Category: Eternity

Good News From the Ultimate Distant Land - Proverbs 25:25

9/15/2012

Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a distant land. - Proverbs 25:25

One of the joys that God has graced me with is to see my children follow Him in taking the gospel to the nations. As a result of such blessings, I also know the blessing of hearing of good news from a distant land. When my daughter was in Africa we would often plan a time when we would Skype together and talk. It was so refreshing to hear what God was doing in her life - and to know that He was faithful even thousands of miles away. When we would talk to her and hear such things, it was indeed cold water for a weary soul.

But there is a message from a far more distant land that should be infinitely more refreshing to our souls. It is the message of the gospel and it should be the best of all news that has come to us from the distant land of heaven itself. God has sent such a message to us - not by UPS or by FED-EX, or even by email or Skype. He sent such a message in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The message that God sent to us was not a message of pleasantries. It was a message of grace given to us because we were facing wrath for our sins. This message from a far land began as a child within the womb of a peasant girl - yet this was no ordinary child. The Message was God, yet man. The Message grew up as ordinary as any other child would have - and grew into a man. Yet the Message from a far land was no ordinary man. He did works unlike any other man - even raising the dead. Then there was a day when this Message from a far land was rejected and hung upon a cross - cursed of man, but more importantly bearing the curse from God. He died that day, was buried, but three days later rose from the dead. To many this does not sound much like good news from a far land. It sounds like injustice and a horror story.

This news, though, was about far more than what happened to the Message. It was about what happened to our sin and our state before God - who sent the Message in the first place. You see, our sin was paid for and forgiven - and our state went from one who is sinful, wicked, and worthy of punishment to one who is perfectly righteous in the sight of a holy God. So, indeed, this is good news from a far land.

Want to be refreshed? Then take the time to review the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the most glorious news ever heard from a distant land!

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Destination . . . Death Proverbs 21:16

7/10/2012

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A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead. Proverbs 21:16

To wander from God's way of understanding is a very dangerous thing to do. Here in today's proverb we see just how dangerous this can be. According to Solomon the eventual end of the man who does this is a final resting place among those doubly dead.

The word "wander" is key to understanding this passage. This is the Hebrew word "taah" which means not just to wander off - but to err and go astray. The primary meaning is to err and to make a mistake. This word is used most often of thos who err or who are being misled in a moral or religious sense. It is the word used in Isaiah 53:6 when the prophet tells us, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him." To wander is to go astray of God's moral path - and to incur iniquity in His eyes. Therefore to wander is to go astray of God's path and God's will for us.

The wandering going on here is that of erring from the "way of understanding." This phrase speaks of someone who no longer has discernment or any kind of spiritual insight. And since the phrase begins with the word "way" - it refers to someone whose very way of life turns from any spiritual insight and discernment gained from a relationship with God or from His Word. Instead, this guy chooses a life guided by selfish desires and longings. There is a biblical word for this - it is the flesh. A life guided by our flesh is never going to end well.

The picture we get now is not just someone wandering away from a single situation where advice is offered, but rather a situation where as a way of life he is turning from God's will and Word. This is basically the condition of a lost person. They reject the wisdom of God - the Word of God - and the way of God. They instead choose the world, their flesh, and the lies of the devil.

This proverb is given as a warning. We are told what happens to someone who lives this way. The man who lives this way "will rest in the assembly of the dead." For those who think this is a reference to spiritual death - or a lack of spiritual life and blessing here and now - the actual word for death here is, "departed spirits." This is a warning to turn from rebellion and purposeful rejection of God's will and way. The end of such a lifestyle is a life spent with those who are "doubly dead." They have died in this life losing their physical life - but infinitely worse they are devoid of spiritual life when they die physically - so - the place of their eternal dwelling is hell. That is why it is so important to reject the heart and mind that reject God's Word and way. To continue in it is to continue toward an abyss where there is no return. Far better to embrace God's way and Word now - to embrace repentance from our own fleshly mindset - to embrace a turn from ourselves to God - from our way to His. To reject this is to choose to "rest" in the assembly of the dead. If you know anything about hell as it is described in Scripture, you know that this eternal destination will be anything but restful.

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Fears and Foundations - Proverbs 10:24-25

10/13/2011

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What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation. Proverbs 10:24-25

There is a fear that the wicked have at the end of their lives - and it is a fear that will come upon them. Though they spend their days mocking God and living as they choose, they come to the end of their lives facing the same reality anyone does. That reality is that they are going to die - just like anyone else. They forget this during their youth and even in their adult years - but then sickness and the day of their death comes near. It is in these moments that we see that even the most strident atheist or agnostic have to face their fears concerning death. We read of the wicked, that what they fear WILL come upon them. They are going to die - and there is a fear of what is on the other side of death.

This begs the question, "What is on the other side of death?" For the wicked man, he is hoping either that God is as immoral as He is or that God does not exist at all. For the tolerance-god the hope is that whatever god there may be that he or she has no standards. This god usually only has one intolerance - and that is for anyone to have intolerance. Everyone makes it into the afterlife. The other option is that there is no god - and that when we die - we just die. There is nothing after death. We just cease to exist. If either of these scenarios are true - the wicked man has nothing to fear. But we read that what he fears comes upon him. What is he fearing? The wicked man fears that there is a God - a holy God like the one presented by the Scriptures. He fears that the urgings of his conscience were right - that there are standards he is breaking. His ultimate fear is that there is indeed a recompense for these wrongs.

These fears will be realized. That is what our proverb today tells us. Later in the next verse we read that when the whirlwind passes - the wicked is no more. The whirlwind is a testing. What it is testing is what foundation a person has. We would call a whirlwind a tornado in Arkansas. When this whirlwind comes - the foundation of the wicked man will reveal that he cannot stand that testing - that judgment if you will accept it.

This passage has a counterpart in Scripture - and in all honesty it is one that is terrifying when you realize it. In the book of Job a conversation was going on between Job and three of his friends. They said that Job was wicked and that was why his troubles came upon him. Job held fast to his righteousness - but made the mistake of questioning God's wisdom in what was happening to him. In the end, God Himself came to address Job personally. When God did this guess how He chose to reveal Himself? If you guessed in a whirlwind, you guessed right. God came to a moment of truth with Job by coming in a whirlwind. He then questioned Job extensively about the whole idea of wisdom. When it was over Job withdrew all of his comments and repented in dust and ashes. God then blessed Job for his faithfulness - and called his friends to account for their rash and improper words about Job. Now, let us bring this event into focus on our proverb today. When the whirlwind comes - the wicked are no more. The judgment will reveal their faulty foundation - and they will be swept away in judgment. If a godly Job could not stand when the whirlwind came with God's presence and His withering questioning - what hope do the wicked have of being able to stand in that day.

The proverb for today leaves a wonderful hope for the righteous though. Their desire will be granted - and their foundation will stand. This begs another question. What is that desire? What is that foundation? Biblically the only man who will be righteous is the one who gets this way by faith. Righteousness is not given to a man by his works. The only way a man can be righteous before God is by faith in what God will provide, from an OT view, and what God has provided, from a NT one. God's promise in the Old Testament was that Messiah would come. He would come first as a suffering servant - as the lamb slain for sin. In the New Testament we meet Messiah. He is Jesus Christ, Who came to pay for our sins to make us righteous in God's sight. The hope of the righteous is that God will fulfill His promise. The desire of the righteous will be realized as his foundation stands firm. As the sand foundations of this world crumble – the foundation of Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead will stand. So the final question for today is simply this, “Are you resting on that foundation?”

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The Best Investment in Any Economy - Proverbs 16:16

4/16/2011

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How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. Proverbs 16:16

In times like these it is difficult to know how to invest so as to have the greatest yield on your savings. Often you hear that one of the safer bets is to invest your money in precious metals - specifically gold or silver. Today's proverb lets us know of a wiser investment than even these two precious metals. And unlike silver and gold, this investment will last beyond the grave.

How much better is how this proverb begins. God is telling us that getting wisdom will make us happy. We will be pleased with what we wind up with when wisdom is our goal. We will find wisdom acceptable, valuable, and very much worth any time we spend getting it. Seeing the world as God sees it (which is the basic concept behind wisdom) will be such a blessing to us. What makes wisdom even better is when we also get "understanding." Understanding is the ability to take the wisdom that we have and apply it to life effectively. This is to be chosen above silver.

So many are concerned about having something when they retire - but the greater concern should be taking something beyond the grave. There is not a type of human currency that we can take with us past death. Considering that even the streets in heaven are paved with gold so pure that it is transparent, we see that what is highly valued on earth is basically pavement in heaven. But wisdom is a blessing now - and in the future. Wisdom blesses us now and is rewarded in heaven as well. So it truly is better - much better - to get wisdom and understanding than even the most valuable precious metals on earth. That is good to remember as the things of this world continue to devalue and become harder to maintain. Wisdom and understanding is available to everyone at all times. God will grant it free with only the investment being us giving ourselves to read, study, and think. Whereas even gold and silver can devalue - wisdom will hold its value today - and will continue to gain value throughout eternity.

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The Self-Directed Way - Which Leads to Death . . . and Hell - Proverbs 14:12

1/14/2011

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There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Proverbs 14:12

Why is it that we cannot just trust our natural instincts concerning God and issues of morality and truth? If this proverb is true (and it is), then we face a very real danger when we trust what we think is right in our lives. When we live a self-directed life and a life that is self-oriented - we are going to have very serious problems. Why is this the case?

First of all, we need to see that for a time in this life - this proverb may seem like it is wrong. There are those who do what they think is right - and it seems to go well for them. I would agree with this assessment for the here and now - for life on this earth. But that is not what this proverb is saying to us. It is saying that the end of a self-directed life is death. The word end here is our old friend, "acharith," the Hebrew word meaning the latter end of things.

Things seemed to be going marvelous for the rich farmer who did not use his riches for the glory of God. Things seemed to be going well for the rich man who lavished abundance on himself, but did not even notice the starving Lazarus at his gate. Things seemed to be going well for Belshazzar the king as he feasted with his nobles and friends and drank wine out of the temple goblets and toasted the gods of silver and gold. Things seemed to be going well for many people who lived a life of luxury and self-indulgence here on earth. The problem is going to come at the latter end of their lives.

The rich farmer, after building bigger barns and saying he was set for life - experienced the end of his life - and had done nothing to prepare for eternity. The rich man realized as James said, the humiliation of his exalted position on earth, as he envied the destitute Lazarus' one in the afterlife. He begged for Lazarus to only dip the tip of his finger in water and touch the end of his tongue - for he was in agony in the fires of hell. Belshazzar soon grasped the infinite foolishness of serving the false gods of silver and gold - when the true and living God sent a hand to write on his wall. He learned that his self-directed life had been weighed in the balances - and he was found wanting. One can only hope he enjoyed that banquet that evening - for by the next evening he was dead and in hell - forever wanting in the sight of God.

These three are examples for us of the stupidity of the self-directed life. There are many others in Scripture and in life who follow their footsteps into hell. There is Dathan and Abiram who opposed God and received a non-stop trip to hell via the ground opening up and swallowing them and their families whole. There were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who undoubtedly held the same concept of God keeping His morality off of their bodies. They wound up fried along with their cities as God's judgment revealed their latter end. And, lest we think that this ignoble end is only for those guilty of heinous sin - there are those who die every day as good ole boys - as "good" "moral" people. Their ultimate end was sealed when they decided that they were decent enough and did not need Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross to pay for their sins.

When you listen to the news, the entertainment industry, the religious elite, and the gurus of public opinion - you would think that the cross of Christ is foolishness (Gee that sounds like Paul in 1 Corinthians doesn't it). You would think that mankind does not need a religious crutch to lean on - mankind can solve their own problems without religion or some savior. But reality is this - mankind does not need a crutch. We would only need a crutch if we were injured. The fact is that we are dead! We need a whole new life. We might need a religious system if we only needed modification. The fact is that we are ruined. We need to be completely regenerated and made new. But the world for the most part rejects these truths revealed to us in Scripture. They have a way that seems right to them - that makes more sense. That is because "the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." It is because, "the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks (read thinkers here) search for wisdom; but we preach Christ curcified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

There is that way that seems to right to men - but in the end "THAT WAY" is actually the foolish and the stupid one. If they continue following it and reject the gospel . . . it will end in death - eternal death in hell. I know that is not popular in today's culture - either religious or secular - but nevertheless - it is the truth. If we are wise we will reject what the world calls wisdom - and embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ - for that is truly wisdom that will last through all the ages and until the end of time.

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Settling Down . . . in the Wrong Place - Proverbs 14:11

10/14/2010

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The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish. Proverbs 14:11

The Bible calls us to be aliens and strangers in this world - while we live for a world that is to come. As you read this verse, you might wonder how it relates to this particular proverb. It has everything to do with it - because how you are directed - and where you look to receive directions will radically affect your decisions, and will in the end, decide whether you are among the wicked - or the upright. That decision in turn will have very serious consequences on whether what you do will flourish - or eventually be destroyed.

The wicked settle down in this world. This is seen in the fact that they are spoken of as being in a house. They are very comfortable in this world and comfortable with how this world operates. Thus this world has a great deal to say about what their values are and how they will live. When we "settle down" and become comfortable with the world and its ways - we are headed for trouble. James tells us that anyone who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God. The world and its ways should make us uncomfortable. We are looking for the city whose architect and builder is God. We live for the Jersusalem that is above.

Do you walk through this life comfortable with the ways of the world? One of the dangers I see in my life regularly is that through television and the various forms of media - there seems to be a constant push for me to adopt the values of this present world. If I am not careful I will become so comfortable in this world I will forget spiritual reality (which by the way IS reality itself). As I become comfortable with the world and its thinking, I will in turn become comfortable with this world and its actions and lifestyles. Before long, I will begin at first accepting the ways of the wicked - and if I am not careful - acting like them as well.

We are told the opposite in this passage too though. The tent of the upright will flourish. Note here that the upright man is spoken of as living in a tent rather than a house. The tent was the choice of those who did not choose to "settle down" in one place. They saw themselves not in the light of settling down - but as strangers and aliens who were just passing through this present world. As a result they do NOT settle down in this world - nor do they adopt its ways. There is no great need to accumulate the wealth or the things that this world values - because they are transient. They will pass away - actually we ourselves will pass away - at least in these human bodies of ours. Therefore we should not seek to get too comfortable in this world - nor become too comfortable with its ways. Our hearts need to be firmly set on heavenly things. We need to be living with heaven in view - and realize that our ultimate inheritance is there. Therefore we also look to heaven and to the Lord who is enthroned there for our values and for what we should seek.

Please do not see these comments on this proverb as an endictment on buying a house - or as a commentary on how it is better to be a Bedouin than an American. We are speaking of spiritual realities. These things represent an attitude - a choice of a lifestyle. So the question we must answer is not whether we live in a physical house or a tent - but rather whether we are settling down in our minds so that this world is our home - rather than seeing our home in the world to come. Why is this important? I guess in a crude sort of way I can refer to a cross stitch I once saw to explain this. It said, "Home is where the Heart is." There is the crux of the problem. If your home is in this world - that is what will most influence your heart. If your home is in the world to come - where God will reign in righteousness - your heart . . . your values . . . and your lifestyle will reflect it. Oh, and one last thing . . . if you live for this world - you are living for a world that will be destroyed in the end. If you live for the world to come - even now God is preparing a place for you - so that where He is - there you will be also.

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When You Die Will Your Hope and Expectations Die With You? Proverbs 11:7

7/11/2010

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When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. Proverbs 11:7

The true test of a man and his choices is how he dies. More accurately it is what happens to him after he dies. That is what this proverb addresses today.

When a wicked man dies - everything dies with him. He has no expectations beyond this world. During his life he lived for the things of this world - and now that he is dead - he has to face the fact that he lost everything at the moment he died. You leave it ALL behind. The wicked man's expectation was centered in this world. He bet his entire life that this was all that there is - that there is no afterlife. He figured that all he did will speak for him on that day.

The fact is that the moment the wicked man dies - things will never get any better than the moment before his death. Any good perishes the moment he perishes. All that he can look forward to from that moment on is the wrath of God. Jesus spoke to the rich man who was in torment in flame after death. He reminded him that he received his good things in this life. He rejected God - rejected serving God - and rejected living for God rather than for his own selfish agenda. He bet that God did not exist - that heaven was just a state of mind - that judgment day was just a device used by Christian preaches to get people to walk down the aisle at church. He was radically wrong! God is real - and He is holy and just. The strong man and the complete weakling are identical before the throne of God. The strong man does not want to humble himself before the Lord. But no matter what he does - his hope and his expectation perish before the Lord.

There are times when we can learn from the wicked. The first two funerals I ever did were for two people who were lost. As I worked through the service - I felt completely helpless and unable to offer a lot of hope for those who had died. This was because the hope and expectation of the wicked perish when they do. When death made its play for them they lost everything. The lesson I learned from them was to be prepared for the ultimate loss of all earthly things. Death will rob a wicked man of everything he owns and everything he has hoped for in life. I learned that I need to live for things that last beyond the grave. I need to live for the spiritual reality that will continue throughout eternity. I need to be prepared to die - and to have an expectation that goes beyond my trip to the funeral hope and graveyard. Jesus promises life eternal - a reward that goes beyond the grave. The wise man . . . places his hope and expectation in Jesus Christ.

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Good News From the Ultimate Distant Land - Proverbs 25:25

Destination . . . Death Proverbs 21:16

Fears and Foundations - Proverbs 10:24-25

The Best Investment in Any Economy - Proverbs 16:16

The Self-Directed Way - Which Leads to Death . . . and Hell - Proverbs 14:12

Settling Down . . . in the Wrong Place - Proverbs 14:11

When You Die Will Your Hope and Expectations Die With You? Proverbs 11:7

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