Summer has passed and fall has arrived. With fall comes harvest and Halloween decorations. Now I like pumpkins- especially pumpkin pie, but I am not a fan of the creepy Halloween decorations that pop up this time of year. Have you noticed that much of this holiday revolves around themes of murder and mayhem? For example, just consider the plots of the horror movies that are typically promoted during this time of year. Further, there is an undue fascination with death. Consider the typical Halloween costume or decoration. Sculls, skeletons, coffins, graveyards, mummies, spirits of dead men (ghosts) dominate the scene.
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You don’t have to be a stodgy conservative to see that evil prevails with this holiday. Witches and wizards are also prominent. Though many in our culture would try to make us think that these magicians are harmless, the scripture makes it clear that they are evil. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
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I fear the “Christian” community has done an injustice in not warning about the dangers of these activities and in some cases has even promoted them. Books like the Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings, promote such abominations yet they are encouraged in Christian circles. No wonder Satan is getting such a foothold in this area. It is not just books and movies and cartoons though. Video games also promote witchcraft, wizardry, and communication with the dead (necromancy). God clearly speaks against such things. Though these verses come from the Old Testament, the Mosaic Law was for the Hebrew, yet the Gentiles are condemned for this activity in the Deuteronomy passage. The context of the passage shows that they should have known better than to do these things even without the Law that Moses gave.
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So why this fascination with all this evil at Halloween? Could it be a Satanic conspiracy? Don’t forget, a lot of people dress up like him too. Actually there are reasons why the devil would be fascinated with death. First of all, man is put here to glorify God, and once we die, we can no longer glorify Him on this earth. Further, it seems that Satan has been given a certain amount of power in this area of death. Hebrews 2:14 tells us, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”
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This intriguing passage suggests that the devil had some sort of power of death. It also shows that by dying Christ was able to destroy that power. Consider Christ’s words in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
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So what was this power concerning death that Christ has the keys to? “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12) Death came into this world when Adam, the first man ever created, sinned. The devil had a huge part in that, so you could say that he, Satan, tempted mankind into death. No wonder he loves death so much. But all is not lost. “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” (Romans 5:17)
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When Satan temped Eve and she ate the forbidden fruit and Adam followed her, sin and death entered the world. When Christ died on the cross, payment was made for our sins so we could have eternal life. Notice that nowhere did you read that what Christ did plus what we did defeated death. No, Christ did it all. Romans 5:17 makes it clear that it was by ONE, Jesus Christ that it was done- not by Christ plus us, or Christ plus the priest, or even Christ plus baptism. They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ
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This time of year as you are reminded of death, remember, as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. The only way to escape the judgment after death is to put your full confidence in what Jesus Christ did on the cross to reverse the consequences of sin and death. That means putting your confidence in Him alone, not in anything else. Anything more or less than Christ in your life means Satan has won your soul in your death. Let Christ have the victory over your soul in death, not Satan. Christ is God, and He has the power to save you all by Himself. He is stronger than Satan.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Who Built My Lawn Mower?
I finally got my lawn mower running. The problem was more serious than being out of gas or not getting spark. It threw a rod and the motor needed to be taken apart and rebuilt. This gave me a chance to have some garage time after a day of sitting behind a desk.
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Although there can be some challenges, it is not an insurmountable task to disassemble and reassemble a small engine. I am however amazed at how such a machine could have originally been built. There is so much that could go wrong even with a simple reassembly. For example, the mark on the camshaft gear has to line up with the mark on the crankshaft gear or the valves will open at the wrong time. Further the carburetor cannot be plugged or the gas will not even get into the motor. If the flywheel key is broken and it sparked at the wrong time it would run too hot or not at all. And if the valves did not seat properly it would run terribly.
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It baffles me that anyone could’ve invented an internal combustion engine. All the little details that had to be worked out are remarkable. Then I think of my car. Instead of just one piston and set of valves like my lawn mower has, my car has six. Besides that, it has an automatic transmission and all kinds of computer sensors to keep everything working just right. Cars are becoming harder and harder to work on because of all these details.
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We know that cars are made in great big factories with technologically advanced assembly lines. Once a car is designed, all they have to do is to copy that design over and over again. The question we must answer however, is where did that first car come from? It likely developed from something similar to my lawn mower and through the years parts were added until we have our current cars.
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But where did the very first internal combustion engine even come from? If I were to tell you that it was likely formed over millions or even billions of years beneath the rocks of the iron range, you would say I was nuts. There is far too much detail for it to have just happened by chance. Obviously there was a designer. We could do an historical study and find out that many men contributed to the development of the internal combustion engine. Actually, theories for its development even date back to Leonardo da Vinci in 1509.
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What about man? He is even more intricate than my car. When I broke my arm, I didn’t just take it apart and put a new bone in. Instead the doctor put the bones back were they were supposed to be and it just fixed itself. I wish my lawn mower would do that. If my car and lawn mower needed a designer, I am sure that I did as well. Guess what? History tells me the answer to that as well. I can read about it in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Not only did God make man, He made the whole world and everything in it. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
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With such a clear explanation for how we got here, a man would have to be foolish to think any different. I will go a step farther, he would have to be evil to think any different. I believe men argue against God and His existence because they do not want to be accountable to Him. If He exists, why wouldn’t He be the creator just as history says? His existence is not even worth arguing about. Romans 1:20 tells us, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 2:15 also says, “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another,”
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God’s existence is so clear. Now you can understand why I would suggest that a man would have to be an evil fool to say there is no God. In fact Psalm 53:1 says just that: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”
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So who will you believe, a God hating intellectual, or the Word of God? Jesus Christ, said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17) Christ is God in the flesh. I will believe Him and His Word.
-
Although there can be some challenges, it is not an insurmountable task to disassemble and reassemble a small engine. I am however amazed at how such a machine could have originally been built. There is so much that could go wrong even with a simple reassembly. For example, the mark on the camshaft gear has to line up with the mark on the crankshaft gear or the valves will open at the wrong time. Further the carburetor cannot be plugged or the gas will not even get into the motor. If the flywheel key is broken and it sparked at the wrong time it would run too hot or not at all. And if the valves did not seat properly it would run terribly.
-
It baffles me that anyone could’ve invented an internal combustion engine. All the little details that had to be worked out are remarkable. Then I think of my car. Instead of just one piston and set of valves like my lawn mower has, my car has six. Besides that, it has an automatic transmission and all kinds of computer sensors to keep everything working just right. Cars are becoming harder and harder to work on because of all these details.
-
We know that cars are made in great big factories with technologically advanced assembly lines. Once a car is designed, all they have to do is to copy that design over and over again. The question we must answer however, is where did that first car come from? It likely developed from something similar to my lawn mower and through the years parts were added until we have our current cars.
-
But where did the very first internal combustion engine even come from? If I were to tell you that it was likely formed over millions or even billions of years beneath the rocks of the iron range, you would say I was nuts. There is far too much detail for it to have just happened by chance. Obviously there was a designer. We could do an historical study and find out that many men contributed to the development of the internal combustion engine. Actually, theories for its development even date back to Leonardo da Vinci in 1509.
-
What about man? He is even more intricate than my car. When I broke my arm, I didn’t just take it apart and put a new bone in. Instead the doctor put the bones back were they were supposed to be and it just fixed itself. I wish my lawn mower would do that. If my car and lawn mower needed a designer, I am sure that I did as well. Guess what? History tells me the answer to that as well. I can read about it in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Not only did God make man, He made the whole world and everything in it. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
-
With such a clear explanation for how we got here, a man would have to be foolish to think any different. I will go a step farther, he would have to be evil to think any different. I believe men argue against God and His existence because they do not want to be accountable to Him. If He exists, why wouldn’t He be the creator just as history says? His existence is not even worth arguing about. Romans 1:20 tells us, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 2:15 also says, “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another,”
-
God’s existence is so clear. Now you can understand why I would suggest that a man would have to be an evil fool to say there is no God. In fact Psalm 53:1 says just that: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”
-
So who will you believe, a God hating intellectual, or the Word of God? Jesus Christ, said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17) Christ is God in the flesh. I will believe Him and His Word.
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