Each week, Pastor
spends a lot of time in study of the Bible and prayer; searching for God’s
message for his flock. During this time, he also prepares a Sunday School
lesson, a Wednesday night Prayer Meeting lesson and a takes care of all his
other duties at the Church and School. He then throws in a tremendous amount of
time visiting, counseling and soul-winning. Then, in those spare moments; he
prepares a reflective message for the Sunday Morning Bulletin. This page
contains the text of this week’s “Pastor’s Corner” and links to prior “Pastor’s
Corners.” I will make every effort to update this page weekly. Please pray for
Pastor that God will continue to bless him and give him the guidance and
strength to do this task.
Index
of prior week’s Pastor’s Corners
Back to
First Baptist Church of Quartz Hill home page
This Week’s Pastor’s Corner
January 20, 2001
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5. Taken out of
context, it would seem that this might be making excuses for sin. Hey, Lord,
even though I am saved, what can you expect from someone who was shapen in
iniquity and conceived in sin?
I don’t recall ever reading once where
David made excuses for sin. His solution was not to make excuses for the shape
he was in, but to make confessions to get out of the shape he was in.
Adam, on the other hand, made a
ridiculous excuse, blaming first God, then Eve. We hear Adam saying “…the
woman thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat.” (Genesis 3:12). We see how far that went with God. He not
only punished Adam, but all mankind.
Do you
need to get out of the shape you’re in? Making excuses for sin will only bring
more misery to your life. Admit your wrongdoing, forsake it. God is merciful
and just to forgive a contrite heart.
Yours in Service,
Pastor Yancey
Standing on the Promises of
God
When you need God’s protection: Proverbs 3:13 Proverbs 18:10 I Peter 3:13
2002 Pastor’s Corners
January 6, 2002 January 20, 2001
2001 Pastor’s Corners
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January 20, 2001
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5. Taken out of
context, it would seem that this might be making excuses for sin. Hey, Lord,
even though I am saved, what can you expect from someone who was shapen in
iniquity and conceived in sin?
I don’t recall ever reading once where
David made excuses for sin. His solution was not to make excuses for the shape
he was in, but to make confessions to get out of the shape he was in.
Adam, on the other hand, made a
ridiculous excuse, blaming first God, then Eve. We hear Adam saying “…the
woman thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat.” (Genesis 3:12). We see how far that went with God. He not
only punished Adam, but all mankind.
Do you need to get out of the shape
you’re in? Making excuses for sin will only bring more misery to your life.
Admit your wrongdoing, forsake it. God is merciful and just to forgive a
contrite heart.
January 6, 2002
How can we know that we are children
of God? Romans 8:16 tells us, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our Spirit, that we are the children of God.” “Oh, come on,” you might say,
“you have to be more specific than that. The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak to man
audibly in these times.” You’re right, he doesn’t. But Paul also wrote in verse
14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Now, let’s see. God’s Spirit bears
witness with our spirit, and we are led by that Spirit. This means that God
leads me as I read this Bible. It also means that God leads me as I hear the
preaching and teaching of His Word. Then, if God is leading, and I am
following, I must be led by His Spirit.
On the other hand: If God’s Word
enters my ear-gate and my eye-gate, and I discount it, I am being led of the
flesh, the world, or the devil. In that case, James says I am a self-deceiver (James
1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hears only, deceiving your
own selves.”). So, who is leading your life today? God’s Spirit, your
flesh, the world, or the devil?
2001
December 30, 2001
In John, chapter three, we find
Nicodemus coming to Jesus to commend Him for His knowledge and abilities.
Jesus, knowing Nicodemus’ need, told him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
Nicodemus needed to be saved in order
to see the kingdom of God. Being saved is the eye-opener, but many who have had
their eyes opened are still looking in the wrong direction.
I believe that men and women, boys and
girls get saved and still do not see the kingdom. When one sees the kingdom of
God, there is a visible renewal in that life. The Word becomes precious; service
for God becomes an addiction; the love of God begins to blossom in your life
that all may see. Is that you? If not, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness…” (Matthew 5:33a). You will be amazed at the
difference it will make in your life!
December 23, 2001
This
holiday should be more precious for Christians than it is for the world,
because we celebrate the birth of the One who was born to die that we may live.
That is a tremendous sacrifice, but not the only sacrifice that was made by
God.
Try this analogy: You are a
wealthy king. There is a species of worms (let’s say maggot) that should be
exterminated, but you are a compassionate kind and you would rather they be
cleaned up and live. You can accomplish this task, but only if you allow your
only child to be transformed into one of those worms for thirty-three years,
then, after much abuse to be crushed. Think about it. Think about your child.
Think about your child being transformed into a maggot. Think of
your child dying a horrible death so that all these maggots may live.
In God’s sight, we are worms (Job
25:6; Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 41:14). Yet, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us…” “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John
1:14a; 3:16. Let us thank God for the Christ-child; not with our lips, but
with our lives.
December 16, 2001
Procrastination is one of humanity’s greatest enemies. When practiced in the life of the Christian, it becomes an enemy of the cross. “I’m going to start being more faithful in church attendance very soon.” Have you heard that one? To the procrastinator, soon seldom arrives. “We’re going to start tithing and giving offerings as soon as we can afford it.” You can never afford to until you start. “You know, I am going to help out around the church house as soon as I find out what I’m good at.” You’ll never find out until you try it. “Maybe I will start tomorrow.”
All I can say to these promises is,
“Yeah; right!” Tomorrow just never seems to get here. Every time you think it
has arrived, it turns out to be today all over again. Convenient times are just as elusive. James writes, “Whereas
ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a
vapor, that appeareth for a little while, and then vanishes away.” James
4:14
Don’t let your chance to serve God slip away through procrastination. Even more important: don’t let your eternity in heaven slip away through procrastination. Have you been to Jesus in repentance and called upon Him to save you and take you to heaven when your life here is finished? Why not today? Today is the accepted time of salvation, for tomorrow never comes.
December 9, 2001
Considering the birth of Jesus, as we are
in this month, we find two linkages between King David and Jesus, the Christ
child. One of these is in Matthew 1:1-17 and the other in Luke
3:23-38. A close look at these linkages reveal that they are different.
“Why,” some ask, “is the lineage described by Luke different from the lineage
described by Matthew?” One lineage is that parental lineage, and the other is
the maternal lineage of Joseph.
Both Matthew and Luke link Jesus to
King David. Therefore, there can be no question that Jesus is successor to the
throne of Israel. Luke, however, lists Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam.
This sets the precedence for His worldwide rule.
This means that He is your King. If He
doesn’t rule your life today in love, He will rule it one day in wrath. He has
left the decision up to you. Will you come to Him today? “behold, now is the
accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2b
November 11, 2001
To the church of Laodicea
(prophetically speaking, the church of this age) Jesus said, “So then
because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my
mouth.” Revelation 3:16
“Why,” I have asked myself, “would Jesus want a Christian to be cold?” I have finally realized that Jesus does not want cold Christians. He is implying here that He would rather we be cold, lost sinners with a chance of being saved and becoming useful, or that we would be hot Christians, fervent to serve Him, than to be a worthless lukewarm Christian, of no value to Him or to ourselves.
Like the prophet of old, Jonah, the
lukewarm Christian will someday hit the beach in a pile of bile. Will you be a
Jonah, and hit the beach running toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus? Or, will you be content to remain lukewarm and
curl up in the warm vomit of indifference?
November 4, 2001
“Hereby perceive we the love
of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren.” I John 3:16
Our brethren know that we love by the
same sign that we know that God loves us: that we lay down our lives for them.
When was the last time you saw a Christian die to save another Christian? Not
lately? I never saw a Christian die to save another; yet, I have seen
Christians lay down their lives for their brethren.
The Lord wants us to forego our
desires and sometimes even our needs to see that our Christian brethren have a more
abundant life.
Now, let me ask, when was the last
time you laid aside your desires, or even your rights in order to help some
Christian brother or sister? Others perceive your love for them the same way we
perceive God’s love for us. Do the brethren have cause to believe that you
sincerely love them?
October 14, 2001
We know that there are those who will do anything they can to defame Christianity and the Christ to whom we belong. We could probably get together an anti-defamation league as other groups and religions have, but that would not change the hearts of the perpetrators. We would still be hated by those who hate our God.
So, what is the solution? God writes,
through Paul, “Having a good conscience; that whereas they speak evil of
you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good
conversation in Christ.” I Peter 3:16
Yes, no matter how good you are, Satan
has henchmen looking to use anything they can against the living God. Paul
tells us that our best defense is a good conscience as well as a good
testimony. He also says they will be ashamed. Let us just make sure that it is them
and not us who are ashamed after all is said and done.
Do unbelievers see Christ in you, or
are you caught up in the vices of the world and their father, the devil? Everything
you do should please your Father in heaven.
October 7, 2001
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
James, writing of worldly wisdom, indicates
that envy and strife are the fruit of that type of wisdom. The he points out
that from these come confusion and evil works. Whether it be in the home, the
work place, or in your church, this holds true.
Homes are unstable because husbands
and wives are relying upon the wisdom of this world (sensual, beastly wisdom)
to settle differences. Godly wisdom generates gentleness and is easily
entreated, causing anger to dissipate.
Often our workplaces are filled with
disorder, especially in the lower echelons. This can be attributed to worldly
wisdom telling us that people in authority are not as qualified as we are.
Therefore, we try to make them look bad in the eyes of the upper echelon.
What about our churches? When envy and
strife arise, so does every evil work. This reaches the nostrils of our Father
in heaven as a foul stench.
Let us seek Godly wisdom (James 3:17)
and enjoy a life of purity; peaceableness; gentleness; mercy; and all good
fruit, and the Lord will prevail.
September 23, 2001
Probably one of the most
important passages in the Bible is II Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:” It is also one of the most
ignored passages.
Many mainline churches of our day do
not believe that the Bible is the God-breathed Word. Others believe it is profitable
for doctrine as long as it lines up with what their church teaches. Christian
society, for the most part, believes it is profitable for reproof only where it
is “politically correct.” Too many parents believe it is profitable for
correction except when it requires them to spank their child. As for
instruction in righteousness, even masses of so-called “Bible-believing”
Christians reject this truth.
Preachers who preach the Word from the
pulpit often experience positive verbal response, but the hearers continue to
live life the way that seems right to them. It is dangerous for a Christian to
continue this way of life. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25.
It is right to compare the preacher’s
message with the scripture, but it is dangerous to think, “Well, I just
disagree with the preacher” and continue to ignore his messages.
What are you doing with the spoken
Word? Are you comparing it to the written Word, or just continuing in your
sins?
August 26, 2001
“Nevertheless, whereto we
have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same
thing.” Philippians
3:16
When your spiritual strength wanes,
walk on! When you have to walk alone, walk on! When obstacles of temptation
fall across the path, walk on! When the weights of life are heavy, lay them
aside, and walk on! When sin pursues you, walk on! No matter what, keep
pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus! When you walk according to God’s rule, you can walk on!!!
August 12, 2001
“Now to Abraham and his seed were the
promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to
thy seed, which is Christ.” Galatians 3:16
We know that whatever seed we plant, it will produce manifold. Sometimes that is a great blessing, and sometimes a tremendous curse. It all depends upon what seed we planted. This Scripture tells us that Christ is our seed. He was planted, and three days later He sprang forth to become the greatest producing Vine of al time.
That Vine, Jesus Christ, has been
producing righteous men, women, and children for over 2,000 years. He produced
8,000 almost immediately, and the number increases more and more with the
passing of time. We don’t reproduce. We pollinate by bringing others to the
Vine for Him to change into righteousness.
Is Christ your seed? Has He brought
you from the pollen of unrighteousness to the branch of righteousness? If not,
come to Him, and He will give you the promise of immortality!
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Romans 3:16. Our 3:16 for this week just happens to contain
the same basic message as last Sunday night’s charge to the teen campers. We
know that the Spirit of God dwells in us! Or, do we? We know that we are,
therefore, the temple of God. Or, do we?
Let us compare our body (God’s temple)
to our houses. Whether we rent or own our house, we are in charge of everything
that goes on in that house. As Christians, are we prone to allow sinful
activities into our houses? Would we allow intruders from the outside world to
enter into the doors of our houses without opposition? Would we adorn our
houses with things that glorify Satan?
Why, then, do we bring sinful
activities into the temple of God? Why do we allow the world to intrude into
the eye-gate, and the ear-gate of God’s temple? Why do we adorn God’s temple
(our bodies) with apparel that would cause others to entertain sinful thoughts
when they look upon us?
Let’s get it right. That body does not
belong to you and me. It is owned by God to glorify God. Who is glorified by
the things you do and wear?
Decisions in life are not made intelligently
by flipping a coin. We conscientiously “turn” the coin of decision to the side
we desire. The two sides of life’s coin are illustrated in Romans chapter
three. The coin at birth was “tails up.” If we remain in that “upside down”
condition, Romans 3:16 is our due, “Destruction and misery are in
their ways:”
We can, however, turn that coin “heads
up;” not through obedience to God’s law, but by obedience to the Gospel of
God’s grace. “But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;” (Romans 3:21.)
We turn the coin “right side up” when we put our trust in Christ Jesus; “Even
the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe…” (Romans 3:22a.)
Decisions, however, do not end there.
For the born again believer, there is still heads (God’s side) or tails, the
side of misery. A Christian who does not obey God lives in misery. If
“destruction and misery” seem to be the way of life for you, turn that coin
“heads up” today by placing your trust in the finished work of Christ upon the
cross of Calvary!
Acts 3:16, “And his name through faith in his name
hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him
hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Peter and John had passed by a lame man who
was begging alms. Peter commanded the man to rise up and walk.
Immediately, the crowds swarmed about
Peter, thinking him to be a miracle worker. He could have accepted the credit
and become famous and popular. Once he had done so, however, he would have had
his reward of man, as many “preachers” of our day have done. Peter, being a
faithful servant of the Lord, chose to give God the glory, telling his admirers
that it was by the name of Jesus and faith in that name that this man was
healed.
Every time we give God the glory for
using us, He records that deed in heaven. Therefore, we should take credit for
nothing here on earth, and God will reward us in heaven.
Just prior to the baptism of Jesus by John,
the people had begun wondering whether John was the Christ. In Luke 3:16
we see, “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with
water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not
worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:” John
was, of course, speaking of the Christ of our salvation.
This verse has been taken out of
context by some Christians to indicate that Jesus baptizes born again believers
with fire. It is true that we should be “on fire” for Christ because He did so
much for us. But, the baptism of fire is reserved for those who reject
the saving grace that Jesus brought to us.
This truth is born out in the next
verse: “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and
will gather the wheat into his garner (those that are saved); but the
chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.”
If you have received the baptism of the Holy
Ghost, Christ will never baptize you with the eternal fire. If, on the other
hand, you do not receive Christ as your Saviour, He will baptize you with
that fire. What will it be for you? Examine yourself today!
“Like a rock!” How many times have we heard
that on commercials concerning Chevy trucks? GM is saying that Chevy trucks are
more solid than any other truck on the market. This may, or may not be true.
That is just a saying of man, and all men are liars according to the Scripture.
However, when Jesus says you are like a rock: you are like a rock!
Mark states in Mark 3:16, “And Simon he surnamed Peter.” There
was another Simon in the twelve, the son of Alphaeus. Do you recall what Jesus
called him? He called him “Simon.”
Jesus considered the future service of
these two men and named one “Rock.” How do you suppose the other felt? By the
way, one of the disciples named “James” was called “Son of Thunder.” How do you
suppose Jesus’ own brother, James felt?
When you accepted Christ as your
Saviour, what do you suppose He named you, as He considered your service to
Him?
“How important is baptism?” you may ask. It
is so important that Jesus saw need to be baptized prior to commencing His
earthly ministry. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out
of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:” Matthew 3:16
God the Father sent the Holy Spirit to
empower Jesus’ ministry immediately after the baptism. In the next verse (Matthew
3:17) God the Father professed Jesus to be the very Son of God. Then Jesus
began His ministry with the temptations of Satan.
What a sequence! Would to God that we
could all start that way! Most Christians start this way: the profession of the
new birth; the Spirit of God indwells; baptism; Satan tempts; and the Christian
quits!
“Then they that feared the Lord spake
often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of
remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that
thought upon his name.” Malachi 3:16
The previous verse (3:15) alludes to those who are
proud (the first on God’s list of abominations.) Yes, they often seem to be
happier than those who practice righteousness. But we can thank the Lord for
verse 16. God writes their names in the book of remembrance! Are you in God’s
book of remembrance? You aren’t sure? Well here is the checklist!
Do you fellowship often in the Lord? Does the Lord
hearken to you with pleasure when you talk to one another? Do you revere the
Lord above all else? Are your thoughts stayed upon our Saviour? If you have
made a heartfelt profession of Christ as your Saviour and your answers were
“Yes,” you are in God’s book of remembrance!
If, however, your answers were, “Sometimes” or “No,”
you had better check on your salvation before Christ calls the church home.
“In that day it shall be said to
Jerusalem, Fear not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.” Spoke the prophet in Zephaniah
3:16. Although this is a prophecy concerning Israel, it is today an
admonition to the church of God. We do not have to wait. Our day is here.
God says, “Fear thou not.” We are
chocked today with the fears of the world; power, water, transportation,
ecology, nuclear threats, national conspiracies, and even conspiracies within
Christianity. These are things for the world to fear. You and I are safe in the
hands of God. Let’s forget the fear and get our hands busy for Jesus.
Instead of sitting around looking for
things to be afraid of, we should have busy hands. Knock on doors and present
the gospel. Go into the highways and present the gospel. Go into the highways
and hedges and compel them to come to church that God’s house may be filled.
Pass tracts out at the gas station, the store, the Laundromat, the restaurant,
send tracts with your bills, and lay tracts around everywhere. Get the
word out before it is everlastingly too late.
“When I heard, my belly trembled; my
lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered my bones, and I trembled in
myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble…” Habbakkuk 3:16. God had manifested His majesty in delivering His people. We see
here the effect it had upon His prophet.
We long for rest in times of trouble,
and we wonder where our God is. We can’t see the majestic intervention that
Habbakkuk saw. We might even pray, “God, please, give me rest in my day of
trouble!” and there is no help.
Habbakkuk had the key. To recognize
the key, let’s reconstruct Habbakkuk 3:16. That he might rest in the day
of trouble, when he heard the majesty of God in His delivering, 1). his belly
trembled; 2). his lips quivered; 3). rottenness entered into his bones; and 4).
he trembled in himself.
The key to rest in God is to fear God.
The amount of rest we have in God is proportionate to the amount of reverence
we have for God. Reverence His presence with your heart. Reverence His Word
with your mind. Reverence His house with your appearance. Then, the rest you
seek shall be found.
May
13, 2001
Nahum 3:16. “Thou has multiplied thy merchants
above the stars of heaven: The cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.”
It had been about 149 to 150 years since the
prophet Jonah had preached the great revival in Nineveh, and that city had
gotten her heart right. Now, the lust of the flesh again overcame the spirit,
and Nineveh had turned to greed. Profits had drowned out the words of the
prophets, and Nineveh was a booming city of tradesmen.
It would seem, here, that Nineveh had
heaped to herself many things, which caused them to put God at the bottom of
the line on her list of priorities. The result was that the devourer had
stepped in and left Nineveh empty-handed.
Is there anything in your life today,
which causes Christ to take a “back seat?” Let this pastor warn you, Jesus is
coming for the church. When He gives the shout, “Come up hither!!” you are
going to wish that you had obeyed the first and great commandment, “Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:6.
May
6, 2001
What can shake your hope? Is it the ravages
of natural disasters? Perhaps it is the violence of today’s society. Is it the
fear of a government that seems to be turning on her people?
The Scriptures have forewarned of
these things. Realize that though the elements melt and the heaven rage; it is
our Savior that roars, and the heavens obey His voice. The earth shakes at the
sound of His voice. But as for His people, He is our hope, and none can thwart
that hope. He is our strength, and we can do all things through Him. He is our
Solid Rock, and we can stand upon the Rock, unshaken in hope.
The Lord shall roar out of Zion,
and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake:
but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of Israel.” Joel
3:16
April
29, 2001
Daniel 3:16, “Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednago answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to
answer thee in this manner.”
These three Hebrew children had been ordered
to worship a golden image. In refusing to do so they were in violation of a law
imposed by the king. The king was now giving them a second chance with the
penalty of the furnace hanging over their heads if they refused. We notice here
that they basically told the king they were not going to obey the king’s law.
The result was, of course, that they were cast into the furnace. We know the
story of their divine deliverance.
When the laws of the land do not
conflict with God’s law, we should do our best to obey. When there is a
conflict, however, we are to obey God’s law, and leave the results up to God. God
will deliver us. And if He chooses not to do so, His choice will be right for
us.
Obey God; not man.
April
22, 2001
“And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that
the word of the Lord came unto me, …” Ezekiel 3:16
The Word of the Lord is the food of God’s sheep. It
goes something like this: Sunday school is the appetizer; morning service is
the soup or salad; evening service is the main course; and midweek service is
the dessert.
When I eat, I like to have the full meal. However,
if I have to skip anything, I would have to choose from the appetizer, the soup
or salad, or the dessert: or perhaps all of these for the opportunity to eat
the main course. It would be foolish of me to turn down the main course,
because that’s where the real nourishment is found.
God’s main course comes to us on Sunday evening.
That consists of the Word of God dealing directly with our hearts rather than
our minds. If our heart is not nourished in the Word of God, all the Sunday
school, evangelistic preaching and Bible study will profit us nothing.
It
has been said that man can do anything he wants to do. If we miss a
portion of God’s meal, it means we didn’t want the Word of God. When the
church doors open, BE THERE!
Isaiah 3:16, “Moreover the Lord saith,
because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and
wanton eyes, walking with mincing as they go, and making tinkling with their
feet:” The Lord has described, in this passage, women of Zion (God’s people
of the old and new Testaments), who are walking proudly in sin.
These women are haughty (proud). They
are rebellious with their “stretched forth necks.” With their “wanton eyes”
they flirt, causing men to lust after them. They attract men with their
carnally delightful walk.
Christian men need to be careful where
their eyes find rest (Matthew 5:28). Christian women, however, need to be even
more careful how they dress and act. You need to know beyond a shadow of doubt
that you are not inciting men to lust.
My personal thanks to the ladies of
our congregation who dress like ladies in feminine, loose-fitting,
flesh-covering garments, and act like ladies.
Christians
have a choice whether to function using godly wisdom or the wisdom of the world.
We know that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God (I Cor. 3:9.)
Therefore, let us look into the advantages of operating in godly wisdom.
Proverbs
3:16 explains,
in just a few brief words, the personal gain we might expect.
1.
“Length of days is in her hand…” Living in godly wisdom assures us longer life.
2.
“and in her left hand riches…” If we will
exercise godly wisdom in our finances, God promises us riches.
3.
“and honour.” Yes, using godly wisdom in
dealing with others results in procuring honor amongst our fellow men.
So,
if we would have a longer life, better finances, and enjoy honor to our name,
we must lay aside worldly wisdom and put on godly wisdom. This is found only in
God’s Word.
Nehemiah
3:16 reads,
“After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of
Bethzur, unto the place over the sepulchers of David, and to the pool that was
made, and unto the house of the mighty.” Nehemiah of Azbuk was assigned to
rebuild the wall, which protected the City of David, the water tunnel of
Hezekiah and the house of the mighty. Much credit is given here to one man. As
a matter of fact, he was given more credit in the Scriptures than any other
builder of the wall.
At
first glance, we might assume this was the same man who initiated the work upon
the wall of Jerusalem. This, however, is not the case. This Nehemiah came out
of obscurity, did a work, and returned to the obscurity from which he had come.
He was to receive his reward in glory land.
It
matters not which man receives credit for a work here on earth. “For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians
2:13.
Let
us serve without seeking gratitude. Our rewards will be given us at the very
best time: God’s time in glory.
Pomegranates
played a major role in the decoration of the temple. 2 Chron. 3:16
reads, “And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of
the pillars; and he made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.”
Pomegranates adorned the highest point in the temple.
The
color of the pomegranates juice alludes to the cheeks of the blushing bride, a
sign of innocence. Innocence should adorn the top of the pillars of our lives
because you and I are the bride of Christ, but one cannot very well say that we
are the innocent, “blushing bride” in this era.
The
licentious philosophy of the world has replaced Bible philosophy in much of our
belief systems. The vulgar entertainment of the world permeates churches where
the Word of God once reigned. Our secular routines include ample time for
watching the “hellavision,” but little or no time for God in our daily lives.
Jesus
is coming soon, and He is going to preside at the judgment seat. He is going to
view us with “eyes like unto a flame of fire…” (Rev. 2:18,) and
say unto many of us, “… I have a few things against thee, because thou
sufferest that woman Jezebel…” (Rev 2:20.) We have allowed the sins
of the Jezebels of the world to pollute our very lives. Let us repent, and “…
set our affection on things above…” (Col. 3:2.)
Ask
yourself, “Am I ready for that? Am I really ready for that?”
King
Josiah, in the 600’s B.C., was a righteous king. He served God from his
ascension to the throne at the age of eight years until his death. Josiah destroyed
idolatry and restored the house of God. He re-established public Bible reading
and renewed the covenant between God and Israel. Yet, his child slipped through
the cracks.
Even though Josiah had named him, Jehoiakim or “Jehovah will rai