Monday, February 24, 2014

An Eternal Kingdom

March 2, 2014 Background Scripture: 2 Samuel 7 Lesson Passage: 2 Samuel 7:4 – 16 “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place.” Those immortal words were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during his “I’ve been to the Mountain Top” speech. The statement is succinct yet profound. In this declaration, Dr. King acknowledges the brevity of physical life on earth and embraces his belief in and expectation of an eternal kingdom. There are many things or situations in life to remind us that our physical life in this world is finite and fleeting. Our joints begin to ache or refuse to work altogether. We can recall details from last year but last week is a little fuzzy. On one hand, we have many reminders of the brevity of life. On the other hand, we don’t have very many situations or things to remind us of an eternal kingdom. Some may dare to say that living life as a Christian is so great that even if there is no afterlife, Christianity still makes life worth while. I tend to lend more towards the opinion expressed by the Apostle Paul on this matter. Paul said that if we have hope in this life only, then Christian leaders are the most pitiable. Life as a Christian is not a cake walk. The walk is even more difficult for Christian leaders. Our hope in an eternal kingdom provides a stark contrast against the backdrop of a limited lifespan on earth—no matter what this life holds for an individual. In today’s lesson, King David was reminded that the excellence of the eternal kingdom exceeds the plans we make in this physical life. While King David and Nathan the Prophet were busy planning a magnificent building program for the first temple of Israel, God reminded the prophet that His eternal priorities exceed King David’s physical plans. God was not going to permit King David to build an earthly temple to be dedicated in God’s name. God would not allow the blood of warfare on David’s hands to be mingled with the work of a craftsman that would lead such a distinguished project as erecting the first temple dedicated to Jehovah. However, because it was in David’s heart to do so, God would acknowledge it by erecting an eternal kingdom to be ruled eternally by David’s descendent. Our lesson today reminds us of the eternal kingdom that has been promised and we anxiously await it. This kingdom is a partial fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham. God promised Abraham that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. The seed of Abraham became the seed or offspring of David. David’s offspring would reign on his throne forever. We therefore await an eternal kingdom with one ruler who will never be replaced or abdicate his responsibilities to rule over God’s people. Of course, today we know this offspring of King David as Jesus Christ. When Jesus ministered during the years after his baptism, he constantly spoke of the eternal kingdom. He talked about the principles and laws of this eternal kingdom. He also encouraged those who had faith to press into this kingdom. Jesus is the only access whereby one can enter this eternal kingdom. David was given the promise of the eternal kingdom and he was assured by God that his descendent would be the eternal ruler of it. Robert C. Hudson February 21, 2013

Monday, February 17, 2014

Control Your Speech

February 23, 2014 Background Scripture: James 3:1 – 12 Lesson Passage: James 3:1 – 12 Sticks and stones may break my bones but words—well, quite frankly, words can hurt too. In fact, words can hurt a whole lot. Words can hurt in very different ways. Words can leave emotional scars that never seem to heal. Knowing this should make us more sensitive concerning the words we speak. As we mature spiritually, we realize that our maturity is demonstrated through the control of our speech. There is always something that can be said but maturity would properly assess the situation by asking if it should be said. When words are released into the winds of conversation, rumors, and gossip, it is impossible to gather them again and erase the effect they have had on hearers. Words have a longer lasting effect when one is in the position of being a teacher of others. People come into teaching situations expecting to be taught. Teachers must choose their words carefully knowing that they will likely be quoted by others for years to come. Teachers will be judged more severely because of the long-term effect their teaching can have on their students as well as others the students will interact with later. In his epistle, James admonishes Christians to accept that we are not all called to be teachers. This can save a lot of heartburn in the future. Controlling our words can also help us limit our actions. We often act after we have put our foot in our mouths and we try to correct or support our speech by our actions. These actions will more than likely lead to a worsening of the situation. James provides a simple solution to the dilemma; control the tongue and that will control the body. James gives examples of small things that have major impact or effect. A bit put in a horse’s mouth is used to control the movement of the horse’s entire body. A small rudder controls a large ship. A small spark can ignite a flame that becomes an out-of-control forest fire. Likewise, the tongue is small but it can cause a lot of damage. The tongue may be a small member of the body but it can create big problems. James also contrasted the control of one’s tongue to the taming of wild animals. He concluded that controlling the tongue is a greater challenge. The tongue can be a source of all manner of evil. The evil words it can spread will act like a poison. Notably, the tongue can be used for both good and evil. The tongue can praise God and it can curse people who are created in God’s image. This inconsistency of use shows the great danger of an out-of-control tongue. The tongue should be the source of either good or evil. It should not be used for both! There are many expressions that have been used over time to convey the same message that James wrote about. Sometimes we are told “You talk too much.” Or it may come to us as “You should learn to keep your big mouth closed.” Or if we reach way back, we will recall hearing “You are always running off at the mouth.” All of those expressions conveyed the same message: Control your speech. Robert C. Hudson February 10, 2013

Monday, February 10, 2014

Show Your Faith by Your Works

February 16, 2014 Background Scripture: James 2:14 – 26 Lesson Passage: James 2:14 – 26 Action speaks louder than words. That’s the overarching theme of the Epistle of James. Your actions portray what motivates you. We act and react according to what’s on the inside. Sometimes our actions and our words don’t agree. Whenever that happens, people will most likely believe our actions. For example, if you say you love me but you won’t stop willfully and knowingly hurting me, then your actions are not lining up with your words. I will believe your actions and disregard your words. Sometimes our actions will drown out our words. James challenged the Jewish Christians to stop talking about faith and to start demonstrating their faith through their actions. As is typical of James’ exposition in this letter, he gave practical examples of the message he conveyed. He gave the example of a brother or sister—that is to say, a fellow Christian, who has a physical need. When someone is naked or hungry, they don’t care how religious you are. They want to know if you are going to clothe or feed them. If a Christian merely talks about clothing and feeding the needy, the needy will be just as naked and just as hungry if nothing happens but talk. Even praying about the individual’s situation when we have been given the capacity to act shows a lack of faith in and of itself. If we don’t believe God will use us to help others when we have the means to do so, then why would we believe that God will use someone else to help them if we truly have faith? This is the dilemma James places Christians in through the logic presented in his letter. Mere intellectual agreement with truth is not true faith. True faith trusts God. Believing only does not require any faith. Demons believe the truth. The demons are even frightened by the truth of God’s word yet they do not have faith. Demons will burn in the Lake of Fire even with their faithless belief. Abraham and Rahab are given as examples of persons of faith. They believed God so they took action accordingly. As one reflects on James’ writing, it is important to note that James is not writing about a saving faith. Christians are saved by grace through faith and not by works or activities. James is writing about the life of a Christian and not the path a sinner must take. Therefore, James is writing about sanctification as a continuous spiritual growth in the life of a Christian. Believing faith brings salvation that a person confesses because of the change that has occurred on the inside. From that point forward the person is saved and lives the life of sanctification. It is during this sanctification stage of the person’s life that James challenges Christians to demonstrate their faith through actions and not religious talk. It should be noted that acting without faith is just as spiritually vain as talking without acting. For Christians, we should be capable of both talking faith and demonstrating it through our actions. When we must choose to do one and not both, James says that the only one that matters is action. Through our actions we can show our faith. Robert C. Hudson February 5, 2013

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Treat Everyone Equally

February 9, 2014 Background Scripture: James 2:1 – 13 Lesson Passage: James 2:1 – 13 Today’s lesson can be summed up in one statement: Treat everybody fair. Please note that this is different from treating everybody the same. If we treat everybody the same, we will likely be unfair to most people because of our individuality. When we treat everybody fairly, we cater to individuals based on their needs, likes and dislikes. It is clear that we will like some folk’s personality and actions and absolutely hate the actions of others. Yet we must be careful to distinguish between hating actions and despising people. We must tread lightly when it comes to attempting to assess someone’s personality. As individuals, we all have unique personalities but how a person’s personality is perceived does not necessarily translate into expected behavior. We think some people are nice but their actions indicate that they are mean and hateful. Others may appear to be aloof or unconcerned and yet display the fruit of the Spirit in their living. So James is clear in warning Christians; don’t judge people by appearance. As it was with human nature then, so it is today. We still tend to judge the book by its cover. This lesson is a reminder that there are some things that time does not diminish in society. Too often, we still believe that people who are rich in the things of this world are better than those who are materially poor. We are not always careful to delineate between people being better off and people being better. James admonishes us to observe the actions of God so that we may benefit from His example. God’s choices are opposite our natural choices. God chooses the materially poor who have faith in Him and make them heir of all things that are spiritual. It means much more for us to do this for the sake of living righteously rather than mimicking God for the sake of appearing religious or spiritual. The bottom line is that we sin when we disrespect people because of perceived financial status. This sin is not a small matter although we may act as though it is. We cannot violate part of the Law without offending God in all of it. We have no right to look down on others or their plight in life. We must be careful what we think about a person’s sin as though it is more wretched than our own. We are indebted to the whole Law of God whenever we attempt to justify ourselves with part of it. Christians have a liberty from the Law of sin and death. Because of the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, we have been freed from the cycle of sin and death that is the very operation of the Law. However, we must be careful how we walk in this liberty because our deeds will be judged according to how we use this freedom. The greatest warnings revolve around how we treat others. We receive in proportion to what we give. We are forgiven even as we forgive. Likewise, even mercy is received in proportion to how we extend mercy to others. If for no other reason, for mercy’s sake, treat everyone equally. Robert C. Hudson January 31, 2013