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Dining with the King
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "…I appoint unto you a kingdom…that ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29,30).

As you can see from these words that the Lord spoke to the twelve apostles, dining with the King is associated with reigning with Him. We see this same thought in the Lord's words to Tribulation Jews who will need to overcome the temptation to take the mark of the beast if they want to reign with Christ in the kingdom of heaven on earth:

    "…if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne…" (Rev. 3:20,21).

If you are wondering what connection dining with the king could have to reigning with him, the king's table was probably a place where the king's business was discussed. This writer is not a member of the Berean Bible Society Board of Directors, but I have dinner with them when they are in town for a meeting. At these dinners, I've noticed that board business is always discussed at the table and, based on these discussions, decisions are made later at the official meeting.

We see this connection between dining and reigning typified in the story of Mephibosheth. If you'll remember, after David became the king of Israel, he wanted to show kindness to any members of the house of Saul that he could find (II Sam. 9:1). When Mephibosheth was brought to his attention (vv. 2-6), David said to him,

    "…I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually" (II Sam. 9:7).

David went on to give Mephibosheth "all that pertained to Saul and to all his house" (v. 9), and remember, Saul had been king of Israel. In other words, Mephibosheth was given a king's inheritance, and invited to sit at the king's table and reign with him "as one of the king's sons" (v. 11). Quite an honor for the grandson of a man who had once been the present king's enemy.

Some men might take such a tremendous honor for granted, but not Mephibosheth! He later told David:

    "…all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?" (II Sam. 19:28).

Mephibosheth knew that he had been given such an unbelievably high honor that he felt he had no right ever to ask the king for anything ever again.

Now how about you? May I remind you that what the king did for Mephibosheth is exactly what your King has done for you? God "hath raised us up together" with Christ (Eph. 2:5,6), "and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," we who were once members of the family of God's "enemies" (Rom. 5:10). Just as the Lord invited kingdom saints to sit and reign with Him in the kingdom of His Father, Paul says that we have been invited to sit and reign with Christ in the kingdom of His Father in the heavenlies--to sit with Him in His throne! Speaking of Christ, Paul says that God "hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22). Since God "calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17), you are already seated with Christ at the Father's right hand, and someday you will reign with Him over the angels (I Cor. 6:3).

In response, you can grumble and complain about your position in life, or you can rejoice in your position in heaven, and join Mephibosheth in wondering about your right ever to ask anything more of God beyond what He has already done in giving you a King's inheritance (Eph. 1:11) and seating you at the King's table "as one of the king's sons" (cf. Gal. 4:4-7). I'm sure David would have given Mephibosheth anything he asked for, but his heart was so filled with thanksgiving that he felt he didn't dare ask for more. While we have a clear command from God through Paul to "let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6), before asking God for anything, it might be good to run a "Mephibosheth check" on the level of your gratitude. After all, if God never did anything else for you other than what He has already done for you in Christ, He's done enough.

[nChrist]

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The Nature of the Beast
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are...evil beasts..." (Titus 1:12).

When that Cretian prophet said that the Cretians are "evil beasts," he was saying that they were men who "despise government...brute beasts" who "speak evil of dignities" (II Pet. 2:10-12), men who "despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities...as brute beasts" (Jude 1:8-10). A wild beast refuses to let a man impose his will on him, so men who won't let civil rulers impose their will on them are called beasts.

When Paul added,

    "This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith" (v. 13),

he was asserting that it is impossible to resist "the powers that be" in government (Rom.13:1,2) and still be considered sound in the faith.

We see further evidence that this was a problem in Crete when Paul later told Titus,

    "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates... to speak evil of no man" (Titus 3:1,2).

Christians who speak evil of magistrates and other men in government are so plentiful these days that they could be called "Legion," for they "are many" (Mark 5:9). But the Apostle Paul immediately regretted it when he learned that he had unwittingly spoken evil of the leader of his nation (Acts 23:1-5).

We sometimes hear Christians object that it is not speaking evil of dignities in government if the criticisms we level against them are true. However, everything Paul said about his leader was true. God will smite him someday because he was a "whited wall" (Acts 23:3), a hypocrite who feigned to judge Paul according to the law, but commanded him to be smitten contrary to the law. Yet we know that Paul considered the true words he had spoken against his leader to be evil words, for he went on to admit that he had violated the interdispensational principle of, "Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people" (v. 5).

This is reminiscent of Christians today who say we don't have to obey our leaders in government because they often act contrary to the constitution of the United States, the law of our land. But Paul regretted speaking evil of the leader of his nation even though he had commanded Paul to be smitten contrary to the law of their land, the law of Moses.

The bottom line is, there is simply no justification or excuse of any kind for the shameful way that God's people often speak of the civil leaders whom Paul calls "God's ministers" (Rom. 13:6),

    "Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord" (II Pet. 2:11).

Over the years, you may have had to struggle mightily to be sound in the faith as you came to realize what Paul taught about difficult and sensitive subjects such as water baptism, speaking in tongues, and healing. But if your heart yearns to be truly sound in every aspect of the faith, if you long to be Pauline in all matters of faith and practice, I would invite you to consider following Paul as he followed Christ in this critical area of the faith as well (I Cor. 11:1).

After all, the power that Pilate had to crucify the Lord was certainly an evil power, yet the Lord said that it was given to him "from above" (John 19:10,11). Learning not to speak evil of the often evil power of civil leaders is an unfathomably difficult path to tread at times for some, but it is the path trodden by the Apostle Paul and his Christ. And it is my earnest plea that it is the path you will choose as well.

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Two Walls
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We were all doubtless surprised when the East German authorities began opening the Berlin Wall to West Berlin visitors at Christmas time. We can never be sure just what might be up the Communists’ sleeves, but for the time being it sounds encouraging. What they ought to do, of course, is to tear the wall down. It is a crime against humanity and a sin against God to confine half a city in a cage, to treat human beings as if they were animals.

The Bible speaks of a wall that separated all mankind into two parts. In Ephesians 2 the Law, the Ten Commandments, is called “the middle wall of partition.”

The Law was given to God’s covenant people. The Gentiles had been given up long before at the Tower of Babel and God had called out Abraham and his seed and had given them the Law. They broke the Law, however, so that Rom. 3:19 says:

    “Whatsoever the law saith it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be brought in guilty before God.”

Because of the broken Law all men have been placed on the same level, but this was also God’s purpose of grace: “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief: that He might have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32). And thus God offers salvation to all through Christ, who died for our sins at Calvary. This is why Eph. 2:13-16 says:

    “But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who once were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us… that He might reconcile both unto God in one Body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.”

Thank God there is no “Berlin Wall” between God and those who trust His Son, nor between believers who have been made “one Body in Christ.”

[nChrist]

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The Wise and the Otherwise
by Pastor John Fredericksen


An excerpt from Pastor John Fredericksen’s commentary on Matthew
Who did Christ say was a wise man, or what made one wise? Matthew 7:24-27

    "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Our Lord is Master of all things, including the use of illustrations. In this instance, the Lord Jesus gave an illustration, with the meaning so obvious, that all who heard Him understood. Yet, He could also lay within that illustration a much deeper meaning that only those who paid close attention and knew the Scriptures would fully comprehend. Let's examine both.

    The obvious meaning of this illustration was our Lord urging these disciples not to be merely "hearers" of His words but "doers." (James 1:22).
        Those who chose to "seek...first the kingdom of God" (Matt. 6:33), and "enter" through the "straight gate" of strict obedience (Matt. 7:13), would enter the Kingdom and receive eternal life.
        These obedient followers would be, figuratively, like a wise man building his house on a solid foundation. The foundation here would be His doctrine. Their obedience would keep them forever safe and secure in eternal life.
        Those who would not continue to obey His doctrine were likened to one building a spiritual house on sand. As that house would crumble and fall, so would they, without obedience that brought eternal life or entrance into the Millennial Kingdom that awaited Israel.
    We discover the deeper meaning of this illustration by looking closely at the symbolism of several key words and tracing their usage elsewhere in Scripture.
        The word "Rock" in Scripture consistently refers to the Lord.
        Moses sang of the Lord saying, "He is the Rock…a God of truth…" (Deut. 32:4).
        David wrote, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress…" (Psa. 18:2).
        Peter quoted to fellow Jews, "It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded" (1 Pet. 2:6; see also Acts 4:11). Peter was calling Christ God, and the Father's provision for life.
        When Christ said, "Whosever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them…[he is like] a wise man, which built his house upon a rock" (Matt. 7:24), He was urging His listeners to build their hope for eternal life on Him, the rock of their salvation (Psa. 95:1).
    The word "house" consistently represented Israel.
        This is a figurative term that we use in this sense to this day. For example, the House of Windsor represents the family by that name. Likewise, in 1 Tim. 3:5, an elder is to "rule his own house." Obviously, it is not the house, but who it represents, that is in view.
        Quite frequently, the Lord referred to the entire nation of Israel as the "house of Israel" (Compare Ex. 16:31; 40:38; Lev. 10:6; 17:3).
        In Matthew 7:24, our Lord has a subtle implication to the house of Israel needing to build their spiritual house upon Him. They would be safe if they did, in peril if they did not.
    The "winds" that would blow and the "rain" and the "floods" represented the coming tide of God's judgment ready to fall on Israel in the Tribulation. Since the days of Daniel and the prophets, this time had been predicted.
        The entire twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew deals with the Tribulation that will precede Christ's Kingdom being established. There, the Lord referred to the trials of these days being "as the days of Noe" (Matt. 24:37).
        The first thing that comes to our minds when we think of Noah is God's judgment of a world-wide flood (Gen. 6-9). Surely, it was the same for each Jew who heard our Lord refer to Noah. From long ago, this man had come to represent God's judgment.
        Therefore, in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, Israel would only be safe during God's coming judgment in the Tribulation if they built their spiritual life upon Christ.

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Does Misery Love Company?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We have all heard the statement: “Misery loves company.” It is true that when one is sick or in trouble he does not feel quite so sorry for himself when he realizes that others are as unfortunate, and perhaps more so, than he.

However, some have used this phrase: “Misery loves company,” in speaking lightly of hell. Perhaps you have heard someone say: “Well, if I go to hell, at least I’ll have lots of company.” This is true, but the company the lost will have when cast out of God’s presence will hardly afford them comfort.

The Bible story of the rich man and Lazarus brings this fact out with great force. The rich man, you will remember, “fared sumptuously every day,” while Lazarus “was laid at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.”

In the process of time both died, and the rich man, having felt no need of salvation, suddenly was made to experience God’s wrath upon sin, for the sacred record says: “In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments” (Luke 16:23). From his place of torment the rich man saw Lazarus with Abraham “afar off,” but this surely afforded little comfort, while we do read that “Lazarus was comforted.” The rich man, then, still with haughty superiority, asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his five brothers, “lest they come into this place of torment.” He did not wish his brothers to join him in hell. “Misery” among those cast out of God’s presence, then, does not “love company.”

The story is brought to a close as Abraham refuses the rich man’s request, explaining that if his brothers would not hear the Word of God “neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

The way to avoid the lot of the rich man, then, is to believe the Word of God, particularly that part of the Word which tells how Christ died for our sins that we might be justified by grace through faith. Don’t be deceived by the old adage: “Misery loves company.” Receive Christ as your Savior today.

    “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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The Peace of God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


“Peace with God” is one thing; “the peace of God” is another. To enjoy the latter, we must first experience the former, for the peace of God, ruling in our hearts, is the result of “peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul declared by divine inspiration that “[Christ] was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification” and that “therefore, being justified by faith,” we, who once were at enmity with God, may enjoy “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 4:25; 5:1). The result of “peace with God” is “the peace of God,” the peace that He gives to His own amid all the troubles of life. This is why the Apostle wrote to the Roman Christians:

    “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Rom. 15:13).

While only those who are at peace with God can — and should know “the peace of God,” it does not follow, however, that all those who are at peace with God necessarily enjoy “the peace of God.” Believers can enjoy “the peace of God” only as they practice Phil. 4:6:

    “BE CAREFUL [ANXIOUS] FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION, WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD.”

As we follow these instructions the promise which follows will certainly be fulfilled.

    “THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING, SHALL KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS” (Ver. 7).

As believers in Christ “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Therefore we
should not be constantly overwhelmed and defeated by the adversities of life, but should heed the exhortation; “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:15).

    “NOW THE LORD OF PEACE HIMSELF GIVE YOU PEACE ALWAYS BY ALL MEANS” (II Thes. 3:16).

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That Precious Deposit
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


The story is told of how a wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.”

The young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t very much, I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.” The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.” The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the great works of art he had collected.

The man died a few months later. Shortly thereafter, there was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having the opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted. “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?” Another voice shouted angrily. “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!” But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. “We have $10, who will bid $20?” “Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.” The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. “Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10!” A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection.”

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.” “What about the paintings?” “I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets every thing!”

God gave His Son 2000 years ago to die on a cruel Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, “The Son, the Son, who’ll take the Son?” Because, you see, whoever takes the Son inherits everything! (Author unknown.)

EARTHEN VESSELS

    “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Cor. 4:7).

In biblical times earthen vessels were clay pots that had been thoroughly baked in an oven. They were fraught with imperfections, which meant that no two were exactly alike. Archeologists have discovered that those who lived during that period secretly buried their treasures in clay pots for safekeeping. As we shall see, the master illustrator uses this facet of everyday life to illustrate a grand spiritual truth.

Those who have taken the Son are heirs, joint-heirs with Him. As members of the Body of Christ, we are partakers of His glory, His power, and His reign. In short, we are the recipients of the wealth of heaven! While the believing Gentiles will partake of the blessings of the kingdom, they are not said to be heirs. In the kingdom, heirship is a question of nationality. In the present dispensation of Grace, heirship is based upon relationship. We are one in Him. Therefore, what rightfully belongs to Him, we have come into possession of, and will share it mutually with Him for eternity (Rom. 8:17 cf. Eph. 3:6).

Today when men want to safeguard their riches they place them in vaults made of steel and concrete. But God’s ways are not man’s ways. God has deposited the riches of His grace in earthen vessels. We need not wait until we arrive in heaven to learn what we presently possess in Christ. We have this treasure, that is, the gospel of the grace of God in earthen vessels. Those who have been saved by grace are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. But what we positionally enjoy in Christ must become a practical reality in the Christian experience if we ever hope to maintain a godly testimony among men. For example, we are forgiven in Christ, but grace teaches us that we are to forgive others even as Christ has forgiven us.

In the year 1818, Tamatoe, King of Huahine, one of the South Sea Islands, believed the gospel. He discovered a plot among his fellow natives to seize him and other converts and burn them to death. However, he organized a band to attack the plotters and captured them unawares. Having exposed the plot, he forgave them, and set a feast before his would-be captors. This unexpected kindness amazed the savages, who burned their idols and became Christians. (Paul Lee Tan, Signs of the Times, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Assurance Publishers, Rockville, MD, 1979.)

But why would God place these unspeakable riches in such an unsecure place? We are unworthy sinners, weak and frail, who have the sentence of death within us. Perhaps the hymn-writer, Robert Robinson, has expressed it best, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” The answer to the question is found in the latter part of our passage. “That the excellency [exceeding greatness] of the power may be of God, and not of us.” While others usually think more highly of us than they should, essentially it is the power of God working through us that produces results in the Lord’s work.

Many years ago I was invited to minister the gospel at a Bible camp in the Rocky Mountains. On the last evening, I spoke on “The Danger of Falling Into the Hands of An Angry God.” Earlier that day I hadn’t been feeling well, due to altitude sickness. In addition to being exhausted that night, I was short of breath. At ten thousand feet it doesn’t take much to get winded. I now understand why it took Moses so long to return from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone. He undoubtedly had to keep stopping on his way down to catch his breath! As I arose to speak that evening I thought to myself, this is going to be an absolute disaster. It was, or at least I thought it was, until I learned two months later that an entire family was saved that night. Brethren, the gospel is the “power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom 1:16).

At the Judgment Seat of Christ no one will be able to boast regarding what he or she has accomplished, for the power is solely of God and not of us. “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” In the final analysis, God will receive all the glory and honor and praise and adoration for the great things He has done. We are merely vessels through whom God has poured out the riches of His grace to a lost and dying world.

What is your attitude toward the Mystery? When the final chapter of your life is written and the book is closed, will you be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”? May you have no regrets at that day!

[nChrist]

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What About Me, And The Future?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Is it not amazing that men who can produce intricate electronic mechanisms, build giant sky-scrapers, fly men to the moon and back — is it not amazing that such men often do not even know what will finally become of themselves! And what is more amazing still is that most of them do not even try seriously to find out.

They are intelligent enough to plan carefully for the future where temporal affairs are concerned, but foolish enough to neglect their eternal welfare. They make plans for themselves in case they become ill and need additional funds for surgery, medicine and hospital care. They even make plans for their loved ones in case of death and bereavement, but fail to ask themselves: “What will become of meafter death?”

Daily “the wise of this world” witness the truth of Hebrews 9:27, that “it is appointed unto men once to die”, and most of them know that the Bible adds: “after this the judgment”. They may hope that this is but a false alarm, but they do not know. They can only wonder and worry. Hebrews 2:15 declares that “through fear of death” they are “all their lifetime subject to bondage”. Like Adam, they run and hide from God instead of running to Him and asking: “What must I do to be saved?”Too cowardly to face up to their own grave, no hope beyond the tomb — too afraid, generally, to even discuss death.

The believer in the Word of God is not left thus in the dark. He glories in the truth of the passages from which we have quoted in part above. We quote them now in full:

    Hebrews 2:14,15: “Forasmuch then as the children [of Adam] are partakers of flesh and blood, He [Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

    “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

    Hebrews 9:27,28: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

    “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without [lit., “apart from”] sin unto salvation.”

[nChrist]

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The Value of the Four Gospels
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


Our Apostle Paul wrote, "All Scripture...is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written to and for the nation Israel under the law, in accordance with her earthly, millennial hope. It is in the epistles of Paul that we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny for us, the Church, the Body of Christ, today under grace. However, there is great value in studying the four Gospels. They are "profitable" for our spiritual lives.

When I was taking classes at Berean Bible Institute in Slinger, Wisconsin, I took a Missions class. Pastor and missionary Joe Watkins was my instructor. In one class, he pointed out what he perceived to be a weakness in the grace movement: that we were too often guilty of neglecting the four Gospels. He said, "That is our Savior too. There is much we can learn from His love, humility, compassion, and kindness." Then Pastor Watkins shared an example: the healing of the leper in Mark 1.

    "And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean" (Mark 1:40-41).

Pastor Watkins pointed out that nobody touched a leper. But in healing this man, the Lord was "moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him." He didn't need to touch him to heal him. All He needed to do was say the word. But that man hadn't felt a human touch in years. Thus, out of His great compassion, the Lord reached over, touched him, and said, "Be thou clean."

Like Paul, we are to teach "all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). In my pastorate at Kettle Moraine Bible Church in West Bend, Wisconsin, in both the Sunday School and Worship Service, I taught series of messages from the four Gospels. I shared how the Lord lived under the law and kept it perfectly, how He taught Israel in light of the coming Tribulation and her hope of the earthly Kingdom, and how the Gospels portray the Lord as Prophet, Priest, King, God, and man. Most of all, as Pastor Watkins had shown me, I made sure to teach about the love and mercy of our Savior. And as a result of a series on the miracles of Christ, one woman in the assembly shared that, although she had known about rightly dividing the Word for years, it was the differences in the four Gospels that really helped her to see the truth of grace for the Body of Christ today. There is value in learning the four Gospels!

[nChrist]

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Condemnation And Death -- Righteousness And Life
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Contrasting the New Covenant with the Old, the Apostle points out that “the letter,” with its requirements and penalties, “killeth.” Therefore the dispensation of the Law is called “the ministration of condemnation” and “the ministration of death” (II Cor. 3:7,9).

The ministration of the Law began in a blaze of glory. Mount Sinai was “altogether on a smoke… as the smoke of a furnace.” There were thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. There was the sound of a trumpet, “exceeding loud.” There was the glorious Shekinah cloud in which God Himself appeared and “spake all these words” (Ex. 19:9- 20:1).

But ere Moses had even come down from the mount with the tables of stone, the people were breaking the very first commandment, dancing like heathen about a golden calf. From here on the administration of the Law took on another aspect. Judgment had to be pronounced and penalties inflicted. Nor could any escape its just sentence of condemnation and death. What had begun in glory led but to gloom, “because the law worketh wrath…” (Rom. 4:15). “…for it is written: cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Gal. 3:10).

But there can be no gloom associated with the ministration of the New Covenant, says the Apostle, for under it righteousness and life are administered to all who will receive them by faith. And this because the claims of the Old Covenant were fully met by Christ at Calvary. Thus the ministration of the New Covenant outshines the ministration of the Old in every respect.

But was not the New Covenant made “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,” rather than with the Church of our day? Yes, but with Israel’s rejection of Christ and her temporary blindness the blessings of the New Covenant are now bestowed by grace upon those who do receive Christ. Hence, it was not Peter or the twelve, but Paul who, with his associates, was made an “able minister of the New Testament” (II Cor. 3:6).

[nChrist]

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The First Month of the Year
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Even a child knows that January is the first month of our calendar year. For the ancient people of Israel, however, the first month of the year was the month of Abib, which roughly equates to our month of April. Speaking of Abib, God said,

    "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Exodus 12:2).

If you are wondering why God chose April as the beginning of months for His chosen people, we learn the reason in the next chapter:

    "Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt….This day came ye out in the month Abib" (Exodus 13:3,4).

God wanted His ancient people to "remember" that their birth as a nation marked a new beginning for them, so he instructed them to "observe" this month as something special unto the Lord (Deut. 16:1). God's people today often do the same with their spiritual birthdays. Many who can tell you the exact date they were saved consider the day worth remembering each year.

But what if you can't remember the day you trusted Christ as your Savior? There are many believers who grew up under the sound of the gospel and were saved at an early age. Occasionally we hear from these dear saints, who tell us they are troubled by the fact that they cannot remember the day they were saved. Since they can't remember the date, some even wonder if they are truly saved.

When we hear from believers like this, we like to point out that while we can't remember the day we first understood that we were born an American citizen, now that we know it to be so, we know that all the rights promised to citizens in the Bill of Rights are ours. In the same way, while you may not remember the day of your spiritual birth, now that you believe, you can be sure that the promise of eternal life and all the other blessings found in Paul's epistles are yours.

The point is, of course, that it doesn't matter when you first believe something; what matters is what you believe right now. If you believe you can get to heaven by something that you yourself can do, you are not saved. If you rather believe you are going to heaven because of what Christ did for you on Calvary, we'll see you someday in glory!

[nChrist]

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Are You Listening?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The Apostle Paul had much that he yearned to teach the Hebrew believers — wonderful truths that would have thrilled their hearts — but these truths were “hard to be uttered,” or difficult to explain to them, since they were “dull of hearing.” The word “dull” in Heb. 5:11 really means “slothful,” or indifferent (as in Heb. 6:12). They were not merely hard of hearing, as we say, but were too lazy, too indifferent, spiritually, to pay attention. They were not sufficiently interested.

This is always a serious condition in the light of the fact that “God hath spoken,” and that disobedience to His Word will be judged (Heb. 1:1,2; 2:1-3). Yet, alas, this is the condition of the professing Church today. The great majority of religious people are not sufficiently interested in what God has said to engage in diligent, prayerful study and, like those of Paul’s day, still have to be taught “the first principles” of the Bible. They have remained babes, spiritually, unable to digest anything but “milk,” and so remain “unskillful in the Word of righteousness” (Heb. 5:12-14).

What has brought this condition about? Is it because our Bibles are being burned and the Church persecuted for reading it? Is it because God is unwilling to lead us further into His truth? Most assuredly not. It is because so many men of God in high places no longer have the single passion to know God’s Word and to make it known. They could be as greatly used of God in teaching the Scriptures as their predecessors were, but they are “slothful of hearing” and hence can present their hearers with little that is of true value.

This, in turn, is reflected in the religious masses. They “love” their Bibles, but not enough to study them diligently and become workmen whom God can approve. Let us not be numbered among these. Rather, let it be our one great desire to gain a clear understanding of God’s Word, rightly divided — for His sake, for our own sake and for the sake of the needy souls about us.

[nChrist]

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The Nature Of Grace
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


To a young Christian who kept bemoaning his failures and lack of spiritual growth, and wondering how God could love him, a more mature believer responded substantially as follows:

“When I leave here and return to my home I will pick up my little baby girl and put her on my knee. Tired as I am, I will dandle her on my knee and, somehow, looking into that darling face and those pretty blue eyes, I will soon feel rested and refreshed.

“This is strange, in a way, for she does not love me. She doesn’t even know what love is.

“She doesn’t appreciate my problems and has no sympathy for me. My heart can be burdened with grief or filled with anxiety, and my mind vexed with difficult problems, but she doesn’t even know or care. She just keeps gurgling and giggling at the attention I lavish upon her.

“She doesn’t contribute one cent toward the needs of our family; indeed, she costs me a great deal of money and will for years to come. Yet I love that child more than I can say. There is no sacrifice I would not make for her; no good thing I would not gladly give her.”

Such is the grace of God toward us, His children. It does not depend upon our faithfulness to Him or our appreciation of His love to us. He loves us with an unspeakable love and keeps lavishing upon us “the riches of His grace” simply because we are His children in Christ, the Beloved One. And strangely, is it not precisely this fact that proves to be our greatest incentive to give ourselves to Him in loving service and sacrifice as we grow in grace?

[nChrist]

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Christ's Death For Us
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Three times in Chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Romans we read that Christ died for us.

Ver. 6: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Ver. 8: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Ver. 10: ” …when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son….”

Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, even in our willfulness, Christ loved us and gave His life to save us. But why does the Apostle say that Christ died for us “when we were yet without strength,” “while we were yet sinners” and “when we were enemies”? Did not Christ die for us before any of us were even born? Yes, but here the Apostle writes historically of the whole human race. The rest of the chapter bears this out.

In Verse 12 he refers to Adam, the “one man” by whom sin and death entered into the world. This rendered man truly helpless. In Verse 20 he refers to Moses, by whom “the law entered, that the offence might abound.” Thus by the law men were condemned as sinners. Finally, in Verses 20, 21, he refers to Christ, “[who] died for all” (II Cor. 5:14,15), that helpless sinners might be saved, yea that even God’s enemies might be reconciled to Him by grace, through faith. By Adam we have the entrance of sin, by Moses the condemnation of sin and by Christ the forgiveness of sins.

Only gradually was the importance of Christ’s death for mankind revealed, but now we know that the saints of all ages have been saved on the basis of our Lord’s vicarious death alone. No one else could have paid a debt so great. Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, yes, thank God, in our willfulness, the Lord Jesus Christ died to save us.

    “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

[nChrist]

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It Makes All the Difference
by Pastor John Fredericksen

We once had a friend named Richard, a handyman who fixed small motors and engines. He had a faithful dog that kept him company everyday in his shop. This dog excitedly jumped to greet Richard, and then followed him around like a shadow, giving him affection, and acting like she thought he was the best man in the world. One day while observing all this, I complimented the dog. Richard smiled and said, "You know, she's the same every day and after all these years, she's never complained once."

It's a shame more people don't have the same kind of disposition that Richard's dog had: a good attitude. But it is possible. Remember God's prophet Daniel? When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, Daniel, along with others, was taken captive to Babylon. In this process, he was forcibly stripped of his freedom, homeland, name, and ultimately his manhood (Daniel 1). He was placed in the charge of "the prince of the eunuchs" (1:7), which meant he was castrated to make him a safer subject in proximity to the king and his realm. Daniel could have responded to all these brutal events with anger and resentment, but he didn't. The queen described Daniel as one who had "an excellent spirit" (5:12). It was because of this quality that Daniel had been elevated to "master" of the king's magicians and astrologers. As the king observed Daniel, he elevated him further for his good attitude. Daniel 6:3 states, "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm."

A famous preacher once commented that he believed attitude was more important than facts, education, money, circumstances, failure, or skill, that it will make you or break you.* Proverbs 17:27 says it this way: "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit." Like Daniel, each of us can make a conscious choice to have a good spirit, or attitude, no matter what our circumstances. We can choose not to complain, be bitter, resentful, or negative. We can choose to exalt our Savior with not just a good attitude but with "an excellent spirit." Is this going to describe you today?