Dining Only On Swine Gives Me Heartburn

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Neither commentaries and books written by Theologians, Sunday School literature or Pastor's sermons are Scripture, and yet most Christians have gained what knowledge they have about God from those sources. That is much better than nothing I suppose yet as scrumptious and filling as it may taste, it is still the product of sinful men, mostly very fine people, but as good as they may be, their thoughts, nor mine, are “God-breathed”. 

Pork is one of my favorite foods, and I occasionally dine on swine. Bacon, ham, ribs, sausage and pulled pork, all of it.  But when I get heartburn from the pork, I know to take a strong dose of Scripture and soon return to a more joyful and healthy life focused on the Spirit of God.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” (Galatians 5:16-18)

No matter how sincere, reasonable, and tasty the product of the flesh may be, religious or secular, it is still just the opinion of men and generally results in laws which none of us can keep. There is a remedy, the “God-breathed” Spirit who says…

“Come…take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

Why People Don't Trust God

"No one has ever seen God...God is Spirit" (John 1:18; 4:24)

I like the following common sense statement by Arthur P. Adams (1847-1925)…

“Why do people not trust God? For the very same reason, I answer, that we do not trust strangers, because we are not acquainted with Him.”

So how do we, or will we, or can we become acquainted with Him who is an unseen Spirit?

Good question and I find little if no help from Theologians. Not that there are not countless commentaries written by them on how to “walk in the Spirit” or be “Spiritual” or produce the “fruit of the Spirit”. There is so much written on the subject that it has become mind numbing to me…and useless mumbo jumbo for the most part. After thousands of pages of writ, their conclusions are essentially the same - If we trust God and get saved, we will change into a “Spiritual person” who is like God, with the fruit of the Spirit flowing out of us.

Which of course is not true and simply brings us full circle to Arthur P. Adams question “Why do people not trust God?”

My answer is pretty simple…I do not trust God sometimes because I am a HUMAN BEING. I am born of the flesh, I live in the flesh and I will die in the flesh. Therefore I cannot become fully acquainted with God, or even be absolutely sure there is a God, until I am "raised a Spiritual body" and have "put on immortality"...which the Bible has promised and where I find hope...

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is RAISED A SPIRITUAL BODY. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual...Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must PUT ON IMMORTALITY. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:42-57)

So good luck waling in the Spirit and trusting God all the time now, hope you do and can, but for me I'll just have to know Him in part, and hope that the Bible is true...

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Only then can I be fully acquainted with Him...and trust Him completely.

This is Good and Acceptable In The Sight of God

“God is love…Love never fails” (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:8)

That God is love is a characterization of his essence. When we talk about God being Just, or God being Omnipotent, or God being Omniscient we are talking about his attributes. But His essence is love and it is absolute.  And it dictates that He must save the sinner and He must justify the unjust…because He has the power and wisdom to do so.

His love, operating through His attributes of justice, power and wisdom, is directing the outcome of His creation to a place where every knee will bow VOLUNTARILY to God, because they have experienced his Love in the undeniable truth that they are alive, though they had been literally dead. They cannot deny the obvious truth that He has at that time resurrected both the just and the unjust...by the grace of God alone.

“…there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust...For by Grace are you saved...Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” (Acts 24:15; Ephesians 2:8; Isaiah 45:22-25)

This is our hope, the good news that otherwise sinful people, who all die, will be saved by the only One who wants to do so, and has the power to do so.

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…As in Adam ALL die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Timothy 2:3-6; 1 Corinthians 15:22)

Then, and only then will God be loved by all His creation, even as He loves each of us now.

Never See Death?

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins...truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death" (John 8:24, 51)

So what did Jesus mean when he said “you will die in your sins” and “whoever obeys my word will never taste death”?

First let’s be honest and admit that even believers “die”. All those who believed and followed Jesus during his earthly ministry died.

Jesus was simply saying that it was sin for the Jewish leaders he was addressing NOT to believe that he was sent by God as their Messiah. And since they did not believe this, when they died they would die in that sin of unbelief.

Now look at verse 51 when Jesus says to them “I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death”.

Again, be honest and admit that none who heard him say that are still alive, even his followers.

So what did Jesus mean when he said “whoever obeys my word will never see death”?

It has always been true that if it were possible to ALWAYS obey his word, then we would not die. It was true for Adam and Eve and it is true for us.  However, let me ask you, do you always obey his word? 

Neither did any of them, so we ALL see death as the Bible says...

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

And we know that salvation from death is a matter of the "grace" of God…

“By grace are you saved through faith…not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

And when will this salvation which we now have faith in become actual eternal life. Correct, at our resurrection after we die. It is a free gift to all who were born in Adam…sinners...

“For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord…the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise…For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…the dead shall be raised…death is swallowed up in victory.” (Romans 6:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 52-54)

Most die in their sins like those Jewish religious leaders without believing that Jesus is their Messiah and Savior.  And all of us will experience death because no one can obey all of God's word.  But the gospel is the good news that we will all be saved out of death, into eternal life, as a free gift, when Jesus returns to raise the dead.  

That is what a Savior does.

Doubt - Is That Bad?

“…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:11-12; Titus 2:13)

To be honest, I sometimes doubt the gospel. And by gospel I mean the biblical good news that after I die, at some point Jesus will return to resurrect me to immortal, eternal life. 

Is that bad?

No, just common sense working in me questioning something that I have never personally seen. That is, I have never seen someone who has died and was later brought back to immortal, never ending life. Jesus is the only person who has done so according to the bible and that occurred 2000 years ago and he is no longer physically present to prove to us he is alive, or immortal.

“…our Lord Jesus Christ…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.” (1 Timothy 6:14-16)

Honesty in our thinking about life, death, and the hereafter is lacking among Christianity for the most part. It is almost as if Christians think that if they ever doubt or question the good news, that doubt might cause it to be untrue.

But the God of the Bible, the one I have chosen to trust knows what is inside my mind and hidden from the view of others, so I might as well be honest. In my later years I have become convinced it is OK with God to confess my doubts from time to time. I suspect it helps those who have had the same doubts feel better, even if they will not express those thoughts for fear of offending, or disappointing others. Feeling better is good, and knowing there are others with faith in God that have doubts can make us feel better.

Faith is not what saves us, faith is simply believing something that we “hope” is true, thus giving us joy. I hope that Jesus will return and resurrect me and my friends and family. If we are to be saved from death by the resurrection then it will have to literally happen…so until then, I “fight the good fight of faith, take hold of eternal life”, and enjoy that “blessed hope”.

The whole world is groaning, unaware of why, but they are groaning for the good news. They want to feel better about life...and death. To often they get condemnation from Christianity, but "hope" in the good news is what will make them feel better.

“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” (Romans 8:22-25)

Ernie Estes - My Father in Law

It has been a week since my father in law went to sleep in Christ and I have been trying to find the right words to say about him. I cannot imagine another father in law who holds as much respect from a son in law as he has from me. There is so much good to say and condensing it into a short narrative is difficult but here goes.

“I was born to work” – That is the summary from his own mouth of what he was created to do.

“He was born to work in the service of others” – That is the summary from my own mouth of what he was created to do.

Ernie’s dad was born in Wild Horse Hollow Kennady in the Indian Territory now known as Oklahoma. Ernie himself was born in Paris, Texas. Those early years of his life are interesting and being the oldest of seven children he learned to work early and the value and satisfaction of hard work. He served his country in World War II in the 12th Air Force of the US Army Air Corps in the support group for the famed “Flying Tigers” attaining the rank of Sergeant before being honorably discharged at the end of the war. He worked for the Santa Maria Valley Railroad most of his working life, starting as a day laborer and advancing to Superintendent of the railroad due to his work ethic and leadership ability.

I have known Ernie since I was 15 and met his daughter Sue Ann while they were visiting in Sayre. Over those years I have observed a loving, giving, and unselfish husband, father and friend. Sue Ann and I married in 1974 and when Ernie would visit us in Oklahoma, he was always finding ways to help us with our household repairs, landscaping and anything else he could help with. In fact he would call Sue Ann ahead of time and want us to make a list of things he could do for us during the visit, refusing to be compensated of course. 

I remember buying an old house in Shawnee for our son Jamie to live in while attending OBU and the plumbing was in bad shape.  That was right up his alley. He came out and crawled under the old house and replaced all of the plumbing under the house.  With every repair, tree planted, leaky faucet fixed, nail driven, hole dug, or fence repaired he was saying “I love you” and Sue Ann and I understood and were so thankful. I know he did the same for his other daughter Carolyn over the years. I don’t remember him ever saying “I love you” to anyone, it was just not his style.  Doing things for others is the way Ernie expresses his love, and doing is far more powerful to me than saying the words.

As Ernie became less able to work, which was so important to him, he was ready and anxious to sleep in Christ and awake in His presence to be with Juanell, his wife and the love of his life. I have never known anyone who loved his spouse more than he loved Juanell. They celebrated 66 years of marriage before she went to sleep in Christ, and Ernie always treated their relationship as husband and wife as his absolute FIRST priority. The Bible tells us that God is "jealous" over his chosen nation Israel, referred to as His wife, especially when Israel paid more attention to other gods than Himself. God's jealousy toward his wife Israel reminds me of Ernie's jealousy when it came to Juanell. On occasion he got "jealous" when he thought Juanell was more interested in her parents, children, grandchildren, church or piano students than himself. But that is NOT a flaw. It speaks of his unconditional love for Juanell, just like God's love for Israel. That is exactly how one who loves feels when having to share that love with others. And genuine love for your wife is stronger than any other bond.

Even though he had that “jealous love”, it was also just as clear to me that he was proud of how much Juanell loved her parents, children, grandchildren, and the time she spent serving the music ministry of the church and teaching her piano students.

Ernie was a professing Christian.  His faith in God was fleshed out over the years in daily life. He not only helped his friends and family, but he helped care for the church buildings he attended and would see to their maintenance and repair when needed. And Ernie had a beautiful voice and would lead the singing when asked while Juanell played the piano. His faith in Christ Jesus was genuine and exemplary.

Ernie went to sleep in Christ last week with his dignity intact, having fought the good fight of faith, and will continue to be remembered fondly by those who genuinely love and appreciate him for the life he lived in service to his country, his family, his church and his friends. Ernie will arise in the resurrection to be gloriously and eternally present with our Lord! 

No one is perfect in this present age, but to me Ernie was as close as one can get in this life, and I hope to become more like him as my time approaches to sleep in Christ Jesus, awaiting together our resurrection to a new creation, complete and perfect in Christ Jesus!

Several years ago Ernie typed a history of his family at his home in Santa Maria that I found last week on his computer. It is 32 pages so it is not for everyone but it has blessed me to read his thoughts about his family. If you’re interested I would be happy to email you a copy. Let me leave you with Ernie’s own words found on the final page…

“This makes up my family, which I can stand-up and say I’m quite proud of. God has blessed me and us, and will continue to do so if only we follow His commands and statutes that He has established in His Son, Jesus Christ. I am very thankful for His Mercy and Grace that has been extended to me over the years. Many times I have stumbled and failed Him but He has always been faithful to forgive me of my sins when I have repented and asked forgiveness. He has lifted me up and set my feet on the solid rock, Christ Jesus. There is none greater than He.”