The Parable of the Talents by Lewis Kiger

In 1986 the sports world was stunned when a prolific young basketball star named Len Bias was found dead from a drug overdose. Bias had enjoyed a very successful college career at Maryland, and was chosen second in the NBA draft to play for the famed Boston Celtics.

I was just a teenager, but I vividly remember how shocked I was that this amazing athlete, whom I had admired, was now dead. Everyone, from the neighborhood boys to the commentators on SportsCenter talked for days about what a huge waste of potential and talent this was.

Sadly, this young man joined the statistics of many others – whose capacity for greatness and success was erased by a series of hasty choices.

The parable that Jesus gives in Matthew 25:14-30 reminds us that we all are only given a certain amount of time to use the gifts and abilities that God has given us, and we must be cautious not to waste it all away, because of negligence, sloth or poor decisions.

In this parable, Christ states that the kingdom of heaven is like a wealthy man going on an extended journey. Before he leaves, he calls together his stewards and gives to each of them a measure of money for them to invest while he is away. This well-to-do man does not want his businesses and finances to sit idle while he travels, so he entrusts some of his assets to his overseers to manage and return a profit.

One steward is given five talents, another two talents, and another one talent. Each man was allocated money to manage, based on his level of competence as judged by the owner. 

The steward who received five talents made some very sound business decisions and doubles his lord’s assets, by making five additional talents. The man who had received two talents, also works hard and matches his initial two talents, by earning two more.

However, the servant who received one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and buried it. Rather than investing what he had been entrusted with, he was lazy and wasted both time and resources.

Years pass, but eventually the wealthy traveler returns and summons his servants before him to give an accounting of their stewardship.

The first steward comes and presents not only the five talents he was originally given, but five to go along with them. The owner is delighted and generously rewards the faithful servant with a hard-earned rest. The second steward comes and presents not only the two talents he was given, but also the two additional he had gained. The owner is pleased again and also rewards his loyal servant with well-deserved rest.

Finally, the last servant appears, but he has nothing to return to his lord except the one talent he had hidden away. Even though the indolent steward makes numerous excuses, the wealthy master is furious and orders this slothful servant to be thrown into outer darkness and his talent to be taken away from him and given to someone who will rightly use it.

Readers, the lesson our Lord would have us learn is quite simple.

Christ is like this wealthy man who has gone on a journey to a faraway country. But before leaving He has entrusted each of us with resources that we are to use to further his glorious kingdom. Not every Christian has the same spiritual gifts, education, abilities or finances, but all have been given “talents” that we are to invest in our Lord’s work. These various resources are not meant to be buried, but wisely used to reach others.

Jesus will soon return, and it is His pleasure to generously reward those who have faithfully used the means he has given to help others and expand his kingdom.

Don’t let your life be a tragedy of wasted opportunity.

Don’t be like the slothful servant in this parable, and hide away or hoard what God has entrusted you with. Don’t let negligence or discomfort keep you from being a devoted servant to Christ. Empty excuses will not suffice on our day of judgment.

Instead, use what God has entrusted to you in order to reach others with the Gospel and to bring glory to His matchless name. And maybe, just maybe, we may hear these words, “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Pastor Lewis Kiger
Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Parable of the Leaven by Lewis Kiger

Do you make homemade bread? It’s not something we do around our home regularly. But in preparing to preach this parable at the church I pastor, I asked my two teenage daughters to help me with an illustration. Together we mixed all the ingredients to make two separate loaves of bread. We followed the recipe exactly and did everything the same except, in one loaf, we did not add any yeast.

The outcome was quite instructive.

The lump of dough with yeast rose nicely, about 4 times its original size, and cooked up wonderfully. We enjoyed eating it. However, the other loaf without yeast looked pitiful. It never expanded, never enlarged itself. Actually, it remained the same size and shape as it was when put it in the cooking pan. Needless to say, we didn’t eat that loaf.

 

Baking the Bread by Anders Zorn

In Matthew 13:33 Jesus compares His Kingdom to yeast mixed into a large ball of dough. He says these words, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”

There is much conjecture as to what Christ meant by this. Would you believe that while studying this parable, I found at least 17 different interpretations as to what the parable “actually meant?”  This is what happens when Bible students complicate the simple. Unfortunately, well-meaning individuals (and some of them preachers) make nonsense out of common sense.

Christ is using a simple and relatable illustration to help clarify a truth. During that time period, daily life consisted of baking bread. Every child had observed their mother in the kitchen with a wood stove making bread from scratch.

It was customary, after mixing the dough and allowing it to rise, the cook would pinch off one small portion of it and put it in a cool, dry place for the morrow. That little piece was already leavened (contained yeast) and the next day, when it was mixed with a new batch of dough, the yeast would spread and cause that batch to rise. Once it had risen, she would pinch off a little ball of it, and keep it for the next day. And so on.

This was a common practice in every Jewish home. In fact, this little ball of leavened bread was often given as a cherished wedding gift from mother to daughter.

Christ is simply using something they were familiar with to teach His disciples a lesson. He is teaching them (and us) that His kingdom will grow. It will increase just like a lump of dough when leaven is added to it.

Like the spread of yeast through the dough, it is invisible to the naked eye, but it is spreading. It will not happen all at once, but His kingdom is going to increase. The glorious kingdom of Christ cannot be stopped. Once leaven is mixed in dough, the chemical process begins and cannot be stopped.

Such is the kingdom of Christ. It spreads through contact.

This is vitally important to understand.

Yeast that never comes into contact with dough, cannot affect it one bit. In order for Christ’s kingdom to grow, we must be willing to follow the example of Jesus, and become a friend of sinners. We must reach out to them with the life-changing message of the Gospel.  We must invest time and effort into touching the lives of unbelievers with the message of a true and lasting hope for eternity.

One of the reasons why we have seen such a decrease in the spread of Christ’s kingdom in America today is that we are not doing our job of reaching the lost with the Gospel. Sadly, statistics and experience tells us that the average confessed Christian does not share his/her faith on a regular basis.

Too readily do we rely on others to do the work for us. But the kingdom does not spread by proxy. It spreads by the Christian coming into contact with the lost world around them with Good News of salvation by grace alone.

Like yeast, Christ’s kingdom is a living and thriving organism and it should be our earnest desire to be used by our God to help spread this kingdom.

Has your life been touched by the Gospel’s pervasive power? If it has, then you have been called to be in contact with lost sinners to spread the Good News of Christ’s kingdom.

Lewis Kiger
Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Pearl of Great Price by Lewis Kiger

C.H. Spurgeon was a well-known and respected 19^th Century preacher in England. In his biography, a story is told of an eye-opening event with a well-to-do and prominent citizen of London.

Spurgeon was strolling down the city streets one day when he met this youthful well-dressed man. In short order, the privileged young man informed the preacher that he had obtained everything that was needed in life. He proudly stated that he was young, healthy and had become a lucrative business man. After a few moments, the seasoned preacher asked, “that’s well enough, but do you know the Lord? Are you a Christian?” The affluent man answered, “What need do I have of that? That has no interest for me.” Spurgeon then asked, “Sir, will you accompany me for a few moments?” The man reluctantly agreed.

Down the street they went and entered into a dilapidated apartment building. They walked up two flights of stairs and knocked on the door of this tiny apartment. Minutes passed slowly as they stood waiting for a response. The impatient young man was eager to move on with his busy day but eventually the door gingerly opened. Standing there, hunched over, was an elderly lady. Her face was wrinkled by the years and her body crippled with arthritis. She was delighted to have visitors, one being her pastor. It was obvious by the cold room and ragged conditions that the lady was very poor. With pain making each step nearly unbearable, she eased back across the barren apartment and onto her bed.

Once settled, she expressed to the men how grateful she was for the generosity of her church and the Lord’s people. “Why if it wasn’t for them, I couldn’t even afford this little apartment,” she whispered. Spurgeon, knowing what she would say, inquired, “Sister, what do you have to look forward to in this life?” “Nothing, nothing on this earth” she responded.

The wise old preacher then asked, “Sister, the man I have brought with me today has youth, vigor, wealth and a prosperous future, but he does not have Christ. If you could, would you be willing to trade places with him?”

In spite of the throbbing pain, the old woman sat up in her bed, turned toward her guests and with a look of shock and confusion she boldly exclaimed, “Trade places with him? Never!” 

Reader, if you have never trusted Christ it does not matter how much wealth or vitality you have, you are a spiritual pauper.

Jesus uses the parable found in Matthew 13:45-46 to illustrate that eternal life is of greater value than anything else on earth. In the parable, our Lord states that the kingdom of God is like a merchant man seeking fine pearls. After finding a single pearl of enormous value, the merchant goes and sells all he has in order to obtain this one pearl.

The narrative teaches us that this merchant man considered this one single pearl worth more than everything else he owned. He was willing to sell everything in order to purchase this solitary prize. Such is the kingdom of God.

John Everett Millais

Entering into the kingdom of Christ is the single greatest treasure there is. Nothing is worth more. Christ’s kingdom is so precious that we should be willing to sell everything, or leave everything behind in order to obtain it.

Of course, we know that entrance into this glorious kingdom cannot be bought with money. A parable is simply an illustration. Parables are descriptive and not prescriptive. In other words, no amount of money, penance, or sacrament can purchase entrance into God’s kingdom. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Perhaps you have been searching for something to satisfy the emptiness inside you. One Bible scholar has said, that every human has a “God-shaped hole” in them, that only He can fill. Every person that has trusted in the sinless life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, feel just exactly like the old lady in the story. There is nothing we would exchange for eternal life. It is the Pearl of Great Price.

Have you found it?

Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares by Lewis Kiger

“I’m not going to some church and sit there with a bunch of hypocrites,” he barked.

To which I gently but, boldly replied, “But you are content to stay home, ignore the Gospel, and spend eternity in hell with those same hypocrites?”

You should have seen the look on his face. It was as if, it was the first time the thought had occurred to him.

This is a portion of a conversation I had with a co-worker some years ago. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, honest it wasn’t.

We had become friends in the short time I had worked there and I felt comfortable enough to be that straightforward with him.

All I did was invite him to church and stated that we would love to have him visit sometime. But it provoked a strong and animated reaction. Sadly, I soon learned that my friend/co-worker had (along with many others) been enduring the shameful conduct of another employee who also claimed to be a Christian. This man alleged to be very active in his local church, yet his behavior in the workplace was often distasteful and dishonoring to God.

My friend said quite frankly, “If that is what a Christian is, then I don’t want to be one.” Unfortunately, after working there for only a few weeks, I understood what he meant. And even more disturbing, it didn’t take me long to realize that he had some justification for feeling that way.

Undeniably, not everyone who confesses to be a disciple of Christ is truly saved. There are many who “talk the talk,” but do not “walk the walk.” Not that any of us are perfect or sinless, but tragically there are multitudes who claim the name of Christ but are merely imposters.

Jesus affirms this truth by the use of a familiar example. He knew that within this world there would be those who are truly born-again converts, and those who just “look the part.”

In Matthew 13:24-30 and verses 36-43, we learn that there is indeed an adversary of all that is good and holy and he yearns to inflict harm on the kingdom of Christ. One means by which the wicked one does this is by sowing tares among the wheat.

In an agrarian society, one depending upon farming and agriculture for its livelihood, this parable would have been easily understood. For someone to sow tares (or weeds) among wheat was an act of agroterrorism. It was a blatant assault against the future wellbeing of a people. There were even laws forbidding such.

In the parable Christ shares, there was a man out sowing good seed in his field anxiously anticipating a bountiful harvest, but unbeknownst to him, an enemy also comes and sows tares in the field.

The Greek word that Christ uses for tares is the word “darnels.” A common but inedible weed that was prevalent in Palestine. These darnels were also called “bastard wheat” because they look so much like the real thing. In fact, it isn’t until they began to bloom, or until the head appears that they can be distinguished from actual wheat.

Later learning that the field has been sabotaged, the field workers ask the owner if they should try to separate the tares from the wheat. He replies by telling them no, instead allow both to continue to grow, and at harvest time the reapers will separate them. Then the bundles of weeds will be burned while the sheaves of wheat stored in the barn. 

Christ uses this earthly story to teach a heavenly lesson.

From Christ’s own interpretation we learn that God sovereignly allows tares to grow among His wheat. Unlike the land-owner, Jesus is aware of their presence. Yet He also realizes that, given time, their true nature will be made manifest. Time will bear out whether they are useful wheat or useless tares.

At the appointed time, when the harvest comes, He will send His holy angels to separate them and the tares will be cast into the lake of fire.

Readers, this world is made up of believers, unbelievers and make-believers. Which are you?

Yes, it is true that there are many hypocrites around and unfortunately some of them are sitting on church pews. And yes, they do damage to the cause of Christ. But don’t let the hypocrisy of some keep you from trusting in Christ.

Being too virtuous to sit beside hypocrites at church, the ballfield, a restaurant, or anywhere else will not garner you favor with God.

Ultimately, we will only give an account for ourselves.

Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Parable of the Mustard Seed by Lewis Kiger

Massive palaces begin with one single block. Trees so enormous that your arms can’t stretch around, started as a tiny sapling. Vast cities with mammoth skyscrapers that touch the clouds and neighborhoods that extend for miles and populate millions, all began with a few people living out of tents or shacks.

Similarly, the glorious kingdom of God began out of relative obscurity. With a handful of mostly uneducated men and shunned women from the backwaters of the Roman Empire, came this fledgling little faction that God has used to turn the world upside down. 

This is the lesson of the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Christ would teach his disciples by use of this earthly illustration that, while they had the humblest of beginnings, His empire was going to grow far beyond what their natural eyes could see.

In Matthew 13:31-32 we read these words, “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”

Photo Credit: Scarletina

It is understood that the “mustard seed” was the smallest herb-bearing seed in all of Israel. While it is true that there are other seeds that are actually smaller than the mustard seed identified today, none of them would have been known or used by the Jewish people. So, it is folly to try and accuse the Lord of misspeaking. Besides, Christ was not giving a lesson on botany (although He could have), instead He was teaching about His kingdom.

The mustard seed is about the size of the tip of a ball point pen. If, like me, you owned and loved a BB gun as a kid, you know just how small a BB is. But, a mustard seed is about one quarter that size. 

Yet, when planted and fully grown, a mustard plant can become the largest bush in the garden. From a tiny little seed, this plant can become as high as 12-15 feet tall. There are reports from the Middle East of birds nesting in its tangled vines and even of men riding their horses underneath the branches of the Mustard plant.

When compared to all others, it is like a tree. Contrast it to wheat or barley which only grow a few feet high with a shingle shoot, and the mustard seed increases far beyond these others.

This is the simple message of the parable.

The kingdom will begin small and seem insignificant to the eyes of the world. But, it will not stay that way. Despite the hard-hearts of the unrepentant, in spite of false conversions, and regardless of Satanic opposition; God’s kingdom is going to flourish.

The Gracious Teacher tells His young disciples not to lose heart. While they may seem weak and feeble, their Spirit-empowered work is going to grow and become great. Jesus tells them, do not judge my kingdom by the size of the seed, but rather envision what it can become. That little mustard seed may seem fragile and frail, but it has huge potential.

This should continue to encourage us in His kingdom work today. We are all prone to judge only by what our eyes can see, when we ought rather to walk by faith, and not by sight. Like the early church, we may feel like nothing of significance is being accomplished. We may think that God is not working. Yet this parable reminds us that God’s sovereign design remains.

The Kingdom of God has extended to the four corners of this globe. It has reached farther and grown greater than anyone could have ever imagined. It has reached into the hearts of an innumerable host and turned their lives around. Even some of those who have sought to destroy it have heard the Gospel and found an eternal home in the branches of Christ’s Kingdom. Christ’s spiritual reign has spread to every tongue, tribe and nation. It continues to grow today.

Dear reader, the only question that remains, is whether you are a part of this Kingdom? Have you, by faith trusted in the finished work of Christ and become a part of this growing glorious kingdom? I pray you have.

Pastor Lewis Kiger
Memorial Heights Baptist Church
svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Parable of the Sower by Lewis Kiger

One major problem with the many proposed methods of church growth so prevalent among Evangelicalism today, is that it seeks to make the Word of God more palatable to the carnal tastes of men. However, this is a vain effort of the human mind to use fleshly means to reach the spiritually dead. 1 Corinthians 2:14 states, “The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

If “church-growth gurus” would study the Parable of the Sower, they would quickly learn the problem is not with the seed, it is with the soil. In other words, there is nothing wrong with the Word, nor can it be genetically altered to appease lost sinners. The heart of the issue is an issue of the heart.  

This is one of the rare parables that is found in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.) Its repetition among the inspired writers confirms its importance.

In one of His very first parables, Christ compares those who share the Gospel to a sower out sowing seed in his field. The Master Teacher then goes on to say that the seed is the Word and that the soil represents the heart or soul of the individual. Other significant details shared in the parable are noteworthy, yet I will caution my reader not to try and make too much of every character mentioned and miss the basic lesson that Christ is teaching. It is tempting to allegorize the parables (and many do) and overlook the main point.

Christ is using this earthly story to teach a heavenly lesson. He is preparing His disciples for the

The Sower by James Tissot

difficult and often disappointing ministry that lay before them. To a group of men who mistakenly thought the arrival of the King meant the immediate arrival of the Messianic kingdom, Christ would clarify that their message is not going to be as popular as they might expect.

They will go out and sow the seed. Some of it will fall on the beaten path as hard as concrete. Before that seed has any hope of rooting, the birds of the air come and snatch it away. Others will seemingly receive the seed and sprout up quickly, but when the sun rises and the heat of the day bears down, the shoot will fade away not having enough earth to nourish it. Further yet, several will appear to have life and be growing, but the weeds and thorns will choke out the seed, and it will become barren. Lest His fledgling evangelists lose hope, Christ encourages them by saying, “But some of the seed fell on good ground. And it sprang up, increased and yielded fruit. Some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, some a hundred-fold.”

This was Christ’s illustration, and behind closed doors He gave its interpretation to the Apostles.

Jesus explains some will reject the message instantly. That is just a fact of life. Others may seem to be committed converts, but when trials or troubles come, they quickly turn away showing they were not true believers. There are also those, who seem to have spiritual life, but when they must choose between serving God and serving this world it becomes evident they too were just make-believers. BUT, (and thank God for it) there are some who will hear the Gospel message. The seed will fall on good ground and they will become faithful and productive Christians. Even though not all will yield the same harvest, or are not as faithful as another, still the continued crop of fruit bears evidence that they are true believers.

The lesson our Lord would have us learn, is this; even though not all will hear, some will. So, don’t stop sowing the seed! We don’t need “bait-and-switch Gospel gimmicks,” we just need to sow the seed. There are some who God the Holy Spirit will prepare their hearts to receive the Word and we need to be faithful to sow the seed that He may give the increase.

Dear reader, has the Word of God taken root within you? Has your faith stood the test of trials and temptations? Do you continue to bear fruit for the glory of your Maker? If not, I pray that the Holy Spirit would break-up the barren ground of your heart, so that you are able to receive the glorious Good News that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church
svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

Be Filled with the Spirit - by Lewis Kiger

Ephesians 5:18 says this: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit”

The filling of the Spirit is one of the most controversial subjects among Christianity. Ask any average believer, what it means to be filled with the Spirit and there is no telling what kind of reply you might get. The responses may range from indifference to ignorance or even to religious superstition.

Yet, the Bible clearly explains that when any individual flees to the cross and finds forgiveness of sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell within them immediately, completely and unceasingly. Romans 8:9 states that if anyone does not have the Spirit of God, they are not the child of God. At the very moment of salvation, every believer has all the Holy Spirit they are ever going to get. Yet, there is a difference between the indwelling of the Spirit and the infilling of the Spirit. The question is not, do we have “all the Spirit,” but rather; does the Spirit have all of you?

We who are saved are commanded here in this Inspired Text to be filled with the Spirit. Readers, the human spirit fails unless the Holy Spirit fills. Too much of our Christian life is attempted in the flesh. We seek to serve God in our own power and we fail again and again. Trying to serve God without the enabling of the Spirit is a tiring and unproductive task. It is akin to buying a brand new car with all the bells and whistles, but you don’t know how to operate it. So, you just put it in neutral and push it everywhere you go. So is the Christian who seeks to serve God by his own strength. It will wear you out and you will not get very far.

Each of us, if we are to honor God with our lives, need to be Spirit-filled Christians. This text is a command, not a suggestion. God never makes suggestions. God always gives directives. We are commanded by God, to be filled with the Spirit.

The verse actually begins with a prohibition against drunkenness. “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess.” The believer is never to be needlessly under the influence of any substance, alcohol included. Intoxicants lower our inhibition, they make us more vulnerable to sin and more susceptible to yielding to what is forbidden.

The prohibition in this passage from drunkenness states that it is excess or debauchery. Too many of us have known men and women who have wasted away their lives because of the powerful influence of alcohol.

Drunkenness causes us to lose control while being filled with the Spirit causes us to gain control. In fact, Galatians 5:22,23 lists the nine fruit of the Spirit; the last of which is self-control.  To be filled with the Spirit is not some spiritual intoxication or inebriation where you lose control of yourself. Instead, the filling of the Spirit will cause you to exercise temperance or self-restraint.

Too many Christians place too much emphasis on the first half of this verse and not nearly enough on the second. The command to be filled is just as stringent and necessary as the command not to be drunk with wine. If we are to be fruit-bearing Christians we must be filled with the Spirit. This demand is not for a select few, but for every believer. Further yet, the original language presents this mandate to us in the present tense meaning, “keep being filled with the Spirit.”

A well-known evangelist was asked one time if he was filled with the Spirit to which he replied: “yes, but I leak.” And so do we all.

We are filled with the Spirit when, and only when, we yield to the Spirit. When we disobey God it grieves the Spirit. To be Spirit-filled, we must maintain a steady diet of Scripture. We must live in fellowship with God by avoiding sin and obeying His Word. The Spirit-filled Christian will take up his cross, die to himself and follow after the Lord Christ.

Only God knows what could be accomplished if all His children would surrender their whole lives to Him and seek to faithfully serve Him by the empowerment of the Spirit.

Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Holiness of God by Lewis Kiger

This wraps up Pastor Kiger's series he wrote for their local paper on the Attributes of God. I want to thank him for letting me put his articles up on the blog. If you have enjoyed the posts, let him know in the contact info below. DN

We conclude this series on “Getting to know God” by discussing the Holiness of God. This is to my estimation, the “attribute of attributes.” God’s holiness is what the old theologians used to call – the otherness of God. This is what makes God other than any other. His holiness is what puts God in a class all by Himself.

 The word holy literally means to cut or separate. Or to be set apart, sacred, or consecrated. God is a “cut above” if you will. He is the sum of all moral excellence. He is absolute purity, unsullied by any hint of corruption. God is independently holy, infinitely holy, and immutably holy.

 In Isaiah 6:1-5 the Old Testament prophet is given a supernatural view of the glorified Christ sitting on His throne. This is similar to the same scene that is unveiled to John some 830 years later in Revelation 4:8. In both accounts there are angelic beings, called seraphim, hovering around the throne. These glorious fiery messengers have a message. They cease not night and day saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.

 He is the Thrice Holy God. This is doubtless a hint to the Trinity, but the repetition of these words should leap off the page at us. In Jewish writings whenever there is a repetition of words, it demands extra attention. What makes the Holiness of God so conspicuous, is we know this is the only attribute of God, that is mentioned three times in succession in all of Holy Writ.

 As Stephen Charnock said: “the holiness of God, is the glory of the Godhead. It is the glory of every perfection in the Godhead.” God is Holy, Holier, Holiest. He is Eternally Holy. Absolutely Holy. Inflexibly Holy.

 His Supreme Holiness beautifies every attribute. This is the one quality that is used as an adjective to describe His other attributes. God’s love is a Holy Love. He possesses a Holy Wisdom. His grace is a holy mercy. His truth is holy and even His anger is a Holy wrath.  God is never spoken of as good, good, good. Or love, love, love. But Holy, holy, holy.

 If each of God’s attributes composed a golden crown, His holiness would be the incomparable diamond mounted at its apex. God’s holiness is the crowning jewel of His character.

 Everything God thinks is holy. Everything God does is holy. Every word God speaks is holy. "The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Psalms 145:17). The book He gave us is the Holy Bible.

 Moses met with God on the mount, and was told to take the shoes from off his feet, because he was standing on holy ground. It wasn’t the dirt or the sand that was holy, but the presence of God. God alone is perfectly Holy (Revelation 15:4). He is matchless in holiness. 1 Samuel 2:2 says there is none holy as the Lord. Exodus 15:11 states God is glorious in holiness. According to (Isaiah 57:15) His name is holy.  The Father is Holy. The Son is Holy. The Spirit is known as the Holy Spirit.

 God came down in power and dwelled in the Tabernacle, behind the veil, between the Cherubim; above the mercy seat in the place called the Holy of Holies. His dwelling place, His habitation is Holy. (Psalms 68:5)

 Finally, one need look no further than Calvary to see the Holiness of God. There God’s holy justice was poured out upon Christ. He who knew no sin, and had committed no trespass became sin for us. God is so holy that Isaiah said it pleased the Lord to bruise Him.

 Further yet, God hates sin. It is an affront to His very person. He hates it so much, that when Christ became sin for his people, the Holy Father could not glance upon His Son for Habakkuk 1:13 states: Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. This is why, when at Calvary; God turned away from His Son, and Jesus would cry out: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

  He forsook His Son, because God is Holy. Sin is so offensive to God’s Holy Nature, that the Father put Him to grief, and made His soul an offering for sin.

 What His holiness demanded, His grace supplied in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh dear reader, if you are truly born again, consider this; we have been saved by God, from God, and for God.

 Now, be ye holy even as He is holy. For Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness, shall no man see the Lord.

Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Sovereignty of God by Lewis Kiger

Who is in control of this world? Is there one Being who is the absolute authority in the Universe? The Biblical answer to these questions is yes. And that it is God, and God alone. Long and messy is the battlefield over the Sovereignty of God. There still remains a great amount of debate over this doctrine, and though there are good men on both sides of the argument, someone has to be right. 

  We are all prone to exaggerate the doctrinal position of others, in order to make ourselves look better, smarter, or more spiritual. Yet I will say that any “level headed Bible student” should agree, that God is Sovereign. We may disagree on how He chooses to exercise that Sovereignty -  but dear reader, God is either Sovereign over all, or He is not Sovereign at all. There is no such thing as being partially sovereign.

 Some will suggest that the doctrine of God’s sovereignty is a complex and difficult doctrine. One that only theologians and Bible scholars can grasp. But, this isn’t so. I am going to insist God's sovereignty isn’t some obscure doctrine hidden in the far corners of the Bible reserved for the seminary classroom. Instead, it is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith and should be loved and embraced by every believer. The fact that God is Sovereign is not hard to understand. It may be hard to swallow, but it isn’t hard to understand.

 To say that God is Sovereign, we mean that He is Supreme in Power. There is none above God. He possesses Universal Dominion and is Superior to all others. He has Absolute Authority over all things and at all times. God has the unconditional right and ability to do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, and to whomever He wants. God never has asked permission from anyone to do anything, and He never will. 

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 States that God owns everything. He is the Ruler over everything. To Him alone belongs all power, all glory, all victory, the greatness, the Majesty. God alone is exalted above all others. He is the Divine Self-governing Monarch who alone reigns over all creation. His will is not bound by man, or any other. AW Pink rightly said; “God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart Him; none can hinder Him.”

 A gentile king named Nebuchadnezzar quickly learned that God was the Sovereign of the Universe. Listen to his words: Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

 In other words, God is answerable to none. He righteously decrees all things as it pleases Him to do so, and there are none who can obstruct Him. All the combined armies of the earth cannot in anyway, impede the will of the Sovereign.

 We live in a nation that is politically divided and are enduring the seemingly endless battles of politicians coveting our vote. But, in heaven there are no brokered conventions. No delegates, or no electoral college. God Almighty rules and reigns over the affairs of men and does whatever pleases Him. Psalms 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

 God has spoken it; God will bring it to pass. God has purposed it and will also do it. Isaiah 46:9-11 Cleary shows that God is Sovereign over time, eternity, life, death, circumstance, and yes, even salvation. Some generous souls will “grant” God sovereignty over everything except the human will.

 I ask, is God Sovereign over creation, Satan, the angels, the weather, nature, and everything else, but not over mankind? Only human arrogance would be so bold to suggest that God is Sovereign over everything except us. I say again, EITHER GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL, OR HE IS NOT SOVEREIGN AT ALL.

 Someone once asked Spurgeon, how he reconciled the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of men. His reply: “they do not need to be reconciled, they are old friends.” While it is gloriously true that God is the Absolute Sovereign of the Universe, it also true that men are responsible for their every action. Dear sinner, hear these words: this Sovereign God has commanded all men everywhere to repent and all those who fail to do so are personally responsible for their disobedience. God is not to be blamed nor held responsible. Flee to Him, and you will find that this Sovereign God is friend of repentant sinners.

Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

The Love of God by Lewis Kiger

 Bill Gaither (who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Gospel singers/songwriters of our time) was once asked besides the Psalms, what do you consider to be the greatest song lyrics that have ever been written? Without hesitation he said this:

“Could we, with ink the ocean fill

And were the sky of parchment made,

Where every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll, contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky.”

 As this old gospel hymn wonderfully declares, the love of God has never been measured. No amount of books could ever be written to fully declare His infinite love. His love for His people is incalculable. It is inexhaustible. It stretches as far as the east is from the west. The Lord's incomprehensible love is deeper than the oceans, higher than the heavens, and richer than the vast treasures of earth. Love emanates from God. It flows from Him. As 1 John 4:7 states “love is of God.”

 In 1 John 4:8 we find these simple, yet profound words: “God is Love.” Now, this is not all that God is, nor is this the sum of God; but thankfully, it is one of His Divine characteristics. God is indeed love. It would not be accurate to say, that the author of this article is love. Nor, even that the reader of this article is love -- but it is gloriously true, that God is love.

 One day, C.H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words; “GOD IS LOVE.” Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.” His friend replied by saying; “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles.” “You misunderstand the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth and that is: Regardless of which way the wind blows, GOD IS LOVE.”

 God’s love is an eternal love (Jeremiah 31:3). An immutable and unconditional love. If you are a Christian, if you are indeed born-again, it is not because of good works or some “foreseen faith", but it is because God first loved you. Verse 19 of that same chapter of 1^st John tells us that we love Him, because (and only because) He first loved us. 

 God, in His great mercy, loves the unlovely. Look at this wonderful portion of the Scriptures, Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This is what God did. He loved us, when we were unlovely. Not good, not godly, but while we were yet sinners.

 Why He would love us, is simply mind-boggling, yet we know He does. Years ago, there was a well-known and well respected Bible scholar, who had just a tremendous comprehension of Scripture. Someone asked him: “Sir, what is the single greatest thought, you have ever had?” He thought for a moment and then replied… “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” Even this great theological mind, was still just a sinner, astonished by the love of God.

 Near the end of Romans chapter 8, the inspired writer asks a question: “what can separate us from the love of Christ?” And then answers his own inquiry by forming a long and inclusive list. After considering all that wars against the child of God, he then summarizes by saying: “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come; nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Praise God for His Sovereign, unconquerable love!

Oh love of God, how rich and pure;

How measureless, and strong

It shall forever more endure

The saints and angel’s song.”

Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com