By
Shelby G. Floyd
In Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia, we have a statement that has some difficulty in being understood clearly: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:15-16 NKJV.) Continue reading “CALLED BY GOD’S GRACE”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
How many of you have participated in the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon? How many of you would like to? How many of you plan to run some day? That would be a great challenge would it not? In order to run in that race it would require a lot of training in order to be in good shape to finish the race.
I was involved in track when I was in high school. I ran the 220 yards, 440 yards, and 880 yards race, which was a half-mile. I remember that I was always able to finish the race. Sometimes I won the blue ribbon, sometimes the red ribbon, and sometimes not so good. But I always finished the race.
Today I speak to you about “Running the Race of Faith.” This is a good time at the first of the year to consider a subject like that. Everybody loves sports. Many times we talk about sports fanatics. The word sports “fan” came from the word “fanatics.” A fanatic is someone who does unreasonable things in regards to sports. But a fan is someone who does reasonable things in support of his favorite team. Therefore it is a good thing to be a fan and support the team that we love. Continue reading “RUNNING THE RACE OF FAITH”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In order to have a successful life, every person must have some priorities. Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught his disciples that God demands first place in their lives. There is not one person that gives God first place in every area of his life. Therefore in order to pursue this goal, we must grow spiritually and do our very best to give Christ top priority every day.
In Matthew’s account of the gospel Jesus said to his disciples, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6: 33). When we analyze this statement there are several things that are very obvious: Continue reading “FIRST THINGS FIRST”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the apostle Peter wrote two letters to the Christians who were scattered abroad—the [diaspora] or dispersion. These people of God were being persecuted by the Roman government and by the ungodly Jews and Gentiles. The Christian people who were converted to Christ from among both the Jews and Gentiles had drastically changed their lifestyle. They no longer lived the life of a libertine. Those who were unconverted were astonished or shocked that they refused to live like they once had done. Peter reminded his readers that the worldly minded could not understand why Christian people now lived such a self-controlled life free from the profligate excesses that once characterized them:
1 Peter 4:4-5
In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
NKJV
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In the Old Testament we read about one of the greatest men who ever lived, and that was Job. Job was a very good man. He served God with all of his heart. And yet God tested him. And while he was in the midst of his suffering and trial he had to defend his integrity before his friends. In his defense Job said in reply to Bildad the Shuhite, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustily at a girl” (Job 31:1). That’s what we are going to talk about today. If you haven’t made a covenant with your eyes you need to do so like Job. Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes.” A covenant is an agreement and when you make an agreement you should live up to it and keep it.
Sexual immorality was a big problem in ancient times and is even a bigger problem today, especially in America. Sexual immorality causes great pain both to the perpetrators and to the innocent people who are not involved. There are perhaps three or four reasons why a person might want to go out and commit sexual immorality. One could just be their ego. Some people are like that. Another reason might be that person’s inner need for sharing and affection, even though it is unlawful. And a third reason might be just because they have the raw lust of the flesh. Sexual immorality is so common in our society today that we excuse it and we accept it. And it is all because man tends to glorify the body and to belittle the spirit that is within that body. Continue reading “EYE COVENANT”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
About 65 A.D., the apostle Peter warned the Christians in his day to be aware of false teachers coming into their congregations: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you” (2 Peter 2:1). Since this is the case, how do we go about identifying these false teachers? We are not left in the dark for there are certain obvious signs of their devious ways. Continue reading “EXPOSING FALSE TEACHERS”
Credit: Google Images
By
Shelby G. Floyd
Our arch-enemy Satan has been cast out of heaven down to the earth. “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12:9). In the book of Job, Satan answered the Lord about his whereabouts, “From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:7). He is still doing that and we must be on our guard.
Satan’s Soliloquy
My mom told about a man down in Kentucky where she grew up who was always talking to himself. When he was questioned about it his answer was: “I like to talk to a smart man and I like to hear a smart man talk!” Continue reading “SATAN’S MONOLOGUE”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
There was a man of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, named Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night. We don’t know why he came to Jesus by night instead of daytime. The Bible doesn’t tell us; it’s useless to speculate. We just know as a fact that he came to Jesus by night. He addressed the Master as Rabbi. “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God for no man can do the miracles that you do unless God be with him.” The term rabbi was a literary acknowledgment, just like bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctor’s degree are literary degrees today among us. The Jews had three of those degrees, rab, rabbi, and rabboni. Jesus said in Matthew 23, “Don’t call any man upon the earth rabbi or father.” In the church we do not distinguish one another, and that includes the preacher, elders and deacons, by some kind of worldly title that tries to exalt one person above another. We do not address one another in the church as doctor or master or rabbi or reverend or any of those terms. In the church we are a family and you don’t address members of your family like that, do you? They are your brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters in the family of God and we do not seek to exalt one person above another by worldly titles. Jesus, being the divine Son of God, accepted those titles when they were addressed to Him. He didn’t rebuke Nicodemus when he called Him Rabbi, even though He rebuked our using those terms to address each other. So Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know you are teacher come from God, for no man could do the miracles that you are doing, except God be with him.” Continue reading “THE NEW BIRTH”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
Philippians 4:7, 9
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus….Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
NKJV
To the faithful child of God “the God of peace” gives “the peace of God” that transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, 9). In this setting Paul gives the requirements to keep and maintain this peace: (1) Stand firm in the Lord (Philippians 4:1); (2) Be in agreement with your brother and sister in the Lord (Philippians 4:2); (3) Be a peacemaker by helping to promote peace (Philippians 4:3); (4) Have a rejoicing spirit on all occasions and under all circumstances (Philippians 4:4); and, (5) Let your gentleness be evident to all (Philippians 4:5).
There has been and still is, much harshness in the relationships that Christian people sustain with each other and all men. Jesus said that by our love for each other, all people would know that we are his disciples. Jesus set the example of a reasonable, gentle, moderate, patient, fair and gracious spirit in his dealings with all people. These are just some of the synonyms of the word used in Philippians 4:5.
Paul taught Timothy that an elder should be patient and moderate (1 Timothy 3:3). To Titus he commanded that God’s people should be gentle to all men (Titus 3:17). If we are practicing the wisdom from above, we will be of a gentle disposition. Friends, brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1). Let your gentleness be evident to all!
Copyright © 2015 Shelby Floyd All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142
By
Shelby G. Floyd
John 7:24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
NKJV
In John, chapter five, we have the record of Christ going up to Jerusalem, and healing a man at the pool of Bethesda who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. Jesus was condemned by the scribes and Pharisees because he made the man whole on the Sabbath day. Eighteen months later, when Jesus returned back to Jerusalem, these same people sought to kill him on the pretext that he had violated the Law of Moses by heal¬ing a man on the Sabbath day. When Jesus appeared in the temple during the feast of the tabernacles, he said to his critics,
“Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”… “Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7: 19, 22-24 NIV).
There is a common human tendency to condemn in other people that which we allow in ourselves and our friends. The Jews had condemned Christ in that which they allowed themselves to do. This was plainly inconsistent and unrighteous. The apostle Paul once said, “Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves” (Romans 14: 22 NIV).
In condemning Christ for healing a man on the Sabbath day the Jews had condemned themselves. Moses had given them the law, and yet none of them kept the law. Why then should they go about to kill Christ for allegedly not keeping the law? A good rule works both ways. If Christ should be put to death for allegedly breaking the law, then also they should be put to death, for they had not kept the law. But the old adage which says, “They measure our corn by their bushel,” certainly applied to them. As an example therefore of their unrighteous judgment and inconsistency, Jesus applied to his critics an Argumentum ad Hominem—an argument to the man, his interest and prejudices.
Moses had given unto them the law of circumcision which stated that a male child should be circumcised on the eighth day. Sometimes the eighth day would fall on the Sabbath day, and they would circumcise a man on the Sabbath day. They did not condemn themselves as a violator of the law for circumcising a man on the Sabbath day. Therefore, if they could circumcise a man on the Sabbath day and not be guilty of breaking the law, why could not Christ then heal a man on the Sabbath day, who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, and not be guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath? But on the other hand if Christ was to be condemned as a law violator for healing a man on the Sabbath day, then they must condemn themselves as being law violators for circumcising a man on the Sabbath day. If not, why not?
If Christ were a law violator, they were much more so, for it was more of a secular work to circumcise a man than it was for Christ to heal a man on the Sabbath day by simply speaking the word. They had allowed a privilege for themselves which they would not allow for Christ, and therefore, they were unrighteous in their judgment which they had pronounced upon Christ for the good work which he had performed. From this Jesus draws the following conclusion, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7: 24 KJV.) Their judgment of Christ had been based on the outward appearance. Their judgment of Christ was not righteous. Continue reading “Do Not Judge…But Judge”