Ironworks

    We all face the temptation to believe that we know it all. We have our minds made up that we are right and we understand all things. Yet, when we look under the surface, it’s not always like that. When we look under the surface, often what is revealed is our own desired outcome is what we think is right. This is prevalent with the lifestyles of those in the world and sadly, at times, within the body of Christ.  The Scripture gives us a good example of this in the life of Job.  "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb; When I made clouds the garment thereof, And th...

Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.  Acts 1:21-22 What is an Apostle?      There are some in the religions of the world that claim that they are apostles. There are some religions that believe in what is called “Apostolic Succession” (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, et al). So what does the Scripture say regarding such a claim? To begin with, we must define our terms. The term apostle (apostolos) means in the original Koine Greek “one sent, or one commissioned.” In a general sense, we understand our obligation of the great commission that is given to Christians (see Mark 16:15-16; Matt 28:18-20). We are sent out to teach, baptize, and teach more. Is this the same as the apostles of our Lord that we find in the New Testament? No, it is not the sa...

"And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."  Genesis 2:7 “and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7  At the time I am writing this week, the Supreme Court of the United States has heard arguments regarding an abortion law in the state of Mississsippi which prohibits abortions from being performed after 15 weeks of pregnancy. This case will likely challenge the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion in this nation. After two and a half hours of oral arguments on Wednesday, the fate of this law, and perhaps the complete legality of abortion in our nation, is going to be reviewed by the 9 justices of the highest court in this land. A decision will likely come sometime in the Spring of 2022. What we must do now is pray. We must also study, and we must teach others to value life at all times. We must ...

  “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. And his mercy is unto generations and generations On them that fear him.  He hath showed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. He hath put down princes from their thrones And hath exalted them of low degree. The hungry he hath filled with good things, And the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath given help to Israel his servant, That he might remember mercy (As he spake unto our fathers) Toward Abraham and his seed forever.”  Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s Role Given by the Lord Mary was a woman chosen by God for a particular purpose. The angel Gabriel revealed the message that she was highly favored and the Lord was with her (Lk 1:28). Sh...

And having a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised: Hebrews 10:21‭-‬23  Assurance is Important In recent weeks we have talked a great deal about assurance in our evening sermons through the book of 1 Peter. Assurance is such an important thing to us. It is important to God, too. God wants you to be assured, for the assured Christian is a productive Christian. One who worries all day long about their salvation cannot teach anyone the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is one that is full of assurance for the faithful.  How can we be Assured? How can a Christian live assuredly? The Hebrew writer instructs us to draw near to God with a true heart. This is a heart that is characterized as one having full assurance of faith. We can hav...

“And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness: ye being enriched in everything unto all liberality, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God. For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God”  2 Corinthians 9:10-12 We all need reminders;  I am no different. I attempt to write everything down, but I forget to do that sometimes. Reminders are so valuable because they call our attention to a task, a medication, or even a dear loved one. Reminders are given throughout the Word of God that call our attention to a sentiment that should be in our hearts all year long, thanksgiving.  The Lord Provides  Paul reminds the Corinthians of the overwhelming blessing of God. The blessing of God is not isolated to a season of harvest but is seen continually. Why does he r...

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:13 Obedient Faith is Ongoing             The final step of God's plan for saving man is ongoing throughout the rest of our natural lives. We must remain faithful unto death (cf. Rev. 2:10). The Word of God instructs the first century church, as it does all New Testament Christians, that we must be faithful whether or not it is a good, spiritual-high moment or if it is safe. We must remain faithful even when it might cost us our lives. This was a very real circumstance for the church under the Roman Empire and in many nations today. There are brethren today in countries who face certain death for wearing the name Christian. This is clearly in agreement to what is written above when Jesus made it clear there were expectations of His people. We will be hated because of Jesus’ name; we will face opposition from all sorts of people and religio...

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.  Mark 16:16  Diagram      Mark 16:16 is one of many passages that confirm that baptism is one of the five steps in the Gospel Plan of Salvation that is applicable to all men. Some observations in the verse include the fact that both belief and baptism are coequals to be saved. The diagram below shows their correlation as well as the order of both belief and immersion for the purpose of salvation. Belief is an absolute prerequisite of baptism, and this is very well explained in the second section of verse, for it is by disbelief that one is condemned. As it has been noted before, it certainly takes more to be saved than to be condemned.  He____________________________________________________/shall be saved                                    That_______________...

  “Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Rom 10:9-10 A Proclamation and a Promise Who are you willing to confess? Did you know that your salvation depends on it? I trust that many of you who are reading this do know this, and others have heard something along those lines but we must not lose sight of what God has required for salvation. Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that this was something that they had done and brought them unto salvation. This was not some cleverly added thing of Paul's own volition but the Inspired Word of God. This was the same thing that Jesus said prior. “Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.” Matt10:32 As Christians our proclamation is based on Christ’s promise....

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.”  Luke 13:3  Sixteen years ago this week a young man named Shannon Hoon died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28. If the name is not familiar to you, then perhaps you know the name of the band he fronted, Blind Melon. The band was most famous for the song "No Rain,” which blew up in 1993 and led to much success for their freshman self-titled album. However, as his band enjoyed this success, Mr. Hoon fought addiction of both alcohol and harder drugs, namely cocaine. One morning his band mates found him unresponsive on their tour bus. This story is so very sad but is often repeated, especially among the young, rich, and famous. What is even more telling is that Mr. Hoon desired to change, one of the less known songs he wrote is entitled as such. He wanted to stop and so he went to rehab. He wanted to be a better father, but he would not change.   Some men asked Jesus about two situ...

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.” John 5:24      What do you do when you hear some form of information? You may accept it as factual, or you might not believe it at all. When we are young, we may not believe the stove is hot. In fact, possibly the orange glow of the burner or open flame is appealing to the eye and the warmth is nice feeling on a cold day. However, if you chose to touch it, you will certainly be burnt and certainly believe what your mother may have warned you about. Belief is established when presented with truth, yet, when we hear truth, we have the option to believe it or not.       In matters of faith, belief is an integral part of the God's plan for saving man. Last week I wrote about hearing, and that it is the basis of that plan. We must hear, but what do we do once we hear? If we ar...

“So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 God’s Revealed Word Reveals Salvation      Over the next five weeks, I want to write about each of the steps of the Gospel Plan of Salvation. I will contend that the Bible teaches not a single man will be saved outside obedience to the Gospel. Additionally, I will address some questions regarding such. The first thing one must do is hear the word. We often reference Romans 10:17 as I did above for this. For the origin of faith has no other source than hearing or reading the Word of God. This is where we come in contact with the God-breathed, inspired Word (cf 2 Tim 3:16). He has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness (cf. 2 Pet 1:3). When we hear the Gospel, we hear the truth that has the power to make man free (cf. John 8:32). What about the Others? What if they don't hear? This is a common question that is posed by members of the church and those outside of the brotherhood. Th...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.Mark 16:16  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  2 Peter 3:9   But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8  Is Your Name in the Bible?      When you read these passages, what do you think about first? I imagine that you would consider the magnificent grace of the Lord which He extends to you. I suppose you would have feelings of appreciation for the patience that God extends to you. To do all these things would be to make an assumption that each of these verses applies to you. You are not wrong in...

But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah”  Genesis 6:8 The fact of the worldwide flood is instrumental to our understanding of God’s desire to save man. We learn this story from our parents, we discuss it in our Bible classes, and occasionally we hear a sermon mentioning it. Have you considered that this is but one example of how grace, faith, and obedient works are critical in salvation?  Grace  When we look at Genesis 6:8, we see that Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. The Hebrew word ḥên is translated here as favor but is accurately translated as grace as well. God made an observation that the wickedness of men had caused every thought they had to be evil continually. It was so bad that the Lord changed His mind (repented) that He had made man, and it grieved Him. This is a far cry from the description of the creation being described as good. The choice of sin by each individual disfigures the goodness in which we are all created.  We fully employ ourse...

“I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy, for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ “  Philippians 1:3-6      Have you ever noticed all the ongoing work on our highway system? It is likely that some projects will never come to an end. Even in recent months, a new federal infrastructure package has been a source of much debate in the houses of Congress. How does this reality of our lives relate to our lives in Christ Jesus? When we look at the words of Paul, we certainly can understand we are a work continually in progress. Our Fellowship is Contingent on Furtherance of the Gospel       The Lord commanded that we are to take the Gospel and preach it to all creation (Mark 16:15-16). This Gospel is wha...

  “Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about); and the king went by the way of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.” 2 Kings 25:4-7 Sin Will Cause You to Flee One that lives outside the law will face the consequences of the law; this is what happened to Israel first and then the kingdom of Judah. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had control of Judah and yet King Zedekiah rebelled against him (2 Kings 25:1). Zedekiah believed he was safe for a while holed up in the ...

“Is this man Coniah a despised, broken vessel? Is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no more shall a man of his seed prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.” Jeremiah 22:28-30 Jehoiachin of Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he was taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzr to Babylon (cf. 2 Kings 24:10-12). While there is little account of this wicked king, we do have some insight regarding him in the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s prophecy is of great value in answering a popular but false doctrine. The theory of premillennialism has long contended that based on Revelation 20:1-6 Christ would literally reign on earth for 1000 years. Moreover, the view is that this reign will be from the city of Jerusalem, which the...

“Surely at the commandment of Jehovah came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did, and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood: and Jehovah would not pardon.”  2 Kings 24:3-4 Jehoiakim king of Judah was the son of Jehoahaz who chose to do evil and die in Egypt a slave of Pharoah-Necoh. Jehoiakim did not learn from this, and he chose to do evil in his own right (cf. 2 Kings 23:37). He, for a time, subjugated himself to Nebuchadnezzar but turned and rebelled against him (cf. 2 Kings 24:1). Nebuchadnezzar was not the only problem for Jehoiakim. Due to his rebellion, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Ammonites, and Moabites all came after him, and God said it would happen.  Jehoiakim chose this, God allowed the Punishment The sin of Judah was nothing new. It was an ongoing practice that was carried out by the king and his people. God was true to His Word, and, despite the warnin...

“Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.  And Pharaoh-necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.”  2 Kings 23:31-33      Each one of us has an opportunity. Each one has a decision to make with that opportunity. Each one of us must respond to the open door that is before us. Jehoahaz of Judah had the same options afforded to him. We might be tempted to jump on the case of Jehoahaz for choosing to do evil in the sight of the Lord. We might be tempted to say he had such a great example of how to be a godly king in his father Josiah. While his father’s example was great, it does not take away from the ...

And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah. And the king stood by the pillar, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book: and all the people stood to the covenant. 2 Kings 23:1-3      King Josiah of Judah was an encouragement to all who serve the Lord. His heart and actions are those which push us to love the Lord our God, both in word and deed. 2 Kings 22:8-13 details the circumstances that led to the restoration of Old Testament Judaism in ...

And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them. And he humbled not himself before Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more. 2 Chronicles 33:22-23 King Amon followed his father Manasseh of Judah. Manasseh undid most of his father Hezekiah's reforms. Towards the end of his life, he humbled himself and sought to make right. One would hope that his son Amon would have seen the attempted correction carried out by his father. Amon could do right or wrong. However, only he would make that choice.  Our Choices Yield the Appropriate Result  Amon, was a free moral agent just like every man that ever lived. The prophet Ezekiel had to correct a common proverb that was said in Israel. The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge (cf. Ezekiel 18:2)? This proverb was...