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The Most High Reigns

October 22, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Kings tend to think they have supreme authority, that no one is above them. King Solomon wrote, “Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “‘What are you doing?’” (Eccl. 8:4). But only one King has no one above Him. Nebuchadnezzar was king over the mighty Babylonian empire and thought he was above all, but God humbled him and taught him that there is indeed a King of kings (Dan. 4:34; 1 Tim. 6:15). God is the Most High who reigns as king over the kingdom of men (Dan. 4:17; cf. Psa. 7:17).

God’s sovereignty means He works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11; Dan. 4:35). All are subject to His rule (Psa. 103:19). He is the Creator of all; He does what He pleases (Psa. 115:3; Rev. 4:11). As the omnipotent, reigning King (Rev. 19:6), He could force His will upon us feeble humans who in Him live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Some believe that He does. John Calvin viewed predestination as, “the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All men are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and accordingly, as each has been created for one or the other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.”[1]

Contrary to Calvin, the Bible teaches that God allows humans to have free will. From the beginning—when He gave Adam and Eve the option of obeying Him and living or eating of the forbidden tree and dying (Gen. 2:16, 17)—God has always given man a choice (Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15). Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn. 7:17). Man can exercise his will to find out the will of God and know divine doctrine, or he can reject the Lord. Jesus does not, at present, force us to be His servants; instead, He extends the invitation to all to come to Him (Mt. 11:28). The Lord has all authority; however, with that authority He commands the invitation of the gospel to go out to the entire world (Mt. 28:18-20). Every individual has the choice: “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). Many are lost because they reject this offer (Mt. 23:37; Acts 13:46; 2 Thess. 1:8).

God loves every person (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:6-8). He desires that all be saved (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). God has not chosen for you whether you will be saved or lost; you must choose. Your will is the deciding factor. God wants you to love Him in return with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk. 12:30). But He will not force you to love Him. Just as Jesus chose to lay down His life (Jn. 10:18) in order to follow God’s determinate plan (Acts 2:23), you must choose whether you will follow the path God has laid down for you to have eternal life. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Lk. 9:23, 24). You can choose to let God reign as King in your life by doing all things under His authority (Col. 3:17)

-Mark Day

[1] Institutes. III.21.5

A Knowledge of the Truth

October 15, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Prayers to God should be made on behalf of all men (1 Tim. 2:1). All kinds of people need salvation. God not only sends His sunshine and rain on everyone (Mt. 5:45), but He also desires to save each and every person (1 Tim. 2:4). As Christians, we should petition God, who is the creator and benefactor of all people, for conducive conditions for spreading His message to all people. We should even pray for rulers and all those who are in authority—even if they are antagonistic to Christianity—for their decisions will affect whether we have opportunities to spread the gospel (1 Tim. 2:2). People can more readily listen to God’s message of salvation when free from terror, anarchy, and severe economic hardships.

The means by which all people are saved is coming to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Paul used “the truth” in his letters to refer to the saving truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:5, 14). To Timothy, Paul made it clear that the church is to uphold the truth (1 Tim. 3:15); contrariwise, to lack a knowledge of the truth and be opposed to it is to be lost (1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:7, 8). Thus, salvation involves cognition—acquiring knowledge and understanding of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Obviously other things are involved such as one’s volition, but without knowing who the Lord is, one cannot appeal to Him for salvation; one must know the gospel before one can obey it (Rom. 10:13-16).

Truth is exclusive. While God’s desire for salvation is inclusive of all people, the nature of objective truth means that proposed answers other than the truth are false. Just as Paul goes on to say “there is one God” in 1 Timothy 2:5, there is only one truth and one way to the Father: Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6). Jesus is not “a truth” or “a way” among many. False gods and false ways will not save. Jesus is the one mediator between all men and God. Jesus is in a unique position to mediate because He can identify with both God and man. Jesus is God (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:8; Isa. 9:6; Mt. 1:23). Yet, He became flesh and lived as a man for a third of a century (Jn. 1:14; Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2:9, 14). He gave His own life as a ransom for all men to be released from their sins and have peace with God (1 Tim. 2:6).

Life is short (Psa. 90:10; Jas. 4:14). The opportunities we have to study the truth and tell it to others are dwindling. This week, brother Allen Webster will be here to speak on these vital subjects. Our prayer is for all kinds of people to come to a knowledge of the truth that saves their souls through the efforts of this week.

-Mark Day

Roused from Complacency

October 9, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

For the last several years, Christians in America have, in general, enjoyed material prosperity with the absence of persecution. Good times, however, can have negative spiritual effects. The Lord’s disciples can grow soft and lazy while they are “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). Sermons to rouse people from their indifference do not always work; often they fall on deaf ears. Painful circumstances, however, can make people wake up and listen.

The book of Zephaniah is dated during the reign of Josiah (Zeph. 1:1), leading up to his reforms. God promised to bring punishment on those who had grown stagnant in their spiritual service, saying, “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil” (Zech. 1:12). The complacent are said to be “settled on their lees,” a word picture taken from handling wine. The term lees (or dregs) refers to the solid sediment that settles at the bottom of the container over time. If wine is allowed to settle too long, it thickens and is ruined. God said He would visit in punishment the men who were thickening upon their dregs. These men were so complacent that they thought God would be too. In effect, they had made a god in their own image who was indifferent, who will not do good, nor evil. But God assures them He will bring His penalty upon them at a time referred to as “the day of the Lord” (Zeph. 1:7).

We strive to be the church revealed in the New Testament. The book of Acts tells us about the persecutions against the early followers of Jesus. The spiritual dangers that come to Christians when their environment is unfriendly to them are plain. The pages of Scripture and uninspired history are filled with examples of such. However, persecution also causes disciples to bind together and become active and sacrificial in giving to each other. I don’t know the future; the Lord alone knows whether a period of persecution is on the horizon for His church and what the particulars of it would be. However, times of persecution do have a way of showing one’s true colors. If we’ll let it, pain can cause us to get serious about what’s really valuable.

Compare what Jesus said about lukewarm Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) with persecuted Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). It would not be surprising if Laodicea had a nice, comfortable building in which to meet, but what about their hearts? The persecuted church does not have all the nice material possessions the world offers, but it also does not have members who are disinterested in spiritual activities because they’re too busy entertaining, going on vacation, going to ball games, golfing, et cetera. God disciplines His children; pain in the present can cause us to make spiritual reforms and have better priorities in the future (Heb. 12:5-11).

In Zephaniah’s day, God could not rouse people from complacency for very long by merely sending someone to speak to them. He had to send foreign people in to take away their goods, their houses, and their lands (Zeph. 1:13). What does He have planned for the complacent today?

-Mark Day

Where Hast Thou Gleaned Today?

October 1, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Ruth 2:19, “Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou?”

The passage above from the book of Ruth is in the context of Naomi asking Ruth in which field she had worked to gather their food for the day. Today, we might also ask the same question of ourselves, “Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou” in the service of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TODAY? (Area). It is said in real estate the three most important factors are location, location, location. The location of our work for Jesus has been designated for us. In Mark 16:15-16, New Testament Christians are instructed to, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Christians are to go into the world and spread the soul saving message of Christ. Where have we gone within our part of the world? Have we taught family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, even strangers who we can encourage to discuss the Bible?

WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TODAY? (Accountability) This speaks of personal responsibility. It has been accurately said “Go Ye” means “Go Me”! 2 Timothy 2:2 teaches us, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Men in this verse is a generic term meaning a human being, whether male or female. We are accountable to God to “tell the old, old, story”. We are also warned in Acts 20:26-27, “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”

WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TODAY? (Action) Christians are to be active in the spread of the Gospel. The passage we are considering we see the words “gleaned” (i.e. gathered) and “wrought” (i.e. worked). This is describing diligent effort, and certainly we are to be industrious in serving God and Christ. In Matthew 13 it is described as “sowing the seed of the Kingdom”, just like the song we sing “Are You Sowing the Seed of the Kingdom, Brother?” We must remember that Christians today are priests, 1 Peter 2:9. In the Old Testament, priests were to be teachers of the Law, Deuteronomy 33:10, “They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law”. God has graciously given us the Gospel and we are to be active in spreading it to those around us.

WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TODAY? (Admonition) In spreading the Gospel, we see in the Bible an urgency in getting the message out now, because people need to obey the Gospel now. 2 Corinthians 6:2, says “… behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”. Don’t wait. Either death will claim us, James 4:13-14, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Or the Lord will return, 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” We should be spreading the Gospel, warning people of the urgency of obeying before it is too late. Also not only warning the sinner, but exhorting the Christian to continued obedience as well, see Hebrews 3:7-19.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”, 2 Corinthians 5:10. Our accountability, as our service, is personal. (Romans 14:12).

We must ask ourselves, “What have I done?” and “Have I been willing to work?”

– Jerry D. Sturgill

Are You the King?

September 24, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Pilate asked Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33). The way Jesus is king was alien to Pilate’s concern over kingship; it was even alien to what the Jews who brought Jesus to Pilate had in their minds regarding a king. Thus, Jesus could not simply answer “yes” or “no” to this question, but instead asked, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” (John 18:34).

The Jews thought of a king in the sense of the Davidic dynasty. David ruled in the golden years of Israel’s history when their wealth was immense and their influence over the world stage was far-reaching. Since the deportation into Babylon, no one in the lineage of David had ruled as king over the Jews. Unlike today, there were still complete genealogical records in the days of Jesus where one’s lineage could be traced back to David (cf. Matthew 1:1-17). However, the political landscape in Judea was different when Jesus was on earth than when His physical forefathers reigned. For centuries the Jews had been subjugated under foreign powers. Rome was ruling then. The reason Jesus was brought to Pilate was that capital punishment could only take place under Roman sanction. The Jews looked for a time when Messiah, the anointed king, also called Christ would come. Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the scriptures that pointed toward this king. While Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah, He did not fit the mold Judaism had constructed for their coming king. Of course, Pilate knew nothing of the Messiah. He asked Jesus, ““Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” (John 18:35). Pilate wanted to know why Jesus had made these people so angry as to be dead set on crucifying Him.

Pilate’s idea of a Jewish king would immediately be perceived as a threat to Caesar’s authority. Pilate likely knew from history of uprisings by the Jewish people to overthrow their Gentile rulers. The Maccabean Revolt was one such time when some Jews engaged in guerrilla warfare tactics to rebel against the Seleucid empire and recapture Jerusalem. The Jews used this fear of uprising to ensure that Jesus would be crucified. Later when Pilate wanted to release Jesus, they said, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar” (John 19:12). Jesus, however, was not a rival king to Caesar in the sense of an earthly, military campaign. To Pilate He replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).

When Pilate asked Jesus again if He was a king Jesus showed the nature of His kingship, saying, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). God is king in the sense that He created all of us and is the rightful center of the universe. When people sin, however, they put themselves on the throne as the center of the universe. Many today act as if God should serve them, and if He doesn’t they will find a new god. Jesus is God’s Son. This truth was rejected by those who brought Him to be crucified. Nevertheless, He is king in the sense of the truth of the Gospel breaking through and reigning in the hearts of those who respond to Him in obedience. Thus, the kingdom of Jesus is not observable with the physical eye, but rather is in the hearts of those who believe and practice the truth (Luke 17:20-21). Does Jesus reign in your heart? Is He king of your life?

-Mark Day