The Name of the Lord
By Watchman | August 22, 2010
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”—The Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7
What part of “You shall not” do we as Christians not quite understand when it comes to the third of the Ten Commandments? The word God has given this particular sin is blasphemy. Blasphemy, as the word is used in the Scriptures, is speaking evilly of our Lord; defaming His name either by word or deed. It is to deliberately demean what is the holiest name in all of the universe. That unbelievers take the name of the Lord in vain constantly is not all that surprising; that Christians often do so without compunction is both inexplicable and inexcusable.
Some of the blame for the casual use of God’s name as a swear word may rest upon those in charge of many of our churches. Even some preachers and priests use God’s name irreverently with frequency, and it is a subject rarely addressed from the pulpit although it is probably the most commonly-broken commandment. To many, nowadays, I suspect the pervasiveness of violence, anger and mean-spiritedness has thrust the misuse of God’s name into a background of sins they consider to be of lesser importance. God tells us clearly, however, that He “will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Doubtless also is the fact that the use of the names of God or Jesus merely as swear words in movies and on television has blunted our sensitivity toward blasphemy. It is the rare television show indeed that avoids the phrases, “My God!” or “Christ!” although many shows carefully avoid the depiction of good Christians praying earnestly or any mention of Jesus in a worshipful manner. When I was a child (right after we stepped off the ark), even the liberally-inclined Hollywood producers hesitated to allow even the bad guys to swear using God’s name. Now it is so common that Christians rarely notice it unless the blasphemy against God is so egregious it is impossible to ignore, like comedienne Kathy Griffon’s offensive shout of “Screw you, Jesus! This is my idol now!” as she accepted her cable award. The rationale behind this Christian acceptance of blasphemy seems to be a philosophical, “Well, it could be worse words they’re saying.” I am not convinced that that is true. While I know that we are to reject all uncleanness of language, blasphemy against God was considered by the Father to be of such importance that He placed it high upon the list of “You shall nots.”
When we first come to the Lord, it can take a very long time for the Holy Spirit to convict us of all those bad habits and sins that we continue to commit. It may take years of work on the part of God to teach us what we need to change, and an extraordinary amount of self-discipline. Sadly, since blasphemy is no longer considered taboo, many Christians may never even consider that each time they yell “Oh my God!” or forget to teach their children not to use the “OMG!” when texting they are abusing the name of God (taking it in vain) and are hurting the One who has granted us our salvation. Will we be sent to hell if we slip up and break the third commandment? No. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take this sin along with all others upon Himself on the cross so that we might be saved, but we can still wound the One who loves us and whom we love in return. Surely putting a watch upon our mouths and our hearts is an appropriate response to His great gift of mercy and grace.
Maranatha!
Topics: According to Scripture, Kingdom Living | No Comments »
Are Sinning Christians “Hypocrites”?
By Watchman | August 20, 2010
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (I John 1:6-10)
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:4-6)
Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:6-9)
To one who has not yet been born again, this message from the first of John’s three letters must sound so contradictory as to be foolish. In one breath John tells the church that Jesus has cleansed us from our sins and we are to live righteous lives; in the next he says that if we say we have no sin then we are without truth. If sin is “of the devil” does that mean that if we sin we have forfeited our right to call ourselves by the name of Christ? The charge of Christian hypocrisy keeps many people away from the truth of God’s word and has become almost a mantra of those who wish to remove God’s word from the public arena. John was not fooled: he knew he was a sinner, which is why, in both instances, he used the pronoun “we”. John was privy to the real truth: that Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin–continually. It is not a one-step deal: Jesus cleanses us from all sin and we never sin again; but a continuing process of forgiveness for those who try hard to live in the light and love of God and to do His will.
Topics: Kingdom Living, Salvation | 1 Comment »
Showing Compassion Towards Our Fellow Servants
By Watchman | August 15, 2010
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me; and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:23-33)
I’ve heard the comment recently from many people that everyone seems remarkably angry nowadays. In general, I tend to agree. Incidences of road rage are up; violent crime is rampant; filthy language masquerading as free speech is common; discontent with the government and disagreements between political ideologies have led to extremely uncontrolled public confrontations. Add to this mix the newish belief that “we have a RIGHT to be this angry” and the volatility of our society becomes more complete. The world’s economic crisis being what it is and the moral neutrality we insist upon infecting even the Christian community, this situation is not particularly surprising. What we who call ourselves believers must ask ourselves is this: do we indeed have the right to be this angry? Is there a time when civility must be put aside in order to gain our advantage?
Topics: A Special Word for Today, According to Scripture, Anger and Forgiveness | 1 Comment »
A Very Present Help
By Watchman | July 14, 2010
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in touble.
Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled , though the mountains shake with its swelling.
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her,just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46)
I’m writing this from a library computer. At the moment I am living in a motel, homeless and jobless, and I am waiting upon He who is my “very present help in times of trouble.” I am waiting upon His will and upon His word, and though I am (quite humanly and naturally) concerned, I am uplifted through the knowledge that God is still in control of everything that is taking place in my life. I know that these vicissitudes are not judgments that He has placed upon me, for His mercy is good and His grace is unlimited. I do believe, however, that the enemy is strongly at work in my life. Now it is time for me to ask, “How did Jesus answer Satan’s attacks?”
Topics: A Special Word for Today | 1 Comment »
Random Thoughts, Part 2
By Watchman | June 26, 2010
“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.” (Isaiah 5:20)
“He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Samuel 23:3)
This will be my last post for a few months. If you hear “TAPS’ playing in the background, that is the sound of my internet being disconnected. While I have a tendency to mistrust modern technology, (yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but remember that I grew up in the era of telephone party lines with rotary phones and black-and-white TV) I have felt blessed to have the opportunity to write for anyone who cares to read them the articles God has laid it on my heart to write. Though I hope to be back online soon, I have a few more words for those who are undecided about their faith which I feel are important enough to print before I go offline.
We have undoubtedly entered the time Isaiah was speaking about when he called woe upon those “that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness.” The line between good and evil has become so blurred in our present day that even many of the churches that call themselves by the name of God cannot distinguish between the two. Real Evil has been replaced in the minds of most by the “little e” evils of racism, poverty and not playing nicely together. Don’t get me wrong: it is a sin for those following Christ to be racists or to allow those in need to go unrelieved if we have the means to help. But these, which we now consider to be the greatest of ills, really are only symptomatic of the true evil: we have chosen not to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, minds, souls and strength; and we do not love our neighbors as ourselves. We have convinced ourselves that our salvation and that of the world depends not on our receiving the finished work of Christ on the cross for our redemption, but on the pulling down of the barriers that have always existed between Godly behavior and the enemy’s lies. In many places and in many hearts God has been abolished because He has imposed on all His children such stringent standards of right and wrong; specific behaviors to be encouraged and exhibited, others to be condemned and avoided. In most free nations of the west, an attempt was always made to elect those who would reflect the values of a righteous God in their representations of our best interests. Not all of those elected did reflect those values, of course, since we are dealing with fallen man, but it was generally acknowledged that no nation can achieve the blessings of God without trying to follow the will of God. Here in the United States we have now elected an administration that prefers to adhere to the Marxist principles of government, to honor those living in ungodly lifestyles and to attempt to force those who know that it is sinful to remain silent in their knowledge, to keep the God of our creation and salvation away from the public eye yet to show respect and honor to false gods and those who worship them, to lead us into the New World Order–the global government that will take away our sovereignty and lead to the creation of the final government of the antichrist–and finally, to turn us away from our support of Israel, the land on which He has set His name. Our leaders no longer rule in the fear of the Lord or according to His principles. Unless we can completely reverse this trend that is quite too far along, the rendition of “TAPS” that will playing that time will be for the death of this nation’s greatness.
Our righteous God is a God of love, yes, but He is also a God of judgment and justice. He will never allow the principles of hell to invade His place in heaven. The rapture is coming, as I said in my last post, but so is judgment. Make your decision now, if you have not already done so. Some are probably thinking that if all this is true then the decision for Christ can be made during the seven-year tribulation period. That is, of course, true. But, my dear brothers and sisters, if you fail to accept the gift of grace and mercy He is extending to you now, can you be certain you will be strong enough to accept them when doing so may mean your swift and ugly death? When it will undoubtedly mean rooting through trash for food and struggling to find shelter since believers will never accept the “mark of the beast”?
“And he (the false prophet who will support the antichrist) will cause all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: that no man might buy or sell, except he that has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13: 16, 17)
God loves you. Should you put off your decision to invite Jesus into your heart and your life, He will still love you and will still keep knocking at the door of your heart unless you commit the final apostasy of accepting the mark of the beast. But why wait till then? Repent of your sins, ask for His forgiveness and begin your new life–your new self–immediately. Rest in the loving embrace of the Father now; assured that no matter what comes to pass, He loves you and you will spend eternity loving, worshipping and working for Him. God loves you and wants you to love Him too. If you don’t do so now, when will you? Be ready, be joyful: Become truly His child.
Maranatha! (Our Lord, Come!)
Melissa
Topics: A Special Word for Today, According to Scripture | 2 Comments »
Some Random Thoughts (and a Plea) for Today
By Watchman | June 13, 2010
—Usually these posts begin with a quote from Scripture. I am departing from this custom today as I have a few thoughts I believe are important and need to be shared while I still can do so. While I may be able to publish another post or two, it is probable that I will soon be off-line for possibly as long as several months. In the meantime, I implore all of you who have as yet made no decision to accept Christ into your hearts to do so before it is too late. Our time is growing short.
In case I have never made it clear in previous posts, I believe that Jesus is coming to rapture (“catch up”) His church to be with Him soon. Of course, “soon” is a relative word. I cannot pretend to be able to tell you if this will happen tomorrow or next week, or in the next five years or in the next five minutes. Only our heavenly Father knows the exact day and time of His return. However, we are given plenty of information about the general time frame in which His return will occur; the countdown began with the rebirth of Israel in May of 1948. Mark 14 tells us that the generation present when that occurred would not pass until the prophecies were fulfilled. Counting generations as between 40-70 years (depending upon which scholars you ask), it is clear that we are living in the final days of what is commonly known as the “Church Age.” This does not mean the end of the world–it signifies that we are about to enter the days when Christ will return to earth to rule and reign for a thousand years (Rev. 20:6); the period we refer to as the “Millennial Kingdom.” Before this time, however, there is to be a seven year period of tribulation upon the earth–the last, desperate attempt by satan to steal and ruin what God has designated as His own. It is also the period that God has set aside to redeem His chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, and bring them back into full communion with Himself.
Topics: A Special Word for Today, Salvation | 1 Comment »
The Fast That I Have Chosen
By Watchman | May 19, 2010
“Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression…
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’…
…You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?’
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “ (Isaiah 58: 1, 3, 4-9)
Fasting occupies an important place in the life of God’s people. Jesus, Himself, fasted during the times of the traditional Jewish holidays and told his disciples that certain diseases and demonic powers could not be cast out without prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). He prayed and fasted before making all major decisions–for example, when He was about to begin His public ministry (Luke 4) and when He chose His twelve apostles (Luke 6). Unfortunately, as with nearly all Scriptural precepts, we have a certain tendency to place too much emphasis on the act of fasting itself, and not to the state of the heart which must accompany the act. Jesus addressed this tendency several times: in chapter 23 of the Gospel of Matthew He warns the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees against the habit of outward holiness and righteousness while allowing their inner being to be full of “dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah centuries earlier, addressed this same tendency in His people to believe that the act of fasting itself, conducted without charity and/or righteousness, obligated Him to show them justice, mercy and restoration. Following Him necessitates some sacrifices–but do we sacrifice according to His word?
Topics: A Special Word for Today, According to Scripture, Kingdom Living | 1 Comment »
Where Do You Want To Be?
By Watchman | May 7, 2010
“Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” (Psalm 43: 3-5)
Brothers and sisters, this last month has indeed been a rocky ride for many people who are believers. As I have mentioned many times before, “the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.” (Rev. 12:12) I have spoken to people in the last weeks who have suffered horrendous financial setbacks, sudden and unexpected illnesses, relationship break-ups and emotional/mental/spiritual darkness. My own situation has been appalling: so many overwhelming attacks against me that I feel it as I would a physical beating–except a beating would probably be easier to handle. And we have all asked the same question of God: “Why?” I hope you’re not expecting me to give you the answer here, because God has not yet answered this question for me. He may never do so. But He did ask me a question in return that made no sense at all in my mind until I had listened and prayed for some time–”Where do you want to be?”
Topics: A Special Word for Today | No Comments »
Christ, Our Passover
By Watchman | March 25, 2010
Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5: 7-8)
We are only a week and a few days away from the celebration of Resurrection Day–usually called (wrongfully, since the connotation of the word is pagan in origin) Easter Sunday. The death and resurrection of our Lord took place during the season of Passover, a yearly Jewish religious festival; one of the feasts ordained by God Himself in chapter 16 of the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus celebrated the Passover, as any good Jew would do, to commemorate the day on which God delivered His chosen people from their slavery in Egypt; causing the angel of death who would strike the first-born of the hard-necked Egyptions to “pass over” all of those who had the mark of God on their homes and helping the Hebrew people to ”pass over” into the new land that He was giving to them. Although most Christian churches denounced the Jewish holidays and feasts, it is probable that this was not in accordance with the will of God, as Christ Himself became our Passover–the fulfillment of the feast. At the back of the minds of many Christians is the notion that we celebrate Resurrection Day near the Passover season in order to counterbalance a Jewish “wrong” when, in actuality, we are celebrating our own Passover from death into eternal life through the blood of our Savior, Jesus the Messiah.
Topics: Special Seasons of Worship | 1 Comment »
His Word in My Heart
By Watchman | March 18, 2010
“O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried ; I shouted, ‘violence and plunder!’ Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones…Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me! Let the man be cursed who brought news to my father, saying, ‘A male child has been born to you!’ making him very glad. And let that man be like the cities which the Lord overthrew, and did not relent; let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noon, because he did not kill me from the womb, that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb always enlarged with me. Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?’ (Jeremiah 20: 7-9, 14-18)
Yesterday I threw a temper tantrum at God. Not a lady-like well-thought-out-and-presented explanation of my feelings of the moment, but a truly childish, hissy-fit of a shouting spree. I stormed and raged and asked what kind of a good father would behave to his child as He does me: the kind of fit that, when my son was very little and he directed it at me, hit a nerve at the back of my neck and made me want to really belt him one (no concern for him, please; I never did actually do it). Not surprisingly, I spent the better part of this morning praying for His forgiveness and feeling like a big, huge, sinful putz. Truly, brothers and sisters, we serve the most awesome God! When I opened my Bible right after my prayers, He led me immediately to the 20th chapter of Jeremiah–one of the few chapters in the book of this astounding prophet of God in which I had made no markings or notes or underlinings, nor did I in the least recall the Scripture. Yet here was this amazing man of God throwing a fit and declaring he would never again proclaim the word of God and cursing the day he was born and the person who had announced his birth!
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