He Who Conceals His Sins Does Not Prosper
(Kent Heaton)
"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13) Man has the knowledge to discern between right and wrong. In the garden of Eden when man rebelled against the law of God by eating the forbidden fruit, they knew they had sinned. "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8) Man has been trying to hide his sin from God since the beginning.
The wise man exposes the failure of man to hide anything from God. Many have tried to hide their sins to no avail. Cain killed his brother Abel and acted as if nothing had happened. (Genesis 4) When God instructed Saul to destroy the Amalekites, Saul decided to save the best of the sheep and oxen and spared the life of king Agag. Samuel, the prophet, confronted Saul about his disobedience and told him he had rebelled against the law of God. Because of his sin, God rejected Saul as king. (1 Samuel 15:22)
Job referred to Adam trying to hide from God in Job 31:33 and the futility of it. David sinned with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah by his command. The baby conceived from adultery was born and David went about his life trying to hide his sin. He did not prosper as Nathan came and told him his sin and the penalty. (2 Samuel 11,12) In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira tried to get some money past the apostles. They fell dead for their sin.
Sin cannot be hidden from God. As Jonah sought to hide from God, men seek to hide their sins from the Almighty - to no avail.
"You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance." (Psalm 90:8) "For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14)The answer to sin is given in our text. Sin must be recognized and removed from our lives. Mercy can only be given to those who do not seek to hide their sins from God. To prosper in life and in our relationship with God, we must fully recognize our need to implore for mercy in the face of a loving but just God. Sin cannot be forgotten nor blamed on others. Men seek to hide sin by letting time go by where others will forget. God does not forget and requires sin to be confessed and forsaken. Mercy will only be given to those who acknowledge as David in Psalm 51 -
"For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight." (Vv3,4)Sin must be forsaken. God does not accept our confession on the basis that we still engage in such activity and then gain mercy again and again - in the face of our rebellion. Forsaking the sin is to turn away from it and allow it to no longer be a part of my life.
"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:8) "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)What a wonderful gift of mercy God gives to those who do not seek to hide their sin. The heart recognizes that confession is the removal of the blight of sin from soul. Forsaking the sin will not allow its evil influence again to cause us to sin. Mercy is given as we find the true prosperity in serving God.
If Anyone Does Not Love The Lord Jesus Christ
(Kent Heaton)
In the final words of Paul’s letter to the church of God at Corinth, he sends greetings of exhortation and comfort from different people and names some who refreshed his spirit. In a letter filled with stern warnings and hope for redemption, he writes: "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!" (1 Corinthians 16:22)
The use of the word "accursed" is the Greek word, "anathema." It is used six times in the New Testament (Acts 23:14 - ‘vow’; Romans 9:3; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 16:22; Galatians 1:8,9) It gives the meaning of " a person or a thing doomed to destruction," in our text. Paul has written to Corinth and said, "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, he is doomed to destruction." The impact of this statement is far reaching to consider in being found faithful before God.
The price of discipleship is given by Jesus in Matthew 10:37 - "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and h e that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." There can be no hope of salvation is one does not put Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. John writes in John 14:15,21,23 - "If ye love me, keep my commandments ... He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him ... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
If a person does not keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, he does not love the Lord. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, they are doomed to destruction. Paul establishes again the foundation of our relationship with Jesus Christ. In his first letter to Corinth, Paul is dealing with very serious problems confronted by the saints. His authority is resting upon the acceptance of the word of God. There were changes that needed to take place in Corinth or the candlestick would be removed. The brethren needed to end their carnality, their rebellion of the word of God and show their love for Jesus Christ by following His will.
The supper of the Lord had become a mockery and Paul admonished them to examine themselves properly concerning these matters. Change needed to take place and that could only be done by the love they had for Jesus Christ. The women of Corinth were causing an uproar and Paul settled the question with the authority of Jesus Christ. Some at Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and this problem needed to be addressed. In all these problems faced by the church, the foundation of change was rooted upon the statement: "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed."
Loving the Lord is to love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Loving the Lord is to follow His will. (Matthew 7:21-23) To show our love for the Lord we must show our love to others. (1 John 4:7-11) "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." (1 John 5:1) Paul states a simple fact: Love the Lord!
The reality of not loving the Lord or following His will or not showing love to one another or being born of God is: doomed to destruction. If a person does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, he cannot be saved! If a person believes any other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ, he will be doomed to destruction. (Galatians 1:8,9) Do you love the Lord? Are you doing His will? Do you show love to one another? Are you born of God? (John 3:5,6; 1 Peter 1:22,23; 3:21)
And They Took Him Down From The Cross
(Kent Heaton)
They had seen His power by the signs and wonders He performed and witnessed His deep compassion for all people as He fed them, healed them, nurtured them and taught them as no one had ever taught before. He was a man who touched the lives of everyone He met. Some would have their lives changed forever and live for Him until death. Others would mock Him and find everything within their power to destroy Him. In the multitudes of disciples who walked with Him in life and fled from Him in death, stood two men who found the courage to stand for Jesus in His final hour of need.
The Roman courts had completed its task of bringing to conclusion the life of the Son of God. He had been cruelly treated and physically abused. The soldiers had spit upon Him, mocked Him, placed a crown of thorns on His head, beat him and then nailed His body to a rough slab of wood. Lifting Him up between the world He came to save and the world from whence He came, the Son of God hung bleeding and tormented on the cross. The world of man had done its worse. The furor calmed down as the people sat and watched Him there. He gasped his final breath crying out to His Father that He was coming home ... and then He died.
The body bled great drops of blood from the back where man had beat Him. The hands curled up in the death grip of blood and agony as the spikes of iron held Him to the cross. His feet also stayed fast upon the cross with nails piercing the precious flesh of God’s Son. From His side came forth blood and water as it flowed down His body and spilt upon the ground. From a distance the heart of a mother gazed upon the precious body of her dear Son that she knew to be the Son of God. She saw how ravaged His body had become and the depths of man’s inhumanity to man.
The camera now turns to a man who was a councillor of honorable estate, a good and righteous man who had not consented to the counsel of death upon Jesus. He witnessed the events of that day as he too was a disciple of Jesus and looked for the kingdom. He had been a disciple of Jesus in secret but now he would become a disciple who was not ashamed of His Lord. His name was Joseph from Arimathaea and he decided that someone must do something with the body of Jesus. With great courage he inquired to Pilate if he - yes he - could take the body of Jesus and care for it. Pilate granted his request and the process of taking Jesus from the cross began.
The lifeless body of Jesus hung upon the cross. The soldiers removed the cross from where it stood and laid it upon the ground. Prying the nails from his hands and his feet, the limp body of Jesus was free from cruel punishment of men. His body was lifted upon a wooden stretcher and carried Him away from the place of crucifixion. In a place unknown, two men gathered to make final preparations of the body. Nicodemus (who came to Jesus by night) brought about 100 pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Along with Joseph, they began to clean the body of Jesus.
With each stroke of the hand, they took away the blood and the water that flowed from his body. In gentle tones they cleaned His body and began to wrap His flesh with fine linen and paste of the aromatic mixture. They gazed upon the face of He who called Himself the Son of God - eyes closed in death, voice now silent, hands folded in slumber - Jesus of Nazareth was dead. They laid Him gently in the tomb and sealed it with a great stone. When the Sabbath was past, they would return and finish their work. They need not bother - Sunday was coming!
The Birth Of Jesus Was On This Wise
(Kent Heaton)
No one living today was present when Jesus was born. The birth of Jesus is not a historical event as man considers history. When He was born, no historian wrote down the information about a baby being born in Bethlehem to a poor family from Nazareth. The only knowledge we have of His birth is by the inspired word of God. There are no witnesses to His birth living today so we must rely upon other sources for our information. All that is written about the birth of Jesus is found in Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-2:21.
God has chosen the amount of information given about His will. The story of Creation is so complex and yet so brief. Many places in scripture only give a glimpse of the information wished for to a greater knowledge. The conclusion reached by a study of God's word is that all that is revealed is revealed for one purpose: to reveal the Son of God in His power.
The birth of Jesus is a story that little detail is given. We have the scriptures of the Old Testament that talk of the coming of the Messiah. We have only a brief part of Jesus' whole life. The record tells of the announcement made to Joseph and Mary of the coming of their son. Matthew and Luke record His birth and early days as the family fled to Egypt. Except for a few days when Jesus was twelve years old, we have little or no information about the first thirty-three years of His life.
It is striking that what we know about Jesus contains about three years. Of the greatest gift given to man as He became flesh and dwelt among us, only a very small portion is revealed by God. Two of the Gospel writers do not mention the birth of Jesus (Mark & John). In writing the Acts of the Apostles, Luke (who mentioned quite a bit about His birth in his Gospel) fails to mention the birth of Jesus. In the writings of Paul, Peter, John and others - the birth of Jesus is never mentioned in any detail. The early disciples - among which was Mary, the mother of Jesus - never mention the birth of Jesus.
What we do know about the birth of Jesus is that He was born in Bethlehem in a manger. Joseph and Mary had come to Bethlehem to be registered for the census when Mary's time came to give birth. Finding no room in the inn, they took refuge a place for the keeping of animals. Jesus was put in a manger at His birth. Shepherds came and visited Mary and Joseph and heaven burst forth in joyous praise. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and presented to the temple after 40 days (in accordance with the law of Moses).
Jesus grew to be a toddler and wise men from the East came to visit him. They inquired and found Jesus and the family living in a house. (Matthew 2) Herod, the king, tried to kill Jesus and the family fled to Egypt until the death of Herod. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth where Jesus grew into manhood. Matthew and Luke record these events as God preserved them for us today.
The birth of Jesus is on this wise: He was not born December 25 - the Catholic Church determined this as the birth of Christ with no basis of scripture. Christ was never in Christmas unless one practices Catholicism and rejects the Bible as true. The wise men (the Bible does not say how many there were nor their names ... again a Catholic doctrine) never visited Jesus in the manger. The Bible in no place - Old or New - establishes a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Does it really make a difference? If not, then nothing else in the Bible makes a difference either.
The birth of Jesus is on this wise: the focus of the New Testament is upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We find command to celebrate and remember - upon the first day of the week - every first day. Hallelujah Christ arose!
(Kent Heaton)
As the dawn of a new millennium breaks and mankind ushers in a new year, a new century and another thousand years, questions arise to whom should be recognized as the person who has had the most impact on humanity. Many noble men and women are nominated for their character of goodness, wisdom, achievement and even some because of their evil and destructive lives. However the only choice that can be made has been made since the world began - Jesus Christ.
The irony of men looking for the one individual who embodies the spirit of the ages can be found each day we write down the date. The day that I am writing this piece is Tuesday, December 28, 1999. The year 1999 is based upon the life of a man born of a poor family from the city of Nazareth in a land called Palestine. His birth was most obscure in the history of man as he was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. The whole of the Roman Empire could not kill him nor the power and influence of the Jewish nation destroy him.
He lived for only thirty-three years on the earth and of those years, only three are completely known. He was a teacher of men and never rose to any office in life. His life was filled with controversy and contradiction to the ideas of men of his day. This was
"Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know." (Acts 2:22)The great celebration that will take place to usher in the year 2000 is a continual proclamation that Jesus Christ is still the man of the ages. It is His life that the years are based. The life of a poor carpenter from Palestine is how men gauge their lives today. How could one life so change the world and so influence the way men march through time? The answer is the reality of His influence and power from time beginning.
The apostle Paul declared to the unlearned men of Athens,
"God ... has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, `For we are also His offspring.'" (Acts 17:26-28) As hard as men try to "kick against the goad," Jesus Christ is still the man of the ages through the power of the Father. Every year declares Jesus Christ to be the son of God.We can see the keeping of time is from God. The hours and minutes and seconds that lead us to the new year is based upon God's design.
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.'" (Genesis 1:14) In creation, Jesus provides man with the ability to keep time. His life divided the calendar of men to establish forever his preeminence as the man of the ages.Man will try to find someone to be the person of all time. No one will ever take the place of Jesus Christ. His word still lives today as it has for 2000 years - unchanged. His message remains the same today as it has for 2000 years - unchanged.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) No man can take that claim. Each time you write the date you proclaim the power of the life of Jesus Christ. "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30,31)