August 19, 2001 Volume 2 Number 33
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In Haggai 1:4-6 we read, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! "You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes." Like many other prophets of God, Haggai lived at a time when living for the only true God was not an easy accomplishment. Frowns of disdain and disapproval were frequent. Israel had many enemies, the Samaritans being some of the most bitter because their request to help in the building of the temple had been denied. Being a mixed race, and having lived among the heathen, the Samaritans also had a mixed religion, even though a priest had been sent among them to teach them about the true God 2 Kings 17:27-33. The Jews who had kept the law knew very well that one of the Ten Commandments---the very first one, in fact---forbade the worship of idols, saying...Ex 20:3-4 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” Knowing God's command against idols and knowing also the half-heathen religion of the Samaritans, the Jews would not accept their offer to help in the building of the temple. The embittered Samaritans did everything in their power to hinder the Jews, and ill feeling between the two continued to exist even during the ministry of Christ John 4:9. But it wasn't just the problem with the Samaritans, the Jews had other problems, namely, they themselves were not fully committed to the Lord, and as a result, their ways were perverse before Him. They were thinking too much of themselves and too little about the work of the Lord, one phase of which was the building of the temple. It appears that they were using hard times, including being persecuted, as an excuse not to build the temple, while at the same time finding time to build houses for their own comfort. However, God was diminishing their "returns" for the work they were doing. Earlier we read in Haggai chapter 1. Verse 6 tells us, “You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” The Prophets Admonition To The Erring Jews: Haggai's admonition, found in Hag 1:5 and 7 is one that all of God's people would do well to heed: namely, "CONSIDER YOUR WAYS.” Man's ways and God's ways are not the same. In fact, man's ways often run contrary to His ways, even though he may think he is going in the right way. Paul, with good conscience, persecuted the Christians until he learned that in doing so he was persecuting Christ Prov 14:12; Isa 55:8-9. Many members of the human race have accomplished some amazing feats; I am still amazed any time I hear of the shuttle doing anything in space. But any of those minds that created such incredible machines is not capable of spiritual self-direction Jer 10:23-“I know the way of man is not in himself”... Haggai was trying to get the people of his day to understand that they needed to develop spiritual values. If they could build nice houses for themselves, why could they not build the temple and honor God in it? God said to them through the prophet these words, “I blew it away.” This reminds us of how the wheat was separated from the chaff. As the wheat fell to the earth, or into a container below, the wind drove the chaff away. God would not accept the careless and selfish way in which the Jews were living; therefore, He blew it away, just as the wind drives away the chaff (Hag 1:9). So often, even today, there are those who fail and fail and fail, yet never seem to understand WHY! The reason is simple, and the problem is the same as it has always been with man's failures: he does not stop to consider his own ways. He needs proper self-examination. Each person might examine himself with a questionnaire, which might read like this: SELF EXAMINATION QUESTIONNAIRE: Am I putting first things first? If those Jews had built the temple first, God would have seen to it that everything else they needed was supplied. Jesus taught the same lesson in Matt 6:31-33. What is my attitude toward the material things for which I work? Do I put too much "stock" in those things? Do I let the possession of them blind me as to how they should be used? Am I aware of the fact that these things never really meet all my needs? What is a possible danger in having many earthly treasures Mark 10:24; 1 Tim 6:17. Does my "station" in life make me proud and uncaring for those less fortunate than I? Am I too busy becoming even more prosperous to give much thought to the less fortunate around me? Am I aware of the danger of being controlled by worldly gain rather than controlling it Eccl 5:10. Am I willing to consider what the Lord says about the ways of man? Prov 2:13-15 “ . . . those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths;” Prov 16:2 “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits.”
MY PREACHER SAID IT Have you ever had a religious discussion with someone and they tried to prove their point by saying, "that's what my preacher said." Some people will use their preacher as the final authority in religious matters. It is believed by some that if the preacher states it, it has to be right and cannot be wrong. Some think that their preacher or any other preacher would never lie nor deceive them. So, they go through life blindly accepting and doing whatever the preacher says. Does not the Bible teach that we are to put "to the test" those who teach (1 John 4:1)? Let us be like the Bereans who "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Yes, some believe it is
wrong to question the teachings of any preacher. But, we have the
God-given right to examine what is being
It is certainly possible for a preacher to teach false doctrine (Mt 7:15). If he does, then out of love, he must be corrected. Apollos, a preacher, had to be corrected for some of the things he was teaching (Acts 18:26). The belief by some that the preacher is "hands-off" concerning his belief, teaching, and practice is foreign to the Scripture. When one preaches or practices something contrary to the truth, he is not being faithful to God and His Word. One is displeasing to God in his message when he… TEACHES FALSE DOCTRINE. God's Word is truth (Jn 17:17). To teach that which is opposed to the truth is teaching false doctrine. TEACHES ONLY PART OF THE TRUTH. Paul kept back nothing that was profitable (Acts 20:20), nor did he shun to declare all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27). TEACHES A COMPROMISING GOSPEL. God is certainly displeased with a watered-down message (2 Tim 4:2; Gal 1:6-9). TEACHES WHAT THE PEOPLE DESIRE TO HEAR AND NOT WHAT THEY NEED (2 Tm 4:2-4). We must be concerned about speaking right things and not smooth things (Isa 30:10). TEACHES THAT IS UNKIND AND UNLOVING TO OPPOSE THINGS BEING TAUGHT AND PRACTICED WITHOUT NEW TESTAMENT AUTHORITY. In fact, such matters must be opposed and exposed no matter the individual or individuals involved (Eph 5:11; Rom 16:17). It is the kind and loving thing to do. To fail to do so is "uncalled for" and unloving. TEACHES THAT ONE CAN BELIEVE, TEACH, AND PRACTICE SOMETHING WITHOUT NEW TESTAMENT AUTHORITY AND STILL BE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD. Paul makes it clear in Colossians 3:17 that there must be Bible authority for all that we do in religion. TEACHES THAT IT IS WRONG TO MAKE A JUDGMENT ABOUT ANOTHER'S LIFE AND TEACHING. Some judging is forbidden (Mt 7:1-3), but there is a type of judging that is commanded (Jn 7:24; 1 Cor 5; Rom 16:17; Eph 5:11). TEACHES THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO HEAVEN NO MATTER WHAT ONE MAY BELIEVE OR PRACTICE. The concept of "universalism," that is, everyone is going to be saved, is not taught in Scripture. Anyone can be saved if they will obey the Lord's will (Mt 7:21-23; Heb 5:8-9; Jn 8:24; Luke 13:3; Mt 10:32-33; Mk 16:16). Let us realize that it is God's Word (John 12:48) that is our standard of authority and not the words of man. We must make sure that what we teach, believe, and practice is based only upon the Word of God. APPAREL DOES SAY
SOMETHING There was a most interesting editorial in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS on May 2, 2001. It was entitled: "You're Right To Be Wary Of Gangsta Chic," by Leonard Pitts. I must admit that there were two words that caught my attention, mainly because I was unfamiliar with the meaning. GANGSTA is slang for gangster" (the "r" has migrated to who knows where), and CHIC means "style or urban fashion in clothing." The gist of the article was avoidance of certain contact with strangers who DRESS in a style that classifies them with a specific element in society; in this case, youth gangs. He writes, "Kids always have outfitted themselves according to ever shifting ideas of what constitutes cool. But gangsta chic is about more than cool. The universal perception and frequent reality is that it also is about sending an implicit threat." And then he makes this most astute observation… I often hear kids insist that dress is neutral and how dare you stereotype them based upon what they wear. Fine. It is the argument you would expect them to make. But it is an abrogation of responsibility for adults to encourage them in that delusion. Better to explain to them that what you show the world, how you allow yourself to be perceived, will have profound implications for the way people treat you. The world judges us by the way we dress. If a woman dresses like a harlot she is going to be propositioned. If a young person dresses like a GANGSTA, he or she should not be surprised if otherwise cautious folks avoid any contact or association with them. Now, let us apply this rather obvious truth to some other areas beside GANGSTA CHIC. First, the principle is true with regard to "modest apparel." Scanty clothing says something to those who see us. It is a COME ON to the opposite sex. Some of you may remember the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 back in July of 1985. The HOUSTON CHRONICLE carried this interesting bit of news about the event. One lady passenger was being molested by one of the hi-jackers. Fortunately, for her, he was restrained by his leader. The leader, after restraining his fellow hi-jacker explained to her that the short pants she was wearing were inappropriate and had conveyed to the terrorist that such advances might be welcomed by her. A few minutes later he brought her a blanket and told her to wrap it around her waist. In spite of the 100 degree temperature in the airplane, she kept the blanket on the rest of the ordeal. But I can hear someone say, "Well, this is a free society, and I can dress the way I want." Evidently some think that what is lawful in the eyes of society is automatically acceptable to God. Evidence suggests that some of our sisters in Christ have bought into this lie. The Bible still says that we are to dress in "modest apparel." Meanwhile, let a man gaze after a scantily clad woman, and she will be the first to cry "foul" should she become aware of his gazes (or worse). But I must address
another area that concerns me no little. There is an increasing trend
toward sheer sloppiness in what we wear to worship. It used to be that
we had our "Sunday-go-to-meeting" clothes and the first day of
the week was one of those rare occasions when you could tell that a
person was going to church by the way he dressed. Neatness tells us that
we respect ourselves and others, but sloppiness says we just do not
care. While there may be some who cannot afford a nice dress shirt and
tie, or a nice dress, this is the exception rather than the rule in our
affluent society. I have attended high school graduation exercises, and
Baccalaureate services where young people were dressed in decent, neat,
and respectful clothing, only to see them appear the following Sunday
morning in rags, blue jeans, and baggy, and sloppy dress as they come to
worship God. We are witnessing young ladies wearing shorts, loose
blouses, and skin tight jeans as they gather to worship their God; and
that with the parents consent (or at least without any voice of
opposition from mom or dad). Mr. Pitts was right on target when he
pointed out that it is "an abrogation of responsibility for adults
to encourage them in that delusion." Unfortunately, parents are
often derelict in The Spirit Expressly
Says ... "Peer Pressure" We are hearing more and more about "peer pressure." Our children are facing issues of life that many of us did not have to deal with in school. When we think of "peer pressure," we also think about role models. Who is your child's role model? Let me introduce to you a young man that had to deal with "peer pressure." His name is Daniel. You can read about him in the Bible. Here are some of the things that Daniel was confronted with in his life: Wine or strong drink, peer pressure from the King, he was taken into captivity as a prisoner, also his name was changed to humiliate him. However, Daniel "made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's food or wine" Daniel 1:8. In short, one might say that Daniel withstood the fire. The record also states that Daniel and his friends "put their trust in Him" Daniel 3:28. Food For Thought There's a difference in saying, "I have sinned" versus "I have sinned, I'm ashamed of it and I will turn away from it." The first is merely reporting our sins while the other is truly repenting of our sins. Many realize they sin but far fewer truly are sorry enough for their sins that they abhor it and change course. We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
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