–D.C. Adkisson  (Winter of the Wolves)

 

       “Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”
                         –Titus 1:9 (NKJV)
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                         “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching
                 ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
                                             –2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

“Doctrine divides!”  I’ve heard it many times, especially recently.  That is contrary to the truth–the truth is that true doctrine unites!   What Christian can deny the Apostles’ Creed?

               I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
               I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.  The third day he rose again from the dead.  He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.  From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
               I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.

Now, don’t get yourself in an uproar.  The term “catholic” means the true Christian church of all times and all places.  It has nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, or the Vatican.  So rest easy.  But we see that we are unified in Christ–the doctrine is true and sound.
       People say they don’t need doctrine or theology, and Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote that the day will come when men “will not endure sound doctrine.”  They continue on to say they want a “relationship” not a religion or a theology.  However, if a person really wants a right and deep relationship with God they must have a theology.  Theology is simply the “study of God.”  Why wouldn’t we want to study the Person with whom we want a relationship?
       “It is good theology, not feelings, that will sustain us in life and comfort us as we wrestle with death.” (Alistair Begg)  We must adhere to “sound doctrine” never letting it fade from our hearts and minds.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, “If your doctrine is wrong, your life will be wrong.”  He continued to say, “My sense of obedience to God compels me to discover as far as I can what He means by them [doctrine].”  It is vital in these last days that we guard the truth–the doctrine.
       People want to interpret the Bible for their own desires; interpret it to mean what they want it to mean rather than taking it at face value as the words of God.  By refusing false doctrine, the pseudo-believer makes themselves a god.  Interpreting the Scripture the way they want it makes their words and thoughts equal to God’s.  They go the way of their own desires.  They seek out teachers who no longer teach the authoritative, infallible, inspirational Word of God.  Truth (doctrine) then becomes relative–relative to their whims.  
       Remember the words from Paul to Timothy regarding the Word:  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine…”  Get that?  The first thing we do with the Word is adhere to the doctrine.  Then Paul adds, “for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV)  Stay firm in the faith, do not be like the children of Israel who “did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, NKJV)  Soon they were clamoring for a king, not the God of their fathers.  God granted their wish and nothing but trouble followed.  Those who seek to do what is right in their own eyes, seeking those who will itch their ears are calling for a king.  God will grant their wishes, for upon the scene of mankind a ruthless king will arise–the Antichrist.
       In these days–last days or not–hold to the doctrine.  Do not be swayed by feelings or false teachers (read 1 John), but continue to stand upon the foundation that has been laid out.  “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”  (1 Timothy 4:16, NKJV)

                         –Elmer Kelton  (The Man Who Rode Midnight)

       “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

                         –Revelation 7:17(NKJV)
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How do you take life?  You can’t hide your head in the sand like an ostrich, nor can you run to the caves in the mountains for life will follow you.  Oh, some take that last great escape and take their own life, but in reality do they?  Life, and death, is in the hands of God, but it is up to us to deal with the living of it.  
       They are many philosophies concerning life.  That tells you that man has and is interested in living it.  Idealism, existentialism, pessimism, optimism, fatalism, postmodernism, and all the other isms you can think of along with the many different religions of the world.  One thing I do know, disagree if you will, but one must have a proper view of eternity to face life properly.
       Jesus understood life, and death.  He came to this world to live as a man, to experience what you and I experience:  the ugliness, the poverty, the cheating, the arrogance, the loneliness. . . you go ahead and add to the list.  I am reminded of a song by Gladness Jennings–The Street Where the Lonely Walk.  Here is a verse and chorus.

               “The street where the party is, where lights blaze–and glare,
               The gay and the debonair throng this thoroughfare;
               Amid all the gaudiness and much seeming bliss
               Loneliness stalks its prey, and death finds a way.

                         Oh!  Holy Spirit–This is my pray’r
                         Make me a blessing–to somebody there
                         The street where the glory is is pretty to see;
                         But the street where the lonely walk is calling to me!”

Yes, life comes at us in various ways.  As Christians we should daily count our blessings, and then seek in some way to help someone else along the way.  What has life shown you?  Of course, as a believer there is that steadfast hope, but if you went to a gallery of art and upon the walls of that great gallery were pictures of life what would you see?  Hank Williams, in his short, troubled life wrote about one such gallery, and it might behoove us to glance at it now and then.

               “In the world’s mighty gallery of pictures,
               Hang the scenes that are painted from life,
               There’s pictures of love and of passion,
               And there’s pictures of peace and of strife,
               There hang pictures of youth and of beauty,
               Of old age, and the blushing young bride,
               They all hang on the wall,
               But the saddest of all,
               Are the pictures from life’s other side.”

       Count your blessings for God has lifted you up out of the mire of sin.  He has given you a new life, the old things–the old life and way have past away, all things have become new.  But even with that we are faced with life.  Warren Wiersbe writes, “Life does not stand still.  Life comes at us full speed, without warning, and we must stand up and take it and, with God’s help, make the most of it.”
       Solomon said that he “saw all the living who walk under the sun.”  He saw the good and the bad, the light and the dark.  He saw that all of this was “vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4:13-16)  Pessimism from a man who had riches in abundance, yet found himself grasping for the meaning of life.  It would do us well to heed the words of Jesus and solemnly think of their significance.  “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37, NKJV)

                         –Lou Bradshaw  (True Blue)

       “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

                         –Isaiah 40:29 (NKJV)
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                    “And what more shall I say?  For time will fail me if I tell of . . . Samson . . . who by faith conquered kingdoms….”
                                   –Hebrews 11:32-33 (NASB)

       Samson, who was he?  A conqueror or deviant?  A valiant warrior or lustful failure.  He was a man moved by the Spirit of God, and a man moved by his unbridled lusts.  He was a judge in the time when the nation needed one.  He was a deliverer when the nation needed one.  Yet, could he have done more?  For sure, he was a man of passion for everything, the good and the bad, and was pursued with zeal.  Warren W. Wiersbe said of Samson that he was “bold before men, weak before women.”  Wiersbe also wrote, using Winston Churchill’s words to describe Samson, “Samson was a riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma.”
       We cannot make excuses for his choices.  Choices belong to the person whether right or wrong; the same must be said about the consequences of those choices.  However, in saying that it must be noted that Samson was a man of faith and is specifically mentioned in the Book of Hebrews “chapter of faith.”
       First, we must look at the times in which Samson lived.

                    “Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.”
                                   –Judges 13:1 (NASB)

What strikes me first is the word “again.”  Over and over, God’s chosen people did evil in His sight.  Even with His great longsuffering the evil must have been great for Him to give them over to their enemies.  This should gain our attention!  How long before the Lord turns us over to our enemies?  By enemies, I don’t necessarily mean a foreign nation, but ideas foreign to those of God.  Men and women who have openly declared themselves hostile to the Bible and the things of God.  Israel was a chosen people–chosen by God to be a witness and light to the world.  They failed.  As Christians, we should heed their example and not follow it, but be the light which God has called us to be.
       The second thing that caught my attention is what is not said.  The people did not cry out for deliverance.  In times past they did so when oppressed, but now they had become complacent–satisfied with their life under the Philistines.  Israel, especially the Tribe of Dan, was becoming assimilated into Philistine culture.  They no longer were separated unto God, a holy people, but now intermarried and practiced the worship of false gods.  They didn’t forget Yahweh, but they didn’t know Him either.  They practiced using pagan methods in their worship of Yahweh.  “It’s frightening how quickly we can get accustomed to bondage and learn to accept the status quo.” (Wiersbe)  Satisfaction can be dangerous especially when the culture becomes lax in their morals and recognizing the Most Holy God.  Similar to what is being pushed in our faces now–progressive democracy, cross culture, change of culture and add to that all of the genderizing that is going on in our midst.
       Along comes Samson, a man who will be used by God to “rock the boat.”  He will begin to deliver the people from the hand of the Philistines.  He will start to the deliverance of a people who didn’t want to be delivered (a far cry from Egypt and other Judges).  Samson did not have the favor of the people, but he had the favor of God who chose him to be a deliverer and judge for twenty years.  He worked alone to deliver–remember that.  One final thought:  Dan is not mentioned in David’s census nor among the tribes listed in Revelation, hmmm.

                         –Louis L’Amour  (Under the Sweetwater Rim)

       “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”

                         –Psalm 14:2 (NKJV)
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       “True revival always returns God’s people to fresh and vivid emphasis on the holiness and righteousness of God, His judgment on sin, true repentance, and the overflowing effect of personal conversions to Christ.”  (Max Anders)  Psalm 85 is a cry for revival.  Revival always starts with the individual, with the heart.  Often we get sluggish in our life regarding our walk with God and we need the flame kindled anew–that is revival.  Revival is when the warning in Revelation given to those who lost their first love find it again and live like it.  Eugene Peterson wrote, “O God, when my faith gets overladen with dust, blow it clean with the wind of your Spirit.  When my habits of obedience get stiff and rusty, anoint them with the oil of your Spirit.  Restore the enthusiasm of my first love for you.”

          1 — LORD, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.
          2 — You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin.    Selah
          3 — You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.
          4 — Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease.
          5 — Will You be angry with us forever?  Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
          6 — Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?
          7 — Show us Your mercy, LORD, and grant us Your salvation.  (NKJV)

       The people must have been experiencing some great difficulty.  It seemed as if the anger of the Lord was upon them.  But, remember, if it comes from the Lord it is to teach a lesson, to discipline, to help us grow, and above all to bring us closer to Him.  Whether it be a national calamity or personal, God wants repentance and for us to draw close to Him.  The Psalmist prays that God will restore.  That indicates that there was once right relationship.
       People are often unforgiving, but not so the Lord.  He is ready to forgive when there is true repentance.  When there is the heart’s desire for renewed and righted relationship.  God is forgiving, why?  Because of His mercy, or as some versions translate, His “unfailing love.”  Through God’s mercy sins are forgiven.  We need to pray honestly that God would work through our sluggishness and disregard for His Word and a personal relationship with Him and “grant us your salvation out of our present problems and spiritual apathy.” (Anders)
                       
               “Many mighty men are lost,
               Daring not to stand,
               Who for God had been a host
               By joining Daniel’s band.
               Dare to be a Daniel,
               Dare to stand alone!
               Dare to have a purpose firm;
               Dare to make it known.”
                        –Philip P. Bliss