“Some who have much to say about the Sermon on the Mount are strangely silent about the Olivet discourse. They argue that nobody understands it. But a message that begins with the words “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4), certainly was not meant to confuse, but to clarify.”

~Vance Havner

The Olivet Discourse:

Temple Destruction Foretold (see also Mark 13:1-9; Luke 21:5-9)

1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2And Jesus said unto them, “See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

4And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you.

False Christs

5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Witnessing to All Nations (see also Mark 13:10-13; Luke 21:10-19)

9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The Abomination of Desolation (see also Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24)

15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:

21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25Behold, I have told you before.

The Return of the Son of Man (see also Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28)

26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The lesson of the Fig Tree (see also Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33)

32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Be Ready at Any Hour (see also Genesis 6:1-7; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-48)

36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 4

9And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Olivet Discourse Continued — the Lord’s return tests the real state of the kingdom in mystery — be wise, be prepared — always

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The Lord’s return tests the servants

The Parable of the Talents (see also Luke 19:11-27)

14For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Lord’s return tests the Gentile nations

The Sheep and the Goats

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

1And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

2“Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.”

3Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

The Olivet Discourse — Matthew 24 & 25 — King James Version

                                             Matthew 26:1-2 — King James Version (for context)

The Lesson of Carmel: God’s Power

By Vance Havner

The God that answereth by fire, let him be God.
I Kings 18:24

The great day on Carmel had all the element’s of a mighty moving of God. There was the promise of showers of blessing (v.1). There were the human efforts of Ahab and Obadiah to meet the need of the hour (2-16). There was God’s man who was in a sense the troubler of Israel as the disturber of a false peace (17-20). There was the call to take a stand for God or Baal (21). There was the test of fire. Not “the God that answereth by finances or fame or feelings” but “by fire” (24). There was the repairing of broken altars (30). No wonder we read, “then the fire of the Lord fell” (38), and “There is a sound of abundance of rain” (41).

Elijah prayed down both fire and water. We need both today. And we can have both. When the Fire of His Spirit falls from above, the floods of His blessing are sure to follow.

The Lesson of the Cave: God’s Presence

By Vance Havner

And after the fire a still small voice.
I Kings 19:12

It was the day after Carmel. The day after the big day can be a very bad day. From His baptism our Lord went to meet the devil. After the third heaven, Paul came to his thorn in the flesh.

But Elijah learned at the cave what he never learned on Carmel. We make so much these days of wind, fire, and earthquake, of the sensational and spectacular, of the dramatic demonstration on Carmel. We measure everything by “How big?” and “How loud?” God’s voice in the cave was still and small. He does indeed speak in wind, fire, and quake, but those are occasional. Woe unto us if we are so deafened by the whirlwind that we cannot hear the whisper!

We are in great danger of going from one Carmel to another, living on excitement, mass meetings, and amazing demonstrations, that we need a session in the cave. Let us not deafen our ears to the quiet moving of God’s Spirit in hundreds of humble hearts whose work of faith and labor of love will outlast anything on Carmel.

The Unbelievers’ Examination of Jesus’ Miracle in John 9

Christians believe that Jesus worked miracles for two primary reasons: (1) a supernatural Creator exists (see Lyons and Butt, 2014), Who is capable of working supernatural miracles in accordance with His will, and (2) the Bible is the inspired Word of God (see Butt and Lyons, 2015), which testifies to the miracles of Christ. Of significance is the fact that the Bible does not record the miracles of Christ in a flippant, feel-good, hocus-pocus type of manner. On the contrary, the accounts of Jesus’ miracles are consistently characterized with reason and restraint. At times, there was great investigation that took place—even by Jesus’ enemies—in hopes of discrediting Him.

Consider, for example, the occasion on which Jesus gave sight to a man born blind (John 9:7). After receiving his sight, neighbors and others examined him, inquiring how he was now able to see. Later he was brought to the Pharisees, and they scrutinized him. They questioned him about the One who caused him to see, and then argued among themselves about the character of Jesus. They called for the parents of the man who was blind, and questioned them about their son’s blindness. Then they called upon the man born blind again, and a second time questioned him about how Jesus opened his eyes. Finally, when they realized the man would not cave in to their intimidating interrogation and say some negative thing about Jesus, “they cast him out” (9:34). They rejected him, and the One Who made him well. Yet, they were unable to deny the miracle that Jesus performed. It was known by countless witnesses that this man was born blind, but, after coming in contact with Jesus, his eyes were opened.

The entire case of Jesus healing the blind man in John 9 was scrutinized thoroughly by Jesus’ enemies, yet even they had to admit that Jesus caused the man to see (John 9:16,17,24,26). It was a fact, accepted, not by credulous youths, but by hardened, veteran enemies of Christ. Considering that positive testimony from hostile witnesses is the weightiest kind of testimony in a court of law, such reactions from Jesus’ enemies are extremely noteworthy in any discussion on the miracles of Christ.

REFERENCES

Butt, Kyle and Eric Lyons (2015), “3 Good Reasons to Believe the Bible is from God,” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1180.

Lyons, Eric and Kyle Butt (2014), “7 Reasons to Believe in God,” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1175&article=2452.

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“Don’t be a quitter because somebody criticizes you. Many a choir singer has performed until somebody hurt her feelings. Then the nightingale became a raven croaking “Nevermore!””

~Vance Havner

Besides Him There Is No Other

April 3, 2015

“You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.” — Deuteronomy 4:35

A note to our readers: The Jewish celebration of Passover begins tonight, April 3, at sunset, and will be observed for the next eight days through April 11. During Passover, we will offer daily devotional reflections tied to this very special observance. Since some of the days during the Passover celebration are non-working days, the devotions were prepared for you in advance.

As we recount the Exodus story this Passover, I want to point out a seemingly minor detail. In Exodus 13:17, Scripture tells us that “God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” You see, God could have led the Israelites on a shorter route to the Promised Land, but in His infinite wisdom, He could see that the Israelites weren’t ready for battle just yet, and so He took them another way.

Verse 18 reveals that “. . . God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea . . .” The Jewish sages ask: Is this any better? We know how the story unfolds. The children of Israel ended up in a battle of sorts anyway. Just days after freeing the Israelites, Pharaoh changed his mind. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites, who then found themselves trapped between the Egyptians and the sea. How was this the better way?

The answer can be found in the book of Deuteronomy, where Scripture teaches us: “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.” Let’s explain these words that are so powerful that they have become one of Judaism’s most well-known songs.

God intentionally placed the Israelites in a situation where they had no choice but to depend completely on a supernatural miracle from Him. God wanted to show the Israelites in an obvious way that He is the Master of all Creation. There is nothing but God — in the world, running the world, and when necessary, breaking the rules of nature that He Himself made. Later on, after much practice of faith, the Israelites would be able to face their enemies without supernatural intervention. They would be able to see God when He wasn’t so obviously present and would have the faith necessary to defeat their enemies. But at that time, God had a lesson to teach: “Ein od milvado,” translated in the Jewish Bible as “there is nothing but Him.”

We, too, need to take these words into our hearts and into our lives. When we find ourselves in a difficult situation, remember, “There is nothing but God.” He will help you through it. When someone insults you, remember, “There is nothing but God.” He is trying to teach you something through that person. When you or a loved one falls ill, remind yourself, “There is nothing but God.” He can heal anyone. Whenever a solution to our problem seems impossible, think “There is nothing but God.” He parted the sea for Israel and He can do the impossible for us, too.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Come and See

By Vance Havner

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
John 1:46

Philip did not let Nathanael sidetrack him into a discussion of whether or not any good things could come out of Nazareth. That was irrelevant and Philip was no authority on the matter. After all, the best way to settle that question, as well as all others, was, “Come and see for yourself.” Jesus was just out of Nazareth, and Nathanael could soon find out the answer to his query.

The devil likes to sidetrack us from the real issue. The woman at Jacob’s well raised secondary matters until the Lord brought her to face her sin and Himself as the Messiah.

Do not let people dodge the real issue by raising a lot of unimportant questions. Tell them to come to Christ and see for themselves. He is in Himself the answer to all our problems. Whatever you may not understand, whatever puzzles you, do no try to solve such things one by one. Come to Him and He will dispel your doubts and you will say with Nathanael, “Thou art the Son of God!”

The Gospel of Salvation

by Pastor Paul M. Sadler

The Word of God teaches, “The wages of sin is death.”  When Christ stepped across the stars into this world of sin and woe, death was powerless over Him.  Christ knew no sin!  He was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God; therefore death could not lay its icy grip upon His shoulder.

Tell me then, how is it that, at the end of His earthly ministry, He’s suffering and dying in shame and disgrace?  You see, Christ wasn’t dying for His sins, for He knew no sin (II Corinthians 5:21; I John 3:5).  He was dying for your sins and my sins upon that cruel tree.  Our sins and iniquities were laid upon Him that He might redeem us back to God through His precious blood.

Now God turns to a lost and dying world with the good news of Calvary.  Simply believe that Christ died for your sins personally, and rose again the third day, and God will wonderfully save you from the wrath to come, according to the riches of His grace.  Do you know the joy of sins forgiven?  If not, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:13; I Corinthians 15:3,4).

Dark Day

By Vance Havner

Who is among you that…walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.
Isaiah 50:10

These are not merely days of disaster but days of darkness, when there is no sense of God’s presence, when He seems to hide His face. Like Job, we go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but we cannot perceive Him: on the left hand, where He doth work, but we cannot behold Him: and He hideth Himself on the right hand, that we cannot see Him.

These are days when the unexplainable happens, the dark sinister things that doesn’t make sense, when our experience is against us, when we can feel no inspiration, when all we have believed seems crushed and Satan laughs and tells us our faith is a fraud.

God trusts some of His children with a walk in the dark. They may even so leave this world. But He will raise them all in the morning. And never do we glorify Him more than when we trust in His Name and stay upon Him, anyhow, come what may, regardless.

The Truth Of Christ

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

“As the truth of Christ is in me…” (II Corinthians 11:10).

How often St. Paul, in his letters, speaks with an oath! “God is my witness” (Romans 1:9), “As God is true” (II Corinthians 1:18), “Behold, before God, I lie not” (Galatians 1:20), “God is my record” (Philippians 1:8), “I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not” (I Timothy 2:7).

As Dean Howson has said: “When Paul makes a solemn statement under the sense of God’s presence, he does not hesitate to express this.”

But had not others spoken under the sense of God’s presence? Of course they had, yet Paul calls God to witness far more often than any other Bible writer. Why is this? The answer is found in the distinctive character of Paul’s ministry as the apostle of “the mystery.” John the Baptist, the four evangelists and the twelve apostles did not need to speak with oaths since they proclaimed that which had already been prophesied. But with Paul it was different. Separate from the twelve, who were widely known as the apostles of Christ, Paul had been raised up to make known a wonderful secret which God had kept hidden from all who had gone before. While not a contradiction of prophecy, this secret had nevertheless not been prophesied; it was a new revelation. Hence it was appropriate that the Apostle should insist again and again that he wrote as in the presence of God.

As we consider Paul’s oaths, however, we must ask ourselves whether anyone ever used the oath with more solemn sincerity. Did anyone ever suffer so intensely for the truths he proclaimed, or pay so dearly to convince others of them? Could anyone say with such simplicity to those who knew him best:

“Ye know… after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations [testings]… and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you…” (Acts 20:18-20).

Every Day Counts

April 6, 2015

“‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks.’” — Leviticus 23:15

A note to our readers: The Jewish celebration of Passover began on April 3 and will be observed through April 11. During this time of Passover, we will offer daily devotional reflections tied to this very special observance. Since some of the days during the Passover celebration are non-working days, the devotions were prepared for you in advance.

Beginning on the second night of Passover, Jewish people initiate another biblical commandment that can be found in Leviticus 23:15, “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks.” This directive which begins on Passover and continues until the holiday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, requires us to count every single day of the 49 days between the two holidays. It is a time period full of significance as we spiritually prepare to receive the Torah all over again on Shavuot, which marks the day of the original revelation at Mount Sinai.

Consider the following laws associated with the counting of these days, which is known as the Omer. The first requirement is that the blessing recited before counting the day must be recited at night. This is because in Judaism the “day” actually begins at sundown, or at night. This can be traced back to the beginning of time when God created the world. In Genesis 1:5, God specifies: “And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.” Night, followed by day, is considered a “day.” If a person forgets to recite the blessing at night, he or she may still count the next day, but without a blessing.

Additionally, if one forgets to count the Omer during the night and during the day, forgetting the entire day, no matter if it’s on day 2 or day 45, he or she must continue counting for the duration of the 49 days without a blessing. That one lost day affects the rest of the counting.

It’s also notable to consider the manner of the counting. From days one through six, we simply state the number of the day, “Today is day number four, today is day number five,” and so on. On complete weeks, we state the number of days and weeks, “Today is 28 days which is four weeks.” For all other days, we state the number of days, the number of weeks, and the number of days we have passed in the current week, “Today is 33 days which is four weeks and five days.”

Why are the laws so specific and demanding for this time period?

These days are designated for self-growth, and the Torah wanted to emphasize the point of how critical each day is, of how much potential lies in every day – from the moment it begins. To lose one day, to waste even half a day, is a huge loss. I once read a quote that said, “People live like they will never die and die as if they never lived.” The message of the counting is to make every day count. Each day is a priceless opportunity – how will you spend yours today?

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Retarded Growth

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

What joy and fellowship there is in gatherings where the newly-saved are present! In the spiritual realm, as well as in the physical, everyone loves a baby! But the joy that fills the hearts of loving parents is turned to bitter sorrow and disappointment if their babe fails to grow. The latter condition is as unspeakably sad and embarrassing as the former is joyous. Just so it is in the realm of the spirit. The “carnal” Christian has failed to grow. He continues in a state of protracted infancy. He must be kept exclusively on a milk diet because, though saved for years, he is still unable to “bear,” or digest, solid food, still “unskillful in the Word” and needing to be taught the elementary things.

Retarded spiritual growth is evidenced in many ways, all of which come under the heading of carnality or fleshliness. The Corinthians, so sternly rebuked for their carnality by the Apostle Paul, are said to have been careless about morals (I Corinthians 5:1), puffed up (I Corinthians 4:18; 5:2), inconsiderate of each other (I Corinthians 6:1-7; 8:1,9,12), stingy (II Corinthians 8:6-11; 11:7-9). While possessing the Spirit, they walked after the flesh.

One of the most marked indications of retarded spiritual growth is self-interest and party strife, as seen in the case of the Corinthian believers. They were spiritually small and petty, so that the Apostle had to write to them:

“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

“For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (I Corinthians 3:3,4)

Thus Peter’s exhortation to “newborn babes” to “desire the pure milk of the Word” that they may “grow thereby,” is prefaced by the words: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings” (I Peter 2:1). The carnal nature is not appropriate soil for spiritual growth.

Garments of Gray

By Vance Havner

Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together.
Deuteronomy 22:11

Let thy garments be always white.
Ecclesiastes 9:8

Jewett says, “Worldly compromise takes the medium line between white and black and wears an ambiguous gray.” An American statesman says, “The values of life which were clear to the Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers have become dim and fuzzy in outline.”

We live today in a twilight zone, a hazy condition of low visibility. Black and white have become a smudge of indefinite grey.

God despises mixtures. Our Lord says He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth – and lukewarm is another word for the same state of compromise.

“Abhor that which is evil.” The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” He that is not with me is against me.” There is no mild tolerance here.

God abominates garments of gray. If we are to wear white hereafter, better practice it here!