He Left The Ears For Us

Terribly wounded though counting it a joy on our behalf (Hebrews 12:2) almost every part of the Lord Jesus’ body was pierced (John 19:37) in one way or another due to our sin:

His hands and feet by nails.

His head by thorns.

His back and torso by the scourging tools.

His side by a spear.

But one point that needs to be pierced was left for us – our own ear!

Under the Law of Moses a slave who chose to stay with his or her master past the time of required service could come before the area judges and allow the master to pierce their ear thus symbolizing their willingness to live out their position in life as a lifelong servant to the master’s house (Exodus 21:6; Deuteronomy 15:17).

It’s an analogy that only goes so far since Jesus requires a lifelong servitude from the beginning but the point can still be seen that a pierced body in exchange for a pierced ear is much more than a good deal – it’s a deal that leads to an eternal home in Heaven. EA

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – NKJV)

“But now, being free from sin, and having been made servants to God, you have your fruit in that which is holy, and the end is eternal life.” (Romans 6:22 – BBE)

Changing Soil Conditions

When Jesus used the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-15 He described four different types of soil (representing the condition of the human heart) that the seed (which is God’s word - Luke 8:11) fell into. When you study some of the people in the New Testament you will find that it is possible for the soil of our heart to change.

The following people experienced some of those heart-changing conditions that Jesus described in His parable. Some of the people changed for the better and unfortunately some changed for the worse. Identify the soil that they started with and the one that they ended up with according to God’s word. Make sure you read the parable’s description of the soils and the scripture references carefully so you can choose the right answer:

THE CHOICES

Wayside (Hard Soil) – Rocky (Shallow Soil) – Thorn Filled (Cares of the world) – Good (Fruitful)

Paul: From __________ to ___________ (Acts 22:4-16)

Demas: From __________ to __________ (Philemon 1:23-24 and 2 Timothy 4:10)

Joseph of Arimathea: From __________ to __________ (John 19:38)

Ananias and Sapphira: From __________ to __________ (Acts 5:1-10)

Rich Young Ruler: From __________ to __________ (Matthew 19:16-22)

Diotrephes: From __________ to __________ (3 John 1:9-10)

The lesson has to do with our ability to either nurture the soil of our heart or to ignore it and allow it to become unmanageable. Nature teaches us that the soil conditions of the ground can change and God’s word teaches that the soil conditions of the heart can change too.

Today, God’s word is still doing exactly the same thing that it was doing when Jesus spoke the parable that has become so familiar to many people – it’s testing the soil of our heart.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

The amazing word of God never grows dormant; the word of God never fails; the word of God does exactly what it was designed to do, and the word of God shall stand forever! EA

“having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,“ (1 Peter 1:23)

Related Articles:

• A 2,000 Year Old Seed That Still Works – Keltonburg Preacher
• Lack of Planning – Forthright Magazine
• Head Knowledge vs. Heart Feelings – The Fellowship Room

THE GOD AND FATHER OF…

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;” (2 Corinthians 1:3)

Paul introduces his letter to Corinth with three references to God and these three references can teach three lessons about God to each of us.

THE FATHER OF JESUS:

Think about this one now. The virgin birth is a crucial element to the gospel of Christ. No virgin birth means no Son of God! No Son of God means no Savior! No Savior means no hope of salvation! Only the Son of Adam? Only the Son of Man? By no means! Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:14, 3:16, 8:42; Hebrews 1:1-8).

Paul does not mention Bethlehem by name, but he definitely mentions Bethlehem by proxy. The Spirit of God declared Jesus to be the Son of God in the lineage of David through the fullness of the womb of Mary and the Spirit also declared Jesus to be the Son of God through the emptiness of the tomb near Calvary (Romans 1:1-4). The Gospel does not make Jesus the Son of God – the Son of God makes the Gospel.

THE FATHER OF MERCIES:

What a blessing once disguised but now made manifest (1 Peter 1:9-12). And notice Paul says mercies. Yes, “every good and perfect gift comes down from above” (James 1:17) and mercy is definitely one of them. Zacharias proclaimed that his son John would prepare the way of the Lord and reveal that tender mercy that would send the Dayspring from on high (Luke 1:67-78).

These mercies were not only revealed through the life of Jesus on the Earth (John 14:7ff) but they are also revealed through the life of Jesus in Heaven (Ephesians 2:4-6). Mercy can be a misunderstood word and taken for granted here on Earth, but it will not be underappreciated when a person makes it to Heaven because of it.

THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT:

This is a comfort that creates and encourages a life modeled after Jesus. Without that spiritual comfort there would be no spiritual “exhale of relief” when trials are over. Comfort comes in knowing that the troubles of this life are temporary and that God has made a promise to one day take the burden of pain and heartache and replace them with healing and joy (Revelation 21:3-4). As Paul mentioned it to the Corinthians, this was without a doubt a thought that encouraged him in his goals with the gospel.

BLESSED BE GOD:

The moments in life when we see God working, building and healing are great, but the moments when we do not even realize it are truly amazing. There are times when we take the smallest blessings for granted not realizing that they are the building blocks to a strong and healthy faith. When God created the vast universe He also fathered a plan and a way into His family through His Son Jesus, through His tender mercy and through His comfort that none rivals (Ephesians 3:8-19). EA

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” (Matthew 6:8-9)

The Eyes of Christ

If a person wanted to talk about a set of eyes that saw it all, the eyes of Jesus would fit perfectly. Before His incarnation they saw the creation of the world (John 1:1-3). They saw the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:5-7). They saw Moses come to the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). And when His eyes became flesh they continued to see so much. They even saw straight into the hearts of men (Luke 6:8; Matthew 9:4). And often times those hearts saw Jesus’ compassion and mercy.

Christ’s eyes saw the true needs of mankind. On one occasion Jesus witnessed the funeral of a widow’s only son. It was a sight that brought compassion to His heart. The Bible says, “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”” (Luke 7:13)

On another occasion, preceding the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand plus, Christ was going from city to city and the crowds began to follow and the Bible says, “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)

There were times when Christ refused to turn His eyes from mercy even when everyone else refused to see it. “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”” (John 8:10-11)

The eyes of Christ saw right through and beyond the actions of men and women: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

When the enemies of Christ falsely arrested Him and held His mock trial, Luke records, “And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?”” (Luke 22:64) The enemies of Christ knew that Jesus could see beyond the physical straight through to the spiritual, but they refused to see the truth themselves. And lest we think we think we’re immune, we need to remember that He can still see us despite the blindfolds that we may try to use on Him. We need to remember that the eyes of Christ watch people even when our eyes are not looking for Him (Luke 21:1-2).

From the cross the eyes of Christ saw His mother and a beloved disciple (John 19:26). From the cross He saw the darkness because of the covered sun (Luke 23:44-45). What a contrast those two things were. But perhaps the most important contrast we see at the cross is the difference in the way that the people were looking at Jesus and the way His eyes were looking at them (Luke 23:34).

How wonderful the eyes of the Savior truly are! EA

Hell is not the Devil’s Domain

Is the prince of the world (John 14:30) the king of Hell? It seems as if many are convinced that it’s so but it’s not true.

While Satan may use many things to accomplish his destructive goal, destruction is what actually awaits him. And he knows it!

His future, along with the other angels who rebelled against the authority of Heaven (Jude 6), is dim, lit only with the fires of Hell.

When it comes to the final place of punishment, this place is prepared for the devil – it is not a place prepared by him:

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:“(Matthew 25:41).

The Devil will not rule Hell, for his presence in Hell will reveal that the Devil has been ruled by God, the Lamb and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Satan, along with any other soul who will find themselves on the wrong side of God’s wrath, will find that God’s authority exists not only over Heaven, but also over Hell itself. EA

“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

Bible Questions and Answers – Israel’s “Right” to Palestine

“Dear brother Clem: I am confused about all of the problems of Israel and the Palestinians. I have friends who tell  me that the Bible gives Israel the right to all of Palestine. Is this true?

- B.G., OH”

God made several promises to Abraham, of which the main three deal with the nation of Israel, the promised land (Canaan) and the Christ (who was to be “the seed” of Abraham). Let’s look at the promise regarding the land. “I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. And I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8). Moses later spoke of this promise to the nation of Israel, as Abraham’s descendants: “All this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever” (Exodus 32:13). But still later, Moses showed that the “forever” part of this promise was conditional.

God showed Israel that, if they did not do as He directed, the land would be taken away from them: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil … But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days in the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to posses it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed” (Deuteronomy 30:15-19). Notice that God’s promise that the land would belong to Israel was valid only as long as they served God. If they turned their backs on Him, He would allow other people to drive them from that land. And when they did turn from God, they were driven out.

After the death of Moses, God selected Joshua to be the leader of Israel. It was under his leadership that the Israelites were brought into the land of Canaan (what it now called “Palestine”). Near the close of his life, Joshua declared: “So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And Jehovah gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers; and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; Jehovah delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:43-45) Notice that last part again: “There failed not aught … All came to pass.“

Later, Joshua told Israel, “Ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof” (Joshua 23:14). Lest some should say, either then or now, that God owed the land to Israel, Joshua forcefully points out that God had kept every one of His promises. He didn’t say simply that God would keep the promises. He said He HAD kept them. All of God’s promises regarding the land of Canaan (Palestine) were fulfilled in Joshua’s lifetime. There remains no more such promises to be fulfilled today.

One Big Housing Bubble!

It has been truthfully said by some that the new sign of commitment among my age group (the millennials) isn’t a ring on the finger but rather a ring with a house key on it.

Friends, make no mistake, truthful saying or not, there’s a huge difference between being committed to a house and being committed to each other! There’s a huge difference between taking the plunge and plunging one’s self into debt.

Playing house comes with spiritual, emotional and financial bills that are real. Shacking up racks up the debt on your morality, your children and your culture. It’s a faux reality. No brick and mortar house will ever replace the stability or reliability in a relationship that a godly marriage provides (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Marital commitment replaced by a commitment to a home loan? That’s one big housing bubble that won’t do anything but burst!

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4)

Cultural Meltdown

The Western culture is a relatively short-lived mindset in terms of prosperity, government and freedom, and it seems as if we are determined to keep it that way! From the America’s to the European nations to the “Land of the Down Under” a shift is taking place of tectonic proportions. We have forgotten how the west was won!

We are more concerned about the rights of children than we are with raising them right. We are more concerned with houses than we are with homes. We are more concerned about melting icecaps than we are with melting morals. We are more concerned with giving handouts than we are with hands that do not want to work. We are more concerned with people having their freedom from religion than we are with people having freedom of religion. We are more concerned with abortion rights than we are with abortion wrongs. We are more concerned with living it up than we are with living.

According to one brother in Christ who did the math, the West doesn’t know how to be happy because we’re too worried with people being gay…those are my words not his. But his numbers did reveal that Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden have all “legalized” homosexual marriage. His research also revealed that laws allowing gay marriage have been proposed, are pending, or have already passed in at least one legislative house in Andorra, Columbia, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Nepal, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. Sadly, since he did his number crunching New Zealand actually legalized homosexual marriage too. On top of that, none of the previous examples include the nine American States (the beacon of the western culture) who have “legalized” homosexual marriages. In less than 10 years America has gone from approving none to approving homosexual marriage in nearly one out of every five states! Do you see how fast a nation and culture can fall down a slippery slope???

If our culture paid less attention to supporting faux families and more attention to supporting the types of families that build strong foundations maybe we would have to worry less about the sinkholes that are swallowing up our identity as a culture.

Unfortunately a cultural thermostat set too high on prosperity has led to cultural thermostat set too low on a spirituality that recognizes our dependence upon the one God of the heavens and the Earth. And my prayer is that the western culture would soon realize that the meltdown we are experiencing is not due to the world getting warmer – it’s due to hearts getting colder! EA

Article Update: As of April 23, 2013, the nation of France “legalized” homosexual marriages as well, and as of May 2, 2013 the American state of New Hampshire “legalized” homosexual marriages raising the percentage of American States to 20% that have done so. As of May 7, 2013 the American state of Delaware “legalized” homosexual marriages sadly raising the number of American states who openly approve of abominations to 11. As of May 13, 2013 the American state of Minnesota “legalized” homosexual marriages sadly raising the number of American states who openly approve of abominations to 12. How fast one falls down the slippery slope!

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:18-21)

Jesus Believed the Scriptures Were Infalliable and So Can You!

Confidence in the scriptures of the Bible is vital to a proper relationship with God. The world tries to shake a believer’s confidence with name calling, attempts to take verses out of context and by ignoring the fact that there are times when people have made bad translations that ignore the original languages and manuscripts that tie our modern English Bible with the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages of the past.

When moments of sarcastic remarks or “intellectual” ignorance are blasted at the scriptures, one person that I keep in mind to settle the issue is Jesus. Despite His contemporary naysayers who abused the scriptures through tradition, erroneous translations and plain old unbelief, Jesus taught that the scriptures held a common theme and that they were infallible. Jesus taught that the scriptures provided the necessary guidance for the hearts and minds of man because the Holy Scriptures written by the hands of men came from the mind of God (2 Peter 1:16-21).

Jesus settled controversial issues with the stability of the scriptures:

Marriage and divorce? What do the scriptures say? (Matthew 19:1-9)

Life after death? What do the scriptures say? (Matthew 22:23-40)

Was it possible for Jesus, the son of David, to be greater than king David? What do the scriptures say? (Matthew 22:41-46)

Was Jesus really the Messiah? What do the scriptures say? (John 5:36-42)

It was after the resurrection that the disciples believed because they remembered the scriptures and the words of Jesus (John 2:18-22).

A person can get a concordance and find many more times when Jesus settled issues with the true and infallible standard from God. After all, the only way we can know that Jesus was a perfect sacrifice is because He perfectly fulfilled the scriptures.

On the road to Emmaus Jesus gave one of His greatest unrecorded sermons that we know about. It is in the New Testament scriptures that we learn about a couple of Jesus’ disciples whose hearts were hurting as they walked on the road to Emmaus because of the death of Jesus and because of the empty tomb. These disciples just so happened to meet a “stranger” in town who believed the scriptures were invaluable because they infallibly and joyously pointed to very tomb that troubled them. The “stranger” told them:

“…“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)

At times Jesus challenged and questioned the hearts of men and women but He never questioned the authority of the scriptures (John 10:35). If Jesus believed the Old Testament scriptures were infallibly and completely inspired of God’s Spirit then we can have the same confidence in the same Spirit of God when it comes to accomplishing His mission with the scriptures of the New Testament that we can hold in our hands today. EA

“You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.” (Nehemiah 9:20)

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:7-15)

Sometimes it’s Right in Front of our Face

At times there are things in our life that we have had for years but we never realize its value. I’m talking about blessings that come directly from God, yet we still fail to see them. So what happens when we fail to see the ways that God has loved us? Does He take the gifts back? Not necessarily (Luke 6:35). If God stopped giving gifts based solely upon our reaction, the world would cease to see the sun, and the fact that we have air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and clothes to wear reveals that He cares for us. If we gave as much credit to God as we gave to our “hard work” how many of those “little things” do you think we would forget about it? What good thing do we have that didn’t first come from His hand? Nothing! Still, often times we think if we only had a little more, then we’d be happy. Begotten by God and we look to the world to provide! A son and daughter of the king and we think we’re paupers. That is one easy thing to do, right? Yes, whosoever will, we can all come to God, but only the one who believes will exit this world and enter in to that heavenly kingdom to live with Him. If we looked for things the way we should would we not find more joy – would we not look less to what is going to perish? We love God, but could we love Him more? Have you ever asked yourself that question before? Everlasting blessings and eternal life (John 3:16) are often times right in front of our face, but we don’t see them because we’re not looking! Go back and read all of the words that are in bold to see how easy they are to miss! EA