits our lifestyle.  Rather, we must discover what God intended for us to understand and obey.

II. 1 Corinthians 11:17-29.  Good Bible study techniques must be applied.  Who’s speaking?  To whom is the passage being spoken?  What is the type of literature and language being used?  What testament and book does it appear in?  What’s the general, specific, and historical context?  Is there a clear command?  For an example, take the issue of when to take the Lord’s Supper.  Is there an approved example (Acts 20:7)?  Is there an inference about how often Christians met (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)?

III.  Ephesians 5:19.  We must treat biblical silence as prohibitive rather than permissive.  We can get into much trouble when we say, “God didn’t say we couldn’t ….”  Once we open a door, where does it end?  If I order coffee at a restaurant, I expect the waitress to bring me a mug of black coffee.  If she puts in several packs of sugar and whitens it with cream, I would not be pleased.  Those things are innovations (something new introduced) rather than an expedient (a means to get to the command).  Thus, the mug is an expedient for me to have coffee in the same way that a songbook or pitchpipe would aid us in singing.  An addition of a guitar or choir in worship, however, would be an innovation.

So, to please the parent, the kid should ask himself, “How would mom want me to clean my room?  What would she want me to do with these toys and clean clothes?”  God’s inspired Word, just as the parent’s note, can never mean what it never meant.

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In the Way He Should Go

My grandfather used to say, “You don’t wait until a tree is full grown until you prune it.”  When kids are bad, we blame the world, coaches, teachers, “failing schools” … or even the kids themselves.  But, rarely do we blame bad parenting.  Far too often parenting is negligent, permissive, or authoritarian, but biblical parenting is the way that our heavenly Father parents us–authoritatively, a process that, out of love, outlines the consequences for our choices but allows us to make our own choices.

I. Genesis 2:20-24.  God created parenting.  In the verses, we often use to show how marriage is between a man and a woman, the concepts of “father” and “mother” are mentioned.  How strange they must have sounded to Adam and Eve who had neither!  But, here God institutes not only marriage but the concept of family and parental roles.

II. Ephesians 6:1-4.  Children are to obey their parents in the Lord, but fathers are to instruct their children in the Lord.  Parents must actively train their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6).  The Israelites were told to do this (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) but forgot while they conquered the Promised Land with disasterous consequences (Judges 2:10-13).

III. 1 Timothy 3:4-5.  Even an elder must have parented in the style of our heavenly Father over us, so that he can shepherd Christ’s church in that same parenting style.  A kid that doesn’t accept correction brings grief to his mother (Proverbs 29:15) and breaks his mother’s heart (Proverbs 15:20).  Rather, when a child does not turn from the way he was trained (Proverbs 23:25), he brings joy!

This is a difficult topic as no matter our kids’ ages, we realize we all have made mistakes in parenting that we regret.  Where it is not too late, we can change.  Where it is, we can apologize.  But, there are still kids in our lives (in the church especially) over which God has given us influence.  How’s your example?  How are you training the children in your life?

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Seasoned with Salt

Benevolence springs from who we are in Christ.  Edification is the building up of and teaching truth to everyone around us so that we can get to our third main value as Christians: evangelism.  We can not, however, share the good news with others unless we are the type of people from whom the gospel can be received.  In the close of his letter to the Colossians, Paul gives us great insight into this:

Colossians 4:2-6
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

  1. We are to be devoted to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Prayer is essential for open doors and for a clear proclaiming of the good news.

  2. We must be wise toward the lost, knowing our audience and making the most of every opportunity that God gives us.  We must also pray that God would open our eyes to recognize them as they come before us and for the wisdom, which God gives to us if we ask, to know what to do with the opportunities when He gives them to us.

  3. Finally, we must watch our words to answer everyone well.  They must be full of grace or, like tasty food that people would want to eat, seasoned with salt.   Salt also creates thirst–in this case spiritual thirst.

How are you prepared to share the gospel?

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Whatever You Do

How do we go through life?  At our very worst, we look at every moment to see what we can get from people or circumstances.  Often, we just exist, drifting through life without really thinking about life or what our purpose is.  At our best, though, we see every interaction as a ‘teachable moment,’ an opportunity to build others up and encourage them to draw closer to God.

I. Colossians 3:1-11.  We edify others because of what Christ has done for us.  We have to be active about setting our hearts and minds on things above.  This means we must reject what is wrong and choose what is right in the transformation process to become like Christ (Ephesians 4:22–5:1).

II. Colossians 3:12-16.  Before He went to the cross, Jesus spoke of a time later when those with faith would do greater things than He had done (John 14:12-14) as we are salt and light to the world around us (Matthew 5:13-16).  We are to walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6), edifying others by various actions outlined in this passage.

III. Colossians 3:17.  To do something in Christ’s name means to do it by His power and authority, believing wholeheartedly in that power and authority.  We believe, repent, and are baptized into the name of Jesus (Acts 2:36-38), so we must say and do ‘whatever you do’ in His name, asking ourselves if Jesus would approve.

Every Christian has been given just a short time on earth to walk as Christ did for those we have influence over.  Does every word and action that comes from you build others up and encourage them to draw closer to God?  Do you see every person you meet and circumstance you are in as an opportunity for the gospel–or a teachable moment?

 

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Bible.01: Ten Reasons Why the Bible is True

Convincing people that God’s Word is truth must come before they will believe anything you may show them and change their lives because of it.  This is part one of a twelve part series found only on sermonlines.com and heard throughout 2018 at plattsburghchurch.com.

Ten Reasons Why the Bible is True

1 The Bible itself says it is inspired of God and authoritative

a. We shouldn’t claim for the Bible what it doesn’t claim for itself (John 17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

b. Prophecy fulfilled centuries after it was written prove this: compare Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to the events of the cross or Zechariah 11:12-13 to Matthew 27:3-10.

2 There’s a unity of thought and purpose over 1600 years of writing it (1500 B.C. to 100 A.D.).

a. There are no seeming contradictions that are not easily accounted for.

b. The theme is a loving God’s plan to bring sinful man back into a relationship with Him.

3 There’s a unity of thought and purpose though written by about 40 writers from many different backgrounds: kings, shepherds, fishermen, rich, poor, Jews and non-Jews.

a. The Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.

b. The writers were from different countries and political situations: Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Israel.

4 Careful copying through the centuries has given us the exact Bible as when it was first written.

a. See the methods of the Masoretes and monks who believed their salvation was at stake!

b. Found in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls, written about 100 B.C. to 100 A.D., prove the preservation of all the Old Testament books (except Esther).

5 Outside sources describe Bible events, places, and people.

a. In 93 A.D., the Jewish historian, Josephus, described Jesus rising from the dead, et. al.

b. Stories of the Genesis flood are preserved in cultures around the world.

c. The Chinese language depicts pre-Babel events in their ‘picture language.’

d. Outside sources are mentioned in Scripture (Joshua 10:12-14, Luke 1:1-4).

6 Archaeology continues to prove Bible events, places, and people(s) over and over.

a. Hazor was indeed burned by the Israelites when they came into the land (Joshua 11:12-13).

b. The temple was destroyed, rebuilt, enlarged, and destroyed again as the Bible states.

7 Man is more confident of the Bible’s accuracy than other ancient works.

a. Over 5,300 ancient Greek copies of the New Testament exist that are within two centuries of the originals.  It is better preserved and authenticated than Caesar, Plato, or Aristotle’s writings.

b. There were more witnesses to the Bible’s events, places, and people than to Shakespeare writing Shakespeare’s works.

8 The Bible was the newspaper of the day with witnesses who were for, neutral, and against Christianity attesting to the validity of the Bible’s events, places, and people.

a. Not even Christianity’s enemies of the 1st Century could explain away Jesus’ miracles or the empty tomb.  If they could have, they would have!

b. Jesus appeared at least ten recorded times over a period of 40 days after He was resurrected.  The largest group was 500 (1 Corinthians 15:5-6) to people who were not expecting to see Him alive.  Mass hallucinations do not happen in this manner.

9 Nature and science prove the Bible over and over.

a. Things tend toward chaos, not the complexity we see either through a microscope, telescope, or with our eyes (Romans 1:18-20).

b. The Bible speaks of the earth being round (Isaiah 40:22), the paths of the sea (Psalm 8:8), and dinosaurs (Job 40-41).

10 Changed lives prove the Bible is true.

a. Compare the apostles in Luke 22:54-62 to Acts 4:18-20.  Most died attesting to the gospel.

b. The changed lives of Christians today from how they were before they obeyed Christ attest to the Bible being true.