Truth Magazine

By Don R. Hastings

I am a preacher who does not get his feelings hurt easily. It is advantageous for preachers to be “thick skinned.” It is good to let cutting remarks go in one ear and immediately out the other. Don’t let the insult lodge in your mind and you will find it easier for you to obey God’s precepts found in Ephesians 4:31,32.

However, the persistent little jobs about preaching too long are making a sore spot on my “thick skin.” I know exactly how long I preach! I can read a clock. The watch on my wrist is not there just for decoration. I can see the clock in the back of the auditorium. I strongly detest clocks in the front of the auditorium or on the side wall near the front of the auditorium.

Am I preaching too long? What is too long? Will someone give us a short, but clear definitive answer? The apostle, Paul, a preacher whom all preachers should strive to imitate, “prolonged his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7). Did he preach too long? Remember, Eutychus went to sleep during his sermon, “fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead” (Acts 20:9). I know: I am not the apostle Paul; he left the next day; and I couldn’t bring one back to life.

Paul was not a dynamic orator. He didn’t use “persuasive words of wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:4). His enemies said that “his speech of no account” (2 Cor. 10:10). If anyone complained that Paul, or any other preacher of the gospel, preached too long, it is not recorded in the Bible. It was a blessing that they didn’t have clocks or watches in their worship services. Do you think someone took a sun dial to the worship services and held it up for the preacher to see?

God is observing our worship of him and he hears the numerous complaints about the worship service lasting too long. He knows the anger in the hearts of his children because the worship service lasted longer than one hour. With whom will, he find fault in the judgment day? This should be of great concern to all of us.

Will God find fault with the preacher who is: faithfully preaching the soul-saving gospel; speaking the truth in love; fervent and zealous in proclaiming his love for mankind; boldly defining what is sin and calling on sinners to repent; preaching his whole counsel; a diligent student of his word who delivers lessons that have been carefully thought out so the message is clear and true to the Book; preaching 40 to 45 minutes; etc.? The answer is an emphatic “No!” God will condemn the evangelist who is not doing “the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5).

Will God find fault with the worshiper who is: worried about how many verses of a song are sung, how long the prayer lasts, how long it takes to partake of the Lord’s Supper, and how long the preacher preaches; fretting about eating lunch at one o’clock instead of twelve o’clock; anxious for services to be over so he, or she, can go visiting, watch ball games, go to work, take a nap, etc.; not hungering and thirsting after righteousness because of little spiritual appetite; not worshiping him with the whole heart for the body is present, but the mind is absent; etc.? The answer is an emphatic, “Yes!” (Amos 8:4-10) How can we think, that our worship of our Creator and Redeemer, is acceptable to him when we resent assembling with the saints to praise him and study his word for more than the maximum 4 hours a week?

Our eyes should be filled with tears when we realize that our standard for determining the worth of a worship service is how long did it last! How sad that a gospel sermon is criticised if it lasts 40 minutes, or longer, but praised if the sermon is 30 minutes or shorter. Preachers are often held in contempt for being long-winded if they preach longer than 30 minutes and praised if they will “boil” the sermon down to 30 minutes or less.

God wants preachers to: “suffer hardships”; preach his word exactly like it is written; seek the lost; try to restore the erring; and practice what they preach. God wants his worshipers to worship him “in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:23,24). He wants them to be caught up in the acts of worship for they glorify and exalt him and build up the faith of the worshipers. Heaven is a place where true worshipers will worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever. Will you be there? Do you want to be there? There will be no clocks in heaven!

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, p. 651
November 5, 1992

By Brooks Cochran

Once back in the 1950s I was in a drug store looking over the selection of paperback books that were for sale. One certain book caught my attention, or at least its title. It was George Orwell’s 1984. At the time I thought to myself: “1984 is a long way into the future.”

Well, that “long way into the future” has come and gone! In a few short years we will be living in the 21st century. It only seems like yesterday that we were living in the 50s (at least to those of us who grew up during that time). But the same could be said of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. My grandmother Cochran’s father stayed up the night of December 31, 1899 thinking over the 19th century and wondering what the 20th century held in store for man. I suppose that others in similar fashion will do the same on December 31, 1999.

The Bible admonishes us concerning the swiftness of time. Job compared his days to the swiftness of a “weaver’s shuttle. ” Jesus told his disciples that “we must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (Jn. 9:4). Paul tells us to redeem “the time (buy up the opportunities), because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16; cf. Col. 4:5; Gal. 6:10). We are being warned by God that our lives come and go so fast that we had best make the most of what time we do have.

We are all stewards of the time God has given us in which to live our lives on earth. At the judgment we will give an account to him as to how we have used this time (cf. 1 Cor. 4:2; Matt. 25:37-40, 44-46). We must, therefore, evaluate our lives insofar as our service to God is concerned. There is much that needs to be done in this great service. Life is too short for us to waste time! Resolve now to do all that you are able for God in whatever time he may allow you to enjoy.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, p. 649
November 5, 1992

By Partick Donahue

The charge of “Phariseeism” has been made by many in the religious world in recent times. I believe that many, if not all, of those making the charge misunderstand what Phariseeism really was. According to their view of Phariseeism, as seen in their explanations for their charges, the “arch-enemy” of the Pharisees in biblical times, Jesus Christ himself, would be charged a Pharisee!

What Really Was Phariseeism?

Before we proceed further to prove our proposition that “Jesus would be called a Pharisee today,” let’s look closely at the Scriptures to see why the Pharisees were actually condemned. According to my Bible, the Pharisees were guilty of:

1. Thinking that they needed no help (Matt. 9:10-13; Lk. 7:36-47; Jn. 9:39-41; Lk. 18:10-14)

2. Neglecting the weightier matters of the law (Matt. 23:23)

3. Being hypocritical (Matt. 23:3,5; Lk. 11:47-48)

4. Trying to trick Jesus (Matt. 22:15-22; 22:23-33)

5. Transgressing the commandment of God with their tradition (Matt. 15:1-9). The Pharisees were certainly sinners, but not in the way that most religionists view them today.

Denominationalists Charge Christians With Phariseeism

No doubt many Christians have been accused of being Pharisees by denominationalists. Notice that Jesus would have been accused of many of the most common of these charges, which are listed below.

Jesus Taught That Salvation Is Connected With Obedience

Have you ever been looked down upon because you didn’t go along with the theory that “our works have nothing whatsoever to do with our salvation”? Take comfort in the fact that you are in the company of Jesus on this point. Notice that in Matthew 7:21 Jesus taught, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Hebrews 5:9 reads, “And being made perfect, he (Jesus) became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”

Jesus “Argued the Bible”

Matthew 22:15-46 could well be termed one long Bible argument between Jesus and the Pharisees. Thankfully, Jesus “won the argument” (v. 46). Jesus even argued the Bible with the devil himself in Matthew 3:11.

Jesus Didn’t Affirm That “You Believe Like You Believe, and I’ll Believe Like I Believe”

Many denominational people say this when made to feel uncomfortable by the Scriptures. I wonder if Paul was ascribing to this obvious cop out, when he said in 2 Timothy 2:17-18, “And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.” Jesus obviously expected everyone to believe his one certain way, because he said in John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Paul thought that it mattered what someone believes or teaches; he taught in Galatians 1:6-9 that teaching any gospel different from what he taught would bring about a curse.

Jesus Thought That “There Is Only One Way”

Denominationalists teach that there are many ways to heaven; that it is possible for non-believers to be saved if they haven’t heard the gospel; also, that it doesn’t matter what a Christian believes. Some call anybody who believes otherwise a bigoted, dogmatic Pharisee. Again, Jesus becomes the accused. He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Ephesians 4:4 says that there is but “one faith,” many false teachers’ “good words and fair speeches” (Rom. 16:18) notwithstanding.

Jesus Taught That “His Little Group Was the Only One Going to Heaven”

Christians are sometimes ridiculed for believing that there is only one true body, or church. Evidently, Jesus thought the same, as he only mentioned one when he said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church” (singular). In addition, Ephesians 4:4 states unequivocally that there is just “one body.”

Jesus Was Concerned About the Outside As Well As the Inside

An acquaintance of mine once told an off-color joke in my presence. When I questioned him about it, he assured me that God was concerned about the inside, not the outside; that God knew that he had a good heart. My first thought was that it was too bad Jesus didn’t know that principle. Instead, Jesus said in Matthew 15:18, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”

Jesus Thought That “Doctrine Was Important”

It seems that, nowadays, anybody who thinks that it is important to be right about doctrine is labeled a Pharisee. Jesus will have to accept the same label because he said in Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Romans 6:17 reads, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” 2 John 9 teaches that if one does not abide in the doctrine of Christ,” he “hath not God.”

Conclusion

As can be easily seen, according to the denominationalist’s view of Phariseeism, Jesus Christ himself could be called a Pharisee. Therefore, we shouldn’t get discouraged if some call us a Pharisee for simply following in the steps of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:21). We must not let false accusations keep us from continuing to follow Jesus’ example, even if it does mean being called a Pharisee. In our next article, we will consider some charges of Phariseeism that Christians make against other Christians, that again, could be levied verbatim against Jesus.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, pp. 646-647
November 5, 1992

By Dan King

The current climate in our nation regarding divorce and the breakup of the traditional home is not only appalling to good men and women everywhere, but is abhorrent to the God of heaven. The same general circumstance which led the Lord to say, “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16), surely makes him view this spiritual mess with disgust! The old prophet spoke of the altar of the Lord being covered with tears (v. 13), undoubtedly the tears of women left in the lurch, having been forsaken by their husbands once their youthfulness and beauty had dimmed. “I gave that man the best years of my life, and this is what I have, to show for it,” says a woman with a divorce decree in her hand. Her story is repeated thousands of times over in this nation every year. God said of Israel’s sorry state: “The Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant” (v. 14).

Admittedly, these days it can happen the other way around. Women also leave their husbands for a variety of reasons. But one will be aware, from simple observation, that most of the time it is the women who get the “short end of the stick” in these situations. They are left with children to feed and to raise, on a limited income, and are forced to live in relative poverty. Statistics show that a large segment of our population living below the “poverty line” are single mothers, many of whom are divorced and raising children alone. The children are left without fathers, or have them only on weekends, and the result here is also catastrophic. Malachi explained God’s ultimate end in the preservation of the family: “That he might seek a godly seed” (v. 15). Again, statistics prove (not surprisingly), that a majority of youthful lawbreakers come from broken homes. Our nation is on a downward slide in terms of the number of criminals and the violence of the crimes they commit, because a majority of these people have grown up in frustration and privation – the results of divorce and the hostilities that led to it.

For those of us who still care, the words of Christ in the New Testament give little consolation to the person contemplating taking this road out of marriage. In Mark 10 and Luke 16, there are parallels to those teachings about which we so often quarrel when we talk about divorce (namely Matt. 5:32; and 19:9). Here, however, there is no talk of “exceptions”; rather, the rule is stated: “Everyone that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery” (Lk. 16:18; cf. Mk. 10:11-12). Those people who first read these gospel accounts were not aware that there were any exceptions. They were only made aware of the rule: one man and one woman for life! I am not here denying the validity of the “exception” for adultery, as stated in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9; but I am denying that the exception is the rule! The decree of Jesus is that there is to be no divorce. We would be much better off were we to get that into our heads and our hearts. Homes would be much more stable, problems would get worked out, and children would grow up in a more nurturing environment. The result would be an improvement for the entire nation.

The Jewish scholar C.G. Montefiore commented on Matthew 5:32: “In these verses the originality of Jesus is made manifest. So far, in the Sermon on the Mount, we have found nothing which goes beyond Rabbinic religion and Rabbinic morality, or which greatly differs from them. Here we do. The attitude of Jesus towards women is very striking. He breaks through oriental limitations in more directions than one. For (1) he associates with, and is much looked after by, women in a manner which was unusual; (2) he is more strict about divorce; (3) he is also more merciful and compassionate. He is a great champion of womanhood. And in this combination of freedom and pity, as well as in his strict attitude to divorce, he makes a new departure of enormous significance and importance. If he had done no more than this, he might justly be regarded as one of the great teachers of the world” (Rabbinic Literature and Gospel Teaching 46-47).

Montefiore recognized from his study of Matthew 5:32 and its parallels what many people do not. Most of modern society and much of sectarian “Christianity” has forgotten just how “strict” Jesus really was on divorce. Let us not number among them. Let us marry and live with his rule in view: One man and one woman till death parts!

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 21, p. 645
November 5, 1992