Ironworks

“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...