Ephesians 5:18 - And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18-19 “ And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

As I think about this passage, the words of one of our great songs come to mind, “Sing and Be Happy”. The chorus rings out such a beautiful message: Sing and be happy, Press on to the goal, Trust Him who leads you, He will keep your soul, Let all be faithful, Look to Him and pray, Lift up your voice and praise Him in song, Sing and be happy today”.

Using our ability to sing is an avenue through which we express vocally our thankfulness for the many blessings God bestows upon us, both temporal and spiritual. We should praise God and through singing our hearts rejoice and declare praise to him for all of his marvelous blessings, temporal as well as spiritual (Ps. 9:1-2). God is our source of strength, our shield and defender, our comforter, our refuge and salvation (Ps. 28:7; Ps 46:1; Isa. 12:2; Heb. 6:18). Our hearts should be overflowing with joy, joy that will result  in singing praises to him (Ps. 57:7). With our affections fixed firmly and steadfastly on God we will count it a great privilege to engage in singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.

 Singing with spirit and understanding (1 Cor. 14:15) will impart to us strength and courage that will lift us up to greater heights of love and devotion to God. When we sing with grace in our hearts we are employing one of the great ways to teach and admonish each other (Col. 3:16). “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go—I rest my soul in thee” (Rom. 8:35-39). “My Jesus Knows Just What I Need—My Jesus knows when I am burdened, He knows just how much my heart can bear” (1 Cor. 10:13; Ps. 94:17; Heb. 4:13-16; 1 Pet 5:7; Ps. 121:1-8). “Each Step I Take—Each step I take my Saviour goes before me, And with His loving hand He leads the way” (Ps.23:1-3; John 10:27; 1 Pet. 21; Heb; 13:5).

Psalms 104:33—“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” I love this passage because it expresses exactly how I feel as it regards singing. As I sing, the words that come forth are not always on key, they may not have that perfect pitch and I am sure that sometimes those around me will shake their heads and wonder but I don’t sing to please man.  I sing to please and praise my God and when I do so with a heart of understanding and sincerity, I know that I am making a joyful noise unto God (Ps. 95:1). I only pray that it is the same with each of you.

Charles Hicks

Elizabeth Clephane THE NINETY AND NINE

Some very astute person once said, "We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves." I thought that I’d give you that statement as a lead-in to my editorial today. In last week’s editorial I told you about certain things that I particularly like to use as bases for my scriptural lessons and I’m going to use two of them again today. Those two things will be a parable spoken by Jesus which provides us with a beautiful hymn.

Like all the parables of Jesus, they have an earthly story which everyone can understand and then He would lay a heavenly lesson alongside the parable story. Our parable is found in Matt. 18:11-14 and Luke 15:3-7. I’m going to cite to you Luke’s version of this parable simply because I like the phraseology seen in that account of Christ’s story.

"And He spake the parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Yes, I know that the parable story is using "sheep" and their relation to the shepherd and people, back then and today, easily relate to how a shepherd feels about his "sheep." But, I see this parable story also teaching us about parental love. The love that parents have for their children. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson, I will have successfully presented my thoughts well enough that you’ll see this connection too.

The Bible, many, many times, refers to God and His "Children." From the time of creation, those faithful to His Word have been depicted as being members of His family, so to speak. Here’s just a few verses that show the faithful and obedient as His Children: (Matt. 5:9, Luke 6:35, Luke 20:36, and probably the three best: Rom. 8:16-17, Gal. 3:26 and Eph 1:5). Of course the Bible also shows us who the father of the "children of disobedience" is in 1John 3:10.

Yes, the faithful, the "Church" are seen in the picture of the family of God with Him being presented as the ultimate parent. We see this picture portrayed to us in Luke 11:13, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." I don’t think it’s very hard to see the love God has for us - His Children.

The parable told by Christ, presented in the form of the shepherd and his sheep, by comparison with the heavenly side, vividly shows us the "parental love" that God has for us. His concern for His "sheep" - His "children" - His "faithful followers" - His "family."

You know, after reading the parable of the lost sheep, it occurs to me that I don’t think that most men think that way today. People today seem to think "cost effectively." I mean, they’d probably reason the situation this way: Hey, I’ve got 99 sheep here, I’m not going to abandon them for the sake of one more. The one that wandered off and got lost. I’ve got to see the "big picture" here and hold on to what I’ve got.

But, thanks be to God, He doesn’t think like man. Let me try my hand at making a parable and see if I can put our lesson in a "parental way" that lets us see how God looks at this situation.

Lets say that a father and mother have 10 kids. One of them rebels, becomes disobedient and because of his ways, almost dies. You’re free to pick a scenario. The other 9 children are healthy and obedient and are still at home. But, one has gone away and might possibly be lost forever. But wait, now he’s found. He’s brought back to the family. He’s safe.

Now, we need to ask and answer some questions. First: do the parents love the other 9 children less than the 1 who was lost? Or, asked another way: do they love the 1 more than the others? The answer: No! Of course not!

Secondly: Do you think the other children resent the return of the lost one? No, they rejoice too. And thirdly: Do they expect some extra reward for having been faithful and obedient? For NOT getting lost and almost perishing? Again, No! Of course not!

And why is that? Because they are all of the same family and all of them rejoice when one of their own comes home. And this brings us to the hymn so beautifully and eloquently brings home this lesson about God not subscribing to "cost effectiveness." That He loves and cares for ALL His "children." That the price paid for them won’t allow Him to abandon even one of them if they can be rescued.

The hymn, of course, is THE NINETY AND NINE and it was originally written as a poem by Elizabeth Clephane who was inspired by the parable that we just discussed. Her poem was published in a local paper. How this poem became one of our most beloved hymns is a great story in of itself. I’ll try and give you as concise an account of this occurrence as I can and still get across the interesting circumstances involved.

If you look at this song in your books, you’ll see that the music was added by Ira D. Stankey, an American gospel singer back in the mid 1800's. He many times accompanied a famous preacher of that era, Dwight Moody, and sang at his revival meetings. They were in Scotland to hold some meetings and were in route by train to Edinburgh. Prior to boarding, Stankey bought a newspaper to read on the trip.

This happened to be the local paper having Elizabeth’s poem in it. Sankey was struck by the words of the poem and cut it out of the paper, putting it in his pocket. On the second day of the meeting, Moody preached a sermon on "The Good Shepherd." After closing the sermon, he asked Sankey if he had a closing song to sing.

Sankey remembered the poem in his pocket and he took it out and sang it as a song, putting music to the words as he sang it. At the conclusion of the poem/song, it’s reported that Moody was crying and asked where he had gotten the song. I imagine that he was as astonished at what had happened as anyone. An interesting addendum to this story is, that Elizabeth Clephane wrote her poem in 1868 and died a year later, never knowing the impact that her words have had on the world.

You’ve probably never thought of this song as being a lesson in "Parental Love" but, that is exactly what it is. And just like the old saying that we started with - until children become parents themselves, they can’t realize:

            "BUT NONE OF THE RANSOMED EVER KNEW,

             HOW DEEP WERE THE WATERS CROSSED.

             NOR HOW DARK WAS THE NIGHT THAT THE LORD PASSED THRU.

             ERE HE FOUND HIS SHEEP THAT WAS LOST."

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey

The Word Is Not Bound

Through the centuries skeptics have attempted to destroy or severely restrict the word of God. Jehoiakim took his penknife, cut the pages of God's word, and cast them into the fire. When Antiochus Epiphanes became ruler in Syria in 175 B.C. he destroyed the temple, sold the people of Israel into slavery, and went about doing all within his power to do away with the sacred writings of the Jews. Emperor Diocletian decreed death for any person who owned a copy of the Bible. After two years he boasted that he had "completely exterminated the Christian writings from the face of the earth." But when Constantine came to the throne and desired copies of the Bible be brought to him, within twenty-five hours fifty copies of God's word were offered to the Emperor. Voltaire, the notorious French infidel, boasted that within one hundred years the Bible would be no more. It would not be long before the very press that printed the blasphemous prediction was used to print Bibles and the house in which he lived was later used by the Geneva Bible Society to store and distribute Bibles. Robert Ingersoll, famed American atheist of the 1800's once held a Bible in his hand and boasted, "In fifteen years I will have this book in the morgue." Within fifteen years Ingersoll was in the morgue, but the word of God lives on! Even today the atheist community is predicting that before this century comes to a close the Bible will be eradicated from the world.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy: "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel: wherein I suffer hardship unto bonds, as a malefactor; but the word of God is not bound" (2 Tim. 2:8-9). Though men have for ages sought to bind the word of God, inspiration tells us that at the time of Paul the word was not bound, and history has attested to the eternal truth of those words. The simple fact is, men will never successfully bind the word of God. They may, from time to time succeed in keeping it out of the public's sight and/or sound. But it cannot be silenced! I suggest to you the following reasons.

First, the word cannot be bound because you cannot rob it of its power. Paul declared in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." There is power in the word of God that cannot be eradicated, eliminated or expunged. The parable of the sower is recorded in Matthew 13:1-9 and Luke 8:4-8. In making application the Lord said that the "seed is the word of God" (Lk. 8:11). A seed may sit on a shelf or in a package for centuries, but once it is planted, it will produce life. It has been three decades since the Associated Press reported that some archaeologist discovered some remnants of fruits and nuts in their exploration of a Han Dynasty tomb, which dates back to the first century A.D. Seeds discovered in some of the pottery was taken and planted and it produced tomatoes. Such is the power of a seed; and such is the power of the Gospel.

Second, the word cannot be bound because you cannot restrict its preaching. In 1992 I had the opportunity to travel to the former Soviet Union. There were four Americans and one Ukrainian brother who labored for thirteen days in Barnaul. After completing that work we traveled overnight by train to Omsk. Our Ukrainian brother shared the compartment next to myself with a Russian soldier traveling to the same destination. When it came time to turn out the lights and bed down for the night's journey to Omsk, I could hear brother Kalashnikov preaching to that soldier; I knew he was preaching to him because I could recognize certain words that are similar in both English and Russian. The next morning I asked brother Kalashnikov if he was preaching to his room mate, and he said "yes." "Did he listen?" I asked. To which brother Kalashnikov replied, "What choice did he have?" Men may make it illegal to preach publically or at some open air meeting; but they cannot control what goes on the privacy of one's home or with an acquaintance with whom we might have casual conversation. The word of God went forth in the first century with great success in spite of every effort on the part of Rome to stop the preaching. So it was then; so it will be in every generation.

Finally, the word cannot be bound because you cannot retard its progress. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah our Father said long ago: "For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:11). Some years ago I came across a very interesting story. A lady of a congregation in Arkansas had sent a copy of a World Bible School lesson to a student in Africa. It was found in the roadway by another person, who then searched for the church of Christ in his village. He was baptized two days later. What makes the story amazing is the fact that the lesson was mailed seven years before it was found. Time did not retard the progress of the word, and it eventually found its way into the presence and then into heart of the precious soul who was desirous of learning the truth. The same point was illustrated in the following true story which was related to me almost forty years ago. Someone was evidently handed a tract about the Lord's church; but he or she, for some unknown reason, threw the tract into the waste basket and it eventually ended up on the curb waiting for the garbage man to carry it away. When the garbage man picked up the container (that was in the days when such was still done manually) the tract fell out on the ground. The garbage man picked up the tract, put it in his pocket, later read it, and eventually contacted a church of Christ, leading to his obedience to the gospel. The reason I know the story was true is that it was told me by the garbage collector himself. Happenstance? Coincidence? I prefer to attribute it to divine providence. Such is the power of the progress of the Gospel.

When Paul wrote those beautiful words to Timothy he set forth an eternal truth that gives comfort and consolation to those seeking to carry the gospel to a lost and dying world. As you carry that word to others, rest assured that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 

 

--by Tom Wacaster

Save Me!

Harrison Odjegba Okene of Nigeria was working as a cook on the Tugboat Jascon when a heavy swell caused the vessel to capsize and his boat sank to the sea bed 100 feet below in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  Okene's ordeal began around 4:30 a.m. on May 26.  He was in the bathroom when the tug, one of three towing an oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria, gave a sudden lurch and then keeled over.

"I was dazed and everywhere was dark as I was thrown from one end of the small cubicle to another," Okene told Nigeria's Nation newspaper.  He groped his way out of the bathroom and eventually entered a cabin of the sunken vessel that felt safe.  Then he began to wait and he prayed to be rescued.

He had no idea about the well-being of his fellow crew members - 10 Nigerians and the Ukrainian captain.  Sadly, these all died in the ordeal.  As Okene waited and the cold waters began to rise in the cabin, he thought about his wife, his extended family, and his friends.  He also recited the last psalm his wife had sent by text message, sometimes called the Prayer for Deliverance, which begins with the plea: " Save me, O God, by your name" (Psalm 54).

"Surely God is my help;
The Lord is the one who sustains me."
- Psalm 54:4

How to be saved by Jesus, John 3:16

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 is, in all probability, the most loved and most often quoted verse in the Bible. I don’t know that I can explain why that is so except to say that maybe it is because it tells us of God’s profound love for us and holds forth the promise of eternal life. Truly, we should be impressed with God’s love for us (1 John 3:1-2; Rom. 5:8) and be thankful beyond measure for the eternal home he has made for us (John 14:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:1). The spectacular blessings of that home are revealed to us in Revelation 21:3-4.

In Revelation 7:13-17, John presents a beautiful word picture of what will one day happen to the faithful child of God. All of the cares and burdens that distress in this life will disappear completely. This physical frame will never be racked with pain that so often causes us to cry out in anguish. In this earthly tabernacle we do groan (2 Cor. 5:2, 4) but there will be no groaning when the redeemed go home to dwell with God. It just seems to me that there is nothing more comforting than the knowledge that in the resurrection day this corruptible will put on incorruption (1 Cor. 15:51-55) and be freed from all the ills and troubles of human existence. I love the way the second verse of “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be” begins: “In heaven no drooping, nor pining, No wishing for elsewhere to be”. The chorus of “Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All” says it best: “Heaven will surely be worth it all. Worth all the sorrows that here befall; After this life with all its strife; Heaven will surely be worth it all”. What a joyous anticipation is ours today.

As we grow older, the strength ebbs from our feeble bodies. We watch as those we love silently slip out into eternity and realize that we too, will ere long take that same step. I really believe that it is at this point that it really begins to sink in that life on this earth is indeed a brief experience (James 4:14; Job 9:26; Isa. 38:12; 2 Sam. 14:14; Psa. 90:10). Someone once said, “life is like sitting down to read a book, you become so engrossed in it, reading intently and then suddenly you are at the final page before you realize it”. Except for a very dire circumstance (suicide) we do not, yea cannot, control how long we live on this earth but we can control how we live on this earth (Heb. 5:8-9; 1 Pet. 2:11; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17; Col. 3:1-2; Matt. 6:19-21; Matt. 6:33).

One day I want to sit at the feet of the Master teacher, I want to sing around the throne, I want to rest after this life of strife, suffering and sorrow, I want to view that majestic city from the inside. As a child of God, this is my destiny. I hope and pray it is your destiny also (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

Charles Hicks

Famous sayings by Ralph Nadar

Separation

By Tom Wacaster

Ralph Nadar is credited with saying, “I don’t think meals have any business being deductible. I’m for separation of calories and corporations.”  In a humorous way Mr. Nadar captured the essence of this word “separation.”  Unfortunately, were someone to declare, “I’m separated,” most folks, were the person married, would immediately think of being separated from one’s spouse.  It may be that our culture of easy marriage and divorce has contributed to this being the most common use of the word “separated.”   

The “on line Bing dictionary” defines “separated” as:  “(1) living apart while married: no longer living together as a couple but still legally married; (2) positioned apart: moved apart so as not to be touching or connected, not together, or not in the same place; (3) divided: split into component parts.”  It is the second of these definitions that best represents the subject matter of this week’s article.   The Bible enjoins upon every child of God the sacred responsibility to “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Cor. 6:17a).   That obligation is expressed in a number of ways throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments alike.   “Put away,” “put to death,” “repent,” and “be converted” are but a few of the expressions used by inspired writers to communicate this sacred obligation.   In addition words such as “holy,” “saint,” “sanctified” all express the state or status of being separated.   Using 1 Peter 2 as a backdrop, let me suggest to you some truths relative to our being “separated” from the world.  

First, our separation from the world is one of sacred duty.  “Put away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking” (2:1).  Peter does not set forth an exhaustive list of all that is involved in our separation from the world.  In much the same way Paul lists the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21.  Both of these passages are representative of those things from which we are to separate ourselves.   But in both cases, the responsibility lies with the individual.  Sin will not be eradicated by some divine infusion of strength and resistance to temptation, but by a self determination to do the will of God.  

Second, we enjoy a special status with God.  We are “newborn babes” and as such are expected to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.  Spiritual growth is the product of time, opportunity, and effort all combined to produce the desired result.  While Peter does not address the time aspect here, the writer to the Hebrews did:  “For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teacher” (Heb. 5:12).   Moses is a good example of groth and maturity over a long span of time.  When Moses fled Egypt and came to the land of Midian you recall he encountered some ruffians at the well where the daughters of the priest of Midian had come to draw water.  After Moses drove off this gang of shepherds and watered the flocks of the women, the young women told their father that Moses was an “Egyptian” (Ex. 2:19).  But forty years later, when Moses returned to Egypt to deliver God’s people he was no longer looked upon as an Egyptian, but a Hebrew.  

Third, we feed upon spiritual milk in order to grow thereby.  That spiritual milk is “without guile” and provides the means by which we “grow thereby unto salvation.”  Paul rebuked the Corinthians for needing to be fed with “milk” and not “meat” (1 Cor. 3:1-3). Were Paul and Peter contradicting one another?  There is no disagreement between the two apostles.  One of the key words throughout the epistles of Peter is that of growth.  In the passage before us he was evidently looking at the Christian journey of his audience from the standpoint of the beginning of that journey; as babes, rather than full grown men.   Whereas Paul was looking at the church at Corinth as those acting like babes when they should have been mature.  

Fourth,  we enjoy a solid foundation.  The church was built upon the Christ, not men; a rock, not a pebble (Matt. 16:16-18).  In verse 4-8 we see the stone described and the stone discarded.  The description of our Rock of Ages is set forth in words that exude strength and power.  Our Lord is a “living stone,” pointing no doubt to His resurrection and reign.  But He is also “precious.”  The word “precious” translates the Greek word ‘entimos’ which means “honored” or “prized.”  Peter sets forth a contrast between what men might do with Christ, and what God has done through Him.  God contradicted man’s verdict, declared Jesus as the Christ by raising Him from the dead and exalting Him.   We sometimes say, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”  While the world may say there is “no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa. 53:2), our Father pronounced Him as “precious” and “chosen.”  The story is told that Michelangelo came across a discarded piece of marble. It had been ruined by some other sculptor and thrown into the scrap heap for some other use.  But Michelangelo looked it over, and saw in it his David.  He purchased it and turned it into one of his masterpieces. 

Fifth, we are a part of a spiritual house.  In fact, we are “living stones.”  Here Peter identifies the church as something other than the physical edifice which might appear on some street corner. The church is made up of the people.  As a house (2 Tim. 3:15), we are the dwelling place of God Himself, and Peter’s words suggest the wonderful fellowship we have with the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Sixth, we are described by special terms.  “An elect race,” “royal priesthood,” “holy nation,” and “a people for God’s own possession” all suggest distinction from the world.   In this wonderful description of God’s people we catch a glimpse of what we are (vs. 9), what we do (“show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”), and what we receive (“who in times past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy”).  

Separation!  We are separated from the world, separated  unto God, and we look forward to an eternal separation from the physical to the spiritual.  That, beloved, will be a wonderful day!

Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction

                                   
Many of you have told me on occasion that you like the editorial lessons that I present for you to consider and I appreciate those words of encouragement. But, I have to confess to you something that I believe is shared by all Bible teachers and especially those who also produce written lessons. And that is that we enjoy and learn more from producing them than do the readers of them. 

I love the research and scripture study that has to be done in order to produce the lesson. Which is why I and my fellow writers can safely say that we learn more than our readers. Today’s effort is of a particular pleasure for me to present to you as it combines three things in it that I have a particular fondness for and like to use them in creating a lesson from God’s Word.
The three things I like to use are lessons based on "parables," lessons using historical events and lessons based on some of our Gospel hymns. Rarely do I get to combine all three into one lesson, but today is one of those rare occasions. I hope that you find it interesting, informative and most of all, helpful to your spiritual walk.

Jesus, in His parabolic teachings, used common, everyday things of life with which He then laid a spiritual application alongside of them. I happen to be of the opinion that this is probably one of the best ways of making the objective of a lesson understandable. That is what I intend to do with my efforts today.
In our parable today my common thing of life is "roads." We’re all familiar with roads, aren’t we? You don’t have to do much traveling to realize that there are nice, wide roads such as freeways and turnpikes available to us but, on the other hand, there are some roads that truly aren’t a pleasure on which to drive. Some of those roads are the ones you take instead of paying the toll for the turnpike and opt for the alternate road. Been there, done that, which is why I just "bite the bullet" and pay the toll charge. 

In a few days I will be engaged in an elk hunt in the mountainous areas of Utah and trust me when I tell you that there are some roads there that barely fit the description of being called a road. Narrow, rutty, rock-filled and overgrown with brush, but if you want to get where the elk are, to reach your objective, you have to take them. 

That is what I picture when I read what Christ said in His sermon on the mount. In Matt. 7:13-14 is found that oft-used passage: "Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (ESV)

He speaks there of the two available roads that can be taken but what I’d like you to notice is that both of them have a "gate." So, instead of the usual way that passage is used, IE: talking about the two roads, I’d like to use the "gates" for consideration here today.

We know and understand that Christ’s point there in using "roads" is talking about the way we "travel" through our earthly lives. The "way" we "walk," if you will. And, the "way" which we choose will determine the destination we arrive at when we get to the end of our respective "road." Either eternal "destruction" ("wide and easy") or eternal "life" in heaven ("narrow and hard").

And, at the end of both "roads" is a "gate." That "gate" has a name and the name inscribed over each "gate" is the same. It’s name is "DEATH." Here’s the interesting part about those two "gates." They only swing inward. Once you’ve passed through either one of them, there’s no going back out.
That’s my "scriptural" thing for our lesson, now let me bring you the "historical event" and it’s one that occurred back in the first portion of the 20^th century and is now known as World War 1. It was known as The Great War until World War 2 came along. In getting to the war, our soldiers traveled to Europe via ocean liners and troop ships. One of those soldiers, embarking on one of those ships, provides us with the story behind one of our old, familiar hymns, my third favorite thing to use.

The soldier was at the dock where the ship was preparing to sail and the troops were being loaded and his father was there to say goodbye and see his son off to war. In order to board the ship, the soldier had to pass through a gate and walk up the ramp onto the ship. He knew that when he passed through that gate, he might never see his father again. As they stood there, just outside the gate, the soldier/son said these words to his father. "Dad, if I never see you again here, I’ll meet you where the gates never swing outward."
The son boarded the ship and his father took the train back home. As he rode home he pondered the parting words of his son and by the time he arrived at his destination, he had written the words to that song that we so often sing: "Where The Gates Swing Outward Never." If it’s in your hymn book, you’ll see that the father/writer is Charles H. Gabriel.

Now, let me see if I can wrap this all up in a closing thought and arrive at the spiritual aspect of our lesson. I want to tell you about one more "gate" and it too has a name. We know from many scriptures (Romans the 6^th chapter and 1John 5:17-18 to name a few) that sin separates us from God.
Here’s another little "parable" of mine. Think of "sin" as being a wall between you and God. On God’s side of the wall is paradise. Outside of the wall is "destruction." There is a "gate" in the wall through which we can pass from "destruction" into "paradise." The name inscribed on that "gate" is JESUS CHRIST. Contrary to some "religious" beliefs, there is only ONE "gate." (Hebrews the 1^st chapter). And, if you think that there might be another one open up, you’d better read what God says in Heb. 10:26.
There’s just one major difference between the "gates" we mentioned at the outset of the lesson and the "gate" in the "wall of sin." One can exit that "gate" and find themselves right back in the world of sin. There’s no one posted at the "gate" to keep you from going back out.
The "gate" is available to all but, it’s a voluntary entry. We choose our "road" to travel and we choose to enter Christ’s Gate. And my last thought about "gates" is the one’s at the end of our "road." When I pass through that "gate" I want to hear these words: "Well done, good and faithful servant.....enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matt. 25:23)

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey