LAWLESSNESS AND LOVE

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12 NKJV).

Here in this verse we have an analysis of the problems facing our society. The world thinks they have the answers but all they do is create more problems, not solutions, with their answers. Thus we want to note what has been termed abounding lawlessness and abating love.

Abounding lawlessness - It does not take someone with PhD to tell us that lawlessness is abounding in our society. Crime touches the lives of everyone. God’s laws about morality are mocked and discarded. People lie and cheat and then brag about it. Profanity abounds. Women and children can spew out the vilest of language with the slightest of provocation. Even the broadcast media have become very vile in their language. Immorality is not only accepted, but is now being promoted. It is not a good age for character. And if you do have character, you are criticized.

Abating love - We hear a lot of talk about love, but there is very little true love seen in society. People do not love the truth. So people do not love the Scriptures. Love is a wonderful thing. But we will never have much love when lawlessness abounds. Love requires righteousness. Without it, love will die. It is impossible for love to continue when sin enters the picture. This means that folks that lack love in their lives need to clean up their lives, and this cleansing can only happen through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Holiness is the foundation of love.

(Adapted from Butler’s Sermon Starters Vol. 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Only when holiness and worship meet can evil be conquered. For that, only the Christian message has the answer!”

Ravi Zacharias (1946 – 2020)

Canadian American Christian Evangelical Minister and Apologist

Word Study

Examining

In Acts 17:11 we read, “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (NASB).

Examining is the Geek word anakrínō (ἀνακρίνω =an-ak-ree'-no). It means to sift up and down, to examine accurately or carefully. In classical Greek, anakrínō was often used of the interrogation of a prisoner. It was also used of a judicial examination before the final verdict was rendered. In the Septuagint anakrínō carries the sense of to question or to examine. In the New Testament anakrínō also carries the sense of to question or to examine. Before the Bereans would render a final verdict on Paul’s preaching, they would carefully sift through what he had said.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee” (Isa. 54:14 KJV).

Did You Know…

The Israelite men that were taken captives by king Nebuchadnezzar had to be trained for 3 years before they could be his servants (Dan. 1:5).

Bible Quiz

According to Matthew 21, out of what did the Lord Jesus say God perfected praise?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: In Romans 1, what does the apostle Paul say people did not do, which led to their hearts becoming darkened? “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful” (Rom. 1:21).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“LAST ADAM”

"And so it is written, the first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit!” (1 Cor. 15:45 NKJV).

1. Meaning – LAST ADAM speaks of the Lord Jesus as the heavenly Adam who achieved immortality and represents that which is spiritual.

2. Insights – Here the apostle Paul quotes Gen. 2:7 to point out the difference between these two kinds of bodies. The first Adam was made from the dust of the ground and given the breath of life from God. However, the Last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ is a life-giving Spirit. Just as Adam was the first of the human race, so the Lord Jesus Christ is the first of those who will be raised from the dead to eternal life. He is the source of the spiritual life that will result in believers’ resurrection. When believers are resurrected, God will give them transformed, eternal bodies suited to eternal life.

Did You Know – Christian History

Father Francois Blanchet was born September 30, 1795, near Saint-Pierre, Riviere du Sud, Province of Quebec. He was a French-Canadian Missionary priest and first Archbishop of Oregon City, U.S.A.

After attending the Seminary of Quebec, Blanchet was ordained a priest on July 18, 1819. He then spent a year working at the cathedral in Quebec before being sent to do missionary work with the Micmac and Acadian people in present-day New Brunswick. Blanchet learned the native language, and to be able to preach to the local Irish, he became fluent in English.

In 1827 he was recalled to Montreal and appointed pastor of St. Joseph de Soulanges, a parish of 2000 souls. In that wilderness region, he traveled by canoe, dog sled, horse, and snow-shoe as conditions demanded. Later, working at Montreal during a serious plague, he showed himself so fearless in caring for the ill despite his own danger of infection that he won general admiration. In 1837 he was appointed vicar-general for the Oregon mission, a vast region never before visited by a priest. He set out on 3 May, 1838, accompanied by the Rev. Modeste Demers. The journey from Lachine to Fort Vancouver, a distance of about 5,000 miles, was made in canoes, by portages, in barges, on horseback, and in light boats. And Blanchet preached all along the way.

They arrived at Fort Vancouver on 24 November. The territory assigned to the two priests embraced about 375,000 square miles. It extended from California to Alaska and from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Only an experienced man could have handled the load. And Blanchet was no novice when he came to Oregon. The zeal with which Blanchet and Demers undertook their duties earned them lasting fame. They established their first mission the same year they arrived. Indians built them a log church. They established their second in 1840, north of the Columbia River in the disputed territory. For four years the two men handled the enormous load between just themselves, riding from settlement to settlement, winning new converts and calling lapsed Catholics back to the faith. Their success led to bitter charges by angry Methodist missionaries.

Blanchet became bishop of the region in 1843. In 1844, two other priests from Canada joined him. In 1845, he traveled to Europe, where he was consecrated as archbishop of the territory. He then consecrated Demers as a bishop. After 46 years of hard work, he left a flourishing Catholic community in Oregon. This included a college, a cathedral and a hospital. He published several papers on the history of the mission in Oregon and a Chinook Grammar. Blanchet died June 18, 1883, in Portland, Oregon.

A Little Humor

While waiting in the checkout line at a Christian bookstore, a man asked the clerk about a display of hats with the letters WWJD on them. The clerk explained that WWJD stands for “What would Jesus do?” and that the idea is to get people to consider this question when making decisions. The man pondered a moment, then replied, “I don’t think he’d pay $17.95 for that hat.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Four words with a message: sin now, pay later!”