The Kingdom of Heaven is Like . . .

Have you ever scratched your head at the parables Jesus gave in the Gospels? It is truly amazing when God finally opens the eyes of our understanding to scripture, and allows us to know what has been beyond us. His Growing up, His ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ parables were completely inscrutable to me.

Matthew 24:14-30 informs us that the kingdom of heaven is ‘like a man traveling to a far country that called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.’

What the heck? What does that mean?

Most believers know that to better understand one verse you need to read the preceding and succeeding verses. Verse 13 speaks of the Son of Man (God the Son) returning. And then, in the following verses, we are treated to a parable featuring a man traveling. Coincidence? Doubtful. As we see in the rest of the parable, this man is both powerful and exceedingly generous, giving out of his abundant grace (and in measures according to his own unfathomable will), and rewarding those who had multiplied what he had given to them.

Are you starting to understand the parable? I trust you are; these passages are indeed illuminating.

In the parable we begin to see that ‘the man’ is clearly God, that his servants are Christians, and that what he gives to them in his grace is the opportunity for salvation. The moral of this parable concerns what we do with what he has given us. Do we bury our salvation? Do we hide it, keeping it for ourselves without ever sharing its light with the world, like the ‘wicked and lazy servant’? Or do we invest this great gift, sharing Christ with our fellow travelers? Do we recognize that we are duty-bound to our Lord to share the light He has given us?

As we scurry about our business this busy week, hassling our way through congested parking lots and crowded stores, let’s try to keep the memory of our Savior in mind, and to recall that He shared His light with everyone He encountered, showing us how to expand the kingdom of heaven. Because those who sit in darkness are in desperate need of the light. They need out love, our tender mercies, our time, and our example. As Jacob Marley said: ‘Mankind was my business’. So let us be about our Father’s business this Christmastime. It can be as simple as letting that person ahead of you in line, donating to the various charities to provide gifts for the poor children, or a simple smile as you greet someone in the marketplace. Those who squander the gift will have no place in the kingdom (Matthew 25:30), and this is a fate we should not wish on our worst enemies. Rather, when we see these masses, we ought to recall verses 35-36: 'For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink . . .'

On the Manger Scene

You’ve heard the uncomfortable tales of unbelievers publicly shaming Christian displays of support for Christmas. It’s hard not to respond negatively—and retaliate—when we are bashed for setting up a simple harmless manger scene, or for giving a cheerful ‘Merry Christmas.’ In responding to these assaults on our faith, we must remember the teachings of the Man we are celebrating. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to pray even for our enemies, to persist in our faith whether convenient or not. If it comes to a confrontation, you might do well by pointing this out to the offended: ‘I am celebrating the birth of a Man who promoted peace and love.’ And you might finish by asking the offended unbeliever: ‘Do you have a problem with celebrating the birth of a man known as the Prince of Peace?’ After all, they take no offense at MLK Jr. Day (as, of course, no right-thinking human would), and Martin Luther King was merely reiterating what Jesus taught long ago.

You have to wonder about the moral compass of someone who is angered by celebrations of a Man of peace. Certainly there can be nothing wrong with honoring Christ on your own property, and even public crèches should be seen as inspirational, not offensive; they remind us to rise above our petty differences and love our neighbors, and to put aside all hatred. The birth of Jesus is certainly worth celebrating! But let's try to look on our unbelieving neighbors not as our enemies but as fellow travelers, the difference being that they are walking in darkness. So let us respond with light.

The One whose birth we celebrate on Christmas day is watching, having sent us out as sheep amidst wolves. Therefore we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Be bold in your faith, but gentle in your response to the faithless.

A Challenge

A challenge . . .
We are challenged by society to go to college, to make more money, to be successful, to 'love your self.'

I am challenging you to ask yourself one simple but profound question at the end of every day: Have I shared the light of Christ with someone, just one person, in any way, today? It doesn't have to be anything big, and certainly nothing flashy--God doesn't like a showboat. Did you lend a listening ear to a worried friend? Did you offer a shoulder to cry on? Did you give a small gift or donation to someone in need? Did you defend your reason for believing to a skeptic? Did you comfort, clothe, feed, offer a glass of water to anyone? Did you help an elderly lady carry her groceries to her car? Did you even mention Jesus Christ to a single soul?

Good works are a natural result of salvation. We show our love for God by obeying His commandments (John 14:15). We show our lack of love for God by not practicing the truth but walking in darkness (1 John 1:3-6).

It is a simple but vital challenge to which every Christian needs to submit. In a world that is steadily accepting everything as 'good' and all religions as being equal, we need to remind ourselves that there is only one God, and that His Word endures. He does not change. His Word does not change. It remains relevant and vital.

At the end of each day, challenge yourself with this question. Everything else, college, money, career, self-obsession, must be subjected to our service to Christ in this world. 

Why Would a Good God Send People to Hell?

Whenever someone asks you this question as a way to justify their rejection of God, you might reply by saying this: “You are asking the wrong question. You should be asking, ‘just how offensive is sin in God’s eyes that He would let people choose hell?’”

In an age where we are taught to walk on eggshells lest we offend anyone, it seems strange to me that no one is bothered by offending God. People are simply not afraid to offend God, which they do by disregarding His commands on a widespread daily basis, or by simply choosing not to retain Him in their knowledge.

We are careful not to speak against the various sinful lifestyles in the world which God clearly condemns in scripture, lest we be seen as intolerant. And yet the people who indulge in lifestyles contrary to God’s word display no discomfort at offending God while they blatantly snub their noses at Him. Indeed, they even try to justify their rejection of His design by saying ‘We are all made in God’s image, it’s really that simple.’ Sure, we are made in God’s image—but then we fall, and there is no one who does good, no, not one, (Romans 3:12).

In studying scripture it is blatantly clear why some souls end up in hell. The first three chapters in Romans are especially illuminating. Chapter 1:18-19 tells us that God reveals His wrath against all ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in their unrighteousness, and that we are without excuse for our sins, seeing as God has provided sufficient evidence of His existence in the world. Verse 21 states: ‘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.’

The simple truth is that every day, ordinary people freely choose to reject God’s design for their lives and their nature, and instead choose their own path. Whenever we choose a path or lifestyle that is clearly contrary to scripture, we are rejecting God’s design and will for our life, thereby choosing eternal suffering in hell.

It may not seem fair to those who are confused about things, or to those who think that ‘love’ in any form is God’s will (let’s not forget that Satan chose to love himself more than God, and that Eve and Adam chose to love their choice to disobey God more than God’s one command). But God—as Creator of the universe and of you—does not need to explain Himself to anyone. Isaiah 29:16 and Romans 9:20 tell it like it is, and the Word is final, regardless if people accept it or not.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalms 19:9). ‘Fear not those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell’ (Matthew 10:28).

We should not discriminate; after all, we are all sinners. But we should also not be afraid to declare sin as sin, as the bible tells us that every deed done in darkness shall be brought to light, and we are enlisted to call our brothers’ transgression to his knowledge, so that he might be led to repentance.

There is a reason scripture tells us to fear God. We should all be terrified of offending Him, as unrepentant offense against God is a wide path leading to destruction. Indeed, sin is so offensive in God’s eyes that He lets all who sin without repenting end up in hell. So stop insulting God, stop rejecting His design with lame excuses and blasphemous misconstruing of biblical verses. God’s Word is final. Don’t add to it and don’t remove verses you don’t like from it.

Jesus the Man

Jesus fulfills many roles: Son of God, God the Son, savior, Good Shepherd. So it is not surprising that we tend to overlook Jesus the man. It is important that we spend time in the gospels to understand as much as we can about Jesus, for He told us to ‘Learn from Me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,’ (Matthew 11:29). What was He like? What kind of man was Jesus? We need look no further that the four gospels. Oftentimes Jesus would go off alone (usually to a mountain) to pray. Don’t you find it a revealing insight to the Son’s nature that He would pray? It is fascinating for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it is one of many examples of Jesus practicing what He preached.

We know that Jesus many times corrected and castigated people, but it is illuminating that those He corrected were not those viewed by the world as sinners (and tax collectors, whom he instead recruited), but the so called religious leaders of the day. The Pharisees and those of the religious order the Sanhedrin, were often forced to endure Jesus’ harsh reprimands, for they were corrupt and hypocritical, honoring the traditions of men instead of the commands of God. So Jesus was not afraid to judge (with righteous judgment, John 7:25), as this act brought to light the deeds of darkness and the hypocrisy of those working in opposition of God’s will, who were proclaiming their own righteousness.

Jesus had a temper! Just look at His reaction to the fig tree when it failed to provide Him lunch. Or read about his reaction to those dealing with money at the temple. I would love to have seen my savior flipping tables over and yelling at the moneylenders. But always His anger was directed towards those who disrespected God’s will, and it was always designed to inspire conviction and change.

Jesus had a tender heart. His disciples were the most blessed (and pressured) men in history. They received His direct teachings and corrections, but also His love. Though Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, He did not give the man a hard time, and it almost seemed as if He were pleading for Judas’ very soul in the garden. Same goes for Peter when He informed the poor man that he would deny Jesus. Jesus could have looked at Peter with disgust and disappointment, but instead He proclaimed His confidence in him that Peter would become the rock on which His church would be built.

Look at the man Jesus in the wilderness. When He was tempted by the devil, did Jesus use supernatural power to repel Satan? No. He quoted scripture! Isn’t it incredible that the savior who was prophesied throughout the OT and whose teachings and life history dominate the NT should quote scripture to defend Himself against the wiles of the devil?

He was a poor man, never owning anything more than the clothes on His back, which buttressed His teaching of the difficulty for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

All in all I think Jesus was the sort of man I would be honored to have as a friend. He does not judge based on personal faults but on willful disobedience to our God. He practiced what He preached. He displayed righteous indignation towards those who dishonored God. And He displayed fierce loyalty to His elect. And it was as a man that Jesus endured the crucifixion. What I mean by that is that He did not call on His supernatural nature to endure the agony of His passion or to dull the pain, and He did not use His power as God the Son to free Himself from the cross, as He so easily could have. He bore the punishment for our sins, as no other man could or would. He received and receives all the glory in heaven as the Son of God, and yet He chose to leave that—for a short time—to come in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-8).

Who Is God?

Colossians 1:10 teaches us on how to be proper Christians: ‘—that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.’
I underlined that last section because it is something sorely missing in church today (generally speaking—I understand there may be proper churches out there, somewhere). It seems obvious that to understand how to be proper followers of Christ we should learn of Him, and yet teachings on the nature and person of God do not seem to be a priority for our teachers these days. Perhaps one of the causes of this travesty is the blasphemous New Thought ideology expounded (most notably) by Osteen. Osteen is quoted as saying: ‘I have found that people are not interested in theology . . . they just need to know how to live’! Theology being the study of God, this declaration is clearly contradictory to the verse in Colossians. IT IS UNBIBLICAL. Osteen and most other preachers today are attempting to sever learning about God with learning how to live, or to put it another way, they deny the relevance of learning about Christ for the modern person. From his own lips this false teacher says he is not interesting in teaching about God.

If we are not increasing our knowledge of God, we are not fulfilling our duties and obligations to our Creator. We are failing as believers.While incompetent or false teachers are partially to blame for this failure, we are without excuse, for what can be known of God is evident among us (Romans 1:19-20). If your preacher does not increase your knowledge of God, then you should be taking it on yourself. Don’t turn to other works to understand who God is; every book ever written about God is diluted through its author’s opinions and biases. Turn rather to God’s Word and to God in prayer, thereby will you increase your knowledge of Him. Don’t count on your teachers, pastors, or friends to educate you in Theology 101. And don’t lean on your own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 Ezekiel Chapter 34 speaks out against these false shepherds; ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?’

If your pastor is not teaching you about the nature and person of Christ, then he is not feeding you as he should be. If he stands up on the pulpit and holds in his hands any book other than the Bible, and teaches out of this substitution, then he is not feeding you, he is failing you, and you owe it to yourself and to God not to subject yourself to his wayward messages.

Going back to Colossians, this time chapter 2 verse 8, we are given a heads up on the techniques of these false shepherds: Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of this world, and not according to Christ.’ Wow, notice how timeless and relevant this nearly 2,000 year old message is today.

Osteen and his ilk would have us learn how to live without knowledge of Christ and yet the Bible makes clear that such teachings are empty deceits, based on worldly principles, and that they cheat us of our heavenly birthright.

So let us turn to Jonah chapter 4, to increase our knowledge of God. The fourth chapter reveals a very tender loving side to our God, which is truly revelatory when considering all the wrath and destruction this same God brings in so many other places in the OT. God tells Jonah ‘You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city in which are 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?’

Here we see that God did not want to destroy the people of Nineveh, though their sin was great. He had pity on them, much in the way Jonah pitied the plant, though God’s pity is justified because He has labored over the people of Nineveh, He created them and fed them and raised them up. He cared for them, because though they did not care for God, they were still God’s creations. What love is this we see! And then, as if that wasn’t sufficiently moving, God even points out that He wanted to save even the animals of the city! Here we learn that God will go out of His way to save even those who turn their backs on Him. This is knowledge well worth discovering, something I much prefer to learn about than how enjoyable my pastor’s latest cruise to the Bahamas was.

Spend time in God’s Word and with God in prayer, for that is time well spent.