“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27). Death is an appointment which none of us will escape unless we are alive when the Lord returns. It is a Divine appointment as punishment for sin. It began with Adam and Eve’s banishment from Paradise where the “tree of life” dwelled (Gen. 3:22). Their inability to eat of that tree led to their certain death. God said to Adam in Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” The father of the faithful, Abraham, said of himself, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes…” (Gen. 18:27).

Modern medicine has made great strides in curing some illnesses and diseases, in lengthening life, and in helping us have a better quality of life while we are here. But make no mistake about it — man shall never eliminate death! It is a pipe dream that too many of us have subtly tried to accept as we attempt to avoid the inevitable. We have trusted in modern medicine to “cure” all our ills. But death sweeps over us silently and continually just the same.

What is my point? I am totally in favor of living a quality life, of taking advantage of the benefits of modern medicine, of natural medicine, and of medicine yet to be discovered. But I do not want us to pursue physical life at the expense of pursuing eternal life! You see, we can get so caught up in trying to exterminate certain diseases that we can forget that death is still certain! Do you know anyone living today who is over 125 years old? If not, then death is still inevitable. It is “appointed” for men to die once! So prepare for that appointment!

God appointed physical death because of sin and spiritual death! Through His eternal scheme of redemption, He negated the eternal effects of both physical and spiritual death to those who believe! Read carefully this truth from Hebrews 2:14-15: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Jesus Christ took on a physical body in order to live a sinless life, to become the sinless sacrifice for sin, and therefore, through His own physical death to destroy (1) Satan’s grip over mankind with the threat of endless death; and (2) Man’s hopeless fear of physical and spiritual death.

Let us never forget that physical death was caused by spiritual death! There is that inexorable connection! You cannot ignore sin and hope to eliminate physical death! But you never read of this in the medical journals, do you?

Wayne Goff

Recently in our Sunday morning Bible study class we studied the text of I Timothy 5:3-16, dealing with duties of children with a widow parent. It is not the purpose of this article to go back over all the things we studied; however, it was brought to my attention that it would be good to expand on the hardships children often face in having to look after an elderly parent.

The fact is this: just as parents make tough decisions in raising their children, the same happens when taking care of aged parents. Often it comes down to judgment calls. We might be quick to judge harshly someone who puts their parent in a facility that is unwanted. To this we need to be careful. There are times when around the clock medical attention is required. A son or daughter may not be qualified to handle certain needs.

None of the judgment calls that we are talking about ever provides justification for abandonment. I knew of a couple that were blessed with the opportunity to grow very old together. The downside is that it got to the point where one couldn’t physically take care of the needs of their mate. The one was eventually put in a nursing home so she could get around the clock care. The husband got up each morning and went down and spent the day with her. He did that until she passed. My point is that it wasn’t a case of not wanting to care for her, it was that he couldn’t. The same thing can happen with children.

Not all decisions that parents make for their children are understood and appreciated. The same can happen with parents toward their grown children. The important thing to remember is whatever life changing decisions that need to be made for a parent, remember Paul’s words to Timothy, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (I Tim. 5:8). 

It’s not necessarily wrong to do something for a parent that makes it better for everyone. The danger is in trying to justify passing off one’s responsibilities by saying it is better for everyone when it is truly only better for you. There is no question that it is very hard for anyone who is looking after a parent on their own. I have personally seen family members age long before their time because of the stress and work that is involved in looking after a loved one.

This is something brothers and sisters need to be aware of. In Galatians 6:2, we are told to bear one another’s burdens. This might mean to volunteer to sit with the member’s parent while they have a night off. It also might be needed to give some objective advice that might be hard to utter. It is very difficult to hear advice that encourages you to seek professional care, when you feel that no one else should do your job. The text of I Timothy 5 wasn’t written to cast guilt upon loyal and loving children who are unable to personally handle all the physical needs.

One of the hardest things any child has to face is when the parent no longer is able to think properly to express their wishes. Gaining the power of attorney is a double edge sword. On one hand, a person can now make decisions that is best for someone else without their permission. However, there can be a lot of doubt and stress, hoping that they choose what their parent would have wanted.

It’s such a wonderful blessing to have our parents live a long life. The reality is that everyone will someday die (Heb. 9:27). Children, as they get older and have families of their own need to think and plan for what will eventually come as their parents age. Also, parents need to also be thinking about things to help make it easier for their children for when that time comes. To not talk about it can create so many more problems. The Bible lesson today is that even though we make many judgment calls, let’s never forget our God given duties.

Chuck

This title seems harsh, right? Am I trying to drive members away? Am I being callous toward people with legitimate reasons to miss worship? Before anyone jumps to conclusions, this article is not dealing with members who might make excuses for missing church services. Rather, it is for those who criticize others for missing when they do not know the facts.

As Christians, we are to be loving toward one another (I Thess. 4:9). If we have the kind of godly love that our Lord has in mind, then we have a love that thinks no evil (I Cor. 13:5). Giving our brothers and sisters the benefit of the doubt is vital to maintaining proper Christian attitudes. Without this disposition, all kinds of gossip and false thinking can arise and create serious problems between brethren.

We are not jumping to conclusions if a Christians says they could not attend worship and then floods social media with information suggesting otherwise. When we do not have any information though, it is not the place of Christians to judge.

Truthfully, all kinds of issues can arise to hinder good brethren from being able to assemble with the saints. Those who cannot assemble but really want to will take advantage of other tools to participate to whatever degree they can. They might watch services live online or later when they are feeling better. They might study the Bible alone if they are sick and cannot attend a class with the group. They also let brethren know where they are so their brethren do not worry unnecessarily. This lesson is about not wanting to jump to conclusions about others, so we should not want others to jump to conclusions about us either. Let’s make the effort to keep one another in the know (Gal. 6:1-2).

Christians also need to be aware that Hebrews 10:25 (about assembling with Christians) has to do with serving the Lord. If brethren are making excuses and missing, the Lord takes it personally, not us as Christians (John 7:7). Let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt. And may we keep each other informed to give assurance.

Chuck

The first verse of James 3 contains an interesting statement. “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”  Why will teachers receive a stricter judgment? Here is a list of Biblical reasons why teachers of the gospel will be held to a higher standard.

1. Every word that is taught must have Biblical authority for it (I Pet. 4:11).

2. The gospel must be taught even when it is unpopular (II Tim. 4:2).

3. None of the teachings are to be mixed with man-made doctrines (Gal. 1:6-9).

4. Teaching must not be done for anterior (selfish) reasons (Phil. 1:15).

5. There is a risk of confusing the power of the gospel for the effectiveness of the speaker delivering the message (I Cor. 2:1-4).

6. Traditions of men are not to be confused with the gospel of Christ (Matt. 15:7-9).

7. Public teachers have wide influence and need to be careful about what they teach (Acts 18:24-26).

8. Being in such a position can go to a person’s head (Rom. 12:3).

9. One must guard against creating followers of men (I Cor. 1:12-17).

10. Teachers must choose their subjects wisely to avoid wasting time on foolish questions (II Tim. 2:23).

                                                                                               Chuck

How can we handle torment?

How many of us can identify with what Lot went through? Peter tells us that he was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the world (II Pet. 2:7).  The apostle went on to say that by living among worldly people, Lot “tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (verse 8). We can imagine how bad Lot felt seeing the corruption around him daily.

The interesting thing about what this godly man faced is what it reveals about the Lord. Peter’s thought concludes that “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” (verse 9). This lesson poses a challenge for us. Do we handle the wickedness around us as our Lord wants? Here are some thoughts to consider about living in a world of darkness.

Never get comfortable with sin

Let’s be honest – the day we begin to feel nothing concerning the sin all around us is the day we start to engage in it. Does this really happen? Can someone become numb to sin and then eventually start participating too? Certainly! What if a person becomes numb to sin but does not join in? This is also wrong! The Roman brethren were given a long list of sins to avoid. Then, they were told that any who “[know] the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (Rom. 1:32). Essentially, we approve sin if we know better and yet do not challenge it. 

Do not invite it into your home

If a person does not approve of foul language, sexual immorality or drunkenness, would you be wise to invite these things into your home and enjoy them? This happens all the time when families gather around the TV and watches a movie that is full of sin. John warned of this: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds,” (II John 10). There is no doubt that if a guest in their home started to cuss or tell dirty jokes, Christian parents would ask the person to stop. Yet this happens in most TV sitcoms today!

Keep the disgust alive

Christ Jesus never felt comfortable with sin. This did not stop Him from being around sinners – He even ate with them (Mark 2:16). Even so, the Lord’s disgust for transgression remained strong. Recall how He overturned the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the temple (Matt. 21:12-13). There is nothing wrong with disliking the ungodly behavior around us. Truthfully, when was the last time you were not exposed to any sin? I am not suggesting that our daily lives are as bad as what Lot faced. We do not have people coming to our home and demanding that our guests commit evil acts with them. Still, this does not make the sin we encounter daily any less evil.

Seek God’s deliverance

Just as He showed with Lot, God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation (I Cor. 10:13). If we do not abide by the first three points of this article though, then we are “not so godly” and thus should not expect to be delivered. A classic line applies here– God helps those who help themselves. When the Lord’s ways are on our minds, we can make a conscious effort to seek Him. We can have victory if we come out from the world and live differently (II Cor. 6:17-18). Lot lived in Sodom, yet he did not live like those around him – what about us?

                                                               Chuck