Watch and Warn

Brandon Jackson, Jasper, Alabama

We have all heard the illustration: A man in a body of water is gasping for breath as he bobs to the surface. Another man is in a boat not far away, life preserver in hand, yet he does nothing and the preserver never leaves his side. Thus, the man in the water descends and the water’s surface remains unbroken. The story is given to illustrate the point that the man drowns because he is in the water, not because the man in the boat does not provide him with the life preserver. Just as one who has never heard the gospel dies in his sins, not because no one preached the message unto him, but because he was in sin.

This is a powerful illustration, but I believe we can do better. Consider Ezekiel 33. In this text we find a divine illustration of the point that one who has never been warned of his sins will yet die in them, not because he was not warned or did not hear the message but because he was in sin. "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." (Ezek. 33:6) ". . . he is taken away in his iniquity. . . ." He is not taken away because the watchman did not proclaim the warning, but because of his iniquity. The enemy was on the way. The watchman’s warning may have allowed those who heard it to be saved had they made preparation. But the watchman’s failure to sound the trumpet did not cause their destruction—the invading army did. We see souls in peril every day. Every day the enemy army—sin and death—is approaching those around us. Every day we have the responsibility to perform the duties of the watchman—to watch and to warn.

How serious is this responsibility? The Lord says that the blood of the lost will be required at the hand of the watchman who fails to perform his duty. This illustration is so powerful because we can envision the watchman in his tower, the entire city relying upon his vigilant eye to warn them of impending danger. We can glimpse, in the view of the distant landscape, the glint of a shield, the shine of a sword, signaling the approaching army. Yet, the tower- perching soldier does nothing, willfully allowing the army to approach closer and closer to his loved ones, to the ones he has befriended, to the ones who have befriended him. Ultimately, the enemy enters the camp and all are lost. What a powerful illustration of the point being made to Ezekiel and to us today. Be vigilant. Watch and Warn. The enemy is approaching; every day the grave grows closer. All must do battle with the enemy army of sin and death. If we watch and warn we can provide our cities with the preparation they need to overcome.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." (1 John 5:4-6)     wot

Be Careful What You Say

How much of what you said during the past seven days can you remember? How many conversations can you remember verbatim? Probably not many. That is a bit alarming, especially in view of the fact that we said about 150,000 words last week, enough to fill a 500-page book. Over the course of our lifetimes, you and I will "write" about 3,000 books—each with 500 pages—by what we say. We will speak around 450 million words. It becomes even more sobering when we realize what Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." What Jesus is saying, of course, is that we will be judged by what we say . . . which means that God is listening to all 450 million words. What does He think about what you said last week? How are we using our speech—for good or bad? Everyone knows how much damage can be done by our speech. Which of us has never felt the sting of criticism from a friend, classmate, or family member? Whoever wrote "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me" was way off the mark. The truth is, words can harm . . . and they can do serious damage. James called the tongue a "fire, a world of iniquity" (Jam. 3:6), because it has force that is potentially destructive . . . and it usually starts with a thoughtless word. But once it starts, it is terribly hard to control. With that in mind, here are some "don’t"s for our speech:

Some people hear bad news and exclaim, "Oh my G___!" Others see something unexpected and cry out, "Christ, what happened here?" But Christians, on the other hand, are more careful with God’s Name. One of the first of the Ten Commandments was, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7; cf. Lev. 19:12; 22:2; Deut. 28:58).

One can watch very few television shows or movies without hearing God’s Name repeatedly used irreverently. As a result many Christians have become desensitized, hearing the language, but not being shocked by it. Worse still, some Christians have adopted the world’s irreverent speech, using God’s Name as if it were an ordinary name (i.e., profaning it). Others, perhaps limited somewhat by conscience and not quite able to use His exact Name, "soften" it by using a euphemism—the "substitution of a word or phrase which is less offensive or objectionable"— instead. Some common euphemisms include: "Lordy" or "Law me" which refers to the Lord; "Gee Whiz," "Jeez," or "Gee" which is a euphemistic contraction of the name of Jesus; "Gosh," "Golly," "Gad," Egad," for God; "Good gracious," "Good grief;" "My Goodness," "Goodness knows," "For Goodness sake," "Thank Goodness," are all mild forms of oaths and are used euphemistically for God. "Heavens," "Good heavens," and "For heaven’s sake" all call on heaven to witness the truth (cf. Matt. 23:22). "Darn," "Dang," and "Dern" simply mean "damn." "Dickens" and "Deuce" are used for the devil. "Heck" means hell.

God’s Name is worthy of our utmost respect. In the model prayer, Jesus encouraged us to begin with an affirmation of God’s holiness: "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name" (Matt. 6:9). The Greek verb translated "hallowed" means "to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God" (Strong’s). Though this phrase is certainly not limited to our speech, it clearly includes it. In other words, let God’s Name always be holy, different from other names, set apart, special. Use it only when you are consciously thinking of what that Name represents. Never let it pass your lips in a flippant or casual way.

Swearing is everywhere—in the break room, in the hallways at school, in the stands at football games. Television and movies fill scripts with four-letter words. A popular tract has this quotation: "people swear when they are mad and when they are glad; when they are satisfied and when they are disappointed; when they are fortunate, and when they are unfortunate; when they are sick, and when they are well; when they are blessed in work or play, in earnest and in fun, and for a thousand other reasons."

In biblical language, to utter a "curse" is to pronounce condemnation upon someone (Jam. 3:10). Modern examples are "Damn you!" or "Go to hell!" The language of Christians, of course, should be free from cursing. Our desire is consistent with God’s . . . we want no one to perish but rather "that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Instead of wishing that others be lost, we do all we can to save them (Mk. 16:16). Jesus said for us to love—not curse—our enemies (Matt. 5:44). We love our neighbors (Matt. 22:39). As a table of contents tells what one will find in a book, so speech tells others what they will find in our hearts.

Do you know people who always use filthy speech? Maybe they are always talking about immorality or telling off-color jokes, or perhaps they cannot complete a sentence without injecting some sort of obscenity. Everything, to people like that, relates in some way to things of a lewd nature. That is the kind of language Paul condemned when he said to avoid "filthy language" (Col. 3:8). He was referring to "speech of a kind that is generally considered in poor taste, obscene speech, dirty talk" (Greek-English Lexicon; cf. Wayne Jackson, "Profanity—A Biblical Assessment, http://www.christiancourier.com/penpoints/profanity2.htm). In other words, avoid "gutter" talk. If the joke is dirty, don’t tell it, don’t listen to it, and don’t laugh at it. Don’t talk about anything you wouldn’t discuss in the presence of Jesus Christ.

God expects His children to be truthful—to mean what they say. "Do not lie," God’s ninth commandment says (Ex. 20:16). A liar will not continue in God’s presence (Psa. 101:7) because he is a child of the devil (Jn. 8:44). "Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another" (Eph. 4:25). "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds" (Col. 3:9). "But . . . all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8; repeated twice more, in 21:27 and 22:15).

A businessman was interviewing applicants for the position of divisional manager. He devised a simple test to select the most suitable person for the job. He asked each applicant the question, "What is two and two?" The first interviewee was a journalist. His answer was "twenty-two." The second applicant was an engineer. He pulled out a calculator and showed the answer to be between 3.999 and 4.001. The next person was a lawyer. He stated that in the case of Jenkins v. Commissioner. of Stamp Duties, two and two was proven to be four. The last applicant was an accountant. The businessman asked him, "How much is two and two?" The accountant got up from his chair, went over to the door, closed it, then came back and sat down. He leaned across the desk and said in a low voice, "How much do you want it to be?"

Is what we say dependent on the situation? Do we say what our supervisors/spouses/co-workers/friends want to hear or do we tell them the truth? Dishonesty comes in different forms . . . but all are condemned by God.

"You’re not going to believe what I heard about . . . If I tell you something can you keep a secret? . . . Did you hear about . . . ?" Maybe you’ve heard someone use one of those expressions lately, or, perhaps you’ve used one of them yourself? There is something about gossip that gets people’s ears perked up.

Sometimes we try to categorize sins; there are "really bad" sins, "bad" sins, and "not-so-bad" sins. The "really bad" category includes things like murder and rape. "Bad" might consist of fornication and lying. "Not-so-bad" sins are things like breaking traffic laws and gossip. Does that hold up?

"You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people . . ." (Lev. 19:16). "A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter" (Prov. 11:13). "He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips" (Prov. 20:19). "Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. . . . The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body" (Prov. 26:20,22). Perhaps the expression "juicy gossip" came from Proverbs 18:8: "The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body."

Gossip is dangerous (Prov. 20:19; 11:13; 2 Cor. 12:20) because it wounds (Prov. 18:8, 21; Psa. 41:7), separates friends (Prov. 17:9; 16:28), sows strife and digs up evil (Prov. 16:27), ensnares the gossiper’s own soul (Prov. 18:7), and is classed with the worst of evils (Rom. 1:28-32).

Don’t gossip . . . and don’t listen to gossip. The next time someone says, "You’re not going to believe what I heard . . .", respond appropriately, "Then I would appreciate it if you just wouldn’t tell me." If gossipers have no one to tell, maybe they will stop.

There are a lot of active critics in the world—people who think they have been divinely appointed to search diligently for the smallest fault and then, when they find it, to castigate the person who committed it.

This tendency, to be frank, affects us all. There is something fulfilling about criticizing other people. Perhaps it is the thought that we can feel better about ourselves when we identify weaknesses in others. "Well, I may have my problems, but at least I’m not like . . ." Or maybe it gives us some sort of thrill that we are able to find even the most insignificant fault in someone.

The Lord addresses this issue in Matthew 7:1-5: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye" (Matt. 7:1-5).

Two boys on the school playground were discussing a classmate. One of them remarked, "He’s no good at sports." The other quickly responded, "Yes, but he always plays fair." The critical one added, "He’s not very smart either." His friend countered, "That may be true, but he studies hard." The boy with the mean tongue was becoming exasperated with the attitude of the other. "Well," he sneered, "did you ever notice how ragged his clothes are?" The other boy replied kindly, "Yes, but did you ever notice that they’re always clean?"

Let us likewise be kind—look for good, not bad. Encourage, don’t discourage. Emphasize the positive, not the negative. 450 million words . . . use them to God’s glory, not to His (and your) shame.   wot

The Unity of the Spirit

Ephesians 4:1-6

Homes of Today

Johnny Ramsey, Arlington, Texas

One of the truly frightful things in America’s homes, due to our materialistic emphasis, is the lack of love and devotion. We are so busy that many homes are merely dormitories where we sleep and cafeterias where we eat on the way through! Few can be found like Hannah, who gave her son Samuel to God’s service, or like Lois and Eunice, who developed in Timothy a genuine faith and loyal commitment (2 Tim. 1:6, 3:14). Christian homes put their approval on things that are excellent (Phil. 1:10), as parents obey the injunction of Deuteronomy 6:6-7: "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house . . ."

Truly, the aged and beloved apostle John spoke of us as parents in 3 John 4: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

But always remember that children do not accidentally stumble onto the highway of holiness, We, as mothers and fathers, guide them therein! With Joshua of old we boldly exclaim: "As for me and my house we will serve Jehovah" (Josh. 24:15).

The first book in the Bible conveys vivid lessons for parents. Jacob’s son, Reuben, reminds us, "Do not sin against the child" (Gen. 42:22).

And yet, so many do—through parental negligence, by being poor examples, and by living faithless lives. In Genesis 44:30 are words that are applicable to every Dad: "His life is bound up in the lad’s life." When a parent loves a child deeply and wisely, he will strive to lead a godly, spiritual life before the children God has graciously given him. Worldly habits will be put aside, improper speech and attitudes will be crucified and slain, because the life of that son or daughter is precious indeed. Longfellow summed up the deep devotion we feel for our offspring in these words: "I have you fast in my fortress, And will not let you depart, But put you into the dungeon, In the round tower of my heart. And there will I keep you forever, Yes, forever and a day, Till the walls shall crumble to ruin, And moulder in dust away."

If our lives are really bound up in our children, we will carefully lead them into the joyful hope of eternal life with their Creator. However, lest our children get the idea that only parents have responsibilities, let us hasten to discuss the duties of children in making our homes godly. Several years ago Reader’s Digest had this timely piece of humor: Employer to departing executive: "In a way, though, I’ll be sorry to lose you. You have been like a son to me: Insolent, surly, and unappreciative!"

How solemnly true are those words in many homes. And yet the Bible says: "Children obey your parents in the Lord" (Eph. 6:1). In Romans 1:30, in a severe catalog of pagan sins, Paul includes those who are "disobedient to parents." This is a more serious matter than our flippant society admits. In 2 Timothy 3:2 we learn of the progressive nature of this evil ". . . disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy." Conversely, the writer of Proverbs tells us: "A wise son maketh a glad father . . . but . . . A perverse son is heaviness to his mother."

Our children need to be an example as they remember their Creator in the days of their youth by thinking on things that are pure, honest, lovely, and of good report (1 Tim. 4:12; Eccl. 12:1; Phil. 4:8). When parents "withhold correction from the child" the end result is an undisciplined life void of spiritual power. Such children are in dire need of help, which only those who love the Scriptures can give (Prov. 23:13). In other words, our problem is not juvenile delinquency, but rather parental delinquency. We must put God first in our homes. This is best accomplished when we put Dad back as the head of the house (Eph. 5:23), and get mother back in the house (Titus 2:5). It is becoming increasingly difficult to find dedicated parents, but a godly man and a virtuous woman are still priceless (Prov. 31:10-28). Indeed, "their children rise up and call them blessed."

Upon "that Rock" (1 Cor. 10:4)—the foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11)—we should build our homes. Psalm 127:1 tells us emphatically: "Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it."

Homes founded upon the solidarity of Christianity can endure the storms of life. When both parents are "righteous before God" (Lk. 1:6), the future of children is bright indeed, for "the house of the righteous shall stand" (Prov. 12:7). When parental decisions are based upon God’s will and not public whim, we can expect to see a foretaste of glory divine (Joshua 24:15). When the heavenly Father is the guiding light in our decisions the home truly becomes a vestibule of glory divine.

Friends, let us build our homes on solid gospel truth! Our children have a right to expect parents to be dedicated servants of God. When we so love the Lord, our offspring should grow into talented workers for Jesus. This certainly should be our constant goal.   wot

Hugo McCord, Vancouver, Washington 

[Editor’s note: You will certainly enjoy the following delightful article by brother McCord—one of the finest preachers among us. As our readers know, his subject—Gus Nichols—was the founder (along with Glenn Posey) of The Words of Truth and served as its editor until his death in 1975.]

Gus Nichols was born January 12, 1892, in Walker County of Alabama. Can you imagine a man without even a high school education baptizing over 12,000 people!

First Gus was a farmer, and then a coal-miner, being paid $1.00 for twelve hours of work in the mine. He, like the rest of his family, was a member of the Baptist Church. When he was seventeen he heard C.A. Wheeler preach New Testament Christianity free of all denominations. He was convinced he should be just a Christian, and he asked brother Wheeler to baptize him. However, he had a rough time at home, and his mother called him a "turncoat."

But he was determined to let the Bible be his guide, and any time he was not farming or coal-mining, he was studying the good Book. Therefore, he became a full-time gospel preacher, and in his ministry he studied his Bible four hours each day.

Consequently it is not surprising that his sermons were too long. He thought everybody ought to be as interested as he in acquiring Bible knowledge. He tried to justify hour-long sermons by saying that people did not object to two hours at a baseball or football game.

Gus married at the age of twenty-one. He and Matilda became excellent parents of four sons and four daughters. After eight had been born, Gus and Matilda were happy, and Gus said, "Nickels make dollars!" G. C. Brewer asked Gus, "Are you trying to have a dollar’s worth of Nichols?"

One time, when Gus’ heart kept him in bed for a spell, the daughter named Carrie bounced into the room displaying energy and enthusiasm. Gus said to her, "Carrie, I wish I had a heart in me like yours!" Carrie responded, "Daddy, that would not do at all, for every time you saw a sailor your heart would go pitty-pat!"

All eight children were baptized and became good Christians. All eight went to Freed-Hardeman College, with three sons becoming preachers and three daughters marrying preachers.

Gus’ daily routine of four hours a day in Bible study filled him with vast amounts of Bible knowledge. His reputation as a Bible preaching man spread all through the South. One time, at a Freed-Hardeman Lectureship, in an open forum, a man asked a Bible question, and the moderator replied, "Gus Nichols is in the audience. Let’s ask him." The man who had asked the question spoke up again, "I don’t want to know that much about it."

There was a time, in the Freed-Hardeman Lectureships, that a practice debate was presented, with someone taking the position of erring preachers and someone making a reply. On one occasion Gus Nichols was asked to present the arguments that Baptist preachers use, and a gospel preacher was asked to make the scriptural reply. But the gospel preacher was unable to refute the arguments Gus Nichols presented—arguments used by Baptist preachers. The truth took a sad defeat in that mock debate, so much so, that practice debating was eliminated from the Freed-Hardeman Lectureships.

For 43 years 1932-1975 brother Gus was with the church in Jasper, Alabama. Lois and I were privileged to be in a gospel meeting there August 13-23, 1933, soon after the Nichols family arrived. He encouraged young preachers. When I was in a meeting at Parrish, some fifteen miles away, he was in the audience nearly every night.

About thirty miles from Jasper is Carbon Hill. When I was in a tent meeting there the pastor of the Nazarene Church, on the night of July 3, 1938, was in the audience. In the sermon I had mentioned that babies are born sinless, that they do not inherit Adam’s sin. The pastor spoke up from his seat and said I was wrong. I asked him publicly to come back the next night and we would divide the time, and he agreed.

I was a scared young preacher, twenty-seven years old. Gus Nichols was in the audience, and immediately after the dismissal prayer, I went to him, asking him to sit with me the next night to help me. He said he had an appointment the next night at Christian Chapel in Mississippi, but when he saw how nervous I was, he said, "I’ll send Flavil (his eldest son) to fill the Mississippi appointment, and I’ll be here in the morning and study all day to get ready for the debate."

In the morning brother Gus came, and had brought black oil cloth and white paint, and soon he had prepared some charts for me to use. In the course of the Nazarene pastor’s speech, he said the fact that a baby cries shows he is a sinner. Brother Gus leaned over to me, saying, "That makes Jesus a sinner— Jesus wept, John 11:35." When I repeated brother Gus’ words publicly, the answer so demoralized the visiting pastor that he got up and walked out.

How I miss that great man of God, Gus Nichols! Two of his preaching sons, themselves being named in memory of two faithful men of God—Flavil and Hardeman—are still living and doing their best to spread the kingdom of Christ.   wot

The Prayer of Jesus for Unity

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (Jn. 17:20-21).

These words, uttered by our Lord toward the end of His prayer with His disciples in the upper room, were spoken in the shadow of the cross and with full knowledge that the betrayer was even then doing his nefarious deed. Nevertheless, Jesus was concerned for His disciples—not just the eleven—but for all those who would be obedient to Him.

How sobering it should be to realize that the Savior was thinking of us! In His moment of deepest anguish, He was concerned for you and me. Thus, He prayed that all His followers be united. Never has there been a time when His prayer has been more abused, misused, and set aside than now. Notice that Jesus prayed for unity, not union. There is a difference. Union ignores doctrine. Unity is achieved—and maintained—by coming together on the basis of the Truth: God’s Word (Jn. 17:17).

This unity is more fully described by Paul: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Cor. 1:10). This is unity of faith and practice. Modern-day "Christendom" does not conform to this divine standard. Jesus was not praying for denominationalism.

We must resolve to preach and to practice nothing but the Truth. We must all "endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace" within the local congregations of which we are members. It is in this way that the world will come to believe and obey the saving message of the Gospel.   wot

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