Author: Stan Cox

A discussion of Philippians 4:1-9, noting various exhortations Paul gave to the Christians there.

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A discussion of Matthew 24:42-51, discussing Christ’s reference to the second coming.  Application is made, noting the urgency of our preparation (for various reasons) for that coming.

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We are familiar with the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was born to Sarah’s handmaiden, as she gave Hagar to Abraham as a wife. Isaac was the son of promise. The one God promised to Abraham and Sarah as their heir, and the beginning of His fulfillment of the promises He made to them.

In Galatians 4 the Holy Spirit revealed through the pen of Paul that the two sons of Abraham represent something else. Two covenants. As Ishmael was born of a bondwoman according to the flesh, he represents the first covenant “from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage” (25). In this metaphor, we have a bondwoman (Hagar) representing Mount Sinai, and her son (Ishmael) corresponding to fleshly Jerusalem, which under the Old Covenant, remained in bondage.

In contrast, “the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all” (26). Here Sarah is the freewoman who coincides with that Jerusalem which is above. Therefore her children, represented by Isaac, are free. In that she is “the mother of us all” (26), this text clearly establishes the all encompassing nature of the New Covenant of Christ. As Paul wrote earlier in the book, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (3:26-29). Continue reading “The Old and New Covenants” →

We are to mimic our Lord in faithfulness. Christ was faithful to His Father, and the Holy Spirit calls for us to be faithful. Israel is given as an example here, but an example to avoid rather than follow. They rebelled against God, and it cost an entire generation their inheritance in the land of promise. God said, “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest” (11, cf. Psalm 95:11).

The rebellion of the Jews is well described, “They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways” (10). This is a problem in every generation. Men determine to do their own will, often because they do not even know God’s, but often because they ignore God because they prefer their own way.

We must not be guilty of the same. We must not depart from God, which He categorizes as an “evil heart of unbelief” (12). Instead, our call to be Christians is a call to faithfulness. We are to “hold our steadfastness to the end” (14). This is the Holy Spirit’s description of partaking of Christ!

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

The idea of imitating God can be a bit daunting. While we know that we can never attain the pristine heights of God’s righteousness, He nevertheless requires that we do the best we can. The idea is effort, change, commitment. And it is amazing what we can accomplish regarding holiness if we put our hearts and wills to it!

There are two major points here. The first is simple —  walk in love. That is encompassed in the keeping of God’s commandments, and treating others with kindness and benevolence in accord with their needs.

The second point is found in verses 3-7. We must avoid sin.  As verses 8-11 say, “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the world. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

This is simple to understand. God is for love, and against unrighteousness. To be His, we must be as well!

A discussion of the evil deeds of Saul of Tarsus, his conversion, and his Christian service as the great, faithful Apostle Paul.

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A discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, as noted by Hebrews 6:1-3.  God both warns of the danger of apostasy, and expresses the joy of full growth as a child of God.

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In 2 Timothy Paul predicted perilous times that would come in the last days. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

We need to recognize that these are the times to which Paul refers. Not exclusively this decade or generation, rather the intent of Paul’s reference to “the last days.” In both the Old and New Testaments the phrase is used to refer to the present dispensation, what we might refer to as the Gospel Age. Christ has come and His rule will continue until “He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). At the end of this era Jesus will come and the final judgment will be visited upon mankind. As Peter put it, “both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Truly these are the last days. Continue reading “Personally Perilous Times” →

There are many warnings in scripture regarding the consequence of departing from the straight path. It stands to reason that it is both possible and consequential to stray.  If not, the warnings are extraneous.

One example is the call to Christian growth found in Peter’s second epistle:

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-11).

A simple reading of this text reveals why it is important to live a righteous life. It is not something that you merely should do, but something God’s requires! Consider the bold sections of the text, and their significance:

1. If you add these characteristics you will not be barren nor unfruitful. If you don’t add them, you may . So what? Well, Jesus said that unfruitful branches are gathered and thrown “into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6).
2. You can forget you were cleansed from your sins. To be enlightened but lose what you have brings a need for renewal that is impossible (Hebrews 6:4-6).
3. If through adding these characteristics your call and election can be made sure; then not adding them can bring uncertainty. That is why Paul told the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
4. Adding these characteristics precludes stumbling, and provides an abundant entrance into heaven. But our names can be blotted out (obliterated, erased)  from “the Book of Life” (cf. Revelation 3:5), if we do not overcome.  If sins can be erased (Acts 3:19), then our written names can be erased from the Book of Life in the same way.

This is the reason for the warnings. Heed them and live! Ignore them to your own eternal peril!

Our text is one of many which teaches our salvation from sin through the grace of God. This salvation came because of God’s love and kindness toward us. Because He loves us, He has showed mercy where none was deserved. We in no way deserve our salvation because of our own “works of righteousness” (cf. Romans 6:23).

This salvation by grace was accomplished through the agency of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:5), through which we are born again or renewed; and the Son of God, “Jesus Christ our Savior” (6).  What a wonderful thing to know, that all three Persons in the Godhead — The Father, Son and Holy Spirit — were in agreement and assisted in bringing about our redemption (cf. John 3:13-15).

Because of His grace, we are justified. The word justified means to be pronounced righteous and to be acquitted of our sins. Equally wonderful is the reward that we look to receive as a result of that justification, eternal life in His presence!

Question: What do we know about Melchizedek? Answer: Not much. The king of Salem is found only in Genesis 14.  We  know he was a king; He was a priest of God Most High (18); He blessed Abraham (19); Abraham paid a tithe to him (20).

Melchizedek’s Importance: 

• He was a type of Jesus Christ. We know nothing of his lineage, nor his birth or death. As such it is said of him by the Hebrew writer, “having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually” (3). Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, who ever lives as our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

What we learn from Melchizedek:

• Christ’s priesthood is greater than that of the Levitical priesthood, “but he whose genealogy is not derived from them [the sons of Levi] received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better” (6-7).
• Jesus’ coming as a new high priest, proves that the Levitical priesthood was not perfect, otherwise there would be no need for Jesus to serve as High Priest (11).
• “The priesthood being changed, of necessity there is a change of law” (12). Jesus was from Judah so could not serve as a priest under the Old Covenant. The priestly tribe under the Old Covenant was Levi. Our hope is better as we draw near to God through our great High Priest, Jesus Christ!

What is the church? And how did God organize and equip it to do His will in the world?

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A discussion of carnality from Colossians 3, contrasted with the man of God.

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We know that the church belongs to Christ, created for us that we might serve Him as He desires. He established His church, accomplishing it by dying on the cross for those who He chose through the gospel. Jesus gifted to us our salvation, as He Himself paved the way to heaven through His own resurrection from the dead. Consider Paul’s words, “‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. (Now this, ‘He ascended’ – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)’” (Ephesians 4:9-10).

The Holy Spirit used the word church (ekklesia), referencing God’s people, in two basic ways in scripture. The first is referred to as the universal use of the word church.  It is that to which Jesus refers when He promised in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” In this sense it refers to the relationship that each saved person has with Christ when He comes to Him in faith. “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them … And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:41,47). Simply put: every person who has been saved in the past, is saved now in the present, or will be saved before the Lord comes again, — he or she is added to His church. This references our relationship with its privileges. There is no passage of scripture than activates this universal church in any way. Continue reading “What Christ Gave the Church” →

We have long shown that the preponderance of God’s teaching on Christian living has application to the relationships we find in the home.  Not much is written or said in the Bible about the husband/wife or parent/child relationships. There are some passages, one of which we appeal to today, but understand that the teaching of Christ to love God and love your neighbor bears many truths that will help us to know how families are to treat one another.

When the Holy Spirit does reveal truth about the family relationship, three main points are seen.  The husband must LOVE, the wife must SUBMIT, and the child must OBEY. Continue reading “Three Needs for the Family” →