The Ages
By Charles WagesThe
An
"Age" could be defined as a period of indefinite duration and
characterized by what transpires in the period, especially of a moral and
spiritual nature. The word "generation" is sometimes used in
Scripture to speak of a certain period or stage of life. We could say there
have been several stages in the "age of grace" in which we live.
Let's
consider ages that could describe the times in which we live. One of these
could be defined as
The Age of Fear
Fear
can be viewed as good or bad. Fear defined as reverential trust of and in God
is good. For example,
"The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction." —Proverbs 1:7
However
the age in which we now live is not characterized by this kind of fear. In
contrast, the age is described in the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 21:26,
"Men's
hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."
Though
the Lord is speaking of a future time in God's dealing with man, however even
today, "men's hearts are failing them for fear." The Scripture tells
us that "Fear hath torment." We are often possessed with fears and
phobias instead of faith. Here are some fears.
The Fear of Circumstances
There
are unusual events that we fear will come upon us. If they do occur we are
paralyzed or affected excessively. These can be physical phenomena or moral.
"Things which are coming on earth" can be earthquakes, diseases,
fires, terrorist attacks, etc., or sexual immorality, falling away from the
faith, corruptness in government, etc. What did our Lord say in Luke 21:28? He
said "look up," and "lift up" your heads: for your
redemption draweth nigh.
Another
characteristic of this age is,
The Fear of People
There
are three people in the Bible that are examples of being afraid of men's faces.
They are Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Pontius Pilate. Even the apostle
Peter could be included. Nicodemus "came to Jesus by night." He was
afraid of his peers, the Jewish rabbis. It is said of Joseph in John 19:38 that
he was a "disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews."
Pilate, because the people violently protested against Jesus, released a
robber, Barabbas, to the mob. How many today are afraid of the
"majority" or oftentimes the "minority" and fail to take
their stand for the Lord and His Word. And further, and more subtle, how many
"preachers" are afraid to take a stand for the Word "rightly
divided" (2 Timothy 2:15)?
Another
fear is,
The Fear of Death
In
Hebrews 2:14-18, we read of this fear.
"And
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." —Hebrews 2:15
It
is true that "the wages of sin is death:" but don't forget that
Romans 6:23 also says,
"The
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Enough said.
We
have the reason for fears, now let's consider the remedy for our fears. Thank
God for the many, many verses of Scripture that help alleviate our fears. For
instance,
"Casting
all your care upon him; for he careth for you." —1 Peter 5:7
But
if we only had one verse, the one in 1 John 4:18 would suffice.
"There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath
torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
This
"love" is the love of God in Christ Jesus (John 3:16). When we really
see God loves us, our fears are requited. If God be for us, who can be against
us? And when we manifest God's love in our lives, fears fade into the
background. We can be
· Lovers of God — 1 John 4:19
· Lovers of good men — Titus 1:8
· Lovers of hospitality — Titus 1:8
And
remember,
"Perfect
love casteth out fear."
Another
description of our age is
The
Age of Reason
Just
as we have seen that fear can be either good or bad as used in Scripture so it
is of the process of reasoning. Consider the passage in Isaiah 1:18,
"Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool."
God
desires for us to "reason" with Him in regard to His will whether in
salvation or service. This is "good" reasoning. However, our age is
not necessarily characterized by this type of reason, but rather human reason
that is apart from God's Word.
Let's
look at some examples from Scripture of wrong reasoning. In Matthew 16:6,
Christ said to His disciples, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees." The disciples reasoned among themselves saying,
"it is because we have taken no bread." When Jesus perceived, He said
unto them, "O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because
ye have brought no bread?" Notice how far off they were in reasoning apart
from Scripture. They should have known that "leaven" was used in a
bad sense and that He was telling them to beware of the false teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees (vs. 12). It is tragically remarkable that even today
many teach and preach that leaven is good, and "a little leaven, leaveneth
the whole lump." Think about this. In Mark 2:1-12, is an account of the
Lord Jesus while here on earth healing a man with the palsy. The people who
crowded about were amazed when He said to the man, "Son, thy sins be
forgiven thee." Some said, "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?
Who can forgive sins but God only?" Their reasoning was faulty. In the
first place, He was God (John 1:1-3). In the second place, the forgiveness of
the man's sin was of paramount importance. However, just to show He was God, Jesus
said to the man, "I say unto thee, arise and take up thy bed, and go thy
way into thine house." Oftentimes in men's reasoning, the healing of the
body is more important than the salvation from sin unto eternal life.
As
has been previously stated, reason is not only a natural process, but is a
spiritual process as well. God wants us to use our faculties of reason, In Acts
17:2 we read,
"And
Paul, as his manner was, went in into them, and three sabbath days reasoned
with them out of the scriptures."
Notice,
it says, "out of the scriptures." This is repeated again in chapter
18, verses 4 and 19. What and of whom did he reason? Acts 17:3 tells us.
"Opening
and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the
dead: and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ."
This
is the kind of "reasoning" the Jews needed to hear.
In
Acts 24, we have the continued account of the apostle Paul speaking to the
people and rulers, both religious and political. In the account found in verses
24-26 of this chapter, we are told of Paul,
"And
as he 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."
It
is impossible today to humanly figure out how God could love all of mankind,
and that the Lord Jesus Christ could save poor, lost, miserable souls from
their sin. Men scoff at this. In Acts 17:32-34, we find three groups of people.
Two reasoned among themselves, and one group reasoned with God. In these groups
we find:
· Scoffers — "some mocked"
· Procrastinators — "we will hear again
of this matter"
· Believers — "clave unto Him."
This
age is, in one sense, an age of human reason. Call it "humanism" if
you like, but all of it rejects the authority of God's Word. Man has enthroned
reason upon the throne, and worships the thoughts of man. But God is still on
the throne and His Word is still the Truth and can never be replaced or
supplanted.
"But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear." —1 Peter 3:15
Let's
consider another age that characterizes the times in which we now live:
The Age of Deception
The
devil is described in Revelation 12:9 as the one who "deceiveth the whole
world." We must always remember that it was the devil that deceived our
first parents, especially Eve. So that from beginning to end, the devil is the
root cause of deceptive practices. How does he work his deception? He does it
through his workers, especially religious workers. In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 we
read,
"For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works."
Please
note that the same approach or manner in which he appeared to Eve, he still
uses today. It is significant that these messengers of Satan are called
"apostles," "workers," "angels," and
"ministers!" This is very deceptive, to say the least.
In
1 Timothy 4:1, we are told,
"Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."
These
"seducing spirits" are agents of the devil who falsely copy the work
of the Holy Spirit. You see, the Holy Spirit teaches us God's Word. The "seducing
spirits" present the "doctrines" (teachings) of the devil. Is it
any wonder we have so many different "religions" in the world, and
there is so much confusion.
We
have seen the cause, now what are some of the results of this devilish
deception? One of these could be described as spiritual dishonesty. In 2
Corinthians 4:2, the apostle Paul says of his ministry for the Lord,
"But
have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor
handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
Notice
two principal things mentioned in this verse:
· Walking in craftiness
· Handling Word of God deceitfully
This
is pure deception. Instead of walking in honesty, truthfulness, and love, many
walk in craftiness. Instead of properly presenting the Word of God
"rightly divided" (2 Tim. 2:15), they handle it deceitfully. The
world falls for it "hook, line, and sinker." (Did you know you are
fishing deceitfully when you place a "lure" on your line instead of
the real thing!) Another phenomena seen in our present age is what is termed,
Self
Deception
"Let
no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world,
let him become a fool, that he may be wise." —1 Cor. 3:18
This
"self deception" comes from two sources in the human being—the
"heart" and the "mind." In Jeremiah 17:9 a basic fact is
stated very clearly,
"The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?"
The
heart is deceitful! This is repulsive and rejected by the natural man. Since
the heart is "the seat of our emotions," we can readily see how our
actions can be swayed in a deceitful manner. How we feel often determines our
course of action. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," said
the Saviour.
Our
"thinking" process often leads us to deceive ourselves. The mind can
play tricks on us. It often leads to "fanciful thinking." Consider
Galatians 6:3, which reads,
"For
if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth
himself."
Consider
the contradictory statement, "I am not conceited, though I do have every
reason to be!" Self conceit is self deceit. There is a vast difference
between fanciful, deceitful thinking, and sober, sound thinking, according to
God's Word. Romans 12:3 tells us,
"For
I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
We
have considered the causes that make this age an "age of deception."
Now, what about the "cure." It is simply that God's truth lays bare
the deceitfulness of the deceiver (the devil). God has given us His Word and
His faithful workers to, not only teach us truth, but to warn and expose the
deception of this age. The passage in Ephesians 4:11-16 should be read and
studied very carefully. Verses 14-15 read,
"That
we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into
him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"
These
penetrating and pre-eminent words our Lord spoke are so timely,
"And
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." —John 8:32,36
From
God's perspective, we are now living in
The
Age of Grace
Without
going deeply into a dispensational study of God's Word, let's just concentrate
on how God deals with mankind in view of the terrible, ungodly condition of the
world in which we live. We know that God has the prerogative and power to
destroy this planet. Why doesn't He do so? Does man have the power and
initiative to live good enough to save himself from utter ruin? Within
ourselves we do not have the answers to the multiplied problems that face us.
How can we be saved from sin and self? The only answer is the grace of God.
Grace,
being one of the most beautiful and meaningful words in our Bible, has been
defined in many ways. The apostle Peter says,
"As
every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as
good stewards of the manifold grace of God." —1 Peter 4:10
As
if to emphasize this wonderful grace, God uses the word "manifold," a
beautiful word in itself. It refers to the many and varied colors in an
embroidered robe or the different shades of color in marble. It implies and
applies to the changing months of the year. In other words, it meets the need
of every person. This is especially true in relation to salvation and eternal
life. In fact, in the Scripture mentioned (1 Peter 4:10) the "gift"
is the gift of grace. This reminds us Ephesians 2:8-9,
"For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift
of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."
Not
only does God save us by His marvelous, manifold grace, but in this age He
teaches us by grace.
"For
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us
that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world." —Titus 2:11-12
We
hear much in our times of education. It is either presented as responsible for
all our ills or as a panacea for those ills. It seems that the more the world
system indoctrinates, the worse the world becomes. It has not proven to be the
answer to violence, sexual excesses, drugs, diseases, pornography, murder, etc.
What is the answer? Or a better question, who is the answer? The answer is
grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. The result is a new life to be lived by
the grace of God. Grace brings us into a right relationship with God. The right
relationship gives us access to more grace.
"Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
by whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in
the hope of the glory of God." —Romans 5:1-2
This
right relationship through grace results in:
· Peace with God (in contrast to war)
· Access to God
· Rejoicing in hope
Yes,
this is an "age of grace;" not man's goodness, but God's grace.
Salvation by God's grace, sanctification by God's grace, and service by God's
grace, and further,
"That
in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." —Ephesians 2:7
'Twas
grace that wrote my name,
In
life's eternal book;
'Twas
grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who
all my sorrows took.
Saved
by grace alone.
This
is all my plea;
Jesus
died for all mankind,
And
Jesus died for me.
(Ira
Sankey)
Mp3
Studies By Pastor Gregg Bing
Ephesians
- 06 - The Fullness of the Times
How God Saves Men
Believing Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
Believing Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
(A 10 Minute Video)
Posted By Cecil and
Connie Spivey
cspicet1953@gmail.com
cspicet1953@gmail.com
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