Month: March 2009

The Worth Of A Picture…

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There were a few times when I was a boy, growing up in the home of my parents, that my Dad would try to explain something to me. When it seemed as though he was not making it clear, Dad would ask, or make a statement; I am not sure if it was a question or a statement; “Do I have to draw you a picture”(?.) Maybe you can answer that for me.

Any way to finish the title of this article “…a Thousand Words”. Pictures explain a lot. If you have seen the Grand Canyon you can tell people about it, but that does not begin to explain it the way a picture can. Think of the Rockies in Colorado, or wherever you have seen them; can you describe them the way that photo you took of them can? There is not enough words in the English vocabulary to explain their grandeur; and a picture can only get close.

Pictures are an important part of life. Sometimes we receive word pictures. Sometimes we give word pictures. A lot of the Bible is word pictures. The prophet Isaiah was pretty good with word pictures.

If you were to look back to the seventh chapter Isaiah had gone to Ahaz the king with a message from God, and had asked the king to ask God for a sign. The king had refused to ask, and had even said, “I will not put the LORD to the test” (7:11-12), feigning humility, but exhibiting pride instead; because God had asked him to ask a sign. So Ahaz received a sign anyway.

It was the prophecy of a baby who would be born. One would be born to prove the truth of this prophecy – a son of the prophet – and the other; who would be the fulfillment of all Bible prophecy; was to be Immanuel [God with us] (7:14).

Now we come to the near fulfillment where the king [Ahaz] is shown that what the prophet has said will come to pass:

“And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.  For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 8:3-4 (KJV)

“This boy Mahershalalhashbaz was the picture which the prophet painted for the king to view and to see, and to know, that the invasion of Assyria was going to come on the land of Judah. The close fulfillment would happen just a few short months following the birth of this boy. He would not even be speaking the words, “Daddy” or “Momma”. The picture (given in 7:14) was also with a distant prophecy. A promise picture of a Great Hope for the people and the land of promise.

His name would be Immanuel [God with us]. He did come, and we know Him as Jesus. There was much judgment upon the land, before Jesus came. There was much more after Jesus died, was buried, rose again and ascended into Heaven. There is much more to come. Immanuel will come again, and He will make all things new.

There is a great thing about this too. Being Immanuel we do not have to wait for His physical appearing. He is present with us now. He is making lives brandnew. He is changing old, cold, dead, and heartless lives new, warm, quick, and full of passion for things that are good, and holy, and right. Hear Him as He speaks through His Word and through His Spirit. God will fulfill all His promises. Not one will go undone.

Do you see the picture? If not let the LORD open your eyes that you may see.

-Tim A. Blankenship

 

Defenses Stripped

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A nation, an individual, a family that has been greatly blessed by God is truly blessed, strong, safe, protected and having the hand of God upon them. When these have grown to a place where they begin to trust their own strength, and wander from the trust and worship of the One who has given them these things, then, there is need for warning.

A man or woman who has lived by faith, because of the faith given them by God, who begins believing they are great because of their own efforts, pride, and strength will draw away from the Lord. They see only that God’s blessing is on them, and that will always be the same. What happens, however, when the blessing stops? What happens when this individual begins trusting the blessing rather than the Blesser?
The nation of Judah, to whom Jeremiah addresses had been in such a state. Greatly blessed over the years, but they would never hear of the decease of God’s blessing. Any prophet who warned them that God was going to send a sinful nation to avenge Him was considered a false prophet. That was Jeremiah’s case.

The nation of Israel was likened unto a vineyard by Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 5), and that picture is given to Jeremiah as well;

“Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’S. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.” Jeremiah 5:10-13 (KJV)

Though vineyard is not mentioned in the KJV that is the idea of the “walls”. Vineyards did have walls around them, and these “battlements” are speaking of the “branches” of the vineyard that are to be taken away.

The NKJV reads,

“Go up on her walls and destroy, but do not make a complete end. Take away her branches for they are not the LORD’s.”

The wall was the means of protection for the vineyard. It kept the livestock from getting into it, the wildlife from doing too much damage. To destroy the wall was to make the vineyard open to ruin.

Notice in these words that God gives hope to His people, “…but make not a full end” . The defense of God’s people is the LORD, not a our nation, not our president, not the military, etc. It is the LORD alone. When we turn our backs on God in favor of wicked leaders, and military defenses, politics or business; including Wall Street, then we will have our defenses stripped.

People no longer listen to the truth. We want to feel good and the truth doesn’t leave us feeling too well. The nation of Judah turned its back on God infavor of the lies of the false prophets. They rejected the word of God, and trusted lies. Judah and Israel said that “If there is a coming judgment, it is not of God”. They would not believe that God could do such a thing. After all, they thought, “We have the temple of God”. They may have had the temple of God, but God was not in His temple.

There may be destruction from God, but it is to call His people back to Himself. Christian of 2009 wake up and see and hear the truth of God’s word. Trust only in Him, and be at peace. God has our best in His heart. Repent, return and believe. Do this through faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for your sins, was buried carrying your guilt, shame and condemnation away, and He bodily arose from the grave, and gives us eternal life. One day soon He is coming again.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Unharnassed; No Boundaries

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Do we ever stop to think what our lives would be without boundaries, without rules, without laws? It is as though we think they hinder our freedom; provoke us to evil or something. Car commercials have spoken about going outside the boundaries – usually referring to driving off road – and if they are equiqqed for it, then in a car, I would say, “Go for it.” However, for people, boundaries, lines, and laws give us definition, purpose, and direction.

How does it look for little children who are learning to use crayolas, and a coloring book, and they get out of the lines? We will make over a one or two year old who uses their “skills” and it is cute to watch them take the different colors, and do their best, and they will always get wild and out of the lines. We tell them how good they have done, but the only thing that gives us a clue as to what they have colored is the lines under the coloring. When a child gets a little older we expect more from them, and expect them to color within the lines, and use good colors for the article, as they get older there should be no more coloring outside the lines.

Are harnesses and boundaries necessary in a free society? Most definitely. They are even more necessary in a free society. Israel was a theocratic government meaning God our Creator was the Sovereign ruler of the nation. They were to follow the laws, commandments, statutes, word, ordinances, testimonies, and precepts of God which had been given them through Moses, the priests and the prophets. There is no country on earth that I know of who does not have laws. These laws, whether they are just or unjust are for the people to follow for their protection.

The prophet Jeremiah was grieved by the treachery of the leadership of Judah; from the prophets, priests and the kings. They had forsaken God, His laws, His word, and had began following foreign gods which are not gods (v. 7). Jeremiah addresses the leadership of Judah:

“I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” Jeremiah 5:5-9 (KJV)

The “yoke” is what was used for the oxen for plowing the field, pulling a cart, and other farm work. It was a means by which the farmer controlled the oxen, to plow a straight line, and to bring the oxen back to the barn for their safe keeping. We see a picture here of the leadership of Judah having broke the laws of God that was there to give them guidance, direction, and difinition; and leaving them at the mercy of the surrounding enemy. One of the greatest things we can see in this picture is that God loves His children. However when God’s children break His law, His words, His commandments; they step outside the area of God’s protection and provision, and providence.

The oxen that breaks its yoke and is “free” is at the mercy of the “…lion out of the forest…”, and the “…wolf of the evenings..” and the speedy “leopard” watching over them. As the farmer would desparately try to round up the oxen, bring them back to the barn/stable; so God pleads with with His people to return to Him putting away all the evil of their hearts.

Can we not hear the heart of God as He pleads with the leadership of Judah, “Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses”? God had blessed Israel and Judah for many years, and they turn against Him; forsake Him, and turn to other gods which are not gods at all, but mere pieces of wood, stone, or jewels, or precious metals. They have turned from worshipping the Creator to worshipping the creation.

It is sad to realize that when God had blessed Judah so abundantly that their hearts grew cold toward God, His Word, His prophets, and faithful priests. As the heart grows cold toward God; cravings, desires for other things begin to affect the mind and heart. God shows that blessing without harnesses, laws, boundaries; if you will; leads to ungodly deeds, and is rebellion against God. Blessed minds without following the law of God will end with a heart as a “lusty stallion” (v. 8 NKJV, ESV). Adulterous minds, and hearts prevailed in the leadership of that day progressing into the very act of adultery with a house of prostitution.

The horse that is still a stallion goes after every mare that he senses, and is hard to control. These leaders were as those stallions when it came to their positions of power; it was as though it was due them. No man’s wife was off limits in their thinking, and it almost seems that there are some religious leaders like that today [2009].

We should consider it a great, awesome, mighty, and wonderful think to have a visit from God – “Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD”. This visit was not one that we should want or desire. It is somewhat like the father visiting the son in his bedroom following a day of causing Mom problems. That boy would just as soon be out of the house when Dad gets home.

The heart of the child of God longs for the visit of the LORD when He will come with arms outstretched welcoming us into His presence. We should be thankful for those visits which are as the one above when He comes to chastise us. His coming to chastise us proves that we are His children (Hebrews 12:6-8); His coming to visit Judah with all the enemies around them was evidence of His great love for this chosen people.

When we live in faithfulness to God, His Word, and His Son Jesus Christ then, we have the great blessing of our worship in Him, and great pleasure to His name and glory. There is only one way into the pleasure and glory of God and that is through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He fulfilled all the requirements of righteousness. When we sin we have an Advocate with the Father (1 John 1:9-2:1), and we are cleansed from all our sin.

Let’s walk, live and die in His blessings. Let’s be faithful to Him in all that we do. We do it through the power of Christ within us, ie., the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself is our Harness, and our Boundary. And we are free from sin and its bondage.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Amusing Mind Of The Ungodly

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“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’” Jude 14-15 (NKJV).

It is really a sad thing to think, but there are millions of people who really have no respect for God, or the things that are holy. They can awake every morning and not be thankful to their Creator for another day of life. They can take that first step of the day and not even think of who gave them that step. With the next beat of their heart they are not even aware of the One who made that heart or gave it that beat. They are not in awe of God, nor do they think of their eternal destiny.

These are people who may have compassion on others they see hurting because of poverty, or storms, or sickness and disease. They will endeavor to help in whatever way they can, but they give no thought to God. They are humanitarians, but have no heart for God. The truth of that matter is, that most likely, they are humanitarians because they want to shove the eternal God as far away from their thoughts as they possibly can. They want to answer to no one, and especially the eternal God. They do not want to give an accounting of their lives to the authority of their lives.

These are the people of whom Jude refers, and of whom the prophet Enoch was also referring. The judgment which is coming is on all who are ungodly, for all their ungodly deeds, committed in ungodly ways, and the ungodly things the ungodly have said about holy god. Here is how Dr. B. Gray Allison has written this verse, “to convince all that are lacking in reverential awe toward God among them of all of their lacking in reverential awe toward God deeds, which they have lacking in reverential awe toward God committed, and of all of their hard speeches, which lacking in reverential awe toward God sinners have spoken against Him.” (From NOW UNTO HIM, Messages From Jude For Our Day, p. 54).

If you are a Christian in this world you and I have a great and awesome responsibility. If we sincerely believe that Jesus is coming again to judge this world, then, we should be living as purely, and powerfully for our Lord as we walk with Him. We should be displaying the using our spiritual gifts, and displaying the fruits of the Spirit of God in our lives. Most of all we should be exalting our Lord and Savior, and telling others as often as we can that Jesus is coming again, and this time it will not be as a babe in a manger, but as ruling and reigning King of all kings, and Lord of all lords. All sin will be dealt with and put away for all eternity.

Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Coming In His Kingdom

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Jesus speaking to his disciples has told them the cost of discipleship in the previous verses.  He has told them of giving His life though they do not yet fully realize the extent of His sacrifice, and in the verses we look at now we see that He promises that some with Him will see Him “coming in His kingdom”.

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:27-28 (KJV)

Jesus speaks of coming in His the glory of His father with angels, “rewarding every man according to his works”.  This is an endtimes event which is yet to happen, and of which many followers of Jesus are expecting,  longing for, and will be with Him forever, by way of His cross.

Jesus is in no way telling us that our works will get us into His good pleasures and grace.  When He comes again to judge the world, and every  man according to his works, grace will be past, this will be judgment.  When Jesus comes back to earth it will be as the conquering, reigning King of which Israel has been looking and watching for.

Jesus’s word for the disciples concerning those who will “Not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom” is a way of preparing them for what is about to happen in six days (17:1).  Don’t you know that this word from Jesus left them wondering.  Wondering, “What is Jesus speaking of?”; “Who, which of us will be the one’s who witness this “coming in His kingdom?”

The second coming of Jesus is drawing ever near.  It is nearer today than it was yesterday.  If we are to be like Jesus we must take up our cross; laying down our lives for His glory; and be witnesses for Him.

His kingdom is here.  He is coming in His glory.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Make It Clear

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It is sad when we read God’s Word and He uses the heathen, godless nations to bring judgment on His sinning, disobedient people. I am certain that it saddens His heart especially so.

Because He is who He is, and because He is Righteous, Holy and Just He will not tolerate sin in the hearts of His people. He will judge it by ridding us of it through captivity, trials, tribulations, sickness, disease, and even persecution. In chapter eight of Isaiah we begin to see that God is even sending the message to the enemy of Israel/Judah that the time is drawing near for their invasion of the land.

“Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.“ Isaiah 8:1-2 (KJV)

 

We begin to see the fulfillment of a near prophecy. That is the birth of Isaiah’s son “Speed to the spoil”, and to leave absolutely no doubt that they [the Assyrians] would be the victors the name “Hasten the booty”, ie., enjoy the bounty of the conquered land. The birth of Maher-shalal-hashbaz is the near fulfillment of Isaiah 7:15-17. Of course, the Immanuel who was to be born was Jesus Christ 700 years or so later.

The names of Isaiah’s sons was meaningful and useful for the message of prophecy and the fulfillment of God’s Word. One thing that we can be certain, and that is that God will fulfill His Word. Not one cross of a “t “or the dot of an “i” will fail (Matthew 5:18). Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35 (NKJV).

There are two witnesses named who support this prophecy of the prophet. They are most likely priests of the temple of God. They themselves would have been faithful and trusted priests of the Lord and trusted by the believing remnant of people. Their testimony was an accreditation of the Word of God spoken and written by Isaiah.

In the message to Isaiah the LORD says, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters…” It was to be large enough and clear enough that all could read it and understand. God speaks clearly through His Word concerning His direction, His will, His Word, and His correction upon His people.

Is terrorism to be the promise of God’s judgment upon a wicked nation as the United States turned away from God? Will the terrorists be the one’s who ‘Hasten to the spoil” of the United States? If we think seriously about it what has happened with the banking business, and financial markets, that is a form of terrorism; especially the thefts by scam artists; such as Bernie Madoff, and the bonuses paid from funds supplied by our tax monies. If we continue to turn a blind eye to the truth of God’s Word, we will continue on our slide down a very slippery slope to destruction. Let us pray for the renewing of hearts to Christ Jesus, and His soon return.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Just A Thought 03/23/09

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In these times of economic hard times, or in any period of despair, it does us good to consider this…

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” Ecclesiastes 7:14 (KJV)

And, we do not know what tomorrow may bring, but “We do know Who holds tomorrow”.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Righteous King

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The Righteous King
Proverbs 16:10-15

Looking at the life of Solomon we find a heart partially devoted to the LORD; a divided heart; unlike David his father whose “was a man after God’s own heart”.  If there is to be righteousness in the land of kings, then there must be righteous kings.

In light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we have been decreed as “kings and priests” (Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9) of God through Jesus Christ then we find in these Proverbs how we should reign,  and that is in the likeness of our Lord and Savior and our God Jesus Christ.

OUTLINE –

I.  THE RIGHTEOUS KING MAKES GODLY DECREES, AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS (v. 10-11).

II.  THE RIGHTEOUS KING LIVES RIGHTEOUSLY, AND ESTABLISHES THE THRONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 12).

III.  THE RIGHTEOUS KING APPRECIATES, LOVES, AND DELIGHTS IN LIPS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 13).

IV.  THE RIGHTEOUS KING IS RESPECTED AND REVERED AS JUST IN HIS JUDGMENTS (v. 14).

V.  THE RIGHTEOUS KING’S COUNTENANCE BRINGS JOY TO THOSE WHO WERE IN HIS DISPLEASURE (v. 15).

THE RIGHTEOUS KING MAKES GODLY DECREES, AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS (v. 10-11).  One thing that is needed in the Nations, States, Counties, Cities, and homes and churches of the world is leaders who have a righteous heart.

There is truly only one who has the completely righteous heart and His name is Jesus.  Those who are in Him; through having trusted Him, His work on the cross, His burial and bodily resurrection; have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

In Christ Jesus and Him alone can we make Godly decrees, and righteous judgments.  Many of the judgments made by the Judiciary of the United States, and many other countries are not made in righteousness, but for what is popular or politically expedient.

Pro 16:11 – A just weight and balance are the Lord’s,…. These are of his devising; what he has put into the heart, of men to contrive and make use of, for the benefit of mankind, for the keeping and maintaining truth and justice in commercial affairs; these are of his appointing, commanding, and approving, Lev. 19:35;
all the weights of the bag are his work; or, “all the stones” ; greater or smaller, which were formerly used in weighing, and were kept in a bag for that purpose; these are by the Lord’s appointment and order. This may be applied to the Scriptures of truth, which are of God; are the balance of the sanctuary, in which every doctrine is to be weighed and tried; what agrees with them is to be received, and what is found wanting is to be rejected. The Targum is,
“His works, all of them, are weights of truth.”

When Jesus Christ comes back to earth He will make all things right and Just.  When we go to Him for a judgment we can rest assured that it will be a righteous judgment.

THE RIGHTEOUS KING LIVES RIGHTEOUSLY, AND ESTABLISHES THE THRONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 12).  The only King who has lived without sin was the King of kings; Jesus Christ Son of the Living God.

The writer of Proverbs says, “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (29:2).  When true righteousness is in authority, there is reason the people rejoice.

1. There is a ruler who fears God;
2. There is fairness in appointments, and the courts;
3. There is a just trading system;
4. There is justice in the courts;
5. There is no fear of the enemy.

THE RIGHTEOUS KING APPRECIATES, LOVES, AND DELIGHTS IN LIPS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 13).  What king, president, or any ruler can stand for long who is surrounded by liars?  Lying lips are not righteous lips.

Righteous lips love the truth, seek the truth, and are truthful themselves.  Our Righteous King, the King of kings is the living Truth, and in Him is no lie at all.  Some one has given us this quote, “Liars never figure, and figures never lie”.  If you tell the truth about something you never need to remember what you said; but when you lie, it will come back to get you.

A righteous leader; be they president, king, pastor, husband, father, mother, or boss; needs always to be surrounded by people who will tell the truth.

“Buy the truth and sell  it not…” (23:23), and it seems that “Love the truth” would fit there as well.  Why “Buy the truth” if you don’t love it also.

We can see today what lying does with the stock market and people’s lives.  For example:  Bernie Madoff who scammed, swindled, and suckered punched many investors out of billions of dollars, living a lie.  Now the man has brought ruin to the lives of the people he stole their life savings from, his own family, harmed his nation, and destroyed his own life.

THE RIGHTEOUS KING IS RESPECTED AND REVERED AS JUST IN HIS JUDGMENTS (v. 14).  King David was loved, respected and revered by many including his family; at least until he sinned with Bathsheba [Uriah’s wife], and brought harm to his own family and the nation.

Unrighteous living is costly for the one who is righteous.  We must understand that righteousness is not from our own selves.  Righteousness comes from God; for only He is righteous.

If there is to be righteousness it comes from Christ alone who is our righteousness.  “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

A righteous king, or ruler would give His life for his subjects.  An unrighteous king expects his subjects to give their lives for him.  “There is no king like that “, someone might say.  Oh, but there is His name is Jesus; and He gave His life on the cross of calvary that those who will trust Him, believe Him, might have eternal life.  He faced the judgment for our sins, the wrath of His Father to pay the sin debt; our sin debt; that we might be saved, having our account paid in full, by His precious shed blood.

We can trust a king like that.  We can believe that this type of king would be loved, respected and revered, and be just in all his judgments.

THE RIGHTEOUS KING’S COUNTENANCE BRINGS JOY TO THOSE WHO WERE IN HIS DISPLEASURE (v. 15).  A righteous king can be offended, and when one of his subjects offends him his countenance fades.

When his subject offends him realizing that he/she has done so, and they seek the king’s forgiveness the king’s countenance will be brighter, and favorable toward the one who had offended.

When I think of all the times that I have offended King Jesus, and know that His countenance was not favorable toward me for that offense, then, I know that I must seek forgiveness.  I can know before hand that in genuinely seeking forgiveness He will forgive me; but I must not willfully seek to offend Him.

Our righteous King Jesus is often offended by His subjects, but when we seek His face we know that we are cleansed and forgiven; and our joy is restored in Him.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”  1 John 1:9-10 (KJV)

There is eternal joy in the presence of the forgiving King.  His countenance is bright and pleasant and warm to all those who come to Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Enoch Prophesied

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“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Jude 14-15 (NKJV).

As the verse above notes Enoch was the seventh from Adam, and that is according to the Biblical genealogy of Genesis 5, and 1 Chronicles 1:1-3. Of Enoch we are not told much. However, according to Jude, and the inspiration of the Spirit of God we know more than is given us in the rest of Scripture.

According to the account of Enoch in the Genesis account he was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. Something evidently happened in the life of Enoch which inspired him to become a prophet. He was sixty five years of age when Methuselah was born to him, and for three hundred years Enoch walked with God. According to Jude he was a prophet who preached the judgment of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

By the birth of Methuselah Enoch was revealed a coming judgment of God on the earth. The name “Methuselah” means “Judgment” and even, “When he is dead it shall be sent”. The preaching of Enoch was evidently not necessarily dealing with the coming flood judgment on the whole earth, because Jude mentions the “Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints…”, and that is surely a description of the second coming of Jesus Christ. That is how Jude takes it.

Enoch was warning of these apostates who were coming in. The ungodly, morally perverted, denying Christ, defiling the flesh, Rebellious, revilers of holy angels, filthy dreamers, ignorant, corrupted, grumblers, fault finders, self seeking, arrogant speakers, flatterers, mockers, cause of discord among brethren, worldly minded, and without the Spirit of God. These are the type of people Enoch warned about, and the coming judgment of Christ coming with His saints, including the angels of heaven.

We are being told by the culture of our day that to be exclusive with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not popular, and we will drive people away. Better to drive people away than to deceive, lie, and not give them the true message of Christ Jesus, and His cross. Yes, the cross may offend, but it is also the only means of salvation. The cross of Jesus Christ has always been an offense to the mind of the world. However, it is the glory of God.

Preach the cross. Preach Jesus Christ and His cross. Preach repentance. Repentance being the turning away from sin to Christ. Will that offend? Most likely. Is it the truth? Most definitely. Preach it to the death if need be. Thank God for those preachers of the gospel who put their lives, and the lives of their family on the line every day. God bless them each and every one.

-Tim A. Blankenship

In A World Of Words…

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…there is much to be said for ceasing from words, for silence, and for hearing God.

” In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19 (KJV)

The LORD… My Shepherd

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“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalms 23:1-6 (KJV)

There is safety, security, and strength in the Lord.  Put your faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins, was buried, and bodily arose from the grave;  today.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The LORD’s Razor

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Ahaz is the king of Judah as we look at this passage of Scripture. According to Second Kings chapter sixteen Ahaz was a young man of twenty years of age when he began to reign. He also did not follow the path of David, and “Did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God”. He followed the path of the kings of the Northern kingdom.

Ahaz had even “Made his son pass through the fire, according tot he abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast our from before the children of Israel” 2 Kings 16:3 (NKJV). That means that Ahaz sacrificed his son in the fires of worship to Molech, the god of the Moabites. Is it any wonder that YHWH became angry with the sins of Judah.

Here is the judgment that was to follow:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes. In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep; And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land. And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns. With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns. And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.” Isaiah 7:18-25 (KJV)

 

The “In that day” statements are of a future day for Israel of that day. They do however continue until Jesus Christ the Messiah comes and makes all things new. “The LORD will whistle for the fly” is picturesque of a man calling a dog. It is as though the Lord calls the fly to Judah to become a nuisance to them. A fly is also an insect that comes around uncleanliness, death, and stench. Of course the fly here is representative of Egypt or Assyria coming to carry the people away into captivity.

Assyria is noted for being beekeepers, thus they would be the ones coming to carry away people into captivity as well.

No part of the land of Judah was going to be inaccessible to the foreign invaders. The steep ravines, rock clefts, pastures, thorns would all be places the enemy would find for rest.

When God judges the sins of His people He judges completely. When His people sin they should know it. If they are ignorant of their sin He will inform them, then it is up to them to repent and turn back to the Lord. It is so sad that we live in an era of time when many preachers are not even preaching for the revelation of sins curse and damage to the body of Christ. We hear much more about the goodness and love of God, and how good we are. God will not hold us guiltless for not proclaiming the whole counsel of God and His Word. There will be a judgment day.

The day came to Judah when the land became desolate. It was no longer and agricultural land, ie., growing fruits, vegetables, crops of the field. It became almost desolate, and deserted. Overrun with briers and thorns. Three times in verses 23 – 25 we read about the “Briers and thorns”. “That wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be briars and thorns” (v. 23). “With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briars and thorns” (v. 24). “You will not go there for fear of briars and thorns” (v. 25).

There will be an abundance of milk, because there will be no need to till the land, be no way of doing so. The people who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. It was a time of great poverty. The places where there should be a vineyard are places for hunting – the men with “arrows and bows”. It will be a place for cattle and sheep to graze on what there is to graze.

The land of Judah had been a wealthy land. It was during the time of Ahaz, but poverty was on its way. Those of us who live in the good old USA let us not be so haughty to think that poverty may not be right around the corner for us. You can laugh if you will, but this country is in the hands of the Almighty God, and with a snap of His fingers the Stock Market could crash overnight. No matter what the financial experts say. They have no control of our economy, but God does. God has give us ample warnings and we only attribute the warnings to weather, or disease, or being born that way. We are the United States of America. We love our freedom too much to let anything serious happen. A bridge in Minneapolis, MN. collapsed last night (08/01/07 p.m.).

Be alert God is in control. He is good. He also is holy, righteous and just. He will not allow sin to dominate and control His people. He will judge sin completely.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Baptists Distinctives

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The following is from the teaching of John A. Broadus concerning Baptists Distinctives.  Baptists have always been accused of being different, and these distinctives are what sets us apart from others.

It may be well to state briefly what I understand to be the leading distinctive views of the Baptist churches. The fact that certain of these are more or less shared by others will be remarked upon afterward.

(1) We hold that the Bible alone is a religious authority; and in regard to Christian institutions the direct authority is of course the New Testament.

 

(2) We hold that a Christian Church ought to consist only of persons making a credible profession of conversion, of faith in Christ. These may include children, even comparatively young children, for God be thanked that these do often give credible evidence of faith in Christ! But in the very nature of the case they cannot include infants. The notion that infants may be church-members because their parents are seems to us utterly alien to the genius of Christianity, not only unsupported by the New Testament, but in conflict with its essential principles; and we are not surprised to observe that our Christian brethren among whom that theory obtains are unable to carry it out consistently — unable to decide in what sense the so-called “children of the church” are really members of the church and subject to its discipline. The other notion, that infants may be church-members because so-called “sponsors” make professions and promises for them, seems to us a mere legal fiction, devised to give some basis for a practice which rose on quite other grounds. Maintaining that none should be received as church-members unless they give credible evidence of conversion, we also hold in theory that none should be retained in membership who do not lead a godly life; that if a man fails to show his faith by works, he should cease to make profession of faith. Some of our own people appear at times to forget that strict church discipline is a necessary part of the Baptist view as to church-membership.

From The Duty of Baptists To Teach Their Distinctive Views by John A. Broadus, and from the section Distinctive Views of Baptist Churches # 1 & 2

You may read this whole study at Baptists Distinctives.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Reservation Of Black Darkness

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“These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Jude 12-13 (NKJV).

“…Wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.“ This study brings to a conclusion up the study of these two verses, and I pray they have been helpful for your Christian growth. Jude would probably have loved to have wrote kinder, more encouraging words than what the Holy Spirit led him to write.

This letter written by our Lord’s half brother is full of discipleship, instruction, caveat’, for believers to beware of false teachers, in fact, apostates pretending to be Christian; knowing the language, but with a different meaning than what God, and His people really intend.

Those who teach things like, “Jesus came down zipped up in a suit of humanity…”. He wasn’t zipped in a suit of humanity. He was indeed deity in human flesh. He wasn’t dressed in some kind of party costume or something. He was fully divine and fully human. And, He bled. There are those in some “Christian” circles who claim that Jesus was nothing but a “wimp” and could do nothing on the cross against the devil. The devil is not the one who attacked Him on the cross. It was the Father who was judging our sins as our Lord was hanged between heaven and earth. Our sins were imputed to Him; they were placed on Him; and He paid our sin debt (2 Corinthians 5:21). Don’t dare call my Savior a “Wimp”, hanging there paying our sin debt. That debt was owed to the Father, not the devil.

Any teacher who preaches and teaches that Jesus was a ‘Wimp’ as he died on the cross is a liar, deceiver, an apostate, and false teacher. They at the least have no understanding of what took place on the cross that day. It cannot be fully understood by the finite mind of man. All we have to go on is the Word of God; and from that we gain the knowledge that on the cross, there was a transaction of judgment between the Father and the Son; and on the cross the victory over sin was won by Jesus Christ.

“…Wandering stars…” surely must be speaking of what we often call “falling stars”, which are meteorites falling through the earths atmosphere, and burning. They make a good show. I love to watch them falling, they are an awe of our Creator themselves. It is not pleasant to warn of these “wandering stars” which Jude warns us of; but we live in a day when these people are leading thousands, maybe even millions of people away from the cross of Jesus Christ into error of the world, and the devil. These false teachers are always talking about blessing from God in the material sense, but warn nothing of the curse of immoral living. Listen to them, and then, compare what they say with what the prophets of God, and Jesus and His apostles say; and you will see the error of their proclamations. You never know where they will be next. “Wandering stars”.

This “Blackness of darkness forever” is speaking of their eternal destination. There is no need for anyone to experience this horrible place when our Lord Jesus has already been there for us. For three hours our Lord experienced this darkness as He hung on that old wooden cross separated from the mercy of the Father, experiencing only His wrath, and for our sins. That sin debt – our sin debt – has been paid in full. The death of the Son of God was payment in full, and He rose bodily from His grave showing that the debt was paid, and that death had no power over heaven.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Flame Of The LORD

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The story that is told in chapter 11 is often one of David’s sin; after all he is the character, the king, of whom much is written, and to whom many promises have been made by God.  Of his throne having no end, and having an everlasting kingdom.

King David, however, is not the intent of this message.  There is a man in this story who received a bum deal, from the man in whom he had placed his life, the lives of the people in the city of Jerusalem, including his own wife.  This man is none other than Uriah, called, “the Hittite”.  Being a Hitite would have made him not only a foreigner to Israel, but he would have previously been an enemy of Israel.

In this story of the fall of king David is also the story of a man who was faithful, to God, to his wife, to his country and to his king.  In this event in the life of David, Uriah is a contrast to David, and gives those of us who aren’t born into a godly home, or godly atmosphere some hope.

It is very likely that Uriah, being a Hittite; had come to believe and trust in the God of Israel and David; and  had given himself to the service of God, the people and the king.  His name means, “Flame of Jah”, thus the title to the message being “Flame Of The LORD”.  Oh, that the Christian of today had the fire of Uriah.

OUTLINE 2 Samuel 11:6-13 –

I.  URIAH WAS FAITHFUL BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHERE HE WAS (vv. 3, 6).

II.  URIAH WAS OBEDIENT TO THE KING’S COMMANDMENT TO RETURN HOME (v. 7).

III.  URIAH WAS LOYAL TO THE KING AND ALL THE OTHER SOLDIERS WHO WERE FAITHFULLY FIGHTING THE BATTLES (vv. 8-13).

IV.  URIAH IS FAITHFUL TO GOD, HIS WIFE, HIS COUNTRY AND HIS KING EVEN UNTO DEATH – CARRYING HIS OWN DEATH WARRANT (vv. 14-17).

URIAH WAS FAITHFUL BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHERE HE WAS (vv. 3, 6).  “It is 10-O-Clock.  Do you know where your children are?”  This was a question posed on a television commercial a few years ago.  It was asked to draw attention to parents and children, that parents are responsible for their children and need to know where they are.

One of the signs of faithfulness is that people who know you will be knowing what you are doing, when you are doing it, and where you are.  You can and are depended upon for your faithfulness.  Uriah was that faithful man; faithful soldier; faithful husband; faithful to God and king.

Uriah was known as a good soldier, even a “mighty” soldier (23:39).  He is called one of Davids “thirty mighty men” (23:8-39).  Would to God that Christians would be good soldiers for the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is faithful; He will always be faithful to His Word, His will, His children and His promises.  He calls us to faithfulness, and to be diligent, and vigilant to the task to which we have been called.

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (KJV)

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck…” 1 Timothy 1:18-19 (KJV)

Many Christians were not of the “Household of faith” concerning Judaism, and faith in God.  However, because of the grace of God in His Son Jesus Christ anyone from any race, or religion, can come to God through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and bodily resurrection.  Through Jesus Christ alone now Jew and Gentile have a way to the throne of God.  Uriah found that way through faith in God, through the promises of God’s Word.

Where are you concerning God and faith in Him?  Where are you in your walk with God?  Where are you in regards to your faithfulness to Him?

URIAH WAS OBEDIENT TO THE KING’S COMMANDMENT TO RETURN HOME (v. 7).  Uriah was probably wondering about the purpose of his being called back to Jerusalem.  He is one of David’s “thirty mighty men”, as has already been noted.  He may have thought, “The king desires that I get some rest and relaxation”, but his heart had no desire for it.

Uriah was obedient to the king’s call.  He returned to Jerusalem just as the king requested.  He would not, however, go to his home, rest, and relax while his fellow soldiers were fighting out on the battlefield.

Christian, let us who have been called by our King,  hear His voice, do His bidding and when He calls us home do so with the earnestness of this hero of Jerusalem, Israel and Judah.  We can rest assured that when our King Jesus calls us to His home He will not have some devious intent in His  heart and mind.

URIAH WAS LOYAL TO THE KING AND ALL THE OTHER SOLDIERS WHO WERE FAITHFULLY FIGHTING THE BATTLES (vv. 8-13).  The loyalty of Uriah is clearly seen.  He is not only loyal to his king, but loyal and faithful to the other soldiers who are not getting the call from the king that he received.  Uriah would have made a good United States Marine Corp Officer or soldier.  “Semper Fi” or “Always Faithful” is the motto of the Marine Corp, and that seems to have been Uriah’s creed as well.

Remember king David had an ulterior motive for Uriah going home.  However, Uriah would not go home to his wife, his heart was on the welfare of the king and his troops on the field.  The good soldier is thinking about the safety of the others, and their leader and nation.  The heart of Uriah at this point in time puts the heart of king David to shame.

David jumped headlong into this adulterous relationship with Uriah’s wife, because he was not doing what he should have been doing.  The first verse of chapter eleven includes the following words, “at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.”

David was so desperate to get Uriah home he gave him fermitted beverage to make him drunk to maybe get him home to be with Bathsheba, to cover his own sin.  Even in his drunken state Uriah still had the mind and heart to be faithful to God, king, and country.

URIAH IS FAITHFUL TO GOD, HIS WIFE, HIS COUNTRY AND HIS KING EVEN UNTO DEATH – CARRYING HIS OWN DEATH WARRANT (vv. 14-17).  King David upon realization that he would not convince Uriah to get home anytime soon; sent a death warrant by Uriah’s own hand to the General in the field – Joab.  Unknowingly, most likely, Uriah takes the hand written message written by the hand of the king that would cause him to die.

We could say, “Like a lamb to the slaughter”.  The meaning of that is somewhat obvious, but let me give some explanation.  The lamb is trusting, dependent upon its shepherd, and sometimes the shepherd leads a lamb to be slaughtered for the meat.

We have a Savior who was faithful to His Father; all the way to Jerusalem; all the way to Calvary; all the way to the cross; all the way to the tomb; and all the way to His glory which He had with the Father from the beginning (John 17:5).  We by faith in Him and His finished work on the cross put on His righteousness, His garments, and take on the characteristics which led Him to the obedient, faithful, loving life that led to His cross; His place of death and dying for the sins of the world.

Uriah means “Flame of Jah” or “Flame of the Lord”, and surely he was the flame of God burning in Israel when the “man after God’s own heart” had plunged into darkness of sin.

Oh, Christian when we see a brother or sister in Christ; who has plunged headlong into sin; whether they be a church leader, leader’s wife, or the man or woman in the pew; that is the time to be the “Flame of the LORD”, stand as an example of faith and light, be faithful to God, and don’t let the darkness of sin pull you in and down.

Jesus said, “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?”  Luke 12:49 (KJV).  His Holy Spirit within His followers are the possessors of that Fire; and that Fire possesses us as well.  Let us walk in the light of that flame.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Stripped Defenses

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A nation, an individual, a family that has been greatly blessed by God is truly blessed, strong, safe, protected and having the hand of God upon them.  When these have grown to a place where they begin to trust their own strength, and wander from the trust and worship of the One who has given them these things, then, there is need for warning.

A man or woman who has lived by faith, because of the faith given them by God, who begins believing they are great because of their own efforts, pride, and strength will draw away from the Lord.  They see only that God’s blessing is on them, and that will always be the same.  What happens, however, when the blessing stops?  What happens when this individual begins trusting the blessing rather than the Blesser?

The nation of Judah, to whom Jeremiah addresses had been  in such a state.  Greatly blessed over the years, but they would never hear of the decease of God’s blessing.  Any prophet who warned them that God was going to send a sinful nation to avenge Him was considered a false prophet.  That was Jeremiah’s case.

The nation of Israel was likened unto a vineyard by Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 5), and  that picture is given to Jeremiah as well;

“Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’S. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.” Jeremiah 5:10-13 (KJV)

Though vineyard is not mentioned in the KJV that is the idea of the “walls”.  Vineyards did have walls around them, and these “battlements” are speaking of the “branches”  of the vineyard that are to be taken away. 

The NKJV reads,

“Go up on her walls and destroy, but do not make a complete end.  Take away her branches for they are not the LORD’s.”

The walls was the means of protection for the vineyard.  It kept the livestock from getting into it, the wildlife from doing too much damage.  To destroy the wall was to make the vineyard open to ruin. 

Notice in these words that God gives hope to His people, “…but make not a full end” .  The defense of God’s people is the LORD, not a our nation, not our president, not the military, etc.  It is the LORD alone.  When we turn our backs on God in favor of wicked leaders, and military defenses, politics or business; including Wall Street, then we will have our defenses stripped.

People no longer listen to the truth.  We want to feel good and the truth doesn’t leave us feeling too well.  The nation of Judah turned its back on God infavor of the lies of the false prophets.  They rejected the word of God, and trusted lies.  Judah and Israel said that “If there is a coming judgment, it is not of God”.  They would not believe that God could do such a thing.  After all, they thought, “We have the temple of God”.  They may have had the temple of God, but God was not in His temple.

There may be destruction from God, but it is to call His people back to Himself.  Christian of 2009 wake up and see and hear the truth of God’s word.  Trust only in Him, and be at peace.  God has our best in His heart.  Repent, return and believe.  Do this through faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ.  He died on the cross for your sins, was buried carrying your guilt, shame and condemnation away, and He bodily arose from the grave, and gives us eternal life.  One day soon He is coming again.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Our Comfort; God With Us

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The Lord had spoken to Isaiah and sent him to Ahaz the king of Judah with the message “Do not fear”. Yes I know it was a little longer and a bit more than that, but that is the basic message God sent to Ahaz.

The plotting of Ephraim would not stand, especially since they had made league with an enemy of God and His people. “Do not fear” is used; someone has said; 365 times throughout all of Scripture. That is one for each day of the year. One thing about Ahaz is that he is a proud king and we are about to see some of that pride in its worse form.

“Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 7:10-17 (KJV)

King Ahaz seems to have been trying to be pious in responding to the prophet’s message. Remember it is Isaiah who brought the message of the LORD to the king. The LORD said to the king, “Ask a sign of the LORD…”. It was the Lord who asked Ahaz to ask for a sign, yet the king wanted to have the self-righteous attitude, and a false faith, and refused the offer of the LORD. O, how often we have God’s Word before us and we hear it, then, turn around and neglect to perform the will of the Lord. The king could have asked for any sign, and due to his seeming arrogance, the sign goes a different way.

The LORD was asking to be tested. The king refused, therefore, it seems that the thing he feared was going to come to pass.

There is a two-fold message in Isaiah’s prophecy. It is to have a near fulfillment and a far off fulfillment. It is thought that the virgin would be the wife that Isaiah would marry, evidently the mother of Shearjashub has died. This young wife would have a son fulfilling the prophecy showing the king the power of God’s Word. Before this child would be old enough to know how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land of those the king dreaded would be empty/deserted.

In the end, the king of Assyria would overtake the land. It is not meant that Ahaz would see this event, but it did happen, and Jerusalem fell, and captives were carried away.

Verse 14 is also a prophecy of the Lord Jesus and His coming as the God-Man through the birth of the virgin mother Mary (Matthew 1:23). He is called Immanuel or “God with us”. It is the greatest thing in all the world to know Immanuel, that God is with us. Jesus is Immanuel; the fulfillment of the law and prophets.

It should be of great comfort to the Christian to know that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this promise, and that He is “God with us”, He will forever be with us, and we will one day forever be in His presence with Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The King’s Cross

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There is something special about the makeup of mankind’s heart and life.  First of all it is patterned after our Creator.  He made us in His image, though that image be marred by sin. 

The way in which it is special is that we are most at peace when we are most like Him.  That is; peaceful, loving, kind, faithful, gracious, merciful, joyful, serving, patient, gentle, and having self-control.  There are some who try and be the opposite of these things, and live in abject misery; yet thinking, “Now this is the life!”

There is only one way to be as our Creator would have us, and that is to follow His Son Jesus Christ.  He said,

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26 (KJV)

Jesus’s own words are “If you will follow Me…”  Following Him is to be like Him and His life.  He sacrificed His time, His life in ministry to help people and minister to them.  He was never distracted from His reason for coming, and that was to die on His cross for the sins of all mankind; His destiny in this life was to give His life as the payment for our sins.  With Him; in His mind and heart; that was as good as already done when He was speaking to His disciples at this point in time.

In the verses above He calls for all who would follow Him to take up their own cross and follow.  What is our cross, if we are to follow Him?  The cross in that day was an object of death.  It was a tool of the Roman government to punish capital criminals, and put them to death.  So when Jesus speaks of “taking up your cross” He is meaning the laying down of our lives.

No woman or man can be a true follower of Jesus Christ who has not given up their very lives to do so.  To not lay one’s life down for Christ and His gospel is to lose your life.  To lay down your life for Christ is to gain your life, and eternity with Him.

Paul the apostle probably had these words in His mind when he wrote:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galations 2:20 (KJV)

To have the fruits of the Spirit of Christ, ie., “…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  Meekness, temperance…” Galations 5:22-23 (KJV), we must like Paul, the other disciples of Jesus Christ, lay down our lives as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), and showing forth the honors and glory of our Lord and Savior.

Refusing to give your all for Jesus Christ may just gain you the world, and all it possesses, but you lose your soul, your very life; and eternal peace and joy will never be yours.

The King’s Cross is the way to blessing, peace, joy, love, contentment, and eternity with our King.  The King of all kings; and Lord of all lords.

-Tim A. Blankenship