Shiloh’S Scepter

By Fred Sherrod

Shilohs Scepter was to leave my descendants a clear, unequivocal message of hope and truth pointing them to the God who has sustained and blessed me since I was nine years old. A great challenge in this modern computer age is finding a way to peak peoples curiosity, especially young people, about what a centuries-old book has to say. I have struggled to present many of the basic biblical truths in an easy-to-read format interesting to all ages. In these pages you can find the basis for the confident beliefs and strong convictions responsible for shaping the essence of my being and guiding my choices in life. Many of the key themes of the Christian life are addressed in the thirty-nine chapters. These include the way to salvation, coping with sin, spiritual growth and responsibility, church life, prayer, faith, anxiety, happiness, depression, materialism, old age, death, and heaven.

If you own a Bible, you hold in your hand the very same scepter our Lord so deftly wielded against the enemy when tempted in the wilderness. This kingly wand, an awesome weapon and incomparable guide, will protect you from the evil one and keep you safe on your journey through life. But importantly, you must learn how to use the Word for it to be effective. Results achieved are commensurate with how well your powerful blade is brandished. If you find the time to read this book and it improves your Bible skills in any significant way, then my countless hours of writing will have been well spent. May these pages lead you humbly to the feet of Christ, enlighten your spiritual understanding, and challenge your commitment to Christian service!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512701029

Fred Sherrod

Born into an East Texas sharecropper’s family in 1943, Fred is the second of four children. Honoring God, hard work, and respect for people were important concepts learned at an early age. His first two great loves were reading books, especially the Bible, and roaming the outdoors. At the age of eleven, financial pressures eased modestly when the family left the farm and moved to town for a better-paying job. Through work, loans, scholarships, and an encouraging family, Fred earned a master’s degree in chemistry in 1967 and accepted a job as a research chemist for The Dow Chemical Company on the Gulf Coast. Life became more complicated for his wife, Verna, a career schoolteacher, and their two small girls in 1975 when he suddenly became a Baptist pastor while continuing his job in industry. With no prior training or preparation for this new responsibility, his most valuable ministerial asset was a beautiful, supportive wife with the ability to sing and play the piano.   During his thirty-three years of scientific research, Fred was the author of thirty-eight technical papers and was granted ten U. S. Patents. After raising their two girls, who also became schoolteachers, Fred and Verna retired to live in the historic Big Thicket of Texas in 2000, where he is currently the pastor of First Shiloh, a small country church in Woodville, Texas. His spare time is spent fishing, playing golf, and enjoying the woods.   Fred’s diverse background enriches the broad spectrum of spiritual truths presented in his book. His inherent analytical personality, magnified by endless hours of detailed work in the laboratory, is evident in these biblical studies. This technical perspective is softened with numerous heart-warming stories from his past experiences, interesting illustrations of historical figures, and inspirational poetry.

Book preview

Chapter 1

CHRISTIAN GROWTH

Mark 4:26-28

And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

What happens after I commit my life to Christ? How should I act? We are told to expect things to be different, but different how? Are problems, temptations, sickness, weakness, and failure still to be anticipated? We sing with great enthusiasm:

Saved by His power divine, saved to new life sublime

Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,

For I'm saved, saved, saved.

In all honesty, how many of us could raise our hands and say, That's me! Life is sweet and my joy is complete? While the words to the familiar song may be true for a scattered few, the reality of perfect happiness to most Christians is only a pipe dream. Often, struggling believers become so disillusioned they just give up and leave the church in despair. Never mind the ones who stay around with a chip on their shoulder!

Ralph Todd, a close friend and diligent worker during the early years of my first church, was an inspiration to everyone who knew him. This husband and father shared a compelling story of faithfulness with me as he faced death after a long, difficult battle with cancer. Converted as a young adult, he watched over the years as many of his church-going acquaintances wandered back into the world. Acknowledging this had been a cause for deep, personal concern, Ralph had gone through life wondering, How long will I last? I will never forget his poignant testimony to me on his deathbed, I just never found a good getting-off place! Falsely anticipating Christianity to be an easier path, increasing numbers of professing believers come up with some lame excuse to reject their faith and return to a pagan lifestyle. Perhaps no one has bothered to teach them about the hidden pitfalls of the Christian walk!

Two related themes are presented in Chapter 4 of Mark's gospel: (1) the numerical growth of the kingdom of God in the world, and (2) the spiritual growth of individual believers. These two concepts are inexorability linked together because one is dependent on the other for fulfillment. Little advancement is possible in the size of God's kingdom unless Christians, on a personal basis, grow to maturity. Understanding the step-by-step aspect of this maturing process is a critical truth to grasp. After a man scatters seed on the ground, natural forces instituted by God begin to operate. Sometime later small, green shoots appear without the man doing anything---just going about his normal, daily routine. An impatient fool would look at the emerging blades and say, I planted corn and all I have are these little plants; I'll plow them under and start over. However, any experienced farmer knows growing corn involves an orderly transformation, first the shoot, then the stalk with the tiny ears, and finally the full grown, mature, ripened ears.

GOD'S CREATIVE STYLE

At times, the growth process designed by God can seem intolerably drawn out. After being married for several years, I decided to return to my roots and do some gardening. I planted a few tomato plants by my bedroom window and waited with bated breath. Every morning my first priority was to open the window shade and inspect my little plot. As a result of the slow progress, there was hardly a day when I could visibly determine the plants had grown from the previous evening. Nevertheless, over a period of weeks, yellow blooms finally appeared and evolved into little, green tomatoes. Eventually, a dozen or so delicious, ripe tomatoes brought me a real sense of pride and accomplishment.

We grudgingly operate according to this step-by-step, orderly process in the physical world. However, when spiritual matters are in play, many new Christians want things to happen with little waiting and no real effort---just one fantastic experience conveniently solving all their problems. They anticipate having the same success Jack had with his magic bean in Never Never Land. Climbing the beanstalk to the world of the giant, he stole the hen that laid golden eggs and lived happily ever after. We know this is not possible in the natural realm, yet in our spiritual lives, many immature Christians expect their puny efforts to immediately produce golden eggs.

Let's set the record straight! All believers must grow to maturity---slowly, deliberately, and over an extended period of time. The spiritual birth of an individual is only the beginning, not the end. No one is born full-grown because God just does not operate in that manner. A certain pattern is evident in His handiwork, first the blade, then the stalk with the tiny ears, and finally in the fullness of time the mature, ripened ears. We recognize His style based on our knowledge of His three known creations (the world, the Bible, and the kingdom of heaven), which were all brought into existence by an extended, step-by-step procedure.

God's primordial creation was the world. According to the biblical account in Genesis, the Lord made everything over a schedule of six days. On the first day He said, Let there be light, and the light was divided from the darkness. The next day God separated the waters and made the firmament. Dry land appeared the third day, and on the fourth day lights were appointed for the heavens. Sea creatures and birds of the air came forth during the fifth day, and on the sixth day God created land animals and man. Finally, when the process was wondrously complete, He rested on the seventh day.

Holy Scripture was God's second unique work. I suppose, if it had been me, I would have sat down and dictated the entire Bible at one time to my best scribe. However, this would have been inconsistent with His characteristic method of bringing something into existence. Instead, God's inimitable way was for about forty inspired men, widely separated by time, culture, background, and civilization, to write the sixty-six books. An insightful commentator observed that in the Bible, as in the person of Jesus Christ, the divine and the human are blended together in such close union they cannot be separated. Through God's unfolding plan, the transcendent Word slowly came into existence, book by book, author by author, over a period of some fifteen hundred years!

God's third creation, which He is still in the act of completing, is His kingdom. For hundreds and hundreds of years He has steadily, one-by-one, added individuals to His dominion from all nationalities and from every walk of life: a fisherman, a tax collector, a leper, a blind man, a demoniac, an adulteress. His fields remain white unto harvest, and our continuing responsibility is to share the good news of God's benevolent reign with a lost world. Some day, maybe soon, the last soul will enter the fold and Christ will return. His work of redemption will be finished!

Finally, we consider individual Christians. You see, it would be a surprise if God created us full grown inasmuch as it is not His way of doing things. His method is consistently the same: first the blade, then the tiny ear, finally the ripened grain. Orderliness and structure are the norm when God is involved. I watched an interview of Oral Roberts on television a few years ago. Reflecting on his ministry, one of his statements really caught my attention. This man, who many believe possessed the gift of healing, shared the revealing insight, Sometimes healing is in a flash, but more often than not it is a process. Whatever your opinion of this charismatic preacher, in this case he had discovered the truth---disciplined progression is in the inherent nature of God.

Many times we become impatient with ourselves, or worse, with God Himself. Abandoning our faith, we dig up the tiny plants of our spiritual lives before they mature. When Daughter #1 was about three or four years old, I had some beautiful tomato plants loaded down with green tomatoes. One evening Shannon came inside carrying a large bucket so heavy she could barely lift it. Beaming with pride, she proudly exclaimed, Look Daddy, I picked your tomatoes for you! Similarly, people often tire of waiting on God and pick their spiritual fruit before it is ready to be harvested. Incidentally, that was the year Verna and I first tried fried, green tomatoes. Take my word for it, they are far less preferable than plump, red ones.

My little girl picked the tomatoes too early because she had not yet learned the benefits and value of the ripening process. Likewise, Christians must discover the necessity of spiritual maturation. Don't expect to be a Moses overnight! Remember, he was forty years on the backside of a desert waiting for the right time. On the other hand, do not be satisfied with the status quo; don't be lax; don't be unconcerned; don't accept immaturity as a perpetual way of life. While spiritual growth is not necessarily fast, it must not be neglected and should proceed on a steady, forward pace.

FACTORS CONTROLLING GROWTH

If you aren't growing as a Christian, something needs fixing in your life. Since the natural world and the spiritual realm are inseparably linked together through the creative design of God, the factors controlling a seed's growth are essentially the same as those affecting our spiritual growth to maturity. So, what are these mysterious components playing such a critical role in both spheres of our existence?

(1) Life is necessary for growth to occur. I read a story about William Jennings Bryan, the famous Christian statesman and three-time presidential candidate. While on a world tour, he stopped to visit the ancient pyramids in Egypt, and in a tomb three thousand years old, he obtained a handful of wheat. When Bryan brought the grains of wheat home and planted them, they grew and produced a harvest even though they had been sealed up all those centuries. The seeds sprouted because they possessed life---put there by the creative handiwork of God. If seeds are devoid of life, even the best gardener can do nothing to make them grow. Analogously, unless divine life is imparted to you from a new birth experience, you will not and cannot grow spiritually. Jesus said, Ye must be born again. Without doubt, life is mandatory for growth whether in the physical or spiritual world!

(2) The growth process must be initiated. Even though seeds possess the gift of life, they can lie dormant in a sealed tomb for thousands of years. Or, from a more common perspective, beans sitting on a shelf in your pantry in a covered jar will never spontaneously sprout. For seeds to begin growing, something must set the process in motion. Jesus once said, I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24, NIV). Those familiar with biology will understand He was referring to germination, the process by which heat and moisture crack open the hard shell protecting the seed and awaken the tiny plant sleeping within.

As with seeds, Christian growth is not automatic, nor is it guaranteed. Tragically, a person who is born again can remain a spiritual infant all his life. A Christian must die to self before experiencing spiritual growth. In religious terms this is often referred to as brokenness. This means the believer purposefully drops his hardened, fleshly resistance and decides to put God first in his life, before self or anything else. In order to experience the dynamic power of God, we must freely commit to the sovereignty and lordship of Christ---Not my will, but thine be done. Humble submission to the work of the Holy Spirit ignites growth in a believer's life.

(3) Fertile soil is necessary for fruit to be produced. All by itself the soil produces grain (vs. 28, NIV). Once growth begins, the yield of the crop is primarily determined by the richness of the soil. As explained by Jesus in the parable of the sower, good ground is a necessary requirement for seeds to produce fruit (Matt. 13). Seeds falling by the way side, or upon stony places, or among thorns never have the opportunity to mature and achieve a bountiful harvest.

Interpreting His parable, Jesus said, As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty (Matt. 13:23, RSV). The fertile soil of God's Word is absolutely necessary for spiritual fruit to be produced. Peter wrote, As newborn babes earnestly desire (crave, be hungry for) the sincere (pure) milk of the word that ye may grow thereby (I Peter 2:2). The Word of God, applied through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, is the source and sustenance of every Christian's ability to produce good works. You cannot grow to maturity and yield spiritual fruit without being firmly established in biblical truth!

Are you growing in your relationship with the Lord? Have you made any progress this past year? If not, you have one of three fundamental problems: (1) you have not experienced spiritual rebirth, (2) personal commitment is lacking in your Christian walk, or (3) you are not being guided and instructed by the Word of God. Jesus once told a story about a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard (Luke 13:6-9). Every year this owner came looking for a return on his investment. After three years without any results, he told his gardener, Cut it down, why should it use up the ground when it does not produce fruit? The gardener pled for one more year to cultivate and fertilize it. Then, if it does not produce fruit, you can cut it down. One truth illustrated in this parable is the Lord's expectation for new converts to grow to maturity and yield spiritual fruit. God's plan is for every Christian to produce a rich harvest---not immediately, but by a step-by-step, orderly process. Are you fulfilling your purpose in life?

Chapter 2

LIFE AND DEATH AND ETERNITY

Luke 16:19-23

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the begger died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

In our text the biographies of two very different men are presented. The plot is unique in all of literature because Jesus, the master storyteller, does what no one else can do. He looks beyond the grave and allows us to follow the narrative to its final resolution in eternity. There is no other tale like it; every word is chocked full of information. Some people say it is actual account, while others believe it is a parable. It does not really matter because the lessons taught are absolutely trustworthy and certain. The composition is a drama told in three acts: life, death, and eternity.

LIFE! The Bible asks the thought-provoking question, For what is your life (James 4:14)? You can go to the library and read what various, famous writers have penned in regard to this query. Shakespeare shares a dreary view of our existence, Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Henry Thoreau has a casual, laid-back attitude, Life is like a stroll upon a beach. Thomas Carlysle describes our subsistence as a narrow window, Life is a little gleam of time between two eternities. Hans Christian Anderson sees our duration on earth as a fanciful story, Life is a fairy tale, written by God's finger. Robert Browning has a more legalistic view, Life is probation and the earth is not the goal, but the starting point. Although the Bible has much to say about life, in this instance James answered his question by emphasizing the brevity of life. Life is a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. Our time is unquestionably short, yet while it lasts, life is very different for people.

Jesus begins His story with the words, There was a certain rich man. We call this man Dives, which is the Latin word for rich. Ann Richards would say he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Dives had it all! Surely, he wore the finest clothes---purple cashmere sweaters and fine linen shirts, and ate nothing but the most expensive food---caviar, steak, and lobster. If we exhumed his body and performed an autopsy, I feel confident we would discover he died of high cholesterol. Dives lived a grand life of luxury and ease in a big, beautiful home with manicured grounds, a high fence with no trespassing signs every ten feet, and a big gate to keep the riffraff out. It was a dream life, the very type of life most people are striving for today.

On the other side of the gate there was a certain beggar named Lazarus. This man is an utterly destitute, poverty-stricken wretch. His body is so covered with horrible, festered sores mangy, street dogs are drawn by the terrible scent. In the eyes of a successful man like Dives, Lazarus must have been a pathetic, repulsive individual. He is a classic example of just another tragic failure in this old world.

Why do you suppose Jesus chose these two particular men for His story? I have no doubt in my mind it's because they encompass the complete spectrum of human society. Essentially everyone finds their situation in life somewhere in between these two men. Importantly, Jesus offers no explanations and makes no apologies for Dives being rich and Lazarus being poor. Our designated station in life is a mystery and beyond our limited scope of comprehension. A few women are born rich, beautiful, and exciting. Even fewer men grow up to be tall, dark, and handsome. On the other hand, most of us by definition are average, which translated means short, plain, and dull. Although never equitable, we must accept life as it is dealt simply because we have no choice. While we can change many of our circumstances, some conditions are beyond our ability to control.

Paul, having learned this lesson well, wrote, I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or nothing (Phil. 4:11-12, paraphrased). What a lesson for us to learn today! My wife cross-stitched a prayer a number of years ago, which she framed and hung by our bed. It's the last thing I read every night:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change:

Courage to change those things I can

and wisdom to know the difference.

May God help us all to have the strength to face life squarely and deal with our obstacles in a forthright and worthy manner!

DEATH! Jesus continues His story, And it came to pass, that the beggar died...the rich man also died, and was buried (vs. 22). The cynic says death and taxes are the only certainties in life. Unquestionably, unless Jesus comes back soon, death awaits us all. Life is so unreliable we don't even know what will happen tomorrow. My brother, Billy, checks the paper every morning looking for his obituary. Not finding his name is all the inspiration he needs to play golf!

The rich man also died, and was buried. Why do you think Jesus added the seemingly innocuous comment, and was buried? Sadly, not all people in His day were interred. Beggars like Lazarus were carted off to the trash dump and thrown away like a sack of garbage by the street cleaners. Nobody missed these poor souls or mourned their passing. Quite the opposite, Dives must have had a wonderful, magnificent funeral. If you will allow me to use a little sanctified imagination (preachers are allowed this simple luxury to keep sermons interesting), the whole town turns out. The evening paper headlines the story of his tragic death. Television commentators sing his praises, speak of society's great loss, and tell how he will be sorely missed.

ETERNITY! If our story had ended at death as it normally does, Dives would unquestioningly be our hero. We know the world's evaluation because we have seen it a hundred times; and Christians easily get caught up in this same thought process. But, amazingly, the story does not end here; it continues right on into eternity. Scripture teaches us three fundamental and certain truths about what lies beyond the grave.

(1) Beyond death is life. Job asks, If a man die, shall he live again (Job 14:14)? Jesus answers this age-old question in His story. From His perspective, life goes on after we die with all of our senses intact (vs. 23-31). Memories from this world stay with us. Abraham reminds Dives, Son, remember how it was in your lifetime. Dives fondly recalls his family, For I have five brothers. With acute awareness, Dives knew he was in hell, and could see Abraham and Lazarus in heaven. Yearning for a drop of water to cool his tongue, Dives cries out with vivid feeling, I am tormented in this flame. Showing deep emotional attachment and concern for his siblings, Dives admirably begs, Please send Lazarus to warn my brothers lest they also come to this place of torment. So, according to this story, life with its entire cognizance and experience continues into the hereafter. You should carefully consider the words of Jesus because the odds are really good His story is not only accurate, but also applicable to your own future.

(2) Beyond death is judgment. Many things in this life seem patently unfair. Dives enjoyed all the benefits of wealth, while Lazarus endured an impoverished state of existence. Although much of what happens in life may be puzzling to us, we are assured everything will be sorted out in the hereafter. It is appointed for [all] men once to die and after that the [certain] judgment (Heb. 9:27). One day every lost person will stand before the Lord to give an account of his or her life. John writes, And I saw a great white throne...And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books (Rev. 20). If you are not a Christian you will face the righteous wrath of the Great Judge.

(3) Beyond death is separation. The two men were separated in eternity as they were in life. In life a gate kept them apart, while in eternity they are divided by a great chasm. But something is radically different; suddenly they have swapped places. Lazarus has been transported by the angels to the place of honor in heaven. Talk about traveling first class! What a rags to riches success story! Too bad CNN and Fox News missed it! Now, Lazarus is living the good life. No more scraps of food, no more sores, no more cold, no more begging! Lazarus has arrived at his new home!

I read a story about a foreign missionary coming back to America after many years of dedicated service. As the ship docked, a band started playing and a great crowd on shore began to cheer. Filled at first with gratitude and emotion, he soon became aware the revelry was not for him, but in recognition of a well-known celebrity. Sadly, not a single soul came to welcome the old missionary home. When he was alone, and had time to contemplate the events of the day, the Lord gently spoke to his heart, My son, you aren't home yet!

Death, on the other hand, was less than kind to Dives. When he opened his eyes, he was in indescribable torment! Hell had suddenly changed from a children's fairy tale to a horrific reality. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20). Abraham is the bearer of tragic news; no one can pass through the barrier separating heaven and hell. This means both men were in their permanent homes. Their current residences would be their lasting and unalterable destinies! Please consider this solemn truth and how it applies to you. Although you may have little control over many aspects of your current life, you do have the gracious opportunity to spend your future in heaven. If the Lord is speaking to your heart today, listen closely to His words. Choose wisely and well because where you spend eternity depends on it!

Chapter 3

SOAR WITH EAGLES

Revelation 1:9-11

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia.

About two thousand years ago the Roman emperor Domitian exiled an old man named John to the Isle of Patmos because