The Preacher

The Final Word

Posted 3/18/2014 Page 8

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

The Preacher
Hal Hammons

The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. Ecclesiastes 12:10

Posted 3/18/2014

thepreachermag.com

Temperatures

The parable of the illegal immigrant

A man grew tired of living in his native country, Badland, where he had no hope of long-term success and where his fellow citizens were crude, violent and selfish. He heard of a better place, called Goodland, where everyone lived in peace and harmony, where people thought of others before themselves, and where the ruler was kind and loving. He decided this was where he wanted to live for the rest of his life. So he crossed the border, set up permanent residence, and declared himself a citizen of Goodland and deserving of all the privileges that citizenship brings. His new neighbors were thrilled to have him; the more the merrier. But eventually someone asked him about the details about his border crossing, at which point the man grew defensive. I crossed over, he insisted. What difference does it make how I did it? They responded that border laws were specific and inflexible, that crossings must take place at a particular designated place. Well, thats what I did, he said. A bit suspicious but lacking any evidence to refute his account, the neighbors dropped the subject. Not too long afterward, his neighbors noticed the man violating the laws of Goodland and confronted him about it. Again he grew defensive. I thought people loved each other in Goodland, he said angrily, that people were free from the judgments of others, that everyone wanted to live in peace. The neighbors tried to explain that their peace was a direct result of their mutual agreement to live under the laws of Goodland; his refusal to do so, not their efforts to correct his behavior was what threatened that peace; their love for him was what compelled them to intervene on his behalf. Fine, whatever, the man responded curtly, resolving to himself to do a better job at keeping his so-called illegal activity away from the prying eyes of his neighbors. One day the king of Goodland came to visit his citizens. But when he came to the house of the man who had crossed the border improperly, he became angry. You are not one of my citizens! he said. Away with you! Back to Badland! The man became very upset. I thought you were a loving king who wanted people to come to you. I do love my people, as I love you, he responded. But you have disrespected me by trying to make yourself a citizen instead of accepting my offer on my terms. You have disrespected my people by acting as if keeping my law has nothing to do with being one of my citizens, and in doing so threatened the blessings I am trying to bring to them. So the king expelled the man from Goodland, and none of the blessings he had desired would be his. Jesus said in Luke 16:16, The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. Whether by ignoring His entrance requirements (Acts 2:38) or by refusing to cooperate with His plan for bringing us into conformity with the body of His glory (Philippia ns 3:20), those who do not act as citizens will not receive the benefits of citizens. Remember the parable of the dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50; the key is not to get into the boat but rather to be among those who are taken home to be with God. All the Lord, Lord affirmations in the world will do us no good without obedience (Matthew 7:21-23).

Ah, the irony. The same front page of my online news outlet of choice today showed record cold temperatures racing across the northern part of the country, and also that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has identified last year as the fourth warmest since 1880. Boy, if we could have global warming and global cooling at the same time, wouldnt that be an environmental alarmists dream? Manmade catastrophe theories aside, its always easier to appreciate the problems right in front of you than those of five or six months before. How many people are concerned today about higher temperatures and melting ice caps? Not many in the Northern Hemisphere anyway, Ill wager. That doesnt, in and of itself, mean higher temperatures and melting ice caps are not problematical; however, it also doesnt mean an unusually warm day in January means chlorofluorocarbons are of the devil. In short, true importance is seldom seen best from a short-term perspective. Take truthfulness, for instance. The average teenager may feel is vitally important to lie to a parent about a bad grade. In the bigger picture, that does nothing to solve the real problem and creates a brand new one in my family, how to occupy all that time previously devoted to television and music. Thats why we should always be fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1). By maintaining focus on the preeminent thing Jesus and His will for our lives (Colossians 3:1) we can put competing interests in their proper place. A short moment of comfort is not important enough to imperil that.

The Preacher
Acceptable to God
Posted 3/18/2014 Page 2

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

The Preacher
The Flood

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

Colossians 1:13-23 The image of the invisible God

Sing a New Song

Posted 3/18/2014 Page 7

The biggest problem with having a real, substantial, life-controlling Hebrews 11:1 kind of faith is that we have never seen God. We dont know how tall or short He is, or even if He has physical proportions at all. If His eyes are literal and not wholly metaphoric, we dont know what color they are. I can believe in Paris, France, even though I have never seen it but I have plenty of pictures of it that give weight to my belief. Not so with God. That was not always the case. For about a third of a century, we had a picture of God. He walked among us, talked to us, laughed (presumably) and cried (definitely) with us. And although we do not have photographs, literal depictions or even physical descriptions of Jesus of Nazareth, we have ample evidence regarding the aspects that made Him the image of the invisible God. After all, Paul did not mean by this phrase from Colossians 1:15 that the man Jesus resembled His Father physically. In fact, we know He did not; He emptied Himself (Philippians 2:7) of His divine appearance when He came to earth, and the form He had and has (and we will have) in heavenly glory is unknown to us (1 John 3:2). No, Jesus showed us the aspects of Deity that we truly need to know His holiness, His purity, His love, His wrath, and all other aspects of His character that pertain to His dealings with righteousness and evil. He continues to show them to us through the inspired record of His life. And these, not the physical things, are the aspects that astound and intrigue us most. Because of His nature, He is uniquely suited to establish a kingdom for those who, through the forgiveness available in His blood, escape the kingdom of Satans darkness (v.13). In this way, Paul says, Jesus becomes the firstborn of all creation (v.15). This admittedly puzzling phrase cannot mean that He was simply created before everything else; not only is the physical creation not in the context of Colossians, we know apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (John 1:3) and that would include Himself if He were created. No, in the context it must mean that His existence as the Son of God prefigures our own adoption as we follow in His steps. Jesus is called the firstborn among many brethren in Romans 8:29. It is similar to the concept of first fruits being devoted to God (Exodus 34:26); the first fruits stand as representative of all that would follow. The same principle shows up again in verse 18 when He is called the firstborn from the dead. Jesus resurrection portends our own (1 Corinthians 15:23) and early Christians pave the way for those who would follow (James 1:18, Revelation 14:4). It is not surprising, considering the powerful imagery regarding the preeminence of Christ here, to see Him depicted as the purpose of creation (v.16), the literal and spiritual glue of the universe (v.17) and the head the beginning to have first place in everything (v.18). There is nothing in the world that does not directly pertain to Jesus. Everything God ha s ever done, everything He has ever given us, was specifically intended to help bring us to Jesus, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross (v.20). If we want to know what kind of God could possibly conceive of and implement such a plan, so full of power and love, all we have to do is look at Jesus. The more we know about Jesus, the more sense it all begins to make.

Once upon a time, the race had left its God,

Once upon a time, I lived as sinners do,

Caring naught for Him, wicked to the brim.

Once upon a time, the land where Adam trod Filled itself with sin, no hope found within. But God had a man called Noah, He built an ark out of pitch and wood, And eight souls were saved by water, And the world washed away in the flood. Once upon a time, the people had no hope, Satan ruled us all, every prodigal. Once upon a time, people could not cope Never to be free of our penalty.

One of them was I, doomed to live and die.

Once upon a time, I knew not of the few, Those who traded strife for the tree of life. But God has a special people, We who are bought by the precious blood, And Gods blessings fall down on us, As we open our arms to the flood. Once upon a time, I came to this place Flesh and blood and skin; illness, pain within Once upon a time, I wearied of this race, Doomed to suffer so, in a world of woe.

But God had a Son called Jesus,

He came to earth and He shed His blood, And Gods grace poured down like water, And my soul was redeemed in the flood.

But God has a body waiting

That will replace one of dust and mud, And glory great will rain down on me, So I hope and I wait for the flood.

The Preacher
Words of Wisdom
Posted 3/18/2014 Page 6

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

The Preacher
Stuff About Things

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

Proverbs 26:1-12 Worse than foolish

More PLAIN TALK

The Bible does not use the word fool lightly. It is the fool who says, There is no God, and then lives his life accordin gly (Psalm 14). God calls a fool the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16 -21). But it is used repeatedly in the book of Proverbs. This is probably because of what Solomon writes in Proverbs 1:7 Fools despise wisdom and instruction. It may take some repetition to get the fool to recognize his foolishness. Perhaps the signature passage regarding the fool in Proverbs is in the beginning of chapter 26. We are criticized for honoring him (v.1). We are encouraged to chastise him (v.3). We are paradoxically told to not answer him and to answer him (v.4-5) and if you dont have sufficient wisdom to know which approach is needed, perhaps you need to spend less time correcting others and more receiving correction. We are warned about giving a fool information or responsibility beyond his capacity (v.6-10). And a fool refuses to learn from his tragic mistakes, going back to them like a dog that returns to its vomit (v.11). Surely Solomon is making the case that he has made throughout the Proverbs that wisdom is preferable to ignorance, that wisdom is prized above all, that wisdom will save us in times of distress and calamity. But as it turns out, thats not his point at all. Hes setting us up. While we are convincing ourselves how much better off we are than the fool (after all, were reading Gods word and the fool isnt, right?), we are setting ourselves up for a suck er punch. And he delivers it in verse 12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Gotcha. Its not like he didnt warn us; earlier in Proverbs 1:18, he wrote, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. We are, or should be, well acquainted with the problem of pride especially if we are wise enough to look down our noses at the fool. The fool is consistently condemned for his inability to accept the wisdom offered by his elders and betters and ultimately, by God Himself. But we all start out as fools, and most of us grow out of it (to one degree or another). Foolishness is reversible, largely because the fool grows weary of bearing the burden of foolishness and opens his ears to different plans and opportunities. But the one wise in his own eyes does not allow for growth. He feels that any answer worth having is already in his possession. We all have something to learn especially with regard to Gods word. He finds no room in his heart for faith, since nothing could possibly be beyond his own understanding. Because of this he consistently turns away from God, as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 1:26 with regard to the educational demographics of the church. It is part of Gods plan to hide truth from the wise and reveal it to babes (Matthew 11:25). Only babes can trust in Him and not themselves. Indeed, let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).

One man, intent upon becoming wealthy, deterPosted 3/18/2014 mined to invest only in ventures which gave Page 3 him advantage of others. A second, equally ambitious but wiser, determined to build a business which offered the greatest advantage to others.

Guess what? The first man became filthy rich, with four wives and three Cadillacs. (His third wife got the fourth Cadillac in her settlement, but had to sell it for taxes.) He never knew a quiet, satisfied moment in his life.
The second man worked like a dog, and nearly everyone took advantage of him - which worried him little. He made a modest living, earned respect for what he was, and bored folk to tears with pictures of his grandchildren. (Oh yes, he bought the used Cadillac at a court auction.) Moral of the story is: What Most People Want, Costs Too Much! Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. (Heb.11:25-26) (That last part means, in every -day English, he could see beyond the end of his nose.) Short-sighted people quit school early, to work on the road, escape class -room discipline, or otherwise prove their immaturity. Others overgraze their land, misuse their credit, or mistake a bragging drunk for a man. But the shortest short-sightedness of all is that which ignores the brevity of life, the certainty of judgement, and the awfulness of Hell. Riches for riches sake (built on selfish desires) cost too much. They seem pleasant enough, viewed from afar, but they exact their toll both in this lie, and in that to come. We can build only one true security, and that consists of the treasures we lay up in heaven. A lifetime of service to the Lord is not too great a cost for this end. If you think you do not need this particular lesson, try depriving yourself to give to some worthy cause. Give something you think you cant do without. I have tried it a few times and Man, does it hurt! Robert F. Turner, June 1964

The Preacher
Reprove and Rebuke
Posted 3/18/2014 Page 4

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

The Preacher
Finding the positive

Hal Hammons

thepreachermag.com

Exhort with Patience

The Ding Dong diet

I did not cry when Hostess went out of business. But I felt like crying. It was not, I must admit, because so many of my fellow Americans were going to be out of work, or that an American institution was going belly-up. Im afraid my most pressing concerns were more selfish than that. You see, I love Ding Dongs. Yes, I know most snack cake manufacturers make their own versions of the little hockey pucks of chocolaty goodness. But Hostess is the only company that really gets it right, up to and including the foil wrap instead of the more typical clear plastic that is much more likely to allow the chocolate coating to melt in a young mans lunchbox. And the thought of having to settle for Zebra Cakes or some other inferior product was too much to bear. I feel strongly on the matter, as you can probably tell. But at no point during my mentally and nutritionally unhealthy fascination with Ding Dongs did I ever consider them to be a mainstay of my diet, let alone the only item on the menu. They make me happy in the short term. But they are not healthy food. Theyre not really even food. I have to remind myself of this sometimes when I preach. My mandate as a gospel preacher is to share the living bread that came down out of heaven (John 6:51). Gods saving spiritual food begins with Jesus Christ Himself, who is the bread of life (John 6:35). It extends to all the words of eternal life (John 6:68) that He gave to His apostles and other representatives to pass along to us through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13) the glorious gospel of the blessed God, as opposed to whatever else is contrary to sound teaching (1 Timothy 1:10-11). Using a personal anecdote or clever (in my mind, at least) one-liner to help convey the point the Scriptures are making is like putting a candy coating on a pill. It helps the point connect with the listener without interfering at all with its effectiveness or basic nature. Thats a good thing. But making my own observations and wit the center of attention robs Jesus of that position. Thats taking it too far. Its like serving Ding Dongs as a main dish. But it gets worse. Far too many preachers in the modern day have resorted to serving up nothing but Ding Dongs. And the reason is obvious. People like Ding Dongs. It makes them happy. It keeps preachers employed. Such has always been the case. God said of His people of old, For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, You must not see visions; and to the prophets, You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 30:9-11). And as a result, souls in danger never hear about it and remain lost It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, Peace! when there is no peace (Ezekiel 13:10). A proper preacher will teach sound doctrine, not just whatever will tickle the ears of the hearers (2 Timothy 4:3). He, as Paul rhetorically states in Galatians 4:16, becomes the friend, not the enemy, of his listeners when he gives them the tough-to-hear truth. May God help me not to fall into the snare of the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25).

Consider the following quote from the apostle Paul: I thank my God always Posted 3/18/2014 concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, Page 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you re not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. To which church is he writing? The Philippians perhaps, considering the obvious affection he has for them? The Romans, for whom he had much respect? The Thessalonians, to whom he wrote two loving and encouraging epistles? Try the Corinthians. The quote is from 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, and it precedes a catalog of congregational shortcomings and transgressions absolutely unequaled in all of the New Testament. Not exactly the hide-blistering introduction we might expect under the circumstances or that we might deliver ourselves under similar circumstances. And yet Paul, through the Holy Spirit, chooses to emphasize the grace that had been shown to the brethren there, even saying it was producing Christians that would be considered blameless in the final day. Blameless? Really? There is always a positive way of looking at things even in ancient Corinth, the international center for depravity and licentiousness. And its not like the attitude of the city had left the church untouched; most of us know well the story of the man described in 1 Corinthians 5 and the sordid sexual entanglement that the church had decided to ignore or even embrace. No, the church definitely had taken on some of the aspects of the sinful culture in which the church was found. But still, Gods work was being accomplished among the Corinthians certainly not in everyone named among their number, but definitely in those like Chloe and Stephanas who loved the simple gospel message Paul had preached there. That is a wonderful message for us as we try to be the people of God in our own culture, which, like Corinth, is far too entangled with the filth of Satans realm. Like the Corinthians, many of our brethren succumb to Satans advances to the point of putting their souls in jeopardy. But again, like the Corinthians we can survive and thrive as children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:15). The key to success is intimated in the same quotation from 1 Corinthians 1:4-9. No less than seven times in six verses, Paul makes reference to Jesus. Three times the words Lord Jesus Christ all appear in one order or another. The point is not how much progress needs to be made in a sinful world, or even how much remains to be made in a sinful church. The point is that our Lord is capable of accomplishing tremendous things in the lives of those who put their faith in Him. If they will confess Him as Lord amid the constant and blasphemous opposition they face in the world, He promises to be just as faithful to them in heavenly realms (Matthew 10:32). The book of 1 Corinthians is not about a wicked church that Paul wants to make less wicked. It is a book about a wonderful Savior who is taking people who once were prisoners of Satan and rendering them washed sanctified justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11). It does not happen all at once. For those who lose faith, it does not happen at all. But it does happen for those who truly acknowledge Him as Lord.