A Biblical Look at the Phrase 'Don't Judge Me'

Are we to judge others?  Most of us would define judging as “to pronounce a verdict concerning right and wrong.”  In order for any judgment to exist a standard must first be present.  Think about a math test.  A mathematical truth is that 2 + 2 = 4.  That is the standard.  If you write an answer of 5 on a math test, a big red X will testify that you are wrong.  You have been judged in light of the truth and found to have fallen short of that standard.  What about when we fall short of the standard of God’s word?  Should there be anything that testifies to that?

We often say things like “don’t judge me” or “I don’t want to judge” in regards to the actions of ourselves and others.  That’s what we say to keep the red X’s from testifying that our actions are wrong.  It’s our attempt to minimize a guilty conscience so we can continue in sin.  We quote Mathew 7 so fast people won’t know what hit them.  Is that a biblical application of “judge not”?  Or do we use that just to scare people into believing that if they dare point out our sin they are in violation of God’s word?

When we study the Bible what we find is that…Nathan judged David (2 Sam. 12), Paul judged Peter (Gal. 2:11) and the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 5:3), Peter judged Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8) as well as Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), and the church at Ephesus judged those that claimed to be apostles (Rev. 2:2)…just to name a few.  In what way did they judge them?  They compared their actions to the word of God and proclaimed they were in the wrong. 

So what about Mathew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”  The point of this passage is that we are not to judge without first examining our own self.  The passage tells us to take the ‘beam’ out of our own eye so we can see more ‘clearly’ to cast out the one in someone else’s.  It is important to note that there truly is a beam in our brother’s eye…and we are supposed to take part in removing it…but only under the condition that we have first removed our own.

Paul ‘judged’ Ananias, the high priest, for violating the principle seen in Mathew 7:1.  Ananias had ordered Paul to be beaten for violating the law.  The problem was, Ananias was violating the law by commanding Paul to be beaten.  Paul tells him, “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?” (Acts 23:3)  Paul speaks of the severity of such a hypocritical offense when he writes, “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” (Rom. 2:3)  What a heinous thing it is to condemn someone when we are guilty of the same!  Paul reassures that God’s judgment of such a two-faced action will not be escaped.

Perhaps the apostle John sums up proper judgment the best when he says, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)  Our judgment should not be a hypocritical judgment, but rather a righteous one.  What is righteous judgment?  It is judgment that is right.  Right in the sense that it is biblical.  It is judgment that necessitates the calling out of actions, in love, that violate God’s word yet forcing us to examine ourselves first and foremost concerning the same.

We are to judge others in the sense that we identify and address sin when we compare someone’s actions to God’s word.  That is biblical.  To cease to do that will surely perpetuate the downfall of society.  To no longer acknowledge wrongdoing is to dim the light of God’s way in this dark world.  To make truth relative and to allow everyone to do what “right in his own eyes” (Jdg. 17:6) is to take away the safeguards that God’s law has given us.  The beam in our brother’s eye most certainly needs to be cast out and Mathew 7 puts that responsibility, in part, on us.  It is vital however that it not only be done in love, but also that before we point out the faults of others, that we first thoroughly examine our own selves in the light of God’s word.  The person we should scrutinize and most frequently judge is the one that looks at us from the mirror.

The rampant use of the phrase ‘don’t judge me’ stems primarily from the rejection of God’s word as the standard.  Perhaps it would be more accurate if we said ‘God’s word isn’t my standard, so stop trying to hold me accountable to it’. 

Whether we believe God’s word is the standard or not, it will be the standard by which men are judged in the end.  The child of grace will find in that moment just how precious the grace of God is and how incomprehensibly high was the price Jesus paid for his people to stand before God white as snow.  The wicked will see after all, that God’s word was indeed the standard all along as they are judged ‘according to their works’ in the light of God’s law.

May we recognize God’s word as our standard, be humble enough to accept judgment from it, and loving enough to distribute it without the spirit of pride…but only after we have first thoroughly examined ourselves.

Ruling Your Spirit

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”  Prov. 16:32

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”  Prov. 25:28

One of the most difficult things for a child of God to consistently do is to rule their spirit.  To rule means to have power over or to govern.  Just like a prison guard rules over an inmate by determining when he comes out of his cell and when he goes back in; so are we to rule over our spirit.  So what spirit are we trying to rule over?  It’s the spirit of the flesh.  I have heard it said, and I agree, that when a person is born again their innermost being becomes a battle ground.  Why?  Consider the following verses.  “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:8, 9)  We can derive two things from these verses.  One is that not everyone has the Spirit of Christ in them.  The other is those without the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them are solely flesh and cannot please God in any way.  How do you get the Spirit of Christ?  God puts it there when he brings about the new birth.  “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Gal. 4:6)  Up until the point of being born again the flesh has total reign, but when the Spirit of God comes in, there are two opposing natures dwelling in the same being.  The scripture tells us in Galatians 5:17 that these two natures are contrary to one another.  They don’t get along.  One wants this, the other wants just the opposite.  Paul spoke of them in Romans the seventh chapter.  He says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”  What a wretched state we find ourselves in as we wait for the manifestation of the sons of God.  Our sin nature is always lurking close by, tirelessly tugging and gnawing at us.  It wars against the spiritual man that is born when the Spirit of God brings us spiritual life.  That wicked nature is what prompts us to consider ourselves first, to lash out at others in anger, and to withhold forgiveness and grace to those that have wronged us.  It’s what takes our minds away from the things that are holy and pure.  It is captivated by the sinful things around us and wants us to imitate them.  It’s what make us lust after things we shouldn’t.  It wants to keep us from reconciling with those we’ve had conflict with.  It very subtly pushes us toward worldly gain while keeping us blind to the more important things we are forsaking.  This nature wants to rule over us.

The battle we face is disciplining that nature and keeping it under subjection to the spiritual man that dwells in us.  It can be very hard at times.  The Bible tells us that a man that is able to rule his spirit is greater than a mighty warrior that can take a city.  It also tells us the man that doesn’t rule his spirit will be open and vulnerable to the attacks of Satan.

I try to teach our children that we can place ourselves in situations that make it much more difficult to rule our spirit.  The simplest examples I use are being tired or hungry.  It is so much easier to stay cheerful and kind to those around us when we are rested and full.  Let fatigue and an empty stomach come upon us and for many, including myself, we aren’t nearly as quick to let that gentle spirit shine forth.  If you don’t believe that just hang out with an infant for a while.

As they grow I will expand the list of things that make it difficult to rule our spirit.  Some of the things I will tell them are as follows…

Be very careful of the outside influences in your life.  Don’t hang out with the wrong crowd.  With enough exposure and time, the influence of the ungodly can severely weaken our awareness of the presence of the flesh, for “evil communications corrupt good manners”. (1 Cor. 15:33)  It’s a rare individual who doesn’t slowly become like those he hangs around most often.  I’m not saying walk around with your nose in the air.  There’s a difference between fellowshipping with them on neutral ground and being part of their crowd.  You know the difference; so do I.  Another outside influence to be careful of is what you listen to and what you watch.  Exposing yourself repeatedly to something has a way of desensitizing you to it.  “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:2) I can promise you Satan loves television, radio, and computers.  Outside influences can slowly take the sting away from sinful things.  It is impossible to rule the spirit of your flesh if you lose the ability to recognize it when it shows itself.

Prayerfully groan to the Lord before you marry someone.  Seek the counsel of those godly people that know you best for “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14).  An unhealthy marriage is a fast track to letting your flesh rule your thoughts and actions.  Few things bring out the selfishness in a person quicker than a divided marriage.

Earnestly seek the Lord before choosing a career.  Jobs are stressful, some more than others.  What one person can handle with minimal stress would push another over the edge.  Stress will feed the flesh inside us and make it all the more difficult to rule our spirits.  Know what stresses you out.  Avoid it if you can.  Even if it means less money, less prestige, and doing something less than what you desire. 

Study God’s word.  It is essential in helping keep the flesh at bay.  We are to cast down “imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)  How can we bring our thoughts into captivity?  By imprisoning them with scripture.

Be a part of a true God fearing, gospel preaching church.  They all claim to be but aren’t.  Seek the scriptures in what the church should look like and what its purpose should be.  Band yourself together with that body when you find it.  For we are not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25).  I have always found true worshippers to be contagious.  When they did right, it made me want to.  Having godly brothers and sisters surrounding you will be paramount in your battle against the flesh.  If there were no benefit to assembling with God’s people, I dare say the Lord wouldn’t have commanded it.

Don’t fall in love with money for “they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (1 Tim. 6:9)  If money is the driving force for you, expect a difficult time ruling your spirit.  It has a way of blinding men’s eyes.  They often don’t realize it until much damage has been done.

Don’t become an addict.  There are things available in the world, some legal, some illegal, that have a way of stimulating you.  Avoid the illegal ones and approach the legal ones with caution.  We have a way of becoming dependent upon these and don’t feel ourselves without them.  If you can’t ward of irritability and a sour attitude without a stimulant, do your best to leave it alone.  You may find yourself unable to obtain it and the end result will be a day with the flesh leading the way.  Sometimes they’re necessary though; know when that is.

Don’t take on more than you can handle; learn to say no.  It’s okay to have free time.  It’s okay to have nothing to do for a while.  Juggling a bucketful of extracurricular activities will leave your head spinning.  Keep life simple.  Running yourself ragged is a surefire way to make it more difficult to rule the spirit of your flesh.  But don't be idle.  Know the difference between the two.

There will be things you can’t control that will call out the spirit of your flesh.  You’ll find yourself in a traffic jam or the victim of identity theft.  It may be a co-worker that knows how to push your buttons.  Those things are harder to control.  Do the best you can and beg the Lord for the strength to keep the flesh from coming out.  Sometimes I take the long way home because the short way forces me to drive by the place where everybody throws their trash out on the side of the road.  It aggravates me.  I get home frustrated.  So, I go the long way as to not give an occasion to the flesh to put me in bad mood.

Our flesh raises its ugly head day after day.  It coaxes our mind into entertaining unhealthy thoughts.  It spews anger and gossip out of our mouths.  It beckons us to put ourselves first and move to the front of the line.  It convinces us we are victims and we are obligated.  It will drive us to make more and spend more just so you can have something others will lust over.  It stirs up jealousy inside us.  It makes us want to defile the marriage bed.  It makes us gravitate towards everything that is contrary to God.

The Spirit of God dwelling in us wants us to love one another.  It wants us to be joyful and at peace.  It wants us to be longsuffering with those around us.  It wants us to be gentle, good, meek, and temperate.  It wants us to have faith in things we can’t see.

There is a battle inside every born again child of God.  Put the flesh and the things of it in subjection to the Spirit of God.  Rule your spirit, don’t let it rule you.

What I'll Tell My Children if They Ask Me About Salvation

I have had a few people tell me over the years that their children were asking questions about God and salvation.  Sometimes those people ask me what I’d tell my children when they start asking.  I think they expect me to start talking about the “sinner’s prayer” or “accepting Jesus” or “giving your heart to God”.  I think they want to get my opinion of how old a child needs to be before they can “really mean it”. 

So what would I tell mine?

I’d start by asking them about an apple tree.  I’d ask them if they saw a tree that had apples hanging on the branches, what type of tree they’d think that’d be.  I’m hoping they would say, “An apple tree!”  I’d show them that the fruit that is hanging on the limbs identifies the tree.  Apple trees produce apples, and if you see an apple there is no need to strain your mind or seek out the wisdom of the wise to help you identify the tree.  The fruit doesn’t lie.

I’d then show them that the bible compares the Spirit of God to a tree that produces fruit.  However, the Spirit of God doesn’t produce the kind of fruit that an apple tree does.  Galatians 5:22 and 23 tells us what kind of fruit the Spirit produces. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”  In the same way that an apple tree produces an apple, the Spirit of God produces these nine fruit.  An apple unmistakably identifies an apple tree and these fruit identify the Spirit of God.

I’d explain to them that when a person is ‘born again’ the Lord places his Spirit inside of them.  I’d show them what Galatians 4:6 says.  “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”  I’d teach them that, according to this verse, the reason he places his Spirit inside of you is because you ARE a child of God.  They may wonder how they became his child.  I’d show them Eph. 1:4,5 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will”.  I would explain to them that in the same way that they didn’t have to do anything to become my child, neither do they have to do anything to become his.  It was the desire and effort of another that brought them into this world.  A child is never born by their own desire or effort, neither are God’s children. “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)  The Spirit that God placed in the hearts of his sons and daughters is the same Spirit that produces the fruit mentioned in Galatians.

I’d ask them if they see those fruit in their life (chances are if they see the bearing of these fruit, I’ve already seen it in them too).  I’d specifically ask them about the fruit of faith.  Do they believe in creation even though they weren’t there to witness it?  What about the flood or the account of Jesus’s birth?  Do they believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was resurrected even though they weren’t there to see it?  If those answers are yes; that is an exercise of faith, which can only be produced by the Spirit of God.  This Spirit, bringing forth the fruit of faith, is what allows us to believe in those things we never were eyewitnesses of.

I’d ask them if they, through the eye of faith, believe that Jesus is who the Bible tells us he is.  I’d ask if they believed that they are a sinner and the blood of Jesus paid for their sins.  I’d ask if they had a bad feeling when they did wrong and a desire to do right.  If the answer is yes to those questions I’d assure them that the only way they could truly feel that way is if the Spirit of God was already dwelling in their heart and mind because the “…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).  I’d rejoice with them that the evidence was there that they were God’s child and had been born again by his Spirit.

I would make sure they understood that nothing is required of them to secure their eternity.  There is no petitioning to the Lord that needs to be done to ensure their eternal salvation.  The evidence of his Spirit dwelling in them is the confirmation that he has already done the work.  It is the “earnest of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14).  The fact that they feel a desire and need to be saved is evidence they already are. 

I cannot boast in my efforts as a parent to ‘lead them to the Lord’, nor can they boast in their ‘good decision’.  If we glory, we will glory in the Lord.  We can boast in the Lord because he saw fit to make them part of his family.  He saw fit to do a work in their life and at HIS appointed time sent the Spirit into their heart making them a new creature and beckoning to them to call him Father.

We will also talk about the responsibility of a born again child of God to follow him.  We will talk about things they need to do because they have been born again; things like repenting of their sins, confessing him as Christ, and following him in obedience.  We will talk about the dangers of disobedience.  We will talk about seeking him throughout their life…leaning on his wisdom…drawing comfort from him in affliction… and praising him for the greatest blessing of their life in Him making them his own. 

That is what I would tell them.  Too many times we tell those children that are asking about God, “Oh look, there are apples hanging on you…would you like to become an apple tree?”

Will Jesus be Satisfied with the Number of People in Heaven?

Ever thought about that?  Will Jesus look down from Heaven when it is all said and done and say I am satisfied with the amount of people that are here…or will he walk the streets of Heaven gazing into Hell, heartbroken over the ‘near misses’ and ‘could of beens’?

In order to come to the correct conclusion we have to consider what it means to be satisfied.  To be satisfied means ‘to have enough’.  We may say after a big meal that we are full and have had enough.  That means we are satisfied…no more is required.

For this question, we are not trying to determine if Jesus had enough to eat, but rather was he satisfied with his work of salvation.  Think about your work.  In order to be truly satisfied we must have fully and completely accomplished what we set out to accomplish.  Imagine a football team whose goal is to score more points than their opponent on Friday night.  They practice hard all week in order to accomplish just that.  When the game is over the only way they can say they are satisfied with the result is if they accomplished their goal.  If they lost…none of them would say they were satisfied.

Consider this scenario.  I have four children.  Suppose I came outside one day and saw all four of them struggling to swim in our pond.  It appears that drowning is rapidly closing in on them.  I jump in the water and swim out to the first one.  I bring them to shore and return for another and another.  Suppose after I safely deliver the third one to the shore I turn around only to find the last one has slipped under.  I frantically search for them to no avail.  Is it reasonable for me to return to shore and say, “Well I got three out of four and I’m satisfied with that”?  God forbid!  I would mourn the loss of that child every day I live.  The only way I could ever say I was satisfied with my efforts and the outcome is to have safely delivered all my children from drowning.

So is Jesus satisfied with his saving efforts?

Isaiah 53:10, 11 “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

This tells us that our Savior, as he hung on the cross at Calvary, could see all his seed.  In the omniscient mind of Christ he could see the faces of all those that he was dying for.  It says he could see what the travail of his soul…the suffering of his labor…was purchasing…and he was satisfied.  That day on the cross Jesus Christ knew exactly who would be the recipients of his atonement and he said ‘it is enough’. 

If I, a fallen human being, cannot be satisfied unless I have saved all of my own children from drowning…how much more should the one who has a perfect love be dissatisfied with the loss of one of his?

The only conclusion we can come to is that the reason Jesus Christ is satisfied with his work on the cross is because he saved every one that he set out to save.  The eternal salvation he brought about on the cross was not something that was going to be left up to chance.  That should be no surprise to us when we consider the scriptures.

Mt. 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

John 6:39 “And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

The scripture tells us that Jesus was going to save his people…not make them savable…but save them.  It also tells us that it was a certainty that none of them would be lost.

Jesus Christ was given a people by his father and it was his purpose to come to earth and die for the sins of those the Father had given him…and he did just that.

Jesus set out to save his people and he did.  That is why Jesus is satisfied with those that are in Heaven.  Everyone that he intended to be there…will be there…not one will be lost.

Where Does Your Confidence in the Scriptures Come From?

Many people in life are exposed to the gospel at a very young age in an elementary, easy to understand way.  Possibly at an age where they are still unable to read, they form their first beliefs of who God is and how a person gets to Heaven.  The majority of the time this might come with a little scripture but mostly someone just telling them the basics.  Maybe they first hear it at age 4…then every Sunday for the next 3 years.  Now they are seven and have been told well over a hundred times the same thing.  They’ve heard it from their parents, their teachers, and their preacher.  Maybe they are too young to understand a verse that supports the teaching they are receiving…so they are just “told” what it means. Oftentimes the person’s understanding that is explaining it comes from they themselves being “told” what it means…so on and so forth.  As the child grows these beliefs are reinforced over and over through Sunday school teachers, youth pastors, and their preacher.  The more they grow, the more scriptures are introduced to them to support their previous exposure to it.  These scriptures are far from exhaustive and usually consists of a small handful that are cycled through the lessons over and over.  

Eventually the child sits down to read the bible for themselves.  They have so many preconceived notions from the “teachings” they were exposed too that it is next to impossible for them to not read those beliefs into every verse they see, no matter how few those may be.  That is why a person can be so adamant their beliefs are correct, yet can only paraphrase a few verses in the bible.  It is because their belief is based more on what they have been told their whole life rather than what the bible actually says.  I have even had preachers tell me the only explanation they have for the verse they preached on is that is how they were taught it.  Our confidence in our beliefs should not come from having confidence in the people that taught us, but rather in the scriptures themselves.  It is mind boggling how many strong doctrinal statements are made today that have no scriptural reference.

People are rarely able to leave those first ideas of how a person gets to Heaven no matter how much scripture seems to contradict what they have been taught.  They can’t fathom how all those people that taught me can be wrong…when the truth is many learned it just like you did…someone gave them a few scriptures and a whole lot of interpretation.  It was burned into their brain and even though there are tens of thousands of scriptures in the bible…they are convinced that they only need a few to be the foundation of their belief and it is impossible that there might be scriptures out there the totally contradict what they believe those few verses mean.  We are masters are making the bible say what we want it to say and turning a blind eye to those areas that seem to tear down the beliefs we have had from a young age.  Most of God’s people don’t love His Word…they only love parts of it.

Are we willing to labor in God’s word to harmonize the scriptures?  Are we humble enough to let the bible say what it says…not what we want it to say?  Do we love the Lord enough to take our doctrine from the bible rather than take our doctrine to the bible?

May we labor in the scriptures so we can rightly divide and properly apply the word of God.

How Does the Bible Describe Those That are not Born Again?

Being “born again” is the process in which God places his Spirit inside a person making them a new spiritual creature.  So what are some of the characteristics of someone that is unregenerate or not born again?

Isaiah 26:10

• ·         No amount of favor will persuade him to learn righteousness
• ·         He will do unjustly
• ·         Will not behold the majesty of the Lord

·         Psalms 10

• ·         Persecutes the poor
• ·         Brags about his desires
• ·         Does not seek after God
• ·         God is not in his thoughts
• ·         His ways are grievous
• ·         God’s judgments are beyond his sight
• ·         He is full of cursing, deceit, fraud, mischief, and vanity

Psalms 14 & 53

• ·         They say there is no God
• ·         Corrupt – Ruined, cast off
• ·         Do abominable (detestable, abhorred) works
• ·         Do no good
• ·         Don’t understand or seek God
• ·         Gone aside
• ·         Filthy
• ·         Do not call upon the Lord

Psalms 55:19

• ·         Because they have no changes they don’t fear God

1 Corinthians 1:18

• ·         Preaching of the cross is foolishness to them

1 Corinthians 2:14

• ·         Do not accept/take things from the Spirit of God
• ·         Things of God are foolishness to him
• ·         Cannot know or discern spiritual things

John 8:43, 47

• ·         Cannot understand Christ's speech
• ·         Do not hear God’s words

John 10:26

• ·         Do not believe

So how does a person that is described as not fearing God, not understanding or seeking him, not able to be persuaded to do right, does not think about God, doesn’t call on God, thinks the preaching of the cross is foolishness, doesn’t accept things from God, doesn’t hear God’s words and doesn’t believe...how does that person ever change?  What instrument does man have that can make that person see the importance of surrendering to God?  What can we do to change him?  What can he do to change himself?  Is there something that can break through to him and get him to accept Christ, to embrace the gospel, or to believe?

Some would say he just has to get willing to believe…but the bible says those that aren't born again won’t believe.

Some would say share the gospel with him.  But the bible tells us that he will think it’s foolish and not receive it.

Is there any tactic or level of persuasion that can open his eyes to the glorious Lord?

Based on what the bible says about him, there is no instrument or method of man that can reach this person, not even the gospel itself will prick his heart in the condition that he is in.  So then according to the bible, it is impossible for man to not only persuade him to change his heart, but it is also impossible for this man to change his own heart.  “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jer. 13:23.

You may ask the question the disciples asked in Mathew 19:25, “Who then can be saved?”  Praise the Lord that he answered them with this glorious truth, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

The things that limit man in this life are not binding to the Lord.  Neither death, disease, weather, nor man himself can prevent the Lord from doing his will (Isa. 46:10).  Jesus commanded death to loose Lazarus…and death obeyed.  Jesus commanded the paralytic man’s legs to work again…and they obeyed.  Jesus told the winds and waves to be still…and they obeyed.  All these things were beyond the limits of man’s abilities, but the Lord is not limited by anything, including man’s wicked, unregenerate heart.  If the Lord himself knocked on the door of this man’s wicked heart he would reject the Lord every time. So the Lord doesn’t knock, he simply busts the door down and comes on in, as he does with all his people at some point in their life.  The Lord can send his Spirit inside of this man (Gal. 4:6), making him a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).  Making him one that, while once alienated from God and pursued only the pleasures of this life, is now filled with the Spirit of God and desires to follow him.  We call this being born again, and that is the sole work of the Lord. Consider Saul of Tarsus and the thief on the cross, spewing out hatred and slaughter towards the Lord and his people one minute, and humbly surrendering to him the next.  What happened?  The door had been knocked down!  They didn't surrender in order to get his Spirit, they surrendered because they already had it.

What about your own experience?  Do you remember a time that you started having thoughts of the Lord?  Maybe you heard a sermon preached and you felt a shamefulness inside you.  Maybe you felt a desire to hang your head and cling to the cross.  Maybe you have always loved the Lord for as long as you can remember.  What a vastly different picture than the man listed above.  What you need to know is you were showing the evidence that the Lord had already placed his Spirit inside of you, overcoming the natural man in its sin corrupted state.  You were showing evidences of already being born again.  It was not because the preacher was good or because you had your head screwed on right that day.  It was because the Lord saw fit to do a work in your life.  You have no cause to boast (Eph. 2:8, 9).  Praise the Lord that with him all things are possible.

A Great Expression of Love

My grandfather passed away several years ago.  I often think about him.  The memory that comes to my mind the most often is one in which I was not actually present.  Oh what I would give to have been there that day. 

My grandfather attended Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church.  He was faithful to attend and often spoke of his love for the church during our times together.  I attended with him a few times, mostly out of obligation, but never really had the attraction to it that he had.  It would be several years later before I saw in it what he did. 

In his later years he had become very weak.  It was becoming more and more difficult to get out and about.  It was in the summer time…Alabama summertime.  From what I understand it was an extra hot day.  Singing started at 10:30…so the sun had plenty of time to get up and get everything begging for a breath of wind.  This particular day, my grandfather was being chauffeured by Mrs. Annie Sue Moss, as was usually the case.  Maybe it was the heat that day…or just his health…or a combination of both, but after opening the car door my grandfather couldn't find the strength to step out.  I can see him struggling.  I can see him grabbing his pants leg to try and lift his shrapnel scarred leg out.  He was a determined man…a man that loved the church and the fellowship of God’s people.  I can see the sweat beading up on his forehead as he fought to shift his weight towards the open door.  I can feel his sadness as he begins to realize that he hasn’t the strength to step out of the car and enter into the place he loved most.  I cry thinking about it.  Who knows how many services he had attended in all his days…how many times he had sang to the Lord…but he can’t make it in today.  I know him.  His heart was breaking.  I’m sure he wondered if he would ever be able to attend a service again.  Even his well-seasoned determination couldn't overcome the weakness of his 85 year old body.  What sorrow he must have felt.  It would be like saying goodbye to the love of your life…knowing you may never see them again.  I wish more people felt about worshiping in God’s house like he did.  Many people need such little reasons to excuse themselves from attending church on Sunday…but here was a man giving it all he had to get there.  To most, he had a good reason to stay home...but it wasn't a good reason to him.  Sadly, he would not be able to find the strength.  I can see the defeat on his face.  I can imagine his thoughts of ‘if I could just make it one more time’.  I am sad for him.

I have always felt loved.  It is a grand feeling to know someone cares about you.  It shakes something inside you.  You feel gratitude.  You feel humbled.  It can overtake and overwhelm you in ways that I can’t describe.  I cannot imagine how loved he felt as he raised his head to see the people of Bethlehem, young and old, song books in hand, filing out of the church.  Word had gotten to the congregation that Brother C.O. was struggling.  I know the love he felt washed away any embarrassment he may have felt for being unable.  He wasn’t a proud man…but he was a determined man, not willing to accept failure.  What love he must have felt as they all gathered around his open car door.  I’m sure he scanned the faces, he saw the infant, he saw the elderly that weren't too far from being in the condition he was.  He saw the young children that loved him as much as he loved them.  He saw his friends and his beloved pastor.  He saw the whole body.  Oh how I wish he would have seen me.  They gathered around and sang the songs of Zion with him.  It would be the last time.  The heat or inconvenience didn't matter.  What mattered was there was a dear brother that couldn't make into the church building, so the church came to him.

I’ve often thought how this scenario would have played out at most other churches.  Truth is, it would not be logistically possible to have accomplished what happened that day.  People are so scattered from one end to the other with all the programs and segregation.  The worship services take extravagant sound boards and video screens…it is a production that rivals some secular concerts.  Maybe a few people would have tried to help but would quickly realize it would be best if he just went back home.  I doubt that many would have been willing to bring the entire church body, from infant to elderly out to sing with this dear brother.  I praise God for the simplicity of the Primitive Baptist church.  I am thankful that we worship as one body.  It allowed my grandfather to hear the voices of the saints one last time.  I am forever grateful to the body that was there that day.

At that time I was not attending Bethlehem and was actually in opposition to some of their beliefs.  Today, those same people that gathered around that car are some of the most precious people I have ever met.  I am thankful to be a part of them.  I hope someday I can pick up my hymnal and go to where there is a dying sheep and sing with them one last time.  I hope I can take my bible and bring to remembrance the beloved truth of God’s grace to them before they close their eyes in death.  I believe that is what we should do…I believe it is a great expression of love.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”  John 15:12