Young People’s Blog

“And as he [the Apostle Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:25).

Felix was the Roman governor at that time in that area of the land of Israel, and as such, he decided to keep Paul in prison. However, he must have been curious to hear more about the gospel, for he called for Paul, and “heard him concerning the faith in Christ.” We can only imagine how earnestly Paul preached to him, telling him of God’s way of salvation, and warning him of “judgment to come.” Paul knew how to adapt his message to the condition of the souls of those to whom he spoke, and it is noticeable that he spoke of temperance, which means self-control, and not indulging ourselves to excess.

Men like Felix (and his wife Drusilla) were no doubt accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle, with all the good things that were available to them in their position. Yet they did not know Christ, and thus Felix trembled as he listened to Paul. His conscience told him that what Paul was saying was true.

But this world and its attractions were too strong for Felix, and he put Paul off, telling him that he would call for him again, when he had “a convenient season.” We will see tomorrow that the Word of God does not record that this convenient season ever came. How serious it is to hear the Word of God, and to neglect it!

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

Back in the year 999, Christians in Europe had really lost the truth of the Lord’s coming for them at any moment, and had become very superstitious. Somehow many of them had gotten the idea that the year 1000 A.D. would be the Lord’s “judgment day,” and that Christ would appear to judge the world at that time. This idea was supported in their minds by the fact that Christians were under attack at that time from many different groups, including the Muslims, Vikings, and others who opposed Christianity.

Because of this widespread belief, many did not bother to plant their crops that year, or to put grain and other food supplies away for the winter. They waited anxiously as December 31, 999 drew to a close, only to find that the sun rose on January 1, 1000 A.D., just as it always had done. Then, as you may imagine, there had to be a wild scramble to put everything back into proper order so that life could go on.

God did not intend for you and me to live like that. As we saw yesterday, we are to continue our work for the Lord and also fulfil our everyday responsibilities while we are in this world, yet at the same time to expect the Lord to come for us at any moment. We may see from events around us that the Lord’s coming for us is near, but we cannot set a date.

“Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).

As I write this in August, 2022, my wife and I are staying in a home of some relatives in the U.S.A. A big property developer is trying to buy up all the homes in their survey (40-50 of them) and turn the area into an industrial park. For this reason, our relatives with whom we are staying do not know how much longer they will be able to live here. They may have to move as early as this fall.

However, they have a patch of raspberries at the back of their yard, and since they are badly needing pruning, I went out and did this for them. Yes, the raspberries will bear fruit again this fall, and also next year. However, they may also disappear if the developer moves in with heavy equipment to build his industrial park. We do not know when this may happen, but we are keeping the raspberries in good shape in case our relatives do not have to move.

We are to do the same with respect to the Lord’s coming for us. We do not know when He may come, so we are to keep busy until that day. This includes our work for the Lord, but also our responsibilities in everyday life. We are not to become lazy, thinking that since the Lord is coming soon, we can simply relax and do nothing. It is a good testimony to this world to keep our affairs in proper order, and to continue our service for the Lord. We will say more about this tomorrow.

“And now, why tarriest thou? [We would say, “What are you waiting for?”] Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

When we first read this verse, we might be a little confused, as it sounds as if our sins can be washed away simply by being baptized. Yet we read in 1 John 1:7 that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” What then does our verse for today mean?

Baptism means the taking of a new position before God, and also before men. This is true whether it was the Israelites going through the Red Sea (read 1 Corinthians 10:1-2), the baptism of John the Baptist, or Christian baptism. Baptism never washes away our sins in the sight of God; that can be done only by the blood of Christ. However, when men like Saul of Tarsus persecuted Christians, they were connected with the Jewish nation that had rejected and crucified the Lord Jesus. When a Jew was baptized, it meant that he had separated himself from that guilty nation, and now wanted to be associated with those who recognized the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, and had accepted Him as their Savior. Saul of Tarsus did this, and everyone recognized that he no longer was connected with the Jewish nation that had rejected the Lord Jesus. In this way he was no longer connected with the sin of crucifying the Lord Jesus; that sin had been washed away, in that sense, by baptism.

Today, when we are baptized as Christians, we separate ourselves from the world that continues to reject the Lord Jesus, and take our place among those who love Him, and know Him as Savior.

“And I [Saul] said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do” (Acts 22:10).

When the Lord struck Saul of Tarsus (later the Apostle Paul) down on the road to Damascus, Saul realized immediately that the Lord was speaking to him. Right away he asked what he was to do, and this was a good thing. The Lord answered him, but He did not tell him everything right away. He simply told him to go into Damascus, and that there he would be told “all things which are appointed for thee to do.” Saul was blinded by the bright light, and for three days was without sight. He needed time to realize what he had been doing wrong, and that he was really fighting against the Lord Himself. It was not until a man named Ananias came to him and spoke to him that he received his sight again. Then God gave Saul further instructions about what he was to do.

It is often the same in our own lives. When we feel that the Lord is speaking to us, we would like to know everything that is ahead for us. But the Lord often tells us only the next step. When we take that next step, then we get more light and more instructions about what to do. The Lord wants us to exercise our faith, and to be in constant dependence on Him. For this reason, He does not tell us everything all at once.

“Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow, which is done unto Me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted Me in the day of His fierce anger” (Lamentations 1:12).

These words were written by the prophet Jeremiah hundreds of years before the Lord Jesus came into this world as a Man. Yet they describe the Lord Jesus, as He suffered under the judgment of God for sin. The Lord Jesus came willingly into this world, knowing full well that He was going to suffer for sin, and that this was the will of God His Father. But just the same, He felt very keenly the fact that men paid little or no attention to His sufferings. Not only did they reject Him and crucify Him, but they made light of what He suffered from the hand of God.

The Lord Jesus suffered much from the hands of man, but His sufferings from the hand of God were much greater. So great were those sufferings that God the Father caused the sun to be darkened, so that no one could see what took place during those sufferings. The Lord Jesus has never forgotten those sufferings, and He could say (prophetically), “My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in Me” (Lamentations 3:20). He does not want us to forget either, and that is why He has asked us to remember Him each Lord’s Day.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

When we think of doing good works, perhaps we think especially of doing something for other people, such as helping them out when they need it. Or, perhaps we think of telling someone else about the Lord Jesus. Maybe we think of something else to do that is specifically connected to the Lord and His work here in this world. These things are all good works, but as we see in our verse for today, we are to do everything to the glory of God.

Some of those in the assemblies in the New Testament were slaves, and always had to do what they were told. In many cases they did not have what we would call “free time.” But the Apostle Paul also said to them, “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men…for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). Whether we are doing schoolwork, or something our parents have asked us to do, we can do it as unto the Lord. When we get older and work for a living, we can do that for the Lord too. The Lord has promised to reward us for this, for if we love the Lord Jesus and seek to please Him, we will do everything cheerfully and with a good attitude. That is honoring to the Lord Jesus.

“This is a faithful saying…that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).

Here we have a third kind of works—“good works.” This expression occurs a number of times in the Bible, and this is the kind of works that you and I can do as Christians. As we have seen, we cannot do anything right before God to earn our salvation, but after we are saved, we have a new life in Christ that wants to please the Lord. Then we are told to do good works, not in order to be saved, but because we are already saved. The works of the old sinful nature cannot be pleasing to God, but the good works produced by our new life in Christ are pleasing to God, and show to people of this world that we belong to Christ. We are to be careful to do these good works, for they are honoring to God, and show the result of our having a new life in Christ.

Good works are simply things that we do for the Lord, and we can do everything for the Lord in our lives. We will speak a little more about this tomorrow.

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled” (Colossians 1:21).

In our verse today we have a different kind of works mentioned—“wicked works.” Yesterday we spoke about “dead works,” where people are trying to earn their way into favor with God. Here today we read about those who do not care at all about God, and who go about deliberately and willfully doing wicked things, not caring what God thinks about them. Because of these wicked works, we become alienated (that is, we are at a distance from God spiritually), and enemies of God. This is a serious condition to be in, and all of us are naturally like this before God.

However, if we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we are now reconciled to God. The word “reconciled” is a big word, but it simply means to restore friendly relations between two persons, or to make peace between two people. Through the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, God has reconciled us to Himself, so that we are no longer alienated and enemies because of our wicked works.

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14).

The Word of God describes “works” in several different ways. Works are the things that we do in our lives, and we often do these things for different reasons before God. Here in our verse today we have the expression “dead works.” What does that mean?

That expression means the works that men do in order to earn their way to heaven. In the Old Testament, God gave Israel the law, to see if man could keep it. But no one could keep the law and earn God’s favor on that basis. Even today, when the gospel has been preached in many parts of the world, Satan has persuaded many people that all they have to do is to do their best, and try to live a good, upright life. Then, supposedly, everything will be all right.

However, God calls all this “dead works,” for we all naturally have a sinful fallen nature, and cannot please God. In Isaiah 64:6, we read that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” In order to be fit for heaven, we need a new life in Christ.