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THE ABANDONED HOUSE

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DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE UNATTENDED

HOUSEBY Ken Blue

Joyce and I had traveled the same route to Lynnwood every day for about ten years. We knew every house and mailbox along the way. A couple of winters ago, I notice that one of the houses appeared to be empty. There were no curtains on the windows, the porch light was on in the mid-afternoon, and old news papers were accumulating at the door. In the spring the lawn went unattended.

One day I noticed that a window was broken. Days later, I noticed others were being broken also. No doubt children in the neighborhood took advantage of the empty house and hurled stones through the glass.

Little by little you could see the vandalism and abuse. Much of the time the front door stood open a few inches. Someone had evidently pried it open and broken the latch. Occasionally, I noticed old cars parked outside and some kind of activity going on inside.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Each sign of destruction only invites others to inflict more damage.[/perfectpullquote]

Had the owner rented the house, hired a care taker or came by to check on it, the house could have been salvaged. But, it went unattended and was an invitation for abuse and destruction.

On Saturday afternoon, I decided I would investigate and see what was going on. I went to the door; it was closed, but unlocked. I knocked, but no one answered. So, I let myself in. The stench was enough to gag a garbage man. Human feces was in one corner. Graffiti was on all the walls, and the furniture looked like it was brought in from the garbage dump.

The vandals had taken possession of the unkempt and abandoned house. Each sign of destruction only invited others to take additional possession and inflict more damage. The house was beyond repair. As it was, it only invited more intruders and more destruction.

Your life is like that house, so don’t leave it unattended. I left instructed and wiser.

SWEET WATERS AND SECRET BREAD

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SWEETNESS OF THE FORBIDDEN
sweet

By Ken Blue

“Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Proverbs 9:17.

Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the tree and were warned that death would follow disobedience. They ate anyway, and both died. What was it that blinded them to abandon all reason and go against common sense? Two attractions came into play. Satan convinced them that eating the forbidden fruit would open their eyes and make them as the gods, knowing good and evil. Secondly, they were given a free will to choose; and the thrill of taking the forbidden was greater than their thoughts of the consequences.

Israel had hundreds of laws resulting from the Ten Commandments. Yet, no nation was more rebellious than Israel. The story in Proverbs, sets before Israel, the choosing of God’s wisdom or the wisdom of the world. One choice leads to life, the other leads to death. Israel chooses death. Again, we ask, why would they do that? The answer is in our text.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The purpose of the Law was to show man his own wickedness and inability to keep it.[/perfectpullquote]

A herd of wild horses may look tame and normal at a distance, but put a bridle and a saddle on them, and you will discover just how wild they are. Their latent nature comes to the surface. They will kick, bite, buck, and rebel. So it is with a man. A series of messages on “thou shalt not…” will not change the nature or the behavior of man. It will only make his sin nature come alive and expose what is in his heart.

The purpose of the Law was to show man his own wickedness and inability to keep it. “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15. (It didn’t say, there was no sin; it said, “there was no transgression!) “…I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.” Romans 7:7-11.

Once the Law has done its work in “slaying” all personal hopes and self-righteousness for salvation, the sinner must then flee to God for mercy and His saving grace. That is its purpose! We must set before people the way of life and the way of death. Wisdom cries in the high places, “There is salvation in the cross of Christ!” The wisdom of the world cries, “There is sweetness and pleasure in secret sin.” Both are true. But, sin’s customers are unaware that her basement is filled with the corpses of her previous guest.

This was Israel’s warning; they could listen to God and be saved, or join with the idolatry and immorality of the land and be destroyed. Israel choose the “stolen waters and the secret bread.” However, secret sins are never secret; God sees everything, and the sweetness doesn’t last.

“Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” Proverbs 20:17.

HOW TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE BIBLE

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A NOTE ON RIGHT DIVISION

right division

By Ken Blue

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:7-13

There is a difference between an age, a dispensation, seasons, and times. Finis Dake’s Bible notes say there are five ages within time. The ages to come are two; one is the kingdom age; this begins at the Second Advent of Christ and lasts 1000 years. The final is the eternal age which begins with the new heaven and new earth.

The “times past” refer to those times prior to the church of this dispensation of grace. “The times past” reach back to Abraham, or perhaps to Adam. They continued up to the birth of the church in Acts.

The statement, “But now” suggest the third division in God’s economy. It began with the birth of the church and will continue until its rapture to heaven. Within each of these divisions are different dealings by God.

It is important that the believer understands these three divisions and the teaching that belongs to each one. Failing that, there will be great confusion and mishandling of God’s Word.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Failing to divide the Bible rightly can cause great confusion and mishandling of God’s Word.[/perfectpullquote]

Paul said. “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:” 1 Corinthians 10:32. We see that the Scripture not only divides into past, present, and future; they also divide into various groups, to whom they are written.

If a Christian brings a teaching from one section into another, or if that which is addressed to the Jews is forced on the church, all kinds of confusion and false teaching will result. “Right division” is imperative to correct doctrine.

Romans through Philemon are church epistles for the “but now” period and contain church doctrine. Genesis, through the Gospels and early Acts, is for Israel and their Kingdom and fit the “times past” period. Hebrew through Revelation is Jewish and will assist them through the Tribulation and the Kingdom when God jumpstarts His program again with them. This is the “ages to come.”

Most of the confusion and division in Christianity is due to the failure of right division, and the forcing of a text from one dispensation into a place never intended. The Baptist are notorious for this. It ought to be obvious; you can make the Bible teach anything you like if you disregard proper divisions.

“TRUTH IT SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”

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Truth
Open Door Baptist Church Easter Drama 2010

Note: The following report is from Pastor Jason Murphy. Pastor Murphy and the church membership proved once again that with prayer, hard work, and vision you can get visitors to church and many can be won to Christ. I challenge pastors to ignore those who preach that sinners cannot be saved, and that you are selfish in your attempts to reach them. Some of you should contact Pastor Murphy for some ideas and help on how to attract and reach the lost for Christ. Pastor Murphy said:

Truth
We had a great presentation of “Truth” written and directed by Brother Pat Halliday. Our cast and crew are all Open Door Baptist church members, who did an outstanding job memorizing lines and putting everything they have into such a great job, well done!

Our first service was Saturday night at 7pm and we had 281 in attendance, which is one of our largest Saturday night services. On Sunday we had 537 in attendance (over 100 came back from Saturday) so really we had just over 700 with the 2 services. We had over 140 visitors in the 2 services; most of which were invited by the people of Open Door! We had 10 people indicate that they accepted Christ as their Savior, and 15 that renewed their commitment to Christ!

One man came to me personally to hand me his response card and said: “This is the first time he heard the gospel so clear and Lord used that presentation to bring his guard down.” He said to me, “I prayed with you at the invitation and I know I am saved now.” It was an Amazing day, we serve A Risen Savior!

John 4:34-37 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

INDEPENDENTLY FREE

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PASTORING INDEPENDENTLY

By Ken Blue

I was born on the Bible belt in northern Arkansas. Our little town could not afford a church or pastor, so we had Sunday school and revival meetings in the one room school house. I managed to get through those early years without getting saved. Our little church belonged to the Southern Baptist Convention.

At age 17 I accepted Christ in a Baptist Church in Wenatchee, Washington. The church belonged to a fellowship called the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. I spent several years with them and was told that the Southern Baptist had gone liberal. I was instructed to avoid them.

After Bible College, I enjoyed sweet fellowship with many in the Bible Baptist Fellowship. However, some believed our church was not in the bride and made group fellowship impossible, and so I moved on.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There is not a group of churches that will allow you to be independent and retain fellowship with you![/perfectpullquote]

I then searched for those who were truly independent. But I found to my dismay, that such hopes were impossible. I discovered that there is not a group of churches that will allow you to be independently free and retain fellowship with you. The leaders will smear you and their followers will fear you and you will be independently alone.

Although there are many good men in all the above groups; my advice to young pastors is to stay home. Stay out of groups, conventions, and fellowships. Invite into your pulpit those who will help your church. Don’t have men in just because they are “your crowd.” Preach where you are invited, but don’t become ensnared or enamored. There is a subtle addiction that develops here. You will be wined and dined, courted and promoted, so you will do the same for them. If being your own man, pastoring your own church and choosing your own friends forces you out of their nest, so be it. Freedom and independence are great!