august 31 come apart

 Come apart. Dr. Vance Havner said, “If you don’t come apart, you will come apart.”  Alone time. Down time. Rest and relaxation. The Army calls it R and R. We need a healthy balance between working and resting. The pressure of today’s society causes many of us to get so involved in the “necessary” that we neglect the other “necessary”, rest.  I laughingly say, “I’d rather wear out that rust out.” But if I wear out prematurely and put myself out of commission, I cut short my productivity.  Occasionally a preacher will say, “I have served the Lord 15 years without a vacation.” Is that good or bad? I will not judge this man of God. If he is bragging about his faithfulness, he is sounding his own horn and will possibly lose some of his reward.   Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. On the other hand, if he is not calling attention to himself but simply confessing his hard work he may be crying out for help. We like to think we are important. And each person is important. Satan tempts us to think things will fall apart if we take time off. Yet it is true, ”If we don’t come apart, we will come apart.” Did Jesus take any days off?  He was surrounded by folks who needed Him and called on him 24/7. That gets old fast. We do see Jesus getting away from everyone. Even Peter, James and John. Those who were the closeth to Him. He tried to get apart and people followed Him. Matthew 14:13 …he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. Satan did not want Jesus to be alone. Time in prayer with His Heavenly Father recharged His Spiritual batteries and gave Him guidance. Jesus fed 5,000 instead of sending them away or hiding from them. Then He tried to get away again.  Matthew 14:22-23 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. Jesus constrained his disciples. Constrained. Greek anankazō  necessitate;-compel, to threaten.  Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. Satan wanted Jesus worn out. Jesus finally forced the crowds and His disciples to leave Him alone. Alone with the Father. May you and I follow His example.
  
 
 
 

Free Money. Does that get your attention? Who isn’t for free money? Well, for one those who understand that there is no such thing as free money. Our government prints money knowing that someday the monetary system is going to go broke. Kick the can down the road. Our country has millions of missing productive citizens who would be paying taxes and social security because we butchered at least 63 million babies.   Covid 19 gave our government the opportunity to give out free money to stimulate the economy. If we come to expect handouts and not receive them, we are disgruntled. Free money. Forgive student loans. I suspect most people who have student debt would approve of student loan forgiveness. Forget about fairness. What’s in it for me? Dog eat dog. Some people think, “I don’t care if you think it is fair. Take from the wealthy and give to us who are less fortunate.”  Many times, the “less fortunate” are less motivated. I had a contract to mow an apartment complex. Wood chips from a ground tree stump were flung on one side of a car. The owner claimed I damaged their car. An insurance adjustor came out and determined that the other side of the car had identical road rash which was no way damaged by my mower. The person wanting the free money encouraged others in the complex to file a claim. One other person did. Their car was parked nowhere near where the wood chips were. Possibly they thought, “He has insurance. Let the insurance company pay for it.” The fact is this small business owner (me) would have had to pay a $1000 deductible for each claim. I would have had to mow 7 times for free to cover that deductible. But who cares? What’s in it for me? How about an insurance claim where the body shop charges a little extra to do some other touch up work not related to the claim? A Quaker questioned the amount paid him by an insurance company for crop damage caused by a drought. He had an adjustor friend access the damage. His estimate was in line with what the farmer estimated his loss to be. However, the insurance company had paid him considerably more than what the damage actually was. The farmer’s friend assured him it was okay for him to keep the excess money. He returned the excess because fair is fair. Right is right. Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 2 Corinthians 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty… Be fair. Be honest. Deuteronomy 25:15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORDthy God giveth thee. Blessings from above. Or cursing. Which do you prefer?

Peer Pressure. We all experience it. We may not want to admit it, but it is very real. The Israelites had peer pressure. Their pagan neighbors bowed to idols made of wood and stone. Ezekiel 20:32 (KJV)  And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. Let me repeat that verse from the New Living Translation Second Edition. Ezekiel 20:32 (NLT2)  “You say, ‘We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen. The nations around you serve idols of wood and stone. You want to be like them. I will not let you. You have free will and can decide for yourselves whom you will serve, but I will chasten you until you see the light. Or die. To be accepted. There will always be people who are different. It is sad the number of people who have committed suicide because they were shunned by their peers. Or the number of people who are in jail or have committed suicide by cop such as the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Most people who smoke cigarettes began because their friends smoked. Same with drinking. Doing drugs. Cussing. Desiring certain tennis shoes. I saw a pair of tennis shoes on sale for $500. A $500 pair of tennis shoes? And people being killed so someone can steal their tennis shoes? What have we come to? What about Christians? Are we to conform to the world?  Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. We are to be transformed not conformed. We are to be different. Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Expect your old friends to leave you behind when you follow Jesus. 1 Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Be on guard because Satan wants to make us feel out of place. You are in God’s place when you live in His grace. Imitate Jesus in what you say and do. Please, bow not to the pressure of being accepted by the devil’s crowd.

God killed her. Ezekiel was a prophet of God. He lived among the exiles taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. God was punishing Israel for prostituting themselves with other gods. God was slowly releasing His Divine judgment on them. Life went on in Jerusalem, however the people still worshiped other gods. False prophets told those in exile that soon they would return to Jerusalem. False prophets today still teach doctrine that is contrary to the Bible. The only way to know the truth is for you personally to 1. Know Jesus as your personal saviour. 2. Pray for wisdom. 3. Ask God to reveal to you, His truth. 4. Be faithful to a Bible teaching church. 1. John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 2. James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 3. John 16:13   Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 4. Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. If you will humble yourself before God and seek Him, He has the responsibility to lead you to the truth. Ezekiel was in God’s will. God decided to kill his wife. Not for her sins. Not to punish Ezekiel. But to teach a lesson to those who Ezekiel ministered to. Ezekiel 24:16-17  Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. 17  Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. Ezekiel’s desire of his eyes. What a compliment. Is your spouse still the desire of your eyes? He or she was when you got married. Do you need to kindle the fire again? Ezekiel was commanded to not cry or allow any outward expressions of grief to be shown. Ezekiel 24:18  So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. I wonder how his wife responded when she was told God was going to kill her. Are you ready to die? God was telling the exiles that judgment was still coming to Israel. The people who survive the coming devastation would be in such shock and dismay they would not even be able to mourn. Do you mourn for your sins? For our countries sins? Serving God can hurt. Are you willing to be hurt if necessary to be faithful to Him? 

Don’t make me. A friend was having a telephone consultation with his doctor. Dissatisfied with what the doctor said, He said “Don’t make me come over there.” Knowing him I believe it was not a threat, but he wanted to let the doctor know what she said was not what he wanted to hear. At any rate the doctor dropped him as a patient perceiving the comment as a threat. He was fortunate to be accepted back as a patient after apologizing and writing a letter explaining that he had no intention of harming the doctor. Sometimes we say things that have not been thought through. Controlling your tongue is a sign of Christian maturity. James 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.Is your religion in vain? I agree that Christianity is not religion. It is a relationship with God through Jesus. Nevertheless, this relationship is considered by the world to be a religion. Many people claim to love Jesus, but their mouth reveals what is in their heart. Matthew 15:18-19   But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Your words speak loudly. They reveal what is in your heart. James 3:10   Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Jesus gives the Christian absolute authority over his mouth. You may have to bite your tongue, but He will help you control your words. James 3:2  For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. When you are able to bridle your tongue, you can with God’s help bridle your whole body. Do you really want to control your tongue? Some people enjoy using their tongue as a sword to cut others down. James 3:6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.Are you having bad days? Perhaps your words are the reason. 1 Peter 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: I want to have good days, not bad days. How about you? Christian, ask Jesus to help you control your tongue and He will. Then you and those around you, and the Lord Himself will enjoy your company. 

Sleeping in Sunday best. She has gone to be with the Lord. One of the most faithful church members I have ever known. She loved Jesus. She believed Jesus was going to call all of His children up to Heaven in a moment, in the twinkling of the eye. 1 Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Jesus will first reunite the souls of the Christians in Heaven with their bodies and resurrect them. Then He will catch up the rest of the Christians and take us all to Heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17   For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. She believed this so strongly that she slept in her Sunday go to meeting clothes. She didn’t want to get caught up to Heaven in her pajamas. She only took very quick showers because she didn’t want to be caught up into the clouds of believers naked. She was one of the sincerest Christians I have ever known. Am I making fun of her? Certainly not! I admire her simplicity. I believe we will be changed in a moment so no one will see us in our pjs or even naked. This mortal flesh will put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:53   For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. The point I want to express is her faith. She believed the Bible completely. Simply. Sincerely. Literally. How I admire that kind of faith. May I be as simple as she was. And still is in glory. Can you by faith accept the Bible as the Word of God? Accept it as God inspired? 2 Peter 1:21   For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Do you read it? Do you apply it to your daily life? Do you faithfully attend a Spirit filled church where the Bible is taught as the Word of God? If you believe it, do you live it? Perhaps today is a good day to get serious about reading the Bible and letting it and God’s Holy Spirit mold you into the person Jesus wants you to be. 

Men will be men. In over 2 decades of climbing telephone poles and ladders in the cable tv and satellite tv business I met one woman pole climber. Was it because we didn’t want to hire female workers? No. In America we usually follow the rule, “To be hired to do a job you must first apply for a job.” It appears to me that most females looking for a job didn’t like the idea of climbing poles with hooks and a safety belt. Were we forbidden from hiring them? Of course not. If a woman does a “mans” job I believe she should be paid on an equal scale. I have known two women who were crane operators. I met one woman who is a helicopter mechanic. I have respect for people who break the “mold”. I respect men who prefer to do “women’s” work. I will refrain from listing any such occupations. (I was a scrub nurse). Except childbirth. Yet in today’s twisted society we have some males who claim or at least pretend to have birthed children. Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! In the Bible we have 700 lefthanded men who were expert shots with a sling. Judges 20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. Practice makes perfect. I don’t know what “at an hair breadth” means, but I suspect it means they hit the bulls eye every time. I have no doubt that a woman could become as accurate at slinging a stone as a man if she was determined to learn how to do it. Could she sling it with the same force as a man? I imagine some could. The point is usually men will be men and women will be women. Civilizations have risen and fallen depending on male warriors more than woman warriors. Biblically speaking the wife is to be treated as the “weaker” vessel. 1 Peter 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. I believe this means the wife is to be protected and cared for by her husband. They can open the door, but shouldn’t us guys open it for them? Can women defend themselves? Of course! Little girls playing with toy dump trucks and little boys playing with dolls usually goes against our expectations. But sadly, many in our society are willing to surgically altar the bodies of these children who are not old enough to vote. There is a reason we won’t let them vote. There is reason to let them grow up and make life changing decisions on their own. Let children be children.

White socks. When I was a preacher boy at East Texas Baptist College back in the late 60’s I preached anywhere I could. I preached in the church of a coworker in the Army National Guard.   He did not attend the service, but his wife did. He told me what she said about my preaching.  I was all ears. Constructive or destructive I need to know what others think of my preaching. Said she, “He preached a good message. He presented himself well. Everything was fine until he stepped out from behind the pulpit and then I saw it. He had on white socks. White socks. That ruined the whole sermon.” White socks. I don’t wear white socks anymore. My my my. Shame on me. White socks. What is the saying? “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all the people all of the time?” It’s sad us preachers have to be human. Many of us are flawed. I have come across preachers on the TV who were so obese that I was repulsed. (As if I have not become one of those preachers.) I wanted to quickly change the channel but as I listened, I was touched by the Holy Spirit and blessed by his message. You see it’s not the preacher, it’s the message. If the preacher points us to Jesus, the sermon is a success even if we cringe at the preacher. Balaam’s donkey probably looked like a common donkey, but the Lord spoke through him. Numbers 22:28   And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?  Balaam talked back to the donkey without clearly realizing that he was talking to his donkey. It helps to talk at our car when it won’t start doesn’t it? The messenger God used convoyed the message that needed to be heard. Don’t concentrate on the preacher. Concentrate on the message. If you have to, shut your eyes at the crudeness of the preacher. (or his white socks). Listen to the message. At least his feet are beautiful. Romans 10:15 How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! And one more point. Don’t get caught up in his handsomeness if he is handsome. Again, close your eyes if you need to but listen to the message. Coat and tie?  Really? Does it matter? Flashy expensive watch and jewelry? That may be a warning sign. Some ministers loose respect if they drive an excessively expensive car. Other people may prefer to listen to a seemingly rich “successful” preacher. Success is determined by the message, not the messenger. A message from God will touch your heart even if the messenger looks like a donkey. 

Honk. Fifty-three years ago, when my wife and I got married most cars had a long front seat. My wife sat next to me, and I had my arm around her shoulders. Oh, for the good old days. Our car had a standard transmission… a three on the tree. I would let off the gas and push in the clutch, and she would shift the gear shifter. We had a decal on back that said, “Honk if you love Jesus.”  And another decal with a hand with the index finger pointing up to Heaven that said “One Way. Jesus.”  One morning taking her to work I drifted slightly into the lane on my left. A car honked. As he passed us in disgust we smiled and held up our index fingers and said, “One way. Jesus.” I don’t think his morning started out well. Honk. I wonder how many people have been shoot for honking their horn at another driver. Tempers have short fuses. People are becoming more and more impatient as the trials of life become more and more demanding. We live in Bible times. 2 Timothy 3:1-4  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God…  I could preach a whole sermon from this one text. Today let’s look at the word “incontinent.” More common in modern English incontinent means “having no or insufficient voluntary control over bodily functions.” Adult underwear (diapers) help many people in the last days of their perilous times to cope with that problem. There is another definition for incontinent. Someone asks which definition is the one we need to understand? “Depends.” The Greek word used in this verse in 2 Timothy is “akrates” and means negative strength or without self-control or powerless. It refers to being short tempered. How long can your rubber band stretch before it breaks? Many a Christian has let his temper make a fool of him. Many a person behind the bars of justice are there because their temper got the best of them. We are born selfish. As we grow older, we become more and more selfish. The most unselfish person in eternity is Jesus. He allowed our sins to execute Him. But praise God He arose. He will come into your life, and you can be “born again” if you are tired of living in sin. Then His Holy Spirit lives in you and helps you to become like Him. This includes controlling your temper. Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance:.. Temperance in the Greek means self-control (especially continence). Jesus will help you with your temper if you will let Him. 

Whisky      Billy Sunday was a baseball star from the late 1800’s who received Christ as his personal saviour and became a well-known evangelist. He especially preached against the liquor industry. Said he, “I’ll fight the liquor business until hell freezes over. Then I’ll put on ice skates and fight it some more.” Many people came to Christ under his ministry. Whisky. Alcohol has not been a problem to me; however I am quick to add that there are many other vices that I have fallen for. None of us are sinless.  Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Drugs are a problem especially today. Galatians 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:. The word “witchcraft” in the Greek is pharmakeia. It means medication (“pharmacy”), magic, sorcery. Witchcraft, demons, Satanic worship, fortune tellers, drunkenness and drug misuse. The Bible describes our country today. Many laws in America have gradually been overtaken by the desires of the world. Do you remember “Blue laws”? Six states still prohibit alcohol sales on Sunday. There are 34 countries that execute drug traffickers. The movie “The Firing Squad” is based on a true story of three people on death row in Indonesia. If you want to know how to know Jesus personally watch this movie. In America about 178,000 people die from excessive drinking each year. I am unable to find out how many people have died after receiving the “experimental jab” forced on so many people a couple of years ago. The figures made public were over 5,000 in 2021. I continue to see marital problems caused by alcohol. Drugs get such a strong grip on some people. Many people laughed at Nancy Reagans advice, “Just say no.” Why do people say “yes”? I suppose there are two main reasons. 1. Peer pressure. We want to be accepted by our friends. I think that is the reason most people start smoking cigarettes. How many smokers wish they had never started smoking? How many loved ones still mourn the death of a smoker? Satan makes sin look so enticing. Then 2. People are searching. They don’t realize that Jesus can give them a “high” that the world can only dream of. Jesus is a chain breaker. Luke 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Perhaps Satan has bruised you and put you in bondage. Repent and ask Jesus to save you and you will be set free.