By
Shelby G. Floyd
With the marriage today of Harry and Meagan so visible to the whole world, it is a good time to study the marriage relationship as designed by God in the beginning. The following sermon was presented in 1976, but the truth therein proclaimed is just as true today! Continue reading “MARRIAGE DESIGNED BY GOD”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
The book of 1 John was written about 85-90 A. D., at a time when false teachers were denying that Christ was divine and also that he had a fleshly body. John refutes both of these false ideas. There are some today who are still teaching these same false doctrines. Continue reading “CHRIST, THE ETERNAL WORD”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
When Jesus lived on the earth he visited the homes of many people. Some of these people treated Jesus with kindness and hospitality while others treated him with contempt and disgrace. If Jesus were to visit your home, how would you react, and how would you receive him?
The following words by Lois Blanchard Sades entitled, “If Jesus Came to Your House” might well illustrate the predicament that many people would find themselves.
IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE
If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two –
If he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such and honored Guest
And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best;And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there –
That servicing Him in your home is joy beyond compare.But, when you saw Him coming, would you meet him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in,
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’ve been?Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard,
And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?And I wonder, if the Savior spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read?
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go?
Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?Would you be glad to have him meet your very closest friends,
Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?It might be interesting to know the things that you would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.—Lois Blanchard Sades
Let us examine some of the records concerning the homes in which Jesus visited, and take note of the reaction of the people who were there with him.
JESUS VISITED MATTHEW LEVI’S HOUSE
First, let us notice the visit of Jesus to Matthew Levi’s house. As Jesus traveled along the Sea of Galilee, he invited Matthew Levi, a tax collector, to follow him and be his disciple. Matthew accepted this invitation, and invited Jesus into his home where he prepared a great dinner for Jesus and many other friends. Jesus accepted the invitation, and went to Matthew Levi’s house. Immediately, the Pharisees and the scribes murmured against Jesus because he would visit into the home of a man like Matthew Levi, and eat with publicans and sinners. Jesus answered their criticism by comparing himself to a physician whose work is not to go to those who are well but to those who are sick. Since Jesus was like a physician, he needed to go to those who were sick in sin and spiritually diseased. He had the only remedy to heal the sin sick soul. Therefore I’m sure that if Christ were to visit into some of the homes today, there would be some people who will be ready to criticize Him because he would not be keeping the kind of company that they would think he ought to keep.
JESUS VISITED THE HOUSE OF JAIRUS
A little later, Jesus visited the home of Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. Jairus had a little daughter about 12 years of age; she was very sick, even to the point of death, and Jairus invited Jesus to his own house in order that he might heal his young daughter. As they traveled to his house, a messenger came to say that there was no use troubling Jesus any longer, for the young girl had died. Jesus quieted their fears by advising them not to be afraid, but to believe; and then he took Peter, James and John along with the father and mother into the house, and stated to all that were there that she was not dead, but only sleeping. Their reaction to that statement was: “And they laughed him to scorn.” Nevertheless, Jesus raised the young girl from her sleep of death. Luke, in his account, tells us that her spirit came again and she rose straightway (Luke 8:55).
No one has the power to perform any kind of miracle today; but I’m sure that if Jesus were here today and performing such miracles as he did in the long ago, there would be some who would laugh him to scorn. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, which is a pledge and a promise that he will raise all the dead at the last day, but when gospel preachers talk about the resurrection of the body from the grave, there are many today who will laugh us to scorn and deny that such will ever take place.
JESUS VISITED HIS HOMETOWN CONGREGATION OF NAZARETH
Still on another occasion Jesus visited his hometown of Nazareth, and entered into one of the synagogues. As his custom was, he stood up to read, and they brought him the book of Isaiah, and he read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). Having read that great and wonderful passage describing his ministry to those who are lost in sin, he sat down. Later when they asked him some questions, and Jesus commented upon their questions, they were ready to drive them from their synagogue and destroy his life: “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust them out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill where on their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way” (Luke 4:28-30).
WHAT IF JESUS VISITED SOME CHURCHES TODAY?
This indicates that if Jesus were to visit many churches in our land today and read the Bible and make the application as pointed as he did when he lived upon the earth, many people would be ready to drive him from their midst and take his life. We need to seriously ask ourselves the question of how we would treat the Lord if he were to come to our house or to our congregation. He will not physically come to our house, but he is coming back again to judge all who have ever lived upon the earth according to the standard of God’s word (2 Corinthians 5:10).
HOW WOULD YOU TREAT JESUS?
The way we live and the way we act determine in a great way how we would treat the Lord. The way we treat the poor, the downhearted, the stranger, the sick, the thirsty and the hungry is really how we would treat the Lord. Jesus said to a certain group of people: “Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not unto me.” And he said that these people shall go away into everlasting punishment. When Saul of Tarsus traveled even unto strange cities and persecuted the church, binding men and women and putting them into prison because they were Christians; Jesus confronted Saul and said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul persecuted Jesus by persecuting the people of Christ. And so the way we treat the people of Christ is how we would treat Christ were he to visit our house, city or congregation.*
* Copyright © 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved. I originally wrote this article in July, 1974.
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142
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“God calls men when they are busy, and Satan calls them when they are idle.”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
CHRIST AND THE BOOK OF DANIEL
The book of Daniel is another book which has been the object of much criticism by modernist and liberal writers, but our Lord received the book of Daniel as the inspired word of God, and Daniel as its author.
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
While Christ was discussing the impending destruction of Jerusalem, he made reference to the book of Daniel, giving credit to Daniel the prophet, as the writer:
When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Mark 13:14).
According to Christ, the abomination of desolation was something that his disciples could see with their eyes. The abomination of desolation was something spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Obviously, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general Vespasian and his son Titus, fulfills the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel.
DANIEL’S PROPHECY
The reference which Christ makes to Daniel, the prophet, is found in Daniel 9:26-27, which reads:
And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.
From what has been said, we can draw the following conclusions: (1) Daniel was a prophet of God, inspired by God. (2) Daniel, as an inspired prophet, made reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, speaking under the figure of the abomination of desolation. (3) Daniel’s prophecy was literally fulfilled about A. D. 70, when Vespasian, Titus, and the Roman Army, completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem, including the temple of Herod with all of its holy places. (4) Christ received the book of Daniel as the inspired word of God, written by an inspired prophet of God. We must also receive the book of Daniel as an inspired book of God.
Copyright © 2011 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142
By
Shelby G. Floyd
THE BIBLE CLAIMS TO BE INSPIRED
The Bible claims to be the inspired word of God. No more important theme can be considered than the study concerning the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. Our attitude toward the word of God will determine our attitude toward the authority and commands of the Bible. If one believes in divine revelation and verbal inspiration, then one will have reverence and respect for the authority and commands of the Bible. But on the other hand, if one has doubts and criticisms of verbal inspiration, then this automatically would cause one to question and criticize Biblical authority, and the commands of the Bible. This subject definitely is of vast importance, and demands our keenest attention.
The apostle Paul expressed the proper attitude which all men should hold toward the Holy Scriptures. Paul believed that what he taught the churches was the inspired word of God. When he wrote the church at Thessalonica, he thanked God without ceasing because they had received his teaching as the word of God. “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Paul’s teaching then was the word of God because Paul was inspired of God.
The Bible unequivocally claims to be the inspired word of God. However, the word inspiration conveys different ideas to different men. Modernists will tell one that the Bible is inspired, but they mean by this that the Bible is inspired only in the sense that it gives evidence of literary genius, such as, the writings of Milton, Shakespeare and Browning, and others who were truly outstanding men of literature. Let us then define the term inspiration as it is used in the Bible. Continue reading “BIBLICAL INSPIRATION NO 1”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In Ephesians 5:22-33, the apostle Paul sets forth the nature of the church and its relationship to Christ. He says in one place,
“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32).
What did Paul mean when he said, “I speak concerning Christ and the church”? Continue reading “CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
The author of the letter to the church at Ephesus is Jesus Christ (Revelation 2:1-3). This letter is a part of the Revelation which God gave to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ gave to an Angel, and the Angel signified it to John, John wrote it down in a book and sent it to the churches (Revelation 1:1-2). A great blessing is pronounced upon those who read (aloud), hear and keep those things which are written in the last book of the Bible (Revelation 1:3). John received this wonderful disclosure while he was on the Isle of Patmos. He heard a great voice behind him as the voice of a trumpet, loud, distinct and clear. When he turned to see who was speaking, he saw seven Golden candlesticks; and in the midst of those Golden candlesticks he saw the glorified Christ, like unto the Son of Man, and he had in his right hand seven stars (Revelation 1:9-19). Continue reading “TEST THE SPIRITS”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
What a blessing it is for all of us to come together and worship God. In a congregation where I preached there was a man that visited from time to time. He would fill out a visitor’s card, and on it he would write, “I am a member of the church of Christ at large.” All of us are members of the church of Christ at large. But are we all members of the church of Christ at small? Today I am speaking on the topic of “Joining the Church.” I have never preached on this topic in over 54 years of ministry. All of my life I have heard that you do not join the church. Is it true that we do not join the church? The answer is both yes and no. There is a sense in which we do not join the church. And there is a sense in which we do join the church. Therefore we can have it both ways. Continue reading “JOINING THE DISCIPLES (CHURCH)”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In the beginning, when the Almighty created the heavens and the earth, he established a rule or principle of life which is absolute, and which still holds true to this day; it is the law of sowing and reaping. God ordained that each species of the fauna and flora would always reproduce after their kind. For instance, in connection with the grass and herbs of the field, God said,
“Let the earth bring forth grass, The herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12).
By
Shelby G. Floyd
King David once said, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24). He then bought the threshing floor of Araunah at a price and made his offering unto the Lord:
“So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings” (2 Sam. 24:24-25).
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