Documentaries on the Great Flood?

By Matt Watson

And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. – Genesis 7:19

My posts are becoming few and far between, but that is not because I ever discontinued my trifling thoughts. I’ve been too lazy to publish them, held back by other studies, a job, tailgating parties, football, watching television, etc.

However, I spent the weekend with a good like-minded friend of mine from down south, one of my high school teachers from way back when, and we had a lot of interesting conversations while critiquing television programs. In our own sneaky, religious right way, we came up with a few insights from watching television.

First, men who take Cialis or other medicine for erectile dysfunction probably have consumed too much pornography and are therefore sexually desensitized. Not very scientific, you might say, but neither is anything else I’m about to say. Prepare yourself. Profounder thoughts await you.

Second, and last, and most importantly, TV documentaries are interesting when examined with creationist sentiments combined with conspiracy theory mindsets. I shall divide this second point into two smaller points.

Smaller point number one: The first documentary we watched was on the History Channel and covered different perspectives on how the island of Britain became geologically separated from the rest of Europe. The view given the strongest credibility in this documentary was that in some manner, a cataclysmic flood ripped through Europe and created the English Channel. Hmm. Cataclysmic flood. Need I say more?

Not only that, but at approximately the same time (geologically speaking), it is supposed by some geologists that a similar type of cataclysmic flood occurred across the world in North America, creating some of our current land features in the West. Hmm. A cataclysmic flood occurring at the same time as another cataclysmic flood a world away. Sounds like some kind of worldwide … coincidence.

Smaller point number two: A second documentary, one on Discovery Channel I believe, covered a crew of scientists unearthing a woolly mammoth. The mammoth had been perfectly preserved after getting stuck in a pool of water thousands of years ago during the Ice Age. Hmm. An entire mammoth preserved in water. I’m just sayin’.

I don’t mean to ostracize any of my theistic evolution friends or to take a holier-than-thou attitude. If you believe God guided the evolutionary process and created everything with man separate from the animals, I don’t want to argue with you. There are fine arguments to be made there, just not fine enough for me to accept.

The primary entertainment I get out of these documentaries is that the scientists on the evolution side of the spectrum, scientists who do not cease to ridicule creationists as ignoramuses, don’t even get it themselves. Not even the faintest memory of some ignorant creationist, I suppose, stirs in the minds of scientists when concluding that perhaps a catastrophic flood had some type of effect in X, Y and Z locations.

The Case of Colossians 3 and the Simpsons

By Matt Watson

In modern society, we have accepted our fate as sinning machines. We have taken what the Christians regarded as vices that harmed humanity and turned them into virtues that aid mankind. We have come to understand the power that each of these vices holds and how it can make us happier and stronger people. Advertising agencies and marketing firms know this and have taken full advantage of it, selling each of the seven deadly sins in record numbers and encouraging us to work with what we’ve got (while still holding focus groups on the development of sins eight, nine, and ten). – Lisa Frank, “The Evolution of the Seven Deadly Sins: From God to the Simpsons,” Journal of Popular Culture, June 2001

Recently, I was delighted to have to watch an episode of “The Simpsons” for a school assignment. [Note: "The Simpsons" is a little outdated for me. If I'm going to watch a show about the decay of our society, I'd probably prefer "Family Guy."] Along with watching the show, I was given the above article to read, which I found very interesting. Meanwhile, I was chatting with a friend of mine on the Internet about Colossians 3.

Lo and behold, I realized all of these things were related.

“The Simpsons,” of course, teaches us a very valuable lesson about family and society, which is that our society doesn’t value family. In fact, the members of our society don’t always have much regard for society, either. We’re pretty two-dimensional people who are really just concerned about what we’re going to eat next and how much we’ll have to pay for it. We beep horns at each other, make fists, curse, give each other the middle finger, gossip…

Those of you reading might like to think most people still have at least some bit of decency left, and you’re right. “The Simpsons” is only an exaggeration of reality. However, culture is changing, and there are many things that just aren’t considered sins anymore. Or if they are called sins, no one really cares. I’m sure you can think of examples from your own experience. All in all, leading a holy and noble life sounds kind of drastic to modern ears. That’s why we connect with the Simpson family, as well as Jerry Seinfeld and friends. That’s why we think these shows are funny–because they contain a bit of truth.

But on a more serious note, what consequences does our behavior have? When all we care about is ourselves and have no respect for family and friends, what is the result?

The result is a society that doesn’t really know how to take care of itself. Like the author above, there are some in our society that actually applaud our embrace of sin. They think it’s actually a good thing and that those prehistoric Christians were wrong all along. When we disregard a passer-by on the street or disrespect our parents or neglect our children, we only add to this growing philosophy.

It’s how we got where we are today, where children spend all day in their rooms chatting on the Internet about how their parents suck, where parents don’t even give their children the small knowledge of the Bible they deserve and instead send their children to school to let Caesar be responsible for instilling values in our children (which is why there are controversies over prayer in schools and sex education in the first place).

In the midst of today’s modern fog, what version of society does the Bible give us? According to Colossians 3, it is far more stable and far less hypocritical than our modern version.

There cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)

Way before our Civil Rights Movement, the Bible realized that God didn’t really care where you’re from or what you look like and, therefore, neither should we. But at the same time, where our society falls prey to thinking everyone in society is the same, the Bible lets us know that there are in fact different roles in society and especially the church.

And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

First, everyone in society, while being subject to the higher powers, are subject to a head that is even above these powers. That head is Christ.

Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. (Colossians 3:18-19)

Second, the Bible realizes the reality that fathers have a responsibility that goes higher than that of anyone else in the family. Men and women are not the same, and a husband has preeminence over his wife. However, while our society sees preeminence as a bad thing often used for corrupt purposes, the Bible tells us that this preeminence, this position of leadership is vitally important to the family. There needs to be leaders in our families, leaders who can make keen decisions and leaders who have wisdom. Where there is no leadership, there is no direction. And where there is no direction, there is malice, jealousy and divorce. This preeminence is not a haughty, patriarchal doctrine. It is a blessing that is only supposed to help us move forward.

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well–pleasing in the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged. (Colossians 3:20-21)

And it’s the same with parents’ preeminence over their children. Unlike our modern society, which is beginning not to care whether or not children depend on parents, the Bible lets us know that children have to esteem their parents. While our modern society says that it’s OK for you to do things your parents don’t need to know about (since you are autonomous, right?), the Bible argues that your relationship with your parents is to be intimate and honest.

Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men–pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord (Colossians 3:22)

Finally, Colossians 3 tells us how to act in the workforce with those who are over us. Maybe in our day we’re not all about “servants” and “masters,” but the principle is still there. We all have bosses, and we all gain vain pleasure in venting about them when we get home. This is not how it should be. As Christians, we are servants to everyone, especially those we work for. Our supervisors are in a position of leadership and deserve our respect and forbearance. We must work diligently and honestly for them, whereas our culture says it’s OK to pass the work along to someone else or clock out earlier than we know we should. If we work honestly, we can honestly expect to be treated with the kindness and dignity that our superiors have a duty to give us.

So, there you have it. Just something to stimulate your mind next time you decide to watch the idiot tube.

The Name of the Church

By Matt Watson

Below is a reflection I wrote a couple of weeks ago but decided not to post it right away.

I have discussed before that the phrase “church of Christ” is only descriptive and is not meant to connote anything other than the church of which Christ is the head. Those of us who employ this description on the outside of our church buildings do not use it as a name distinct from any other church that has Christ as its head. This goes with the belief that there can only be one church, which is the church whose head is Christ. As there can be no type of Christian other than he or she who follows Christ, there can be no type of church other than the church that follows Christ. This is fundamental.

To some people, the fact that the church has no name is confusing. They think that every church must have a name. [This presupposes there is more than one church.] But it is significant that the church does not have a name, and it is important to understand the significance of it. The church is the kingdom of God. Therefore, before we try to name the church, we would need to figure out God’s name, wouldn’t we?

So, what is God’s name? I ask you, because I do not know. The Bible gives many descriptions of God (the Lord, the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, Jehovah, I AM THAT I AM, the Almighty). But God himself, by his nature, is nameless. When you talk about someone as high and deep as God, you can’t put a label on Him. When you think about it, to name God probably falls in the realm of idolatry. The closest thing to a name of God is the name he employed as a human being, Jesus. But this is not really a name of God, as if God needs a name to distinguish himself from other gods, which are no gods. This is the name God-Incarnate employed to distinguish himself from other humans, as there are many different humans.

But there is only one God and he is the Ruler of only one kingdom. For a church to employ a name, especially of a person or group, is for it to become something other than the church that follows Christ.

For those who would want to name my church so they can classify me as a member of a denomination, don’t waste your time. I am just a Christian who tries to follow God’s Word as best he can. Anything other than that is too complicated for me. Just let me worship God.

Heaven on Earth

By Matt Watson

Below is a sermon I gave at my church on July 14, 2008

So many times in our lives, we go through pain, we go through adversity, and we go through mourning. We grow up, friends leave, people die, and the question often comes up: What is heaven like? We know about the pictures painted in Revelation, which describes heaven as a place filled with gold and sapphire and precious stones. It’s a place where the light of God causes an eternal day. But what do these things mean? It seems that often when somebody loses a loved one, these words do not comfort them. When a mother loses her child, it just doesn’t seem right. People lose their faith and their hope. What will it be like when we die? How can we have hope of what is to come? What is heaven really like?

Friends, tonight, if you want to know what heaven is like, look right beside you. Take a long look at everyone in this auditorium, get to know them, and you will start to get an idea of what heaven is like. The Word of God tells us that we are the kingdom of heaven. Christ said, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And Christ gave the apostles the keys to the kingdom of heaven. When you look at the parables Jesus told, such as the parable of the marriage feast, you can see that the kingdom of heaven is used to describe the church now as well as the church on the day it will be received in the clouds. The church is an eternal kingdom. It is like heaven on earth. A sneak preview, if you will.

Tonight we will take a deeper look at this to find out what it all really means. We need to look at the parables of Jesus concerning the kingdom. These parables are very beautiful things, because they illustrate very vividly that heaven is not really all that far away from us. Also, when we say that the church is the kingdom of heaven, when we say it is heaven on earth, this has certain ramifications. It means that we have a responsibility on this earth, a responsibility to be happy, to love one another and to help one another. We also should be shining our light into the world in hope of the last day.

So, let’s look at some parables concerning the kingdom of heaven. The gospel of Matthew has quite a bit to say about the kingdom of heaven. Matthew chapter 13 mentions “kingdom of heaven” more so than any other place in the Bible that I know of. What can we learn from these? What do they teach us about heaven? How does Christ explain the kingdom of heaven?

First, the kingdom of heaven is a mysterious place. That’s why Jesus talked about it in parables. He said, in chapter 13, verse 11, “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” When Jesus talked in parables, many people did not understand him and tried to trap him in his language. But for those disciples who really were trying to understand him, unto them he explained how the kingdom works. He said to his disciples in verse 16, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.”

Another thing we learn from these parables is that the kingdom of heaven exists now and will be glorified on the last day of harvest. This is illustrated in the parable of the tares in verses 24-30:

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

So, right now the kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, but it must grow in the earth, in the world. Right now, there are good Christians in this world, and these Christians are the citizens of heaven. But after the resurrection, we will be taken up in the clouds to receive a more glorious form. Those will be the days in which we shall see God, and we “shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven,” as Matthew 8:11 tells us. So right now, the church is like heaven on earth, because we walk according to the Spirit, and we are ruled by our Master who sits at the right hand of God. But in the time of harvest on the last day, all the bad in this world will be cast into the fire, and those of us who have walked in the Spirit will “shine forth as the sun” (Matthew 13:43).

However, before Christ comes in glory, we must work in hope of what is to come. In other places in Matthew and the rest of the gospels, we learn that we are laborers for God. What we do now is important, and as the apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:16, we ought to be “redeeming the time.”

So now we are starting to get in to the ramifications of the fact that we are citizens of heaven. We are heaven on earth. But what does this mean for us? What consequences does this have?

First, this means that we can have hope. When Christ reconciled us back to God through his sacrifice and resurrection, he ushered in the kingdom of God. He made us children of God, joint-heirs with Christ. Since we know that we are a part of this vast kingdom, we ought to have vast hope. Right now, we look forward to what is to come. We look forward to the harvest, the last day, which cannot fully be explained. First John 3:1-3 explains this very succinctly. It says:

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God: and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

But this hope is not empty. It means something. It should affect our lives. It should stir us to action. Because of the hope we have in Christ, we ought to share this hope with one another. We ought to love one another. And when I say “we,” I am talking about all of us who are in the church. We are the kingdom of heaven. We are imitators of Christ on earth. This means that we must be able to get along with one another, and not only that, but we also must help one another and edify one another. We should build one another up. If we can’t get along with one another on earth, what are we going to do when we have to put up with each other for eternity? In the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 1-6, we learn that we must forbear one another in love. We have to keep a bond of peace. That passage says:

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

So the kingdom of heaven should be unified. We should establish a bond of peace. We should be a closely-knit group of people, because we love each other and we share the same hope. First Thessalonians 5:11-14 says:

Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do. But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.

So many times I have heard people in the church who are upset. They may not feel like they’re included. They may not feel close to the people in their church. They may think that the folks in their congregation do not care about them. This is unfortunate. The church is here to support and admonish the weak. No one who is in the kingdom of heaven should be excluded or ignored. We are here for one another.

But not only are we here for one another, we are also here for the world. The Bible repeatedly carries the theme that the kingdom of heaven must shine its light into the world. The kingdom of Israel was established to shine its light into the world and bring us the light of Christ. Psalm 98:3 says, “He hath remembered his mercy and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Israel served as a light for the world, until the time in which the kingdom of Israel would be transformed into a new Israel, into the church of Christ. In a similar manner, we who are in the church must shine our light before men while we hope for the resurrection, at which time we will be transformed into something newer and better. First Peter 2:11-12 says:

Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your behaviour seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil–doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

So by our good works and deeds, by the way we treat others, we should lead them to glorify God. Not only must we preach the Word, but we also must live it. Actions speak louder than words. I can sit here and preach to you all night long, but you would be a lot more excited if I decided to donate 50 dollars to everyone sitting in these pews for showing up tonight. Not that I’m really going to do that; it’s just an example.

I also want speak to the fact tonight that there is yet another ramification for us being the kingdom of heaven. Since we are the kingdom of heaven, church is important. The kingdom is the church; there is no distinction. You hear people say, “Oh, well, I don’t have to go to church or anything like that to be a good person and go to heaven. My life doesn’t depend on the church.” This is very unfortunate to me, because Jesus died for his church. Jesus did not die for each individual person just to go his own way and mind his own business. We are supposed to live together with a common hope. We’re supposed to be a closely-knit group of people. And when we go to church worship services, we create a singleness of heart amongst ourselves. This is taught in Acts chapter 2. To say that the social institution of the church is unimportant is to miss out on everything, because the church is the light of the world.

I hope these words from the Bible have encouraged you. The church is a form of heaven on earth, which should carry so much meaning for us. We share a common hope and a common purpose on this earth that is deeply spiritual. We really need to work together to help one another and to help the world.

If anyone in the audience tonight has the desire to come into the kingdom by repenting of your sins and accepting a new way of life through baptism, we encourage you to come forward tonight or talk to one of our elders. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. That is a phrase Christ repeats over and over when talking about the kingdom of heaven. The first step to knowing what to do to receive salvation is to listen to the Word of God. Everything else will follow if we have an open mind and an open heart. If anyone is in need of prayers tonight, we ask you to come forward as everyone stands and sings.

Deuteronomy’s Amazing Promise

If you’ll remember, at the beginning of summer, I expressed my plans to read the entire Bible before my school semester starts in August. Right now I am to the end of 2 Samuel. Yes, I am really behind. Yes, it’s because I’m lazy.

Anyway, a few books ago, I had a personal observation while reading Deuteronomy. It’s just one of those little things one encounters so often that testify to the divine design of the Bible. “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

In the midst of biblical criticism and heated debates over the authenticity of God’s Word, I think it is easy for many of us to lose sight of the big picture. We can become obsessed with trying to defend ourselves against “scientists,” infidels for that matter, who think they’ve gotten something big whenever they find some small phrase in the Bible they feel goes against scientific understanding (cf. 1 Timothy 6:4). To support a scientifically valid Bible, we may resort to endless scientific analysis of the Bible. Many points brought up by Christian scientists are profitable, but some of them are so minuscule and vague they only serve to bring us down to the same level as the infidels. Also, when we share Christianity with others, we should remember that no one’s faith is based on a few little scientific facts in the Bible. My belief in the Bible as God’s Word to all mankind is not based on the fact that Job 26:7 alludes to gravity or that Ecclesiastes 1:7 explains the hydrological cycle. It is based on the larger truths and prophecies contained in the messages.

Which brings me to my point about Deuteronomy. This book, written and delivered by Moses in the 13th century B.C., contains a bold and confident message. In it, the Lord, through Moses, tells the Israelites that if they will stay loyal to the Lord and shun the idols of the nations around them, they would live at peace in their land. However, if they play the harlot with other gods, they will be delivered into the hands of pagans. God, knowing the children of Israel would go astray, made a covenant with them. Moses said,

All of you stand today before the LORD your God…that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God…so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations….And the LORD would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law….Then people would say: “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them….And the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 29:10-28).

God made this promise more that 700 years before the prophet Daniel, under captivity with Israel, prayed, “Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him” (Daniel 9:11).

We all know now about the captivities of Israel under the Babylonians and the Assyrians. They are the subject of many topics addressed in the books of the Old Testament, with God promising to restore Israel through the Messiah. But Moses delivered his last message to the Israelites before all of that. When you think about it, it is a daring thing to say that whenever Israel leaves God, they will be captured by another kingdom. Let’s say Moses wasn’t really a prophet and Deuteronomy is a bunch of rhetorical hogwash. It would have been very possible for the Israelites to turn from God and still have military and political success. In fact, many of the great nations of the ancients were filled with idolatrous and adulterous people. We could probably say the same thing today. Furthermore, in history classes of public schools and universities, you usually don’t hear any scholars teach that the strength of a nation lies in its faith and morals. We usually measure the strength of a nation by its level of military and economic might, which is often achieved by hatred, corruption and violence. Some scholars today might even say that you’re stupid if you believe the United States (or any country) should adhere to the Word of God.

Yet Moses foolishly asserts that Israel would be powerless without their God, “because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).