Book Recommendation

     I would like to start with an update.  The storms yesterday were fairly strong, but there was no damage in my area.  There are more storms predicted for today.  Would you please continue to pray that these storms will not cause any damage.  I thank you for your prayers.

     The book that I would like to recommend today is "Angel on a Leash" written by David Frei.  Those who like to watch dog shows on television will know who David Frei is.  He was the long-time host of the Westminster Dog Show telecast, and he continues as the host of the National Dog Show that is broadcast by NBC on Thanksgiving Day.
     In this book, Mr. Frei tells that story of how he became involved in therapy dog work working with his Brittany dogs Teigh and Belle.  These two dogs brought great help to those in the hospitals that Mr. Frei and his wife took them to visit.  David Frei's wife is the chaplain at the Ronald McDonald House in New York City, so the dogs made frequent visits there to help the children and their families during their battle with cancer.
     Now, the Frei's have two other dogs that work as therapy dogs.  Angel is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and Grace is another Brittany.  They are carrying on the work of Teigh and Belle.
     There are two stories that I particularly like in this book.  One dealt with how Belle built up a relationship with a homeless man that David and Belle would encounter as David walked to work.  This man was always happy to see Belle, and she always brought happiness to his day.
    I also liked the story of how David took his dog into the Catholic Cathedral one day and the two of them attended Mass together.
    There are many wonderful stories in this book.  Whoever reads this book will learn much about therapy dog work and the important role these dogs play in helping people.
     I have always wanted to get involved in therapy dog work.  However, I have never had a dog who was suitable.  Toby would not have been a good therapy dog as he only liked me and no one else.  My Labrador, Colm was too excitable to be a good therapy dog.  If I ever get another dog, maybe I can train him to do this important work.
     Just to be clear, Toby was my own personal therapy dog.  He helped me to make it through some really bad times.  He did his job just fine.

Verses For the Week

    There are supposed to be bad storms in my part of the country again this week.  Please pray that these storms are not bad.  Thank you.

Isaiah 12:3 -- " With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."

Matthew 5:8 -- "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Weekend Sermon -- The Good Samaritan

     Thank you for stopping by to read the Weekend Sermon.  I would like to thank everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis.  I hope that you all are doing very well today.
     I've been doing well as far as my health is concerned.  I'm feeling quite a bit better.  I thank you all for your prayers regarding this.  I am still at my current job.  I am still hoping and praying to find something else.
     I do have one thing that I would ask for your prayers regarding.  Tomorrow, they are once again predicting some very bad storms in my area.  Would you please pray that these storms would not materialize.  Thank you.
     In other prayer matters, let us pray for those who were affected by the terrorist act in Manchester this past week.  Please pray that those who are injured will quickly recover.  Pray for those who mourn that they will be comforted, and pray that the authorities in Britain will find all those who were behind this terrible act.  Pray for the safety of the United Kingdom.
     Let us also continue to pray for peace around the world.  Continue to pray for peace in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and South Sudan.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for Brunei and China.  Pray that many in these two countries will hear about the love of Jesus.
     Today, we will continue with our ongoing series of messages on the parables of Jesus.  I really enjoy sharing messages about what our Lord had to say and about what He did.
     In today's message, we will focus our attention on the familiar parable of the the Good Samaritan.  Let us look into this parable and see what the Lord Jesus would have us learn.
     The parable of the Good Samaritan was told in response to a question that was posed to Jesus by a legal scholar.  This scholar asked Jesus what was required to gain eternal life.  Jesus asked him what was written in the law.  To this, the legal scholar said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus told the man that he had answered correctly.
     The legal scholar then asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor."  At this point, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  A man was traveling and he was set upon by thieves who beat him and left him for dead by the side of the road.
     A priest saw the man, but he passed by on the other side of the road.  A Levite also saw the man, but he too passed by.
     Finally, a Samaritan saw the man.  He was moved with compassion for the man.  He treated the victim's wounds, and the Samaritan took the man to an inn where he could rest and receive treatment.
     When Jesus finished the parable, He asked the scholar who was the neighbor in the parable.  The scholar said the one who showed mercy.  Jesus stated, "Go and do likewise."
     This is a familiar parable, but I don't think that many of us have learned its lesson yet.  There is much to learn from this parable.
     Much has been written about why the priest and the Levite passed by the man on the side of road.  They probably didn't want to become ritually unclean before they had to serve in the Temple.  Maybe they were afraid that if they stopped that they would be robbed too.  I think that they just didn't want to get involved.  They had other things to do.
      The attitude that was displayed by the two men who passed by is prevalent today.  The world is filled with those who are in a desperate situation and they need help just as the man beaten and left for dead.  Millions of people around the world do not have enough to eat.  Many are dying each day from treatable diseases. Many are homeless on the streets of the richest countries in the world.
     There is so much need, yet even many of us who are followers of Jesus Christ do not lend aid to those who are in the deepest need.  The church and its members need to be more active in helping to solve the problems in this world. Let all of us find some way to be involved in meeting the needs of others.  If all of us would just do something, we could make a tremendous difference in the problems of this world.
     One thing that Christians could do is advocate that the country in which they live in do more for those who are poor and oppressed.  Many governments right now, including my own, seem set upon doing all that they can to take away from those who have the most need.  As believers in Jesus, let us not stand by while the poor and the weak are oppressed more and more.
     We as believers in Jesus Christ need to be just like the Good Samaritan.  When we see a need, we should not look the other way and pass by on the other side of the road.  As the Samaritan did, we need to stop and help in the best way that we are able.
     Helping others, being the neighbor to others, just doesn't mean helping with the big issues of hunger and poverty that I've discussed.  All of us have friends and family members that face difficulties in their lives.  Often, we have the feeling that we don't want to get involved.  We don't take the time to listen to other's problems and try to lend a hand.  We are just busy with our own lives and problems.
     I believe that as followers of Jesus, we need to reach out to others and help them when we have the opportunity.  That may mean just listening when someone needs to unburden themself.  It may mean being a friend to a lonely person.
     Jesus is our example of how we ought to live in this world.  Jesus always went about doing as much good as He could.  He was always available to help others.  He is the one we look to.  His way is the way that we should follow.
     In the days to come, try to find some way that you can make a difference in the world.  Don't pass by the needs of people in this world.  If you see a need, pray and ask the Lord Jesus to give you the strength to meet that need and help others and help to make this world a better place.
     Next week, we will continue with our series on the parables of Jesus.  I will be posting the verses on Tuesday this week as the library is closed on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.  I will have a review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.






     

Book Review -- "Tuesday's Promise"

   The book that I want to review today is entitled "Tuesday's Promise" written by Luis Carlos Montalvan and Ellis Henican.  Those who have read the blog for awhile will recall that I reviewed Luis' first book, "Until Tuesday" on the blog as well.
     Luis Montalvan was a captain in the US Army.  He was wounded while serving in Iraq  Luis did not just have physical wounds from the war, he suffered from PTSD as well.  Life wasn't going so well for Luis until a golden retriever service dog came into Luis' life.  Tuesday helped Luis to live again.
    In "Tuesday's Promise"  Luis tells several stories about the battles that veterans had to go through to get the help they needed from the VA.  Luis tried, and often succeeded in helping these people.  Luis and Tuesday traveled all across the United States sharing their message of hope.
    In the book, Luis also writes about his own ongoing physical health battles. Because he was having a great deal of pain in his leg,  Luis had to have one of his legs amputated.  His recovery from this and his efforts to rebuild his life are related in "Tuesday's Promise."
     "Tuesday's Promise" was finished and ready for publication when Luis took his life in late 2016.  When I read about this at the time, I was filled with sadness.  Tuesday is now living with the people who trained him as a service dog.
     I got to meet Luis and Tuesday when they came to a town near where I live to give a presentation.  One thing that Luis said that night has stayed with me.  He wanted everyone to know that not all disabilities are visible.  People struggle everyday with depression, anxiety, PTSD and a host of other problems.  These people fight the battle to overcome every single day.   We shouldn't be so quick to judge others when we don't really know what is going on in their lives. I know from struggling with depression since my middle teens how true this is.  
     One thing of great importance the Luis Montalvan contributed to was helping to get the US government to recognize the importance of service dogs for veterans.  Senator Al Franken of Minnesota was inspired by Luis and Tuesday, and Senator Franken helped pass legislation to get more service dogs to veterans.
     I recommend both "Until Tuesday" and "Tuesday's Promise" to those who enjoy inspiring stories.

Verses For the Week

Romans 12:9 -- "Let love be without hypocrisy abhor what is evil; cling to what is good."

I John 3:18 -- "Little children, let us not love with word and tongue, but in deed and truth."

Update

     I thank you all for your prayers over the last few days.  The storms did not cause any damage to my house.  I am thankful to the Lord for this.  Unfortunately, there were people not too far from me that did have flooding, hail and wind damage.  Please pray that these folks will recover from these storms.

Weekend Sermon -- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

      Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon.  Thank you for reading the blog.  I hope that everyone is doing very well.
     We are having terrible weather where I live.  Last night, my house and general area were not damaged.  However, we received very heavy rain.  Some forecasters are calling for over 5 inches of rain tonight.  If there is that much rain, I will have a flooded house, unless there is a miracle.   I thank you for your prayers yesterday, and I would ask that you please be in prayer again today.
      With all of this stress about the weather, health problems and stress from work, I am really getting down.  I'm trying to keep going with writing and ministry.  Please pray for me.  I thank you for your prayers.
     I don't just ask for prayers for myself.  There are a lot of people in my area that will have a mess if this weather doesn't straighten up.
     In prayer, please continue to pray for peace in this world.  Syria, South Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan really need our prayers.
     This week, I heard two distressing reports.  I heard that there are cases of Ebola in Congo.  Pray that this will be contained and that those who are sick will get well.  I also heard that there is famine in parts of Africa with as many as 20 million being affected.  Pray that these people's needs will be met.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for Singapore and Benin.  Pray that the message of Jesus' love will reach these two nations.
     We have been going through a series of messages on the parables of Jesus over the last few months.  I intended to continue with that series today.  However, with all that is going on in my life, I just wanted to focus on some verses in 2 Corinthians that have been meaningful to me.
     In verses 16-18 of this chapter, the Apostle Paul writes about the afflictions of this world verses the glory of eternity.
     Throughout the period of his ministry, Paul had many persecutions, afflictions and times of discouragement.  Paul was beaten several times, and once he was left for dead.  He also had a thorn in the flesh that the Lord did not see fit to remove.  Through all of this, Paul remained faithful to the Lord, and he tried to serve the Lord to the best of his ability.
     In verse 18, Paul says, "We look not to what is seen but to what is unseen, for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal."
     I am attempting with the Lord's help to have this type of attitude.  All of the problems and troubles of this life do not compare to the joy that is awaiting for those who are in Christ Jesus.
     One day, I know that this set of trials will be past and I will be with Jesus for all of eternity.  I will be reunited with my Mom and Dad and my friend Toby.  I have to keep my focus on this.  Sometimes, I will admit that it is hard.
     If you are going through a lot of trials and troubles in your life right now, I know how you feel.  I hope that you will try to keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus and know that He is with you through every struggle.
     I don't know what is going to happen with the struggles I am facing now.  But I know that Jesus is with me.  I know that one day I will be with Him.  When the day comes and I see Jesus face to face, all of the trials of this life will be over and I believe that they will be forgotten.
     That's about all I wanted to say this week.  I am hoping and praying for better days.  I know that Jesus is alive, and that is all that really matters.
     I am not sure what the blog schedule is going to be this next week.  It is going to depend on what happens with the storms and some other matters.  I hope to post on a regular schedule.  I will keep you updated.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Prayer Request

     I am posting today to ask that you would please pray once again about the bad weather situation in my area.  We are predicted to have terrible storms and possible flooding once again.  Please pray that this terrible weather does not materialize.  Thank you for your prayers.

Book

Introduction

     I can’t remember the last time I heard a message based on the book of Obadiah.  Haggai and Philemon are the basis of messages now and again, and II and III John may occasionally receive a passing reference.  Of all the little books in the Bible, Jude seems to receive the most attention.  If a minister really studies this book and puts some effort into it, he or she can get at least a month’s worth of material from Jude.  It’s too bad that more ministers don’t mine Jude’s depth of meaning.

     Obadiah, Haggai, Philemon, II John, III John and Jude are what I refer to as the Bible’s little books.  All of these books contain a single chapter except for Haggai which has two chapters. 

     Obadiah and Haggai are the smallest books of the Minor Prophets.  As a whole, the Minor Prophets are not studied as much as are the Major Prophetic books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.  The Minor Prophet that seems to receive the most attention is Jonah.  Amos and Hosea receive a fair amount of attention as well. 

     In the New Testament, Philemon is not ignored.  I’ve actually heard several messages preached from this one chapter book.  I don’t believe that I have ever heard a minister mention the fact though that Paul violates a command from the Old Testament in sending Onesimus back to his master.  We will study more about that later.

     While these little books may be shorter than many other books in the canon of Scripture, each one of them has a powerful and timely message for Christians living in the 21^st century.

     This book is my attempt to explore these little and often overlooked books of Holy Scripture and discern afresh what they can teach us today. The goal of this book is to explore a little about the general nature of each book and discuss what we know about that book’s authorship.  We will then examine what each book can teach us today. 

     It is my hope and prayer that the Lord will use my writing to bring honor and glory to His most Holy name.  By studying these little books with me, I pray that you would grow in your love for the Lord and for His Word.  May this then lead you to further study in the familiar and unfamiliar pages of the Bible.

Chapter One – Obadiah

     Obadiah has the distinction of being the shortest book in the Old Testament.  The entirety of the book centers around a single theme, and that theme is that the judgment of God is destined to come upon the nation of Edom and the Edomites.  Before we deal with the specifics of the book of Obadiah, let’s look at the authorship of the book and the time period when the book may have been written.

     There are several different people named Obadiah listed in the Bible.  Most of the people named Obadiah are mentioned in genealogies or lists of men who were tasked with different assignments. 

     The most prominent man named Obadiah mentioned in Scripture is the Obadiah whose story we read in I Kings 18.  This Obadiah was in charge of King Ahab’s household affairs.  Unlike the evil King Ahab, Obadiah was a man who feared the Lord, and he attempted to do all that the Lord required. 

     When Ahab and Jezebel sought to destroy all the prophets who remained faithful to the Lord, Obadiah defied the royal couple and hid the prophets in two separate groups in caves.  He brought them food and water until the threat from Ahab and Jezebel passed. 

     When the drought in Israel predicted by the great prophet Elijah was at its most intense, Ahab tasked Obadiah to find water for the royal horses.  While searching, Obadiah came upon Elijah.  Elijah told Obadiah that he wished to speak to the king.  Obadiah relayed the prophet’s message faithfully.

     While this Obadiah of Scripture was certainly an honorable man who served the Lord in a difficult situation, this Obadiah is not the author of the book of Obadiah.  The book of Obadiah speaks about events that occurred during the Babylonian conquest of Israel in and around 586 BC.  Therefore, the book must have been written subsequent to this event. 

     The Obadiah who wrote the book that bears his name does not seem to be mentioned anywhere else in the Word of God.  The book was most likely written by a prophet who was active in the ministry during the time surrounding the Babylonian Captivity.

     One thing that we can be certain of is that this Obadiah was a faithful servant of the Lord.  He received a vision from the Lord, and Obadiah faithfully recorded the message given to him by God.

     As we will see shortly, Obadiah’s prophecy relates in its entirety to the nation of Edom.  With this in mind, let us see what the Bible has to say to us about Edom. 

     First of all, Edom receives its name from a descendant of Esau.  Esau sold his birthright and was tricked out of Isaac’s blessing by Jacob.  Jacob’s name would be changed to Israel by the Lord, and Jacob’s sons would go on to give their names to the twelve tribes of Israel.

     On the other hand, Esau would go on to reconcile with his brother.  Esau’s descendants would become the Edomites, and they would rise to become a kingdom of their own.  Throughout their histories, Israel and Edom would be in conflict just as the two brothers were in conflict with one another. 

     The bad blood between Edom and Israel is exemplified during the time Moses was leading the people out of Egyptian bondage, through the desert and into the Promised Land.  The shortest route into the Promised Land would have been through the land of Edom. 

     Numbers 20 recounts the details of what happened when the Israelites encountered the Edomites.  Moses asked the ruler of Edom if his people could travel through Edom into the Promised Land.  The ruler of Edom flat out refused to allow it.  In fact, the Edomites came out against the children of Israel with their armed forces.  The Israelites turned aside and went along a different and longer route.

     During the time of the Kings, Edom and Israel would be at war.  Saul and David both fought battles with Edom.  David would bring the land under subjection, and Edom would remain a vassal of Judah when the Kingdom divided after the death of David’s son Solomon.

     Edom would become an independent nation again.  When Jehoram became king, Edom rebelled.  The king tried to put down the rebellion, but he was unsuccessful.  As II Kings 8:23 states, “To this day, Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.” At the time of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the Edomites would join with the Babylonians and participate in harassing the people of Israel.

     Eventually, Edom would cease to be a nation.  The region of Edom would become home to a people know as the Nabateans.  The Nabateans were traders and great architects.  Their capital city of Petra is a wonder, and it draws tourists to Jordan from around the world.

     With that information about the place of Edom in the Bible and in the historical record, let us delve into the book of Obadiah and see what God would have us learn today from this small book of prophecy.

     For our purposes of study, I want to divide the book of Obadiah into three sections with three lessons that we can learn.  First of all, verses 1-9 deal with the issue of pride and trusting in our own strength and resourcefulness.  Verses 10-14 teach us not to look with pleasure on someone else’s misfortune.  Lastly, verses 15-21 teach us that what we sow is what we will eventually reap.  Let’s look at these three lessons in more detail.

     Even though the nation of Edom was tiny, the people were filled with pride and boasting.  They felt as if their mountain kingdom was an impregnable fortress in spite of military defeats in the past.  Obadiah said they lived in the cliffs of and made their homes in the high places.  As people with military knowledge know, mountain terrain makes for extremely difficult fighting conditions.

     Obadiah prophesied that in spite of the Edomites mountainous fortress, they would be defeated and cease to be a nation.  Just as God said through Obadiah, Edom was defeated, and the Edomites are no more.

     Many of us have an attitude that is very similar to what was expressed by the people of Edom.  We are filled with pride and boasting.  We often place our trust and our confidence in life in everyone and everything except in the Almighty God.

     I found this happening in my own life at one time.  I had acquired some money from my investments as well as a small inheritance.  I thought I was set.  A great deal of my confidence was placed in my material possessions.  What happened?  A Great Recession happened.  In just a few short weeks, my stock holdings, which were largely in banks and financials, were nearly wiped out.  I went through one of the most depressed periods of my life.  I needed to find work, but I wasn’t able to find a job for a long, long time.  To top it all off, I was diagnosed with a chronic health condition.

     I was down and out and almost done.  I soon realized that all of my confidence had to be in the Lord Jesus.  Everything in this world is temporary and it is passing away.  Everything and everyone changes in this life except for Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

     The Lord Jesus saw me through the bad times, and I am slowly emerging from  a dark tunnel.  I learned not to rely on myself or anything in this world.  My confidence, help and sustenance is to be found in Jesus only.

     There are many ways of trusting in the self and in being lifted up with pride.  It can happen on both an individual and on a national level. 

     On an individual level, a prideful person may place their hope in wealth, fame, career or in their own abilities.  This is the basis of their life, and they think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. 

     In the Bible, pride is referred to as an abomination.  Proverbs 16:8 states that pride comes before destruction.  The Lord Jesus tells us in Mark 7 that pride is among a number of different evils that come from within the heart of a person and lead to a person’s corruption. In the epistle of I John, the apostle states in 2:16 that the pride of life is an aspect of  loving the world more than loving God.

     All individuals and nations mentioned in the Bible that were elevated with pride were eventually brought low.  Let me give you just two examples.

     In Daniel chapter 4, we read about the powerful Babylonian king named Nebuchadnezzar.  He thought that he was great, and he boasted of all that he had done and all that he possessed.  However, Nebuchadnezzar was brought to the place where he wandered around like a wild animal.

     As far as nations are concerned, look no farther than the Roman Empire.  This was once one of the mightiest empires on the face of the earth.  The Caesar’s of Rome declared themselves to be Lord and demanded to be worshipped as gods.  The Roman Empire is no more, and their might is now just a subject of study for historians.

     James 4:16 sums it up by saying that, “God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.”  As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must look to Him as our ultimate example of humility.  The Apostle Paul expresses the subject of humility extraordinarily well in Philippians 2:5-11 which states, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

     Now for our second lesson from the book of Obadiah.  The Lord said in Obadiah 12, “Do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of misfortune.”  The people of Edom rejoiced to see of people of Israel defeated by the Babylonians.  In fact, they joined with the Babylonians in the time of plunder.  God did not like this behavior one bit.

     As followers of the Lord, we should rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.(Romans 12:15)  Even when someone who has been mean to us or someone who betrayed us gets their comeuppance we should not gloat and receive some type of satisfaction from the news of  someone’s downfall and misfortune.

     Christ has called us to be people who express true love in imitation of the love expressed by Jesus.  In his great chapter on love found in I Corinthians 13, Paul says that true love is not arrogant or rude.  True love is not resentful of others, and does not rejoice in any type of wrongdoing. 

     When those who are our enemies have problems, we are to show them love.  Jesus says in the Sermon one the Mount that we are to “Love you enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

     And now for our third lesson from Obadiah.  Obadiah teaches the principle that you will reap whatever it is that you sow.  Obadiah 15 says, “For the day of the Lord is near upon all nations.  As you have done, it shall be done to you.  Your deeds shall return on your own heads.”

     This principle is so true in life.  But, I want to speak about this at the ultimate level.  If a person lives his life for the temporal things of this world that are passing away, he will ultimately achieve nothing.  Everything that is in this world is passing away. 

     Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that we should lay up treasures in heaven and not lay up treasures for ourselves on this earth.  Jesus asked the questions “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his own soul?  What can a man give in exchange for his soul?” That which is eternal is what we should strive for.  Then we will reap an eternal reward.

     For a while, I had the wrong perspective.  With the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, I want to focus my life in spreading the message of the love of Jesus.

     Jesus told a great story that shows the difference in the world’s thinking about success and an eternal perspective of what constitutes success. Jesus said that there was a rich man that had everything that money could buy.  He was successful in the terms of this world’s system.

     Lying outside the gate of this rich man was a poor man named Lazarus.  He was covered in sores, and the dogs who licked his sores were his only companions.  This world didn’t think much of him.  His life seemed like a waste.

     Both men died.  The rich man who laid up treasure for himself on earth went to Hades and eternal torment.  Lazarus, who was rich in the eternal things of God, went to Abraham’s Bosom.

     Build your life and eternity on the solid rock of Jesus.  In eternity, you will not suffer loss.

     There is probably much more that we could say and learn from Obadiah.  But, let us now move on to see what the little book of Haggai has to teach us.

Chapter Two – Haggai

     The next of the little books that we will turn our attention to is the prophetic book known as Haggai.  While Haggai actually contains two chapters, it is still a little book by Biblical standards.  Like the other little books that we will study, Haggai has an important message for us today.

     Let’s start with a little bit of historical background surrounding the events that are recorded in this book.  In 586 BC, the people of the nation of Judah were carried off into captivity by the Babylonians.  This was predicted by the prophet Jeremiah.  Readers can study more about this by reading the book of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah is one of the outstanding characters in the Old Testament, and there is much to learn from the way that he conducted his life. 

     Because the people had rebelled against God and decided to worship idols instead of the True and Living God, the Lord allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah.  One of those taken into captivity was Daniel.  In spite of being a young man in a strange land, Daniel throughout his life remained faithful to the Lord.  Ezekiel the prophet was also taken away during the Babylonian invasion.  I urge you all to read and study Daniel and Ezekiel in the Old Testament.

     After a period of several years, the Babylonians were defeated by the Medo-Persian Empire.  During the reign of the Persian king Cyrus, the Jewish people were allowed to return to their own land in order to rebuild something of their former lives.  This is referred to in Biblical history as the Post-Exilic Period. 

     The historical books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide great information about the return of the people to the land of Israel.  Nehemiah was in charge of rebuilding the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and Ezra helped to keep the people on the path of faithfully following the way of the Lord.

     One thing that I find especially interesting is the fact that the period of captivity in Babylon ended the people’s practice of following other gods.  Israel committed other sins, but the nation did not wholesale turn to the gods of the nations that surrounded them again.

     Part of Israel’s restoration was the rebuilding of the nation’s religious life.  When Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, they completely and utterly destroyed the Temple that Solomon built.  They carried away all the precious objects from the Temple back to their own kingdom.  When the people returned to Jerusalem, they set about to rebuild the Temple that had once stood so gloriously in the midst of the city.  The people were led by a man named Zerubbabel who was a member of the House of David. 

     A man by the name of Joshua served the high priest.  He was specifically consecrated by God to serve in this role.  The consecration of Joshua the High Priest is recorded in the book of Zechariah the prophet.

     As I mentioned, the people began to rebuild their lives in Jerusalem.  They cleared away all of the rubble and debris from the Temple Mount, but that is as far as things went.  The people became distracted from the work on the Temple, and they started building houses for themselves and pursuing their own business interests.  Into this situation, God raised up the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi to speak to the people.

     Just on a side note, Zechariah is an extremely interesting book to study.  In contains prophecies concerning the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, and there are prophecies in the book related to the Lord’s Second Coming.  Malachi is concerned with getting the people to remember that God loves them, and that God’s people should strive to give their best unto the Lord. 

     Back to Haggai.  We don’t know much about the personal history of Haggai.  He pretty much just shows up on the scene, although his presence and ministry is recorded in the book of Ezra.

     Haggai’s name means festive.  He began his prophetic ministry to the people in the second year of the reign of King Darius on the first day of the sixth month.  In this prophecy, we will see that the Lord had grown tired of people focusing on their own needs and concerns while they were neglecting the things of God such as rebuilding the Temple.

     In his short period of ministry, Haggai would bring a message of both rebuke and encouragement.  He sought to motivate the people to return to the work of the Lord. 

     In Haggai 1:3, the prophet begins His word to the people by stating, “Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses while this house remains in ruin?”  In verse 7 the Lord would command the people to go into the mountains to obtain the timbers needed to begin construction on the Lord’s House.

     Haggai preached to the people and Governor Zerubbabel for 23 days.  On the 24^th day of the month, the people began to work.  Haggai gave an encouraging word from the Lord in 1:11.  The Lord said to His people, “I am with you.”  This statement stirred the hearts of the leader and his people to rise up and build a new Temple for the honor and glory of God.

     There is much that we can learn and apply to our lives from Haggai chapter 1.  I believe that the first important message that we can learn from Haggai is that those of us who are followers of the Lord need to put Him first in our lives. The people of Haggai’s day had neglected God and doing the things that God wanted them to do.  They didn’t seem to have the time to repair the Temple, yet they found the time to repair their own homes and do the things that they wanted to do.  There is no place in the text that states that the people stopped believing in the Lord, they just couldn’t be bothered with following the commandments of the Lord or putting the things of the Lord first in their lives.

     Two passages from the New Testament come to mind when I think about the people of Haggai’s time.  I recall the passage from Revelation 2:4 that states, “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”  Jesus spoke these words to the people of the church at Ephesus.  The people at this church were living for the Lord, but they were not following Him with all of their hearts. 

    The second passage that comes to mind is from the words of Jesus recorded in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus said to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, and all of these other things would be added unto you. 

     So, how does all of this apply to us?  First of all, I believe the many of us our becoming more concerned about ourselves and we are neglecting the things of God.  I believe that this applies in two important areas, namely giving and fulfilling the Great Commission.

     Giving and the tithe are usually controversial subjects, but that doesn’t mean that we should shy away from them.  On the contrary, it is required of a minister to preach and proclaim the whole counsel of God.

     Because of the way that many media preachers constantly beg for money and lay a guilt trip on people, the concept of tithing has gotten something of a bad rap.  However, the tithe is most certainly Scriptural, and Jesus our Lord speaks about giving the tithe.

     Giving in the church has become very lax as far as the tithe is concerned.  Some polls have stated that the average level of giving among church members is around 2 to 3 percent.  This is a far cry from the tithe. 

     Let’s just look at a few of the Scriptures that teach about tithing.  The first mention of tithing is found in Genesis 14:20 when Abraham gave King Melchizedek 10 percent of the spoils after the defeat of the kings of the valley. 

     The principle of the tithe was codified in the Law of Moses.  We see this in Deuteronomy 14:22 and 26:12.

     One of the most startling verses about the tithe is found in Malachi 3:10.  God said that the people had robbed Him because they had not brought the tithe into the storehouse of the Temple.

     The Lord Jesus Himself spoke about the tithe.  Matthew 23 records the woes that Jesus pronounced upon the Pharisees and religious leaders of His day.  Jesus states in Matthew 23:23, “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.”  In other words, do acts of justice, mercy and kindness, and give the tithe.

     What does all this have to do with Haggai?  Well, we often focus on our own needs, and we don’t give unto the Lord what belongs to Him.  One way this is manifest is through giving.  When we keep back what should rightfully go to the Lord and use it for ourselves, we are acting in the same manner as those in Haggai’s time.

     We need to give to the Lord.  Now, I am not promising as the faith teachers do that if you give you’ll get something in return.  I don’t believe in that sort of thing.  What I am saying is that the giving of our resources is an important area of demonstration of our love for the Lord just like working on the Temple was in Haggai’s day.

     Now, a second area where I think that Haggai has application is regarding how we are fulfilling what we have been called by the Lord to do in the Great Commission.  Jesus has called us to go into the world and tell others of His message of love and forgiveness.  However, much of this world remains unreached.  Seventy percent of the people on earth right now are not Christians of any kind.

     Jesus spoke about the need for evangelization in John 4:35.  He said that the fields were white unto harvest, but the laborers were few.  In Matthew 28:19-20 and in Acts 1:8, Jesus instructs His followers to go unto the uttermost parts of the earth and make disciples.  Matthew 24:14 says, “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all, and then the end will come.”

     The majority of people sitting in church pews today have not had the experience of leading one soul to faith in Jesus Christ.  Here in the United States where I live, the number of Christians continues to decline.

     We need all Christians to follow the Great Commission of Jesus and spread His message around the world.  It will take our time, talent and resources in missions to see people come to the Lord.  Just as the exiles had the mission of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah and rebuilding the Temple, we have a mission of taking the Good News to the lost of this world. 

     On this point, I want to say a few words.  Putting the Lord first in our lives can also have a very personal meaning.  I believe that the Lord calls each of us to minister for Him in this world in some way.  It is up to us to follow the Lord’s will for our lives or to go our own way.  We can follow the Lord and be yielded to His will, or we can be like the prophet Jonah and attempt to go 180 degrees from the way the Lord has shown us to go.

     You can attempt to go your own way in your life, but you will never find true happiness and contentment unless you put Jesus first.  Until Jesus is the Lord of every aspect of your life, you cannot know true joy and peace.

     The prophet Haggai gave important words of encouragement to the people after he told them that God wanted them to get back to work.  Haggai 2:4 states, “Yet now be strong Zerubbabel, says the Lord, and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozidak, the high priest, and be strong, all of you people of the land says the Lord, and work, for I am with you says the Lord of hosts.”

     The Lord had assigned the people a task, and He would be with them to strengthen them in order to accomplish His will.  With the Lord on their side, the people were able to complete the work on the Temple.

     This same principle holds true in our time.  If the Lord Jesus gives you a task to complete or a commandment to follow, He will be with you and will provide the awareness of His presence as you go about His work in obedience. Also, if Jesus calls you to a specific ministry, He will help you do whatsoever it is that He has specifically called you to do.

     In a general sense, we as believers in Jesus can take comfort from these words of Jesus Himself.  Jesus said that He would never leave us and that He would never forsake us.  He said that He would be with us to the end of the age.

     The Lord is with us.  Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord leads us through the difficulties of this life, and He walks alongside of us to provide the comfort of His presence and of His still, small voice speaking into our hearts to let us know the true peace that only He can provide.

     I would like to speak to you for a few moments about how important the presence of the Lord has been in my life.  A few years ago, I faced four hard blows in my life right in a row.  First, my Mother suffered a debilitating stroke.  My Dad and I had to take care of her 24 hours a day for over five years until she passed away.  Four months after my Mom died, my Dad passed away.  About three months later, I faced a great financial setback from which I have yet to fully recover.  Then, on top of that, I had a series of health problems.

     Let me tell you, it was hard coping with all this hitting me one right after the other.  The only way that I was able to make it through these difficulties was due to the fact that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was with me. Through it all, He has been the rock down deep in my soul not letting me slip down to the very depths of depression. 

     If you are going through a bad time, please take comfort from the words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Haggai.  Jesus is always with us.  One day, we will be with Him in person, and we will spend all of eternity with Him.  What a great day that will be.

     Now we turn to the third important lesson that we can learn from the book of Haggai.  When the people heard the word of the Lord through Haggai, they obeyed the word given to them.  This is an important component of the Christian life.  Jesus told His disciples that they would be considered His friends if they obeyed His commandments.  Friendship and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ requires living in obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus. 

     I personally do not understand how someone can be a Christian if they are not willing to be obedient to the Lord.  I know that it wouldn’t work for me. 

     There is a belief that is popular among many Christians that one can accept Jesus as Savior without accepting Jesus as the Lord of one’s life.  From the way that I read the Bible, being a Christian means following Jesus.  It means making Jesus Lord and obeying Him.  It means following wherever He leads.

     Much of what the Lord requires of us is recorded in the pages of the Bible.  However, as I mentioned, I believe that the Lord has a personal calling that He often places on our lives.  We will not find true happiness in life unless we follow what God has called us to do.

     There is one final thing that I want to focus on from Haggai.  The last section of the book deals with how God will use the leader Zerubabbel.  God made a promise to David that someone from the line of David would always and forever rule over the house of Israel.  Zerubbabel was part of this fulfillment, but he was not the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.   The ultimate fulfillment of this covenant is Jesus.

     One day, Jesus will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He will rule over all, and all of the world will know peace and goodness and righteousness.

      I find this passage from Haggai encouraging because it shows me that God always keeps His promises.  This is important because the Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  I can count on this because God has shown in history that He does whatsoever He says. 

     Jesus made two promises that I can have confidence in that He will keep.  Jesus said that He is the resurrection and the life.  My parents and most of my friends who believed in Jesus have died.  But, I do not have to grieve as those who have no hope.  Jesus will keep His word.  I know that my family and friends are alive right now with Jesus in Heaven.

     Jesus also promised that He has gone to prepare a place for us.  If we believe and trust in Him, one day, we will be with Him where He is.  I look forward to the day when I am with Jesus my Lord and reunited with my friends and loved ones who are in Christ.

     This ends our look at the teachings of the Lord from the book of Haggai.  Let us now turn our attention to the shortest of Paul’s epistles and see what we can learn from Philemon.

    

    

     Chapter 3 – Philemon

     We now move out of the Old Testament little books and turn our attention to the first of the little books that we will study in the New Testament.  Philemon is a very short book, and it is one of the many letters written by the Apostle Paul

     Paul addressed this letter to Philemon, hence the book’s name.  Philemon is essentially a letter that Paul writes to a man who has a church in his house.  Paul asks Philemon to forgive and accept back a runaway slave by the name of Onesimus.  Onesimus had left his master and had somehow made the acquaintance of Paul.  Over the course of time, Onesimus was converted to the faith and became a follower of Jesus Christ.  Onesimus was now a brother in the faith to not just Paul, but he was now a brother in the faith to Philemon as well.

     Let me state at this point that I find the book of Philemon to be a troubling book.  Although it is short, it is filled with controversy.  I am not going to shy away from this.  I believe that all of the Bible is to be interpreted through the revelation of Jesus Christ who is the word made flesh who dwelled among us.  With that in mind, we will look at Philemon and see if we can understand it and apply it to our lives.

     Before we get into that, we need to explore some of the background that will make the book easier to understand in its context.

     Slavery in the Roman world, and in the entire ancient world, was widely practiced.  In the Roman world, there were more slaves than free people.  Slaves held no rights whatsoever. 

     Some slaves were used as laborers in mines while others were used as field hands or manual laborers.  Many slaves were used as household help.  Slaves were often highly educated people including physicians and writers.  Aesop and Epictetus are two examples among many.

     Rome had experienced a number of slave uprisings most notable being the slave revolt led by Spartacus.  Rome feared slave revolts and the disruption of the social order.  Any system or belief that advocated an end to slavery would not be tolerated within the Roman Empire. 

    With that in mind, let us get into some of the problems we find in Philemon.  I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that the whole issue of slavery is a major issue in defending the Bible and Christianity.  As much as I would like it not to be the case, the Bible by no means outright condemns the practice of slavery.  Paul will tell us that both the slave and the free man are brothers in Christ, but nowhere will you find that he advocates the abolition of slavery.  He does say in I Timothy 1:10 that slave traders will not inherit the kingdom of God. Other passages of Scripture speak about slaves being obedient to and subject to their masters.

     Let me state as clearly as I can.  Slavery is wrong.  There is no way someone can morally justify the owing of another human being.  So what are we to do with the issue of slavery and the Bible?

     First of all, the Bible was written in a particular place and time.  When the Old Testament was written, all of the nations that surrounded Israel practiced slavery in some form.  When the laws concerning the owning of slaves were given in the Pentateuch, they reflected the times, yet at the same time, they were a mitigation of the slavery practices of the surrounding cultures. 

     In other words, I think, God was accommodating things to what people could understand and practice at the time.  I think we see this in the entirety of the Bible as there appears to be what I would call an evolving moral code in the Bible. 

     Let me give you an example of this in another situation.  When we first encounter marriage relationships in the Bible, there seems to be little standard as to whom people were allowed to marry.  For instance, Abraham was married to his sister, and Jacob had two sisters as wives at the same time.  Later, we will see that both of these practices are condemned in the law.

     Also, many people in the Bible times had multiple wives as well as concubines.  When we get to the New Testament, Jesus makes it clear that God’s original intent was for one man to be married to one woman for life.  Paul will state in Timothy and Titus that one of the requirements to be a leader in the church is that a man is to be the husband of one wife.

     The Sermon on the Mount which is the core teaching of Jesus is one of the best examples demonstrating a changing ethic found in the Bible.  The Old Testament states that justice is encapsulated in the principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  Jesus said that this is not to be the case.  The Old Testament mandated capital punishment while Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is the opposite.  In the Old Testament, there are laws given about swearing an oath.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that we are not to take an oath.  Our words are to be yes, yes and no, no. 

     I will provide one further example from the teaching of Jesus.  The issue of divorce was a hot topic of debate in Jesus’ day.  The Pharisee’s and religious leaders brought Jesus into the debate by asking Him when it was permissible for a man to divorce his wife. 

     According to the law given by Moses, a man was allowed to divorce his wife by giving her a certificate of divorcement if he found something displeasing in her.  Jesus said that this was not the right way.  Jesus said that divorce was only allowed on the basis of marital unfaithfulness.  Jesus statement concerning this matter shocked the religious leaders and Jesus’ own disciples as well.

     Here is one principle that we need to understand when looking at slavery or any other issue in the Bible.  Jesus is the ultimate and final revelation.  He is the Word made flesh who dwelled among us.  We are to look to Him in order to know what it is that we are supposed to do.  So with that in mind, what did Jesus have to say about slavery?

      Jesus did use examples of the master slave relationship when providing illustrations for His teachings.  This was by no means condoning slavery.  This was simply using an illustration from something that people of that time would readily be able to comprehend and understand. 

     While Jesus never advocated for abolition of slavery, there are several teachings from Jesus that I believe clearly demonstrate that He was opposed to slavery.  First of all, Jesus said that the second greatest commandment was that we were to love our neighbors as ourselves.  If we love someone, how can we enslave them? 

     Furthermore, Jesus stated in the Golden Rule that we are to do unto others as we would have done unto us.  We certainly wouldn’t want to be enslaved; therefore we shouldn’t do it to others.

     Jesus would also stated that those who were his true followers were to be the servants of all.  They were to take the lowest place and not lord their authority and dominance over any other person.

     With this in mind, I believe that Jesus shows us that slavery is wrong.  So, why do other passages in the New Testament including what we see in Philemon not condemn the practice?  To that I will respond by saying, Jesus is the Word.  Look to Him.  He is the only infallible Word of God.

     So, now that I have tried to give my perspective on slavery and the Bible, we next have to approach another thorny issue in the book of Philemon.  Paul will actually return Onesimus to Philemon. This is contrary to what is taught in Deuteronomy 23:15.  What are we to make of this?

     Some believe that since Onesimus was not a Hebrew slave that the injunction given in Deuteronomy does not apply.  Others believe that Onesimus voluntarily decided to go back thus invalidating any violation of Deuteronomy 23.  I believe that this second theory is probably most correct if Paul did not try to persuade Onesimus to return.  We are not told about this in the text.

     As I have already stated, Jesus is the Word and the interpretive framework of the entire Bible.  We must look to Him and Him only for the correct interpretation and application of other areas of the Bible.

     With that said, let us look into what I believe is the great principle and teaching that is contained in the book of Philemon.  While it is not stated right out, Paul’s willingness to have any debt owed by Onesimus laid to his own account is an example of how our sin debt was laid to the account of Jesus.

     We as sinners clearly owed a great debt to God because we had violated his holy law.  As it says in Romans, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” 

     Jesus came into this world so that he could pay our sin debt that we could never pay.  There is no amount of good deeds that we as sinners could ever do to merit God’s favor. 

     Jesus lived a perfect, holy and sinless life.  Because of this, He could be the spotless Lamb of God who could take away the sins of the world.  On the cross, our sins were laid upon Jesus Christ.  He paid the penalty for our sins which is death.  Because Jesus took about Himself our sins and died in our place, if we put our faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross, we can have our sins washed away. 

    Jesus told two stories about sin and debt in the Gospels.  He told the parable of the two debtors to Peter when instructing him about the principle of forgiveness, and Jesus told a story about two debtors when He was making a point to a Pharisee in regard to the incident when a sinful woman came and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair.

     As I said previously, I find Philemon to be a difficult book, but it does contain within it a good example of how Jesus paid a debt that we could not pay.

     Now, let us move on and see what we can learn from the little book of II John.

  

    

    

    

Chapter 4 – II John

    

     Now that we have fleshed out the issues from the book of Philemon, it is time to turn our attention to the epistle of II John.  This book is the smallest book in the New Testament.

     Currently, there are two prevalent theories as to the authorship of II John.  Almost all of the more conservative Bible scholars that I am familiar with hold to the view that the Apostle John is the author of II John.  Another prevalent view believes that the Apostle John was not the author.  This group holds the view that an elder by the name of John who was a leader in the church at Ephesus was the author of not only II John but was the author of III John and Revelation as well.

     This later version is given credence due to the fact that in II John, the author identifies himself by the title of elder and does not refer to himself as an apostle.  To me, this seems scant evidence to base the idea of non-apostolic authorship upon.

     I believe that the deciding factor in determining who was the author of II and III John comes from church history.  Irenaeus was a church father who was a student of Polycarp.  Polycarp knew the Apostle John personally.  As far as Irenaeus was concerned in his writings, John the Apostle wrote both II and III John.  Many other church fathers concurred with this opinion.

     Those who study II John should also note another debate among Bible scholars.  This debate revolves around to whom the book was written.

     In the opening verse, John states that he is writing to the elect lady and her children whom he loves in the truth.  Just who is this elect lady John is addressing?

     Some Biblical scholars hold to the idea that John was writing to a woman that he knew who may have had a church that was meeting in her home.  This would make II John a very personal letter along the lines of Philemon which was also written to an individual.

     The majority of Bible commentaries hold to a second view, and this is the view that I find myself to be in agreement with.  In this view, John’s address to the elect lady and her children is a figurative way of addressing a local church and its members. This would be in keeping with the idea that the church is the Body of Christ.  This particular viewpoint would also make sense in light of the ending of the epistle when John speaks about greeting the elect lady’s sister.

     Whichever view one holds in this matter, the fact remains that II John is a very important work that has some important messages for us to focus on in the 21^st century. 

    One of the first things that strikes me in II John is John’s continuing pastoral concern.  It seems to me that John was instrumental in founding the church to which II John is written.  I imagine that he worked very hard in establishing this community of believers before moving on to bring the message of Jesus to others.

     John was glad to hear good reports regarding his former congregation.  I can’t imagine much worse than starting a church, seeing it grow and mature and then find out a few years after you’ve left that the congregation is defunct or just barely hanging on to its existence.  It would also be bad to find out that a congregation you had invested so much energy in had given up the teaching of sound doctrine and become non-effective in the promotion of the true faith.  John was happy that none of this was the case with the church that he had helped to build.

     The first major theme that John addresses in II John is the importance of love.  Those of you familiar with I John will recognize the importance the theme of love is given in that epistle.  John says in verse 4 of II John, “And now I ask you lady, not as writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.”  This is what John wanted for those he taught more than anything.  He wanted them to walk in love and to live in love.  The reason being is that this is the same commandment that John received from Jesus when the Lord taught His disciples during the Upper Room Discourse.

     Jesus said in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”  Jesus would also state that the way that people in the world would know that we are His disciples is by the love that His followers would demonstrate towards one another.

     Love is important because Jesus’ ministry is based upon love.  The whole reason that Jesus came to this earth is because He loved us so much.  Because of His great love for us, He was willing to lay down His life on the cross bearing our sins in His body on that tree.  He loved us enough to show us the proper path to follow and the right way to live in this world.  Since Jesus demonstrated such great love for us, He expects us to show his love to others.  We are not called to love just our friends, family and our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are called to love everyone so that they might see Jesus and receive the life and forgiveness that He offers to all who will believe in Him.

     Love for one another is the way in which others will be drawn to the message of Jesus.  When believers do not act out of love for each other, it causes a bad testimony to be created, and people are not then attracted to learn more of the message we have to share about the Lord Jesus. 

     John makes it clear in his first epistle that if we can’t love our brothers and sisters who we can see, how will we be able to love God whom we cannot see.  The people in Antioch were first called Christians the Bible says because of the great love that they had for one another.

     The reason that following the love commandment is of such vital importance is because of the fact that Jesus was all about love.  When I think of Jesus and His ministry on this earth, love is the first thing that comes into my mind.  Jesus loved people and demonstrated great compassion for those whom society and the religious establishment rejected.  Jesus’ love ultimately led him to Calvary where out of love He sacrificed His life to redeem us from our sins.

     So, when we act in love, we are acting like Jesus.  We are showing to the world who our Lord really and truly is. 

     The next theme dealt with in II John is the issue of false doctrine in the church.  John says in verse 7 that many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world.  According to John, these people possess the spirit of antichrist because they are opposed to sound doctrine.

     In John’s day, there were some who taught that Jesus did not have an actual physical body.  Therefore, Jesus didn’t really die on the cross since He wasn’t really in the flesh.  Scripture clearly states that this is a false belief.  John wanted to make sure that this type of false teaching did not enter the churches in which he had a part.

     Just as in John’s day, there are a number of false teachings trying to make their way into the church.  One of the major false teachings about Jesus denies the divinity of Jesus.  Jesus in honored as a good man, good teacher and a prophet, but He is not honored as the God of the universe come in human form.  Any teacher who denies the divinity of Jesus should be avoided in keeping with the advice given by John in this epistle.

     John goes so far as to state in verse 10 and 11 that hospitality should not be afforded to those who deny the essential doctrines surrounding the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Doctrine matters.  What a person believes about Jesus and what His life, death and resurrection has accomplished is crucial for one’s eternal destiny.  Churches and their pastors must be on guard against false belief. 

     One of the best ways to guard against false teaching is to be firmly established in the truth.  Begin by reading the Word so that you will not be led astray. If you have never read through the entire Bible, I would strongly urge you to do so. Pastors need to systematically teach the Word, especially the words of Jesus.  Believers need to attend churches where the Word of the Lord is taught and proclaimed.

     II John may be a very small book, but the messages that it contains are very relevant for us today.  Let’s now see what III John has to teach us.

    

Chapter 5 – III John

     We now move on the John’s third epistle and examine what this work has to teach us.  As part of our study of III John, we will examine one of the most misused verses of Scripture which is found in this short epistle. 

     By way of introduction, let us set up III John.  Like the other two epistles of John which precede it, III John’s author has been traditionally held to be the Apostle John.  As with II John, there is a strain of thought that holds to the idea that an elder named John, and not the Apostle, penned this letter.  As with II John, it is my belief, and the consensus from church history, that John the disciple of the Lord Jesus wrote III John. 

     As to when it was written, we are not entirely certain.  Some believe that of all the New Testaments letters, this may be the one that was written last.  It was most likely written in the 90s AD when John was a very elderly man.

     Unlike II John, the audience for III John is very evident.  III John was written to a man named Gaius.  There are a few men with this name found in the New Testament.  However, Gaius was a very common name in the Roman world.  This Gaius is probably not one of the others with that name found in the New Testament.

     The Gaius to whom John addressed III John is some type of leader in the church that John at one time pastored and may have founded.  This Gaius was a man who showed great hospitality to the travelling ministers who came to share the message of Jesus from church to church.  John commends Gaius’ acts of hospitality, but some in Gaius’ congregation weren’t happy with what he was doing.

     Part of the reason that III John was written was to encourage Gaius and speak well of those in the church who were acting in a Christ-like manner.  Conversely, John also points out in this letter a person in the church who acted contrary to the teachings of Jesus.

     Diotrophes was intent on being the most important person in the church to which III John was addressed.  He wanted to be the sole leader and teacher.  This man did not want anyone else speaking to his congregation.  In fact, he would not show any type of hospitality to those who were going around to the different churches to teach.  John has harsh words for this man and his actions.

     Just like the other small books of the Bible that we have studied thus far, III John is extremely relevant to us today.  One aspect of III John that I want to focus on directly is the greeting that John gives to Gaius at the beginning of the epistle.  This simple greeting is used as a proof text by many of the faith and prosperity teachers who twist this verse to mean something that was never in any way intended.

     The verse in question in III John states, “I would that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.”

     Now, the teaching of the faith teachers on this verse proceeds this way.  Since Jesus makes our souls prosper, and He has given us all good things spiritually through saving us and granting us eternal life, we have abundant soul prosperity.  So, we are to be in health and prosperous just as our souls are.  That means that we should have perfect health and financial blessings as long as we walk faithfully with the Lord.

     Now, this is not what this verse is trying to get across at all.  The Bible clearly does not teach that God wants us all to be rich and that if we follow the Lord we will always be free from sickness and the other hardships of this current life.  There are many people in the Bible and in the history of the church who faithfully followed the Lord and they had terrible health, they were in poverty and they faced great challenges and difficulties in life.

     Let’s analyze the verse.  What John is expressing is a simple greeting to a friend.  He is not trying to make some kind of great doctrinal pronouncement.  John in his greeting is hoping that good things are happening in the life of his friend Gaius.  It would be like saying this if we wrote a letter, “I hope this letter finds you well and that all things are good in your life.”

     To the issue of God desiring that everyone who follows Him to be rich, this is not the teaching of the Scriptures.  Some of those who served and worshipped God did not experience financial prosperity in this world.  The words found in Hebrews 11:36-39 are helpful in addressing this matter.  They state, “Still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes and of chains and imprisonments.  They were stoned, and they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword.  They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented – of who the world is not worthy.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.  And all of these having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.”

    Another example is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  Once He said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus didn’t even have a coin on His person; He had to ask someone to give Him a coin to use for an illustration.

     Furthermore, in the Beatitudes as recorded in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said that those who are poor are numbered amongst the blessed.  The rich receive a pronouncement of woe from the Lord Jesus.  This same sentiment is expressed by the Lord’s brother James in his epistle.

     I believe that this points out quite clearly that God has not promised health and wealth to all who believe. 

     Also, let us touch upon the idea that having enough faith will cause one to be healthy and wealthy.  This has with it the corollary idea that if you are not in good health and/or you are poor, you must have some sin in your life or you lack the necessary faith to receive a blessing from the Lord. 

     This false teaching is clearly refuted by the life of Job and the teachings of the Lord Jesus.  Job was a righteous man, yet Job suffered greatly.  He lost his health and all of his possessions.  These trials did not come upon Job because he lacked faith or he had sin in his life.  Job was called upon to suffer in order to demonstrate the greatness of the Lord and the futility of the plans and purposes of the evil one. 

     Jesus had to confront this false teaching during His earthly ministry.  In John 9, Jesus and His disciples come upon a man who is described as someone who was blind from birth.  The disciples asked Jesus who sinned in order to cause this man to be born blind.  They wondered if the man sinned or if his parents had been the sinners.  Jesus told them that neither party’s sin had caused the man’s current state of affairs. 

     This type of teaching causes many people great spiritual harm.  I will give you an example from my own life.  When I was born, I was born with a congenital immune system disorder.  It particularly affected my ability to fight off respiratory infections.  In the seventh grade, I missed much of the school year due to multiple hospital admissions.

     The church that my family attended had the false notion that if you faced a lot of sickness in your life, then there must have some type of sin in your life.  I always felt condemned and looked down upon.  It took me many years to understand who Jesus really is and what a correct view of God as the Heavenly Father looked like.

     One day, when Jesus returns in power and great glory, all sin, sickness, disease, war and death will be eliminated from the earth.  Now, let’s delve into what the rest of III John has to teach us.

     John commended Gaius for demonstrating hospitality to others and John condemned Diotrophes for not having an hospitable nature.  As followers of Jesus, we should show hospitality to others.  I believe that this means that we are to help those that are in need of our help. 

     There is a great deal of hurting and suffering in the world today.  Many people right in my own nation do not have enough to eat and they don’t have the proper clothes to keep them warm during the winter.  The problem of homelessness continues to confront us here in the United States.

     I thank the Lord for the fact that many churches have started food pantries and clothing ministries to help those in need.  These are important ministries that more and more churches need to become involved in.

     There is so much that needs to be done.  The church of Jesus Christ has a responsibility to step up and help those in this troubled world during these difficult times which we are facing.

     Those who are in the church should have their needs met by those who are their brothers and sisters in the faith.  If there are members of a congregation that need assistance during a tough economic occurrence, the other members need to come alongside and provide whatever help that they can for the brother or sister in need.  This is vital.  It demonstrates to the world that we are truly followers of Jesus Christ.  The world will know that we are Christians when they see the love that we have toward one another which can only overflow to all those for whom Christ died.

     Something else that is important for us to learn from III John comes from the naming of three individuals in this short epistle.  John mentions Gaius, Diotrophes, and Demetrius.  Gaius and Demetrius receive praise.  Diotrophes does not.  What really stood out to me in reading III John was the importance of having a good name spiritually.  Just think about this, Gaius and Demetrius have been recognized for their goodness in churches around the world now for over 2000 years.  Diotrophes is just remembered for his surliness and lack of good behavior. 

     It should be our goal as followers of Jesus to have a good name and a good reputation.  We should be people of an upstanding character that allows us to be effective witness of life in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

     Jesus said that we are to do good works.  When we do what is good, those who are not yet Christ’s will see our good works and give glory to the Lord who is in Heaven. 

     I want to be remembered as someone who tried to follow Jesus with all that he had.  I want to follow Jesus’ commandments, and it is my goal to try to be more like Jesus every day.  I hope that this is the goal of every person who names Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

     III John 11 tells us what the life of a Christian should resemble.  We should not imitate what is evil but we should do good.  John says, “Anyone who does what is good is from God.  Anyone who does evil has not seen God.”

     When a person claims to have faith in Jesus, that faith must be demonstrated by a life of good works.  John speaks about this in I John, and Jesus’ brother James says the same thing very extensively in the epistle that bears his name.

     If someone says that they are a Christian, but they are not doing good, it reflects a lack of possession of faith.  Let us all be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus who are doing as much good in the world as we possibly can so that we can leave this world a little bit better than the way we found it.

     As you can clearly see, for a small book, III John has a lot to teach us.  However, of all the small books that we have studied, none compares with the amount of spiritual teaching we will encounter in the book of Jude.

Chapter 6 – Jude

     We now come to the final book in our study of the Bible’s smallest books.  Jude is a book that is absolutely packed with interesting things to learn.  Of all of the books that we have studied together, I think that Jude may be the most interesting. 

     This little book has been a source of controversy and intrigue for Bible scholars since the time of the early church.

     Let’s begin with some background information.  This epistle was written to a general audience of first century believers and is therefore referred to as one of the general epistles.  It claims to have been written by Jude who is the brother of James who was a prominent leader in the church at Jerusalem.  This James was the probable writer of the epistle of James, and he was Jesus’ half-brother.  Therefore, the man named Jude who wrote this epistle was also a half-brother of Jesus.

     Little is known about Jude’s role in the early church.  He does have this epistle bearing his name, and it seems as if he was a respected leader whose words would readily have been given an audience.

     Most Bible scholars concur that Jude was written sometime near the end of the first century.  The main reason for this conclusion lies in the fact that Jude is concerned with heretical teachers and the prevalence of false doctrine within the church.  The church would probably have had to have been established for a time for such a plethora of false belief to have taken root. 

     There is a continuing question among scholars regarding the relationship between Jude and II Peter.  There are entire portions of Jude and II Peter that are virtually word for word identical.  The question is did Jude borrow from Peter, or did Peter borrow from Jude’s writing?

     Some of those in the early church felt the Jude was merely a copy of II Peter.  They relegated Jude to non-canonical status.  Many in the early church regarded both Jude and II Peter to be outside the canon of Scripture.  However, the church eventually came to the conclusion that both of these epistles should be considered part of the New Testament.  Each book was seen to possess value in its own right.

     One of the main reasons that Jude was not accepted right away was due to the fact that Jude references two non-canonical books within it as if they are authoritative.  Jude mentions an account where Michael the Archangel is in a dispute with Satan over the body of Moses.  This account is taken from a book known as the Assumption of Moses. 

     Apparently, Jude believed this to be an accurate recording of an event that actually took place.  Neither Jewish nor Christian scholars hold to the Assumption of Moses being an authoritative work or being part of the Old Testament canon. 

     Also, Jude speaks of Enoch prophesying the Second Coming of Jesus.  This is supposed to be the same Enoch who was taken to Heaven by God because he was a righteous man.  There is a Book of Enoch that cites this prophecy that is not considered part of the Hebrew Bible. 

     So, what do we make of this?  In my opinion, just because these accounts are contained in non-canonical books does not mean that they did not occur.  Obviously they did, or they would not be recorded in the Scriptures. 

     It is also possible that Jude is referencing these stories to prove a point.  Often, we will reference a story from mythology to get a point across.  Jude may be doing this, but I don’t think that this is the case. 

     Jude did not originally intend to write his epistle on the subject of the dangers of false teachers and teachings in the church.  He intended to write an epistle dealing with the common salvation we have through knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

     However, Jude had to change his plans when he realized that those who taught false doctrines had come into the church and were leading many people astray.  In fact, Jude said that these false teachers perverted the grace of God into sensuality and denied Jesus Christ.

     Jude urges his readers to “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered for the saints.”  This is still something that is important for us to do today. 

     We live in a day and age when many churches no longer teach much about Christian theology.  Many people in the pews don’t know what they believe or why they are supposed to believe it.  Because of this, there is a great deal of unorthodox teaching in the church today.

     As believers in Jesus Christ, we have as part of our responsibility the mission of standing up for sound doctrine.  We should do this with gentleness and with respect and not in some type of militant or hateful manner.

     We will not be able to earnestly contend for the faith if we do not know theology and sound doctrine ourselves.  Therefore, we need to be students of the Word and students of the theological disciplines.

     If we encounter those who are attempting to bring false teachings into our assemblies, we should by the use of Scripture address the errors that they are attempting to introduce.  We then need to demonstrate from the Bible what the correct and orthodox teaching truly is.

     It seems fairly clear from the text in Jude that Jude was dealing with two particular false beliefs that were being disseminated among the churches where his epistle was to be read.  The first of these beliefs is known as antinomianism.  The Apostle Paul also addressed this problem. 

      Antinomianism is a doctrine that promotes a false idea of grace.  According to Paul in Romans 6, some were teaching that we should sin so that grace could abound all the more.  To this idea, Paul said, “God forbid”.

     I’ve encountered this teaching in a modified form today.  People will say that we sin every day, and there is really nothing that we can do about it.  Just ask Jesus to forgive you and move on.  Others will do something that they know is wrong and then comment, “Well, God will forgive me if I ask Him anyway.”

     This type of belief is trampling upon the grace of God and turning toward sensuality just as spoken of by Jude.  Those of us who name the name of Jesus are to be those who follow the path of Christ and obey His commandments and His teachings.  Jesus said that if we truly love Him we will keep His commandments.  He also said that He can call us His friends if we do those things that He has said.

     If we truly love and serve Jesus, we will not have a cavalier attitude toward sin in our lives.  When we sin, we will repent, and then with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will attempt to amend our lives so that we don’t fall into sin in that same way again and again and again.

     In the matter of false teachings in the church, I just want to comment on the other area that Jude addresses which is also prevalent in the church today. 

     The easiest way to detect false teaching is to see what that teaching does with the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Almost every false teaching will have a wrong teaching about who Jesus is and what He did.

      For instance, many will deny that Jesus was God come in the flesh.  In our day and age, this takes the form of those who say that Jesus was just a good man or a prophet.  Even many in Christian churches will deny the divinity of Jesus.  They deny His miracles and His supernatural virgin birth. 

     Also prevalent, even in the church today, is a discounting of the substitutionary atonement of Christ.  They will deny that Jesus died in our place taking upon Himself our sin and the punishment that was due because of sin against a Holy God. 

     Jude doesn’t have anything good to say about false teachers.  He compares them to Cain, Balaam, Korah, brute beasts and the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.

     Cain murdered his brother Able.  He brought a sacrifice that was unacceptable to God, and hated his brother for doing what was right.  He was truly an evil man.

     Balaam was a prophet who was willing to prophecy whatever someone asked as long as the price was right.  He was even going to curse the people of God until he was stopped by a talking donkey. 

     Korah did not respect the God ordained authority that was given to Moses.  He rebelled, and he and his followers were punished by God.

     False teachers also revile spiritual beings.  Jude said that even when Michael was contending with Satan over the body of Moses, Michael said the Lord rebuke you.  He didn’t try to fight evil in his own power; he invoked the power of the Lord who is the only one who has the power to defeat pure evil.

     One of the signs that we are living in the last days before the return of Jesus is the fact that more and more false teachers will arise.  There are many today who are not teaching the true orthodox doctrines of the Christian faith.  Many people are being led astray because doctrine is not preached that much anymore.  Often, the church service seems more like a performance than a place where the Word of the Lord is taught in depth.

     However, even in the midst of these trying times, we as believers in Jesus are to build ourselves up in the faith.  We are to keep praying in the power of the Holy Spirit and sharing the message of Jesus’ love. 

     We know that just as Enoch prophesied, Jesus will come again and establish His kingdom with power and great glory.  Love, justice and goodness will prevail.  Every knee throughout the universe will bow and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.

     With this thought in mind, we are to spread the message of salvation.  We are to live in such a way that we will not be ashamed should the Lord come at this very moment.  Even so, come Lord Jesus.

    The final two verses in the book of Jude are among the most beautiful in all of the Bible.  The Lord is the one who keeps us in the faith and keeps us on the narrow way that leads to eternal life. He will lead us all the way to glory where we will enjoy His presence for all of eternity.  All will be filled with joy and happiness.

     All glory, power, dominion and majesty belongs to the Lord both now and forevermore.

Conclusion

     As we have clearly seen, the smallest books of the Bible contain powerful messages for us today.  In this book, I have really only skimmed the surface of these books.  I urge you to continue your study of these smallest books of the Bible.  Dig deeper into them, and learn what it is God would have you to know.  May God bless you all.  Amen.