A Word In Season

March 28, 2023 Leave a Comment

A Child of Promise

MARCH 28, 2023

“For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.” (Galatians 4:22, 23)

Abraham had two sons. Ismael and Isaac were both sons of Abraham, and both called the same great patriarch “father.” Yet one of them inherited the covenant blessing, and the other was simply a prosperous man of the world. Ishmael was a stranger to the covenant, while Isaac was the heir of the promise. Just as it was with Isaac’s own sons, Esau and Jacob, the blessing went to the second born. With respect to spiritual inheritance, how little is there in natural blood and birth. In both cases, the two represent one. Through our first birth, we received a nature of sin and alienation from God. It is only by second birth that we receive the blessing and life eternal. However, the emphasis with Abraham’s two sons is that the blessing went to the child of promise, whose birth was not only second, but was according to promise, and was supernatural.

Abraham’s two sons are declared by Paul to be types of two races of men, which are naturally much alike, but spiritually they are widely different. Ishmael was a son of Abraham by Hagar upon ordinary conditions: he was born “after the flesh.” Isaac, however, the son of Sarah, was not born by the strength of nature, for his father was more than a hundred years old, and Sarah was long past the age of bearing children. (Rom. 4:19; Heb. 11:11, 12) He was given to his parents by the Lord, and was born according to the promise through faith. This is a grave distinction, and it is one that distinguishes the true child of God from one who is only so by profession. The promise is basic and fundamental to this distinction, and the power which goes forth to accomplish the promise creates and maintains the difference. Therefore the promise, which is the inheritance of believers, is also the true test of one’s faith.

Let us apply this test to our own profession of faith. Did your conversion come about by some form of natural persuasion, or was it by the operation of the Spirit of God? If you profess to have been born again, how did this new birth come about? Was it the work of God’s Spirit according to His eternal purpose and promise, or did it come out of yourself? If your faith consists in the old nature trying to better itself, then this is Ishmael. But if you, being spiritually dead and totally without strength, were visited by the Spirit of God, who quickened you with life from above, then you are Isaac. All depends upon how life began, and the source of its power. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Isaac represents those whose life is not merely an effort to transform the old nature, but it is the imparting and infusing of new life from above. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…” (II Cor. 5:17) All things become new, because God has created us anew.

Most religion is nothing more than men’s fleshly efforts to make themselves better (or to at least appear better) by touching up and repairing the old man. Reformation is certainly welcome. If a man can rid himself of some of his outward corruption, it can’t be a bad thing, either for himself, or for his family, or for society; but if in this effort he hopes to save his soul, it falls far short of the mark. You can clean up Ishmael as much as you please, but you cannot make him into Isaac. It takes the power of God to create a new man. (Eph. 4:24) You can improve nature, and the more you do so the better so far as temporary purpose is concerned; but you cannot raise it into grace.

Ishmael was born according to the course of nature, and where nature is the only source there is no promise of life. Isaac, on the other hand, was born according to promise by the power of God Who promised, and so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Do not forget that our Lord Himself said, “Ye must be born again,” and that new birth is from above, and wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit.

March 23, 2023 Leave a Comment

The Sower

MARCH 23, 2023

“Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places,…and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth; And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”(Matthew 13:3-8)

Our Lord’s parable of the sower lends itself to a very broad application. It is being continually verified before our own eyes. Wherever the Word of God is preached, and people assemble to hear it, the sayings of Christ in this parable are found to be true. It describes what goes on as a general rule in all congregations.

In the first place, we learn that the work of the preachers resembles that of a sower. Like the sower, the preachers must sow good seed if he wants to see fruit. He must sow the pure Word of God, and not the traditions and doctrines of men. Without this, his labor is certain to be vain. He may go here and there saying many things; he may be quite eloquent; he may be entertaining, but except he preach the Word, there will be no harvest of souls for heaven, no living results, and no conversions.

In this work, the preacher must be diligent. He must with patience “sow beside all waters” and “sow in hope.” He must not allow discouragement and difficulties to deter him. “He that observeth the wind shall not sow.”

Like the sower, the preacher cannot give life. He can scatter the seed committed to his charge, in the fields assigned to him, but he cannot command it to grow. He can offer the Word of Truth to a people, but he cannot make them receive it and bear fruit. To give life is God’s sovereign prerogative. “It is the spirit that quickeneth…” (John 6:63) Paul can plant, Apollos may water, “but God giveth the increase.”(I Cor. 3:7)

In the next place, let us learn from this parable that there are various ways of hearing the Word of God without benefit. One may listen to a good sermon with a heart that is hard like the “way side;” careless, thoughtless, and unconcerned. Christ crucified may be earnestly set forth only to be heard with total indifference. Fast as the words fall on the ears, the devil plucks them away. The hearer goes home as if he had heard no sermon at all. He is like the idol of which the Psalmist wrote: “Eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they, but they hear not.”

Notice, folks may hear a sermon with pleasure, while the impressions left upon them are only temporary and fleeting. The heart, like the “stony ground” may yield warm feelings and good resolutions. But all the while, they lack deep roots. The first blast of cold; the first confrontation with opposition or temptation quickly withers those warm feelings and resolution. Sadly, there are many such hearers. Thousands who profess faith answer to Ezekiel’s description: they hear the preacher’s voice as pleasant, and his words as a lovely song. “They hear thy words, but they do them not.”

A sermon may be heard with great approval, and yet produce no good in the hearer. The influence of the world soon chokes out everything that was once approved. Folks can really like the Gospel, and wish to obey it, but other things hold their affections, and take priority over their souls. They tell themselves that it won’t always be this way. One day they will turn from their sins, but not today. These hearers are self-deceived. Yet the call goes out to all, “Today, while it is today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

How can we know if we have heard the Word rightly? The “good ground” is prepared ground – prepared by the Lord Himself. The proof that one is a “good ground” hearer is that he bears fruit. Some bear more fruit than others, as the text asserts, but all who hear the Gospel effectually are known by their fruits.

March 21, 2023 Leave a Comment

Creator/Provider/Sustainer (An article by Christian Henry)

MARCH 21, 2023

“He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” (Jeremiah 10:12)

In this passage (Vs. 1-16), the prophet shows the glory of Israel’s God and exposes the folly of idolaters. Charms and other attempts to obtain supernatural help are copied from the wicked customs of the heathen. We should always remember to stand in awe, and not dare provoke God, by giving that glory to another which is due to Him alone. He is ready to forgive and save all who repent and believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. We learn these blessed truths from the word of God. But all knowledge not from that source leads to doctrines of vanity.

In our verse today, we see how Jeremiah shows the unnecessary nature of idols by detailing three important attributes of God: His role as creator, His role as provider, and His role as sustainer.

“He hath made the earth by his power.” No one can stand opposed to the true God, who makes the earth out of nothing, hangs it upon nothing, and preserves it perfectly. God in His infinite wisdom has made everything. Look out the window and take in the beauty of God’s creation and know that every single thing comes from God. Even bees, which are annoying and seemingly unimportant, are essential for the ongoing systems of earth. This creation is proof of His almighty power, His remarkable wisdom, and of course, His amazing deity, showing that He alone should be worshiped.

“He hath established the world by his wisdom.” The rivers and floods are ordained by the Lord; same with the hills and valleys, the trees and bushes, the fields, and the animals on the land. There are other examples, but what’s important is that all of them show the wisdom of God in the preservation of His creation.

“And hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” He even creates and sustains the firmament of heaven as a canopy over the earth. All God needs to do is speak and declare His will and pleasure, and all will be ordered correctly. He sustains his creation by commanding the wind of the land, by ordering the waters of the sea, and by declaring the clouds of the sky, He sends everything forth when he pleases, and fulfills His will by His word. It is God who created the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding, He has stretched out the heavens.

He creates all (the heavens and the earth, as well as everything therein). He provides all that is necessary for His creation (from the oxygen needed for life to the water on earth needed to do just about everything). Going hand-in-hand with His provision, He sustains, or assists, with the protection of all. We find all three of these important attributes of God outlined in this single verse in Jeremiah.

March 16, 2023 Leave a Comment

Indescribable Knowledge (An article by Christian Henry)

MARCH 16, 2023

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)

The riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God are so deep that it is impossible for us to explain His decisions or understand His ways. God does reveal some things; most importantly, God revealed His saving and redeeming power through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But at the same time, not everything about God and His plan will be revealed. In our fallen state, we simply couldn’t handle it even if He did.

As long as we live in these mortal bodies, we must remain humble. We have to let God be God and accept that simple truth. Even so, there are many people who do the exact opposite. They work to humanize God and to deify man.

The Apostle Paul is the author of the book of Romans. One of the main reasons he wrote this book and specifically this passage is to remind us to stand in awe of God and His indescribable wisdom and knowledge. His words are impossible for us to understand or interpret without divine revelation. His words can cause us to tremble in wonder.

This passage emphasizes the fact that God’s knowledge far surpasses our own. His infinite power and strength enable Him to ordain and know every future event in heaven and the cosmos.

The level of knowledge God has is often not given to us for our own good, which is a very hard pill for many to swallow. There are a number of reasons why we would have trouble with such knowledge; whether it be the exhaustive nature of God’s knowledge or the fact that the information would be extremely damaging to us.

We can handle our problems on a daily basis, but we could never handle it if we knew every problem in advance. Some knowledge must be restricted by God’s own love for us.

A man can take notice of the wisdom displayed in creation or providence, but it all appears so various and uncertain to us. We can acknowledge, but we can’t know. The ways of God are in the deep and not to be traced. His ways are unsearchable and past finding out to return to the wording of our text. It is best for men to be easy and quiet and enjoy what he has in the best way he can to submit to the will of God.

Just because God doesn’t reveal all doesn’t mean He doesn’t care for us. Of course, some things will never be revealed, but He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to reveal the most important thing. And that is the hidden mystery of how God redeems His fallen world. He gives us the truth that sets us free, and we should focus our energy on obedience and service to Him.

A Child of Promise

The Sower

Creator/Provider/Sustainer (An article by Christian Henry)

Indescribable Knowledge (An article by Christian Henry)

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