What must I do to be saved?

While there are many perplexing matters in Matthew 2, some things are certain and faith building. Let’s consider a few significant points from this chapter.

1. First, note that the events of the chapter are set in history. Real places are mentioned, like: Bethlehem of Judea, Jerusalem, the land of Judah, Egypt, and Nazareth. Likewise a specific time in history: “the days of Herod the king” (v.1). Individuals are mentioned: Jesus, Herod, Mary, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Rachel. Groups of people are mentioned: the chief priests, scribes, and wise men. Why is this significant? It gives serious credibility to that which is written.

1. Secondly, notice the contrast between King Herod and King Jesus. While Herod was a king, Jesus was a greater one, even being “born king of the Jews” (v. 2). Not only was He born king of the Jews, He also died “king of the Jews” (Mt. 27:37). Ironically, King Herod was blinded to the spiritual import of the birth of Jesus, being blinded by his selfish ambition and pride. Jesus, the Messiah, was born into this world as a baby and was “gentle and lowly in heart” (see Mt. 11:29).

1. In the third place, and likely the most important aspect of this chapter, note the fulfillment of prophecy related to the birth and early years of Jesus. Christ was born in Bethlehem as was prophesied (see vv. 5-6; Mic. 5:2). A part of what makes this prophecy so remarkable is that Joseph and Mary did not live in Bethlehem, yet Jesus was born there when they went to be present for the census (see Lk. 2:1-7). The exacting nature of fulfilled prophecy is astonishing and faith building!

Note briefly the other fulfilled prophecies: (1) The fulfillment of Genesis 49:10, Jesus being a ruler from the tribe of Judah (v. 6). (2) The fulfillment of Jesus being called out of Egypt (vv. 14-15; Hos. 11:1). (3) The weeping and lamentation in Ramah (vv. 17-18; Jer. 31:15). (4) Jesus being called a Nazarene (v. 23). There is actually no specific prophecy of this. Eric Lyons (in his article entitled: Where Was Jesus Called a Nazarene?, on the Apologetics Press website: www.apologeticspress.org), points out that the city of Nazareth was known in the first century as a rather obscure locality (see Jn. 1:45-46; Acts 24:5), which certainly seems fitting of the prophecies made concerning Him (see Is. 53:2-3; Ps. 22:6-7).

It is amazing to consider how easily one of these prophecies could have failed if they weren’t of a divine nature! But the Scripture remains unbroken! (Jn. 10:35). It can be trusted!

1. Finally, and related to the former point, we should note God’s providential hand at work in Matthew 2. Even the most vicious of enemies would only be used as a pawn in the hand of Almighty God! God knows and God is greater than all of the adversaries under heaven combined and are no match for Him accomplishing His redeeming plan to save mankind!

CONCLUSION:

We may debate many things in Matthew 2, like: Who were the wise men? Where exactly were they from? How many were there? Were they Jew or Gentile? But here is a question to consider: How motivated ought we to be to assemble together in order to show how grateful we are for our Lord and for God’s plan to save us from our sins?

Daren Schroeder

First Corinthians chapter fifteen declares eyewitness proofs of Christ’s resurrection (vs.1-8), giving us the firm conviction of our own resurrection (vs.35-49), providing us the victory over death (vs.54-57). The great chapter ends with this statement, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (vs 58).

What a great chapter!  What a great ending verse! “Therefore” [since we will be resurrected], “be steadfast” [faithful to the end], “immovable” [not swayed from the truth], “abounding” [in quality and quantity] “in the work of the Lord.”

That may be seen as asking a lot of us. But then comes the great promise, “Knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” If we remain “Steadfast, immovable” our efforts, our faith, our work, will not go unrewarded.  That reward being our resurrection, in a new “imperishable” body, that will put on “immortality.” Our life in Christ here, comes with eternal life in Christ there. “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial,” James wrote. “He will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

-Dennis Doughty

Rick Trojanowski placed the winning bid on an old toolbox back in 2017.  He was at a farm auction at the time and didn’t take time to look through his new acquisition for a couple of years.  Tucked away in a drawer of the toolbox was a love letter written 70 years earlier.

The letter had been written to a woman living in Grand Rapids, Michigan from a man who was in the Army.  He wrote about how he regretted their argument five months earlier, and how slowly time had moved during their period of silence.  After apologizing profusely for his role in the disagreement, he spoke of how he looked forward to coming home, and asked her to marry him upon his return, still seven months in the future at the time he wrote the letter.

Trojanowski doesn’t have any use for the old love letter, but he figures surviving family members might.  He has been scouring Facebook for clues about survivors of either the woman or the man but has so far had no success.  A Grand Rapids TV station has now joined in the hunt, asking anyone with information on either individual to get in touch with them.

Old love letters can be a treasure; I can speak from experience.  Our parents, newlyweds at the time, wrote many letters while my father was stationed in Germany in World War 2.  None of their children had yet been born, but it’s reassuring to us to see how they loved each other.

There is another letter that has been written to express deep and abiding love, and for many people it has become lost.  Yes, I’m referring to the Bible, God’s message to humanity.  It is a book of profound and too-good-to-be-true love.  For many, however, His love remains a secret.

John 15:13,14 is a great example of the love in this “letter”: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”  The four biographies of Jesus (the Gospels) detail how Jesus laid down His life, and His willingness to do so despite the personal cost to Himself.

Romans 5:8 is another powerful statement of God’s love: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Where else have you ever heard of a more striking example of someone’s love for another?

But the Bible isn’t just a statement of God’s love for us; it’s a plea to restore our relationship with Him.  “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Though that toolbox was in Trojanowski’s possession for a couple of years, that love letter remained lost until he began searching through it.  God’s love is clearly communicated through Scripture, but if we’re not searching those Scriptures (see Acts 17:11), that love will remain lost to us.  Such life-changing love needs to be discovered!  Open your Bible now and search diligently.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.

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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall

In a recent enewsletter – “The Collapse of News is Nothing to Cheer” (February 02, 2024) – by National Review writer, Jim Geraghty, he quotes from another writer, Sebastian Junger. Junger’s article is entailed “When Journalism Dies.” Junger says this about journalism:

“…we can state that a journalist is a person who is willing to destroy his own opinions with facts. A journalist is a person who is willing to report the truth regardless of consequences to herself or others. A journalist is a person who is focused on reality rather than outcome.”

What a powerful definition of a gospel preacher, don’t you think? I am not discounting the absolute need that we have to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) and kindness, patience, and gentleness (2 Tim. 2:24-25). Those qualities are absolutely essential in preaching like Christ preached.

But we seem to have a generation of preachers now who set Ephesians 4:15 (at least the “love” part) against or in place of Acts 20:27 where Paul writes: “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” When gospel preachers become afraid of losing members if they call them to repentance, it seems to me that preaching has died.

Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a preacher-friend of mine who spent nearly 45 minutes of our phone conversation telling me that the obvious meaning of a certain passage could not be the correct meaning. Eventually, I asked him how we should understand the passage properly; his response was: “I don’t know.” That’s not good enough. Preaching has died If even “gospel preachers” are willing to distort the truth of God’s word (or run from teaching specific, unpleasant passages) because they are afraid they can’t otherwise get people into the baptistry.

We, especially Gospel preachers but all Christians who love the truth (2 Thess. 2:10), need to “destroy our own opinions” with facts from God’s word. Let’s get back to letting the text speak for itself and teach those facts, in the words of the “old-time preachers” (of whom my dad was one) “without fear or favor!”

Preachers need to be willing to teach the truth “regardless of consequences” to himself. First, a preacher should let a church know who is interviewing him for a job what his doctrinal convictions are on every major controversial issue. If he doesn’t, the elders or men who are interviewing him should make sure they ask those questions.

Jesus taught the truth and it led to His death. Jesus was the epitome of a gospel preacher who was focused on reality rather than outcome. The “reality” is that if you are faithful to God’s truth, the “outcome” is that you will be blessed immeasurably. If you are not faithful to God’s truth, it might be pleasant in this life, but it will not be pleasant in the next life. God struck Hananiah dead because He counseled rebellion against the Word of God (Jeremiah 28).

Paul Holland

Christians must live in the expectation of eternal salvation.

1. This is an age of fear and despair.
   1. The world has already in the 20th century been ravaged by two world wars and many lesser wars.
      1. There is the fear of hunger.
      2. Fear of war.
      3. Fear of disease.
      4. Fear of a number of things.
   2. The threat of nuclear destruction is ever present. Think of the nuclear problem in Russia a number of years ago.
2. The acute need of the Christian is hope.
   1. Hope anchors the soul: Heb. 6:19-20.
      1. Without this anchor one may drift away from the Lord. Heb. 2: 1, 3.
      2. Without this anchor the storms of life may sweep one away: 1 Thess. 2:14; 2 Thess. 1:4-7.
   2. Hope is the helmet to protect the Christian. 1 Thess. 5:8.
3. There are three things according to 1 Thess. 5:8-10 which give the Christian hope of eternal salvation.

SALVATION IS BY GOD’S APPOINTMENT – 1 Thess. 5:9.

1. Salvation is not an accidental, haphazard, “hit-or-miss” matter with God.
   1. God works in His people, through His word, so they will and do His good pleasure. Phil. 2:12-14.
   2. Saints are kept by God’s power. 1 Peter 1:5.
2. God has not appointed His people to wrath. 1 Thess. 1:9; 2 Peter 3:9.
   1. Christians have been “delivered from the wrath to come.” 1 Thess. 1:10.
   2. Those who reject the gospel shall experience God’s wrath. 1 Thess. 2:16; 2 Thess. 1:7-9.
3. God has appointed His people to eternal life. 1 Thess. 5:9.

CHRIST DIED FOR US – 1 Thess. 5:10.

1. The death of Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
   1. Sin condemns, but we are justified by the blood of Christ. Rom. 5:9-10.
   2. Sin alienates, but we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Rom. 5:10.
2. The blood of Christ keeps on cleansing us from sin as we walk in the light of God’s truth. 1 John 1:7-9.

WE LIVE WITH CHRIST – 1 Thess. 5:10.

1. Christians live with Christ now. Rom. 6:8.
2. Christ is our High Priest. Heb. 4:14-16.
3. Christ is our advocate / attorney in heaven. 1 John 2:1-2.
   1. He knows the nature of temptation. Heb. 4:15-16.

CONCLUSION:

We are saved by hope. Rom. 8:24

Hope is based on faith. Heb. 11:1

Faith is based on and nourished by God’s word. Rom. 10:17.

the late Wayne E. Holland

a sermon preached at:

Hiawassee, GA (05/18/1986)

Henderson, NC (11/02/1997)

Ninon de Lenclos was a well-known prostitute in seventeenth century France. A man named Marquis de Sevigne went to her for advice on how to win the heart of a beautiful young countess. Ninon was 62 years old; the marquis was 22, handsome, warm, but inexperienced. Ninon decided to take the marquis under her wing and advise him on how to win the heart of the countess. She laid out a plan and every step needed to be executed with utmost attention to detail.

At first, the marquis should be distant, with an air of nonchalance. He would talk to the countess as a friend. At an upcoming festival, the marquis would show up with a different beautiful woman at his side, surrounded by a host of other pretty women. In this way, the countess would see the marquis as someone who was desired by others.

The next step was for the marquis not to show up at events where the countess was expecting him. Then he would show up at places the countess would not expect him. In that way, the countess would not be able to predict his moves. This series of actions, Ninon expected, would put the countess in a state of emotional confusion. It took a few months, but Ninon could see that the countess was falling under the marquis’ spell.

Then the marquis showed up at the countess’s home, acting differently than before, and took her hand. He confessed his love for her. She was confused, which the marquis did not expect. She excused herself and whenever the marquis tried to approach her in the future, she gave him the cold shoulder. The spell was broken.

Satan does not know what he is doing, from one perspective. He is not omniscient. The only power he has over us is the power that we give him. But, he is quite seductive. He, like the marquis, tries to keep us off balance. Trust in those around us rather than in God’s word. Paul warns that Satan operates through men speaking “smooth and flattering speech” (Rom. 16:18). In that way, he deceives the hearts of the unsuspecting. He words it in a slightly different way in 2 Corinthians 11:14, where he states that Satan disguises himself as an “angel of light.”

But God has given us His word – 66 books to illustrate Satan’s schemes – so that we will not be ignorant of his seductive power (Eph. 6:11). The less we read the Bible, the more vulnerable we are to the power of his seduction. On the other hand, the more we read the Bible, the more aware we are of his power, influence, and schemes. We don’t have to be tossed back and forth by every wind of doctrine if our minds and hearts are deeply immersed in the Truth of God (Eph. 4:14).

Paul Holland

1. PURITY OF HEART. The single most important factor for Bible study is purity of heart. By that, I mean: What are you trying to find when you study the Scripture? It is extremely easy to approach the Bible with a mindset of proving what I want to. Instead, it is imperative that we approach the Bible humbly and prayerfully seeking to understand God’s will. Any sort of “spin” or biased interpretation we apply (knowingly or unknowingly) to the Scripture changes nothing of it’s real meaning. The Scripture is of no such “private interpretation” (1 Pt. 1:20-21). When we open the pages of the book divine, may we truly desire “the pure spiritual milk of the word” (1 Pt. 2:1-2).

BIBLE READING. The perfect foundation for good Bible study is Bible reading. You simply cannot have good Bible study without Bible reading… and the more the better. The text of the Bible is the product of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:13). Bible reading prepares us for deeper and responsible study, so that we are ready to “test the spirits” (1 Jn. 4:1) when we hear (or read) what man says. Seven times in the Gospel accounts Jesus is quoted saying, “Have you not read” (see, for example: Mt. 12:3; 19:4). The Bible is also the best commentary on itself. The more we read, the more we will understand.

A GOOD METHOD/SYSTEM. Bible reading and study needs a solid method to facilitate learning and understanding. Most would never consider randomly opening any other book they study. The Bible was written in the form of individual books or letters. Studying it one book at a time is a great procedure. There is nothing wrong with studying themes of the Bible, but even that will be benefited from the foundation of reading book by book.

SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE. As simple as it seems, it is crucial to keep in mind that the first goal of responsible Bible study is discerning the original meaning in its original setting. Skipping immediately to application frequently leads to misunderstandings and misapplications. This is one of the reasons that many today believe that individuals can perform miracles. After all, Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Of course, this was stated to the apostles who ought to have been able to heal the demon possessed boy. This, and other statements, hardly imply that people today can perform miracles. After we have ascertained the original meaning, we are in a perfect place to make responsible applications.

CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT. There is actually a lot overlap here with the former point, but it is probably worth additional emphasis. Remember that it is not just about what a word means or what we think a memorable verse means. Our goal is to ascertain what the inspired Bible writer intended. Many times this can only be known through giving attention to the context. Words and verses have meaning in context. Many people would be quite surprised if they really studied the context of John 3:16 (see verses 3, 5, and 35 of that chapter). Others would be shocked that when Jesus promised to be in the midst of those where two or three are gathered together (Matt. 18:19-20), it is not written for consoling a small crowd of Christians at worship! Knowing and memorizing verses is good, but knowing the meaning is even better.

BETTER HANDLING OF THE SCRIPTURE. This point also goes back to understanding the original meaning, but I want to bring out an oft neglected point here. It is important that we go to the right place to answer Bible questions. For instance, we don’t turn to the book of Psalms to discern what God wants us to do to be saved. It may seem strange to some, but neither do we turn to Paul’s epistles to see what we must do to be saved. Why is that? Well, of course, because those books are written to individuals who have already been saved. Although Paul deals some with the conversion process in certain epistles, it is far better to look at the book of conversions, the book of Acts. Questions are actually asked and answered regarding what a person must do to be saved in Acts (see especially Acts 2:37-38; and Acts 16:30-34). Much more could be said about rightly handling the word (see 2 Tim. 2:15), but suffice it to say that understanding the purpose of various sections of the Bible, and each book, will help us engage in more responsible Bible study.

May God help us to have a pure desire to know Him, His will, and be able communicate it to the next generation and a lost world.

Daren Schroeder

I have heard it said that before you leave Türkiye you must see a carpet demonstration. So, after leaving the ruins of Ephesus we headed straight for a carpet factory.

Upon entering a room whose walls were covered in Turkish rugs, to our left was a vat of warm water with what appeared to be a basket of cotton balls. A lady stood behind the vat and the salesman began his presentation of the beauty and durability of silk. “Silk,” he said, “comes from a caterpillar that feeds upon mulberry leaves.” He was careful to note that pound for pound silk is stronger than steel. As the lady threw several dozen “cotton balls” or silk worm cocoons into the vat she began to stir them with what appeared to be a small twig from a tree. My question has always been when you are unraveling a cocoon, “How do you find the end of the thread?” The twig is the answer. As the cocoons are being stirred, the ends of the thread will latch on to the twig and the cocoons will begin to unravel. One single cocoon will yield 1,000 to 2,000 feet of silk; that’s three to six football fields long. We were told that to make the best, most luxurious rugs, one needed to discard the first and last several feet of silk since they are courser and only the middle portion is used.

We were then taken into a larger room adorned with beautiful carpets hanging on the walls and hundreds of smaller carpets rolled up in piles. There our group was treated to a meal of lamb, tomatoes, and stuffed peppers. While we ate, he showed us how carpets were made. A lady sat on a small bench and began to weave the fabric back and forth on the loom. He said that a single carpet could take several months to over a year depending on the size.

One interesting fact is that he said that a true silk rug will get better with age. Whereas my mom would always tell us to not walk on the carpet, he said that a true silk rug gets better the more one walks on it because the threads get tighter and tighter each time one steps on it. He also said that a true silk carpet can easily last 150 years and some much longer. A well-kept silk rug can last centuries and even increase in value.

The spiritual point I want to make from this is that the church ought to be like the threads of a silk rug. The more we face adversity the stronger we should get. The church consists of people or threads. As the threads go through times of struggle, challenges, and persecutions, the church ought to grow closer together. Paul said, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). In the church, we are all in the same boat, or in the same rug.

Paul in various places in His letter used the imagery of being knit together. In Ephesians 4:15-16, he said, “Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Later in Colossians, Paul wrote, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God” (Colossians 2:2). He followed this idea up in verse 19 by saying, “from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”

When hardships hit such as physical illness, tragic accident, or death, each member of the family of God ought to pull together and make the whole body stronger. We cannot allow selfishness and pride to tear us apart. We must set our eyes upon the unity of the body and the strength which comes from the adversities we face. So, walk on the rug if you want; it will only make us better and better.

Roy Knight

In an episode of the Bob Newhart show, Newhart plays a psychiatrist named Dr. Switzer. This woman comes to him with a problem – she has a fear of being buried alive in a box. She says it makes her anxious to think about it; it makes her life horrible. She can’t even go through tunnels or be in an elevator. She can’t even be in a box – anything “boxy.”

Dr. Switzer (Bob Newhart) says, “So, what you’re saying is, you’re claustrophobic.” The woman agrees with his assessment. So Dr. Switzer says, “Let’s go Catharine. I’m going to say two words to you right now and I want you to listen to them very, very carefully. I want you to take them out of the office and incorporate them into your life.”

She asks if she needs to write them down. Dr. Switzer says, “If it makes you comfortable. Most people can remember them.” He asks if she’s ready. She says, “Yes.” He says, “Ok. Here we are: Stop it!”

The patient is taken aback because the “prescription” is so simple. Dr. Switzer says, “This is not Yiddish, Catharine. This is English. Stop it!”

Catherine says, “So I should just stop being afraid of being buried alive in a  box?” Dr. Switzer says, “You got it.”

Catharine has a few other problems she would like to address with Dr. Switzer:

She says, “We’ll, I’ve got self-destructive relationships with men.” Dr. Switzer says, “Stop it!”

She finally says, “I wash my hands a lot.” Dr. Switzer says, “That’s alright.”

She says she’s afraid to drive. Dr. Switzer says, “Well, stop it!”

When it comes to our sinful behaviors, Jesus tells us: “Stop it!” The biblical word for that is “repentance.” Now, we will see in our passage that “repentance” – while meaning to “change one’s mind” – is also going to result in us stopping our sinful behavior. Because changing the mind produces behavior that is worthy of repentance.

Let’s study the preaching of John the baptizer – Luke 3:2-17:

THE COMMANDS JOHN PREACHED – 3:2-3:

The “word of God” came to John. This expression is reminiscent of the OT prophets.

In order for the Jews to be prepared for the kingdom of the Messiah, they had to repent of their sins against Jehovah God and they had to be immersed in water, please observe the text, “for the forgiveness of sins.” Notice that the purpose of the baptism was “for the forgiveness of sins.”

JOHN’S PREACHING WAS PREDICTED BY ISAIAH – 3:4-6:

Isaiah 40:3-5 predicted that there would be one who would cry in the wilderness – cry for Israel to repent – and through that message this person would “make ready the way for the Lord.” The word “Lord” in the OT Hebrew is “Jehovah” (usually written as LORD). Clearly here in Luke, as well as in Matthew 3 and Mark 1, we know that John was preparing the way for Jesus. This shows decisively that Jesus is Jehovah in the flesh. We might say “Jehovah the Son.”

JOHN’S PREACHING ANTICIPATED A COMING WRATH – 3:7-9:

This verb “to come” is actually the verb “to about to happen” and it is in the present tense. In other words, John is warning that the wrath of God was in the process of being implemented very soon on that generation!

It’s like when my dad got angry at one of us kids… He kept a 2” wide brown belt hanging on the back of the dining room chair to use it when he needed it. And if he ever started reaching for that belt, you knew that wrath was “about to happen!”

REPENTANCE INVOLVES SPECIFIC ACTIONS FOR SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS – 3:10-14:

Notice beginning in verse 10 that the crowds knew that there was something they had to do and they had to do something to get right with God. “What shall we do?” John told each group of people what they needed to don in order to be fit for baptism to be prepared for the approaching kingdom.

JOHN’S PREACHING ANTICIPATED ONE COMING WHO WAS GREATER – 3:15-17:

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:5 that there was only one baptism, so the baptism in the Holy Spirit – which is distinct from baptism in water – is no longer available. It was a sign of the coming of the Messiah (Acts 2, 10).

Baptism in fire was also going to come on some of those who were in John’s audience. The imagery in verse 17 relates to that coming wrath of God, the baptism in fire.

I also want to briefly draw your attention to John’s message to King Herod in verses 19-20. King Herod had been married to the daughter of the king of Arabia. But he was on a trip and stayed with his brother Philip, who was married to Herod’s niece, Herodias. They fell in love so Herod divorced his first wife and married Herodias. John told him that he needed to repent of living in an unscriptural marriage.

What do you think Herod would have to do to get out of that sinful relationship? Do you think it would be acceptable to God for Herod to say, “Ok. I won’t ever do it again.” Would that be “fruit worthy of repentance?” Do you think God would accept Herod saying, “Ok. The OT (Malachi 2:16) says that God hates divorce. I can’t divorce Herodias. So I just need to stay in this unscriptural marriage.” Wouldn’t that be setting one Scripture against another?

What do you honestly think God wanted Herod to do? Wouldn’t he have to get out of that marriage relationship? The “divorce” that God hated was the first divorce. Now Herod is in a relationship that God did not approve. To bear “fruit worthy of repentance,” Herod would have to end that relationship. Whether it was annulled or divorced, whatever he had to do to legally end that relationship, he needed to get right with God. Instead, Herod had the preacher killed because he didn’t like his message.

TO PREPARE FOR THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH:

So when it comes to us acting sinfully or living in sin, the message of the Messiah is: “Stop it!”

If you are practicing sexual immorality – stop it!

If you are living in impurity – stop it!

If you are living in sensuality – stop it!

If you are engaging in division behavior – stop it!

If you are guilty of being argumentative – stop it!

If you are living in adultery – stop it!

If you are guilty of outbursts of anger – stop it!

If you are envious of others – stop it!

If you are engaging in drinking intoxicating beverages – stop it!

Whatever sin you are currently doing – stop it! You can’t be saved in your sinful life.

Paul Holland

My earliest memory of honey appears in the form of a plastic bottle shaped like a bear, purchased from a chain grocery store. In Psalm 119, the unnamed psalmist presents an alphabet poem declaring His love and dedication to God’s Word. The longest psalm in the Bible, the twenty-one 8-verse stanzas begins with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in sequence. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” In ancient times, many cultures used honey as their primary sweetener; honey has a relatively long natural shelf life compared to sugarcane juice, which spoils within a few days unless it is processed to produce either sugar crystals or molasses.

Honey was probably the sweetest commodity known to the psalmist – other than God’s Word! The metaphor, however, does not suggest limited intake. Rather, it simply points to the Word as the source of great joy for the one who partakes of it. The psalm alludes to this joy in nearly every stanza. From the psalm, let us note at least three reasons God’s Word is “Sweeter than Honey.”

God’s Word is sweeter than honey because it gives me life. The first two qualities here complement each other. The psalm opens by indicating that those who follow God’s Word follow the “blessed” or happy path. Elsewhere, the psalmist identifies the Word as the source of life (vv. 25; 40). God in His Word prescribes the positive actions we must take in order to live the best possible life. Food and drink taste best when we need them most, usually after a period of intense physical exertion. God’s Word is sweetest when we realize that we need it for life, spiritually and physically.

God’s Word is sweeter than honey because it guards me against sin. God’s Word not only prescribes positive actions, but it also proscribes or prohibits the actions we should not take. The Bible tells us the way we should go and the path we should avoid. People will bristle at being told “no” chiefly for this reason: They believe they know better than the person telling them no. If we do not recognize the dangers of sin, we will not appreciate God’s Word. When, however, we know the prohibitions in Scripture protect us from sin and its destruction, we will say God’s Word is sweeter than honey. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

God’s Word is sweeter than honey because it assures me of God’s faithfulness. At several points in the psalm, the psalmist acknowledges the low points in his life. He speaks of the shame and reproach that comes from sinning (vv. 6; 31; 39). He also mentions enemies who scorn him (vv. 22–23; 83–85; and many other verses). Finally, he experiences sorrow without naming its cause (v. 28). Throughout the psalm, God’s Word, and particularly His promise, comforts the psalmist in his affliction. He says, “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (v. 50). The more time we spend reading Scripture, the more we will see God’s faithfulness to His people. He always keeps His word. Whatever we may face, we can know God is faithful in the situation because He has made it known in His Word. God’s Word is sweeter than honey!

Clay Leonard