| February 18, 2001 |
Vol. III, No. 42
|
Disaster is often chosen ---a clearly defined choice made while looking squarely at the disaster. It is a real puzzle.
Of course, no one chooses the end -- that final result. No one chooses pain and calamity. Realistically they choose the disaster --the end-- with their chosen path. A man walks around unsteadily amid the clutter of wrecked cars and mangled bodies. He mumbles in his alcohol slurred speech: "Why did this have to happen to me?" It did not just --happen-- to him. He made the appointment himself. Oh, he never wanted to be the driver who killed several people. He chose a drunken party; he chose to get behind the wheel in his drunken stupor. He knew the effects --- the disabling effects of alcohol on a driver. He had seen all the TV demonstrations. Still, he chose disaster!
A man wheezes in his oxygen mask -- his eyes dilated with fear. He cannot breathe! His once strong body is withered from lack of oxygen. All his organs are shutting down from lack of oxygen. "Why me" he thinks. He would never have chosen this hospital room -- or this early death -- or dying like this. Yet he did choose to smoke, and he chose to continue smoking --- inspite of all the warnings against it. He had seen them all. And now he is dying. Only his choice put him in this hospital room. He chose disaster!
A young woman works through the day with accumulated fatigue weighing her down like a heavy burden. A second job awaits; she will get little sleep. And both jobs will not meet her financial needs. There is too little time with her child. She feels like a failure but sees no alternative. The walls seem to close in; the burdens are just too much for one person. "Why am I in this mess?" Of course, she never expected this rat race, but she did make a choice. She ridiculed and rejected the time honored and God given rules of marriage --- choosing to live with her lover. With a baby expected, he deserted her. We have no commitment. Now she is all alone with her baby and with no help. She does not want this -- she never imagined this! Against all the advice and warnings, she made her choice. She chose disaster!
A man walks through his house empty of sound and activity. Remnants of toys and other children's clutter are here and there ---but no children. The perfume of a pretty and devoted wife lingers in the air, but there is no welcoming voice or kiss. Loneliness like a heavy fog fills the whole house --- and his heart. "What a mess! How did I ever get here?" He refuses to see the answer! -- by choice! A choice to ignore that precious family while pursuing all his grand goals -- a choice to abandon his family and be with his business associates -- a choice to add just a little extra marital fun with that alluring acquaintance. Oh, he never intended to lose his family, but he did clearly make choices. Now he has the full fruit of those choices. He chose disaster!
A man lifts up his eyes through the flames of torment. He sees Abraham and the saints of all ages ---many whom he knows ---in the distance. Anguish surrounds him like a tight garment. Thirst cries out and will not be satisfied. -- This is unbearable!-- he cries. A din of anguished cries comes from all quarters -- from the lost souls around him. One screaming voice sounds like his own. It is deafening. "How did I ever come to be in this awful place? Why is this happening to me?" Choice! Hell is chosen! No one wants to end up in hell; this man is no exception. BUT he chose -- he deliberately determined to do as he pleased. He chose to reject God's guidance and instruction. He chose what he knew was wrong; he knew the Bible well enough to know better than the way he lived. Worst of all, he chose to walk away when Jesus called. He chose to stubbornly reject the Lord's invitation for salvation. He chose that course -- he chose disaster --- eternal disaster!
How about your choices? Where are they taking you? Do you really want to go there? Are you also choosing disaster?
--Joe Fitch via Bible Comment
There is considerable confusion in the minds of many as to what constitutes a Christian. Most people seem to think that anyone who professes any degree of belief in Christ, or who makes any claim of being so, is in fact a Christian. But is that true? Is there not more involved than that?
The Bible teaches that the gospel of Christ is God's power to save (Romans 1:16). In order for a person to become a Christian, he must not only hear and believe the gospel, but he must obey it! Notice what Christ Himself said: "He that believeth (the gospel) and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). Notice the 6th chapter of the book of Romans: believers were freed from sin WHEN they obeyed from the heart the teaching they had received (verses 16-18). That teaching was the gospel, and they obeyed it by being baptized into the death of Christ, and raised from the watery grave even as He was raised by God's power (read verses 6-11). While a lot of people go to Romans 5:1 to prove that salvation is by faith only, they ignore chapter 1, verse 5, and chapter 16, verse 26, both of which speak of "obedience of faith." When one's personal faith leads him to obey the commands of Christ, i.e., the commands inherent in "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), he THEN becomes a Christian. Thus, baptism of a sincere believer is "into Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27). The "pattern" is clearly revealed in Acts 2. Please note the gospel was preached (verses 22-36), and those who believed it asked what they should do (verse 37). They were told to "repent and be baptized" by the authority of Christ, in order to receive the remission of their sins (verse 38). Those that did so (verse 41) were added to the Lord's church (verse 47), which is the body of the saved (Ephesians 5:23), and the reconciled (Ephesians 2:16).
Some object to the concept of obedience by focusing all their attention on the grace of God. Certainly a great deal of attention needs to be focused on His grace because the Bible teaches that it is "by His grace" that salvation is made possible (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:7, etc.). We would NOT minimize that for a moment, and indeed we rejoice in His grace!
But it is misleading to make the "umbrella" of God's grace so inclusive as NOT to exclude anyone! The Bible excludes those who refuse to hear and see the truth (Matthew 13:15), who refuse to believe the truth (see John 3:18, 36; and Mark 16:16), and who do NOT obey the gospel (II Thessalonians 1:8-9). And Jesus Himself taught that those who worship according to the doctrines of men do so in vain (Matthew 15:7-9).
One of the biggest problems I have with some of our brethren who have been embracing a liberal posture in recent years is their tendency to ignore such plain Bible teaching as given above in fraternizing with denominational error. These have emphasized God's grace so much that they seem to have convinced themselves God accepts everyone, regardless of false teaching. Best they re-read such passages as Romans 2:5-11, 16:17; Galatians 1:8-9; I Timothy 4:1ff; II Timothy 4:3-4; I John 4:1; II John 9-11; Revelation 2:2, 14-16, 20-25, etc.
Brethren, truth is of paramount importance! Through careful study we can know the truth (consider II Timothy 2:15; John 8:32, etc.) Let us believe the truth with all our hearts, live it daily in our lives, and preach it in love (Ephesians 4:15), working while it is day (John 9:4) in reaching out to the lost with it.
--Maxie B. Boren, via the State College Bulletin March 26, 2000
In Matt. 19:16-22, a rich young ruler came to Jesus “and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So, He said to him, ‘Why do you call e good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘“You shall not murder,” “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “Honor your father and your mother,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
There are perhaps more lessons in this passage than we can examine in one short study, but let us consider some important things.
First, the rich young ruler apparently had a concept about the Deity of Christ, yet he did not accept all the ramifications of that belief. Mark’s account tells us the young man did not only refer to Jesus as “good,” but also “knelt before Him” (Mark 10:17). Jesus’ first question to the young man was meant to make him reflect on the fact of Jesus’ Godhood. Only God is good. Did you really mean it when you called Me good? Did you really mean it when you knelt before Me? The context brings out that even though the young man mentally acknowledged Jesus’ Deity, paid lip service to His goodness, and bowed his knee to Jesus, he was not willing to bow his life to the Lord. The faith that was in his head did not translate into a faithfulness in service and obedience. After the conversation was over, the young man went away unfulfilled and sorrowful. He had just enough faith to be miserable; not enough to bring joy and everlasting life.
It might be noted that in the Lord’s question, “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus was not denying His own Deity. He was simply asking the young man if he were willing to make application in his life of the profession he had made with his lips. As the young man knelt before Jesus, Jesus did not admonish him to get up, but accepted the young man’s worship, as He had accepted that of numerous others before him. See Matt. 14:33; John 20:28, etc. Throughout the Scriptures, good men and angels refused to be worshipped, admonishing all to “worship God” (Rev. 19:10; Acts 10:25-26, etc.). Jesus allowed and encouraged men to worship Him, thus He made an unmistakable claim to Deity.
–CRJ
This is a story about a little girl who, on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said,"Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me."The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?"The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" "Yes, that's true," the mother replied. "He also said that God lives within us. Is that true too?"Again the mother replied, "Yes.""Well," said the girl, "If God is bigger than us, and He lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"
Read this again......... and Think.
--From JokeDuJour via Tim Smith