“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).
Jesus told the disciples that in the world they would suffer tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. The Bible teaches that all who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Our Father purposefully ordains that His people suffer. He takes no delight in our suffering, but He receives glory through the things we faithfully endure for the sake of the gospel. The popular idea in Christianity in America runs counter to this truth. Some present the gospel in a way that leaves the impression that the gospel grants you a free pass from trouble and a ticket to prosperity. A popular television preacher often says, “God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.” The Bible does not teach this. He may bless us financially or He may not. The point is not whether I have plenty of money or not. Instead, we need to ask is Jesus Christ being exalted; is our Father being glorified?
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963), a preacher of an earlier generation, wrote: “Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in his name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comfort modern civilization affords. He calls them to self-abnegation and death; we call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac. He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers.” Tozer hit the nail on the head, so to speak. The Christian life is the greatest life one could ever hope to live, but don't think it's just one long party -- it's not.
I think the message of Philippians needs to be proclaimed in the day in which we live. Think about Paul’s situation. His God-given ministry is growing; multitudes are being swept into the kingdom by the power of the gospel; churches by the dozens are being planted. Then, while in Jerusalem taking a Jewish vow in the temple, he is seized and falsely accused of teaching contrary to the Law and polluting the temple by bringing in Greeks (Acts 21:27-28). This all came along with a heavy dose of misunderstanding and hearsay (Acts 21:29); these are Satan's favorite weapons.
We read about Paul's misfortunes and think this a tragedy, a terrible turn of events, or even a disaster. Communicating with Paul we might express these feelings, but Paul would quickly set aside any of these sentiments. He told the Philippians, “I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered” (The Message).
May our heavenly Father grant us this kind of heart and passion for His kingdom.
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I hope this encourages you to dive deeper, stay down longer, and come up stronger in our Father's Word. Seasons come and go, but the Word of God never changes. That's why I love to talk about it and get other people excited about reading and studying. Let me know what you think.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What Is Water Baptism?
Acts 8:26 - 40 is a great description of the ordinance of baptism and the starting point for this study: Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27)So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28)was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29)Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30)So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31)And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32)The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33)In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34)So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35)Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36)Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37)Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38)So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39)Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40)But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
ÞFaith and repentance, not baptism, are essential for salvation:
Ephesians 2:8 - 10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9)not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10)For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Acts 20:20 - 21 tells us, "How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 3:27-28 makes it plain: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28)Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."
Romans 4:1 - 8 declares, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2)For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3)For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4)Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5)But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6)just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7) “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
ÞPaul was called to preach the gospel not to baptize. If baptism saved then Paul would make baptism a priority:
1 Corinthians 1:17 - 18 tells us, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18)For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
ÞJesus did not baptize anyone. Instead he went preaching, teaching and healing:
John 4:1 - 3 1Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3)He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
ÞAdults or those of the age of accountability are the only proper candidates for baptism. We do not baptize infants and very young children.
The water baptism of new converts in the Bible were all adults believers -- no children or infants:
At Pentecost-- three thousand were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41);
At Samaria-- many were baptized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12);
At Gaza-- the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:38);
At Damascus-- Paul was baptized by Ananias (Acts 9:18);
At Caesarea-- Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 10:48);
At Philippi-- Paul baptized Lydia and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:15, 33);
At Corinth-- Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14, 16);
At Ephesus-- Paul baptized some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:3-5).
Acts 2:41 reads, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
ÞBaptism is only by immersion: The Greek word baptizo means to immerse. Sprinkling, smearing or dabbing do not meet the Bible’s requirement for scriptural baptism.
ÞThe Lord’s church (ekklesia) is the only proper authority to perform baptism:
The commission is given to the church. Matthew 28:18 - 20 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
ÞWhy be baptized?1. Jesus commanded and commended it (Matthew 28:19). Matthew 3:15 “But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.” Note -- Jesus had no sins for which to be forgiven. If baptism washed away sin, then Jesus would not have submitted to it!
2. It is the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21).
3. When you are baptized you identify with the Lord’s church and His people.
4. Baptism, one of the two ordinances given to us by our Lord, pictures the gospel -- the death, burial and resurrection. The Gospel: "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
5. We declare through baptism that we died with Christ and rose with Him into newness of life. Romans 6:4 - 6 reads, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6)knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
ÞFaith and repentance, not baptism, are essential for salvation:
Ephesians 2:8 - 10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9)not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10)For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Acts 20:20 - 21 tells us, "How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 3:27-28 makes it plain: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28)Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."
Romans 4:1 - 8 declares, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2)For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3)For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4)Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5)But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6)just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7) “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
ÞPaul was called to preach the gospel not to baptize. If baptism saved then Paul would make baptism a priority:
1 Corinthians 1:17 - 18 tells us, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18)For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
ÞJesus did not baptize anyone. Instead he went preaching, teaching and healing:
John 4:1 - 3 1Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3)He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
ÞAdults or those of the age of accountability are the only proper candidates for baptism. We do not baptize infants and very young children.
The water baptism of new converts in the Bible were all adults believers -- no children or infants:
At Pentecost-- three thousand were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41);
At Samaria-- many were baptized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12);
At Gaza-- the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:38);
At Damascus-- Paul was baptized by Ananias (Acts 9:18);
At Caesarea-- Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 10:48);
At Philippi-- Paul baptized Lydia and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:15, 33);
At Corinth-- Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14, 16);
At Ephesus-- Paul baptized some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:3-5).
Acts 2:41 reads, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
ÞBaptism is only by immersion: The Greek word baptizo means to immerse. Sprinkling, smearing or dabbing do not meet the Bible’s requirement for scriptural baptism.
ÞThe Lord’s church (ekklesia) is the only proper authority to perform baptism:
The commission is given to the church. Matthew 28:18 - 20 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
ÞWhy be baptized?1. Jesus commanded and commended it (Matthew 28:19). Matthew 3:15 “But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.” Note -- Jesus had no sins for which to be forgiven. If baptism washed away sin, then Jesus would not have submitted to it!
2. It is the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21).
3. When you are baptized you identify with the Lord’s church and His people.
4. Baptism, one of the two ordinances given to us by our Lord, pictures the gospel -- the death, burial and resurrection. The Gospel: "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
5. We declare through baptism that we died with Christ and rose with Him into newness of life. Romans 6:4 - 6 reads, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6)knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Legend Of The Ants
Once, long ago, the world of the ants become dark and depraved. The Creator of the ants, looking down on their plight, devised a plan to rescue them. A notice went out to the world of mankind: “The ants need a rescuer. The one who would venture to rescue the ants must be born into the world of the ants. The rescuer must grow and mature as an ant. The rescuer’s food, living arrangements, social life and daily work must be as an ordinary ant. The rescuer must live within the limitations of the ants. In the end, the ants will reject, falsely accuse, torture and execute the rescuer. After accomplishing all this, the creator promises to reestablish the rescuer’s place in the world of mankind.”
When no one stepped forward, the Creator personally took on the task of rescuing the ants (this was His plan all along). After all this, many of the ants still rejected the Creator’s help. The analogy of the ants pictures God’s Only Begotten Son’s coming into the world, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.
Unsurprisingly, the analogy quickly brakes down. Fallen mankind plunged much further down and Holy God is eternally higher than the analogy of ants to men. The gulf that Jesus spanned to bring the Creator and the creation together stretched eternally in both directions. Still, Jesus accomplished for us what we could not accomplish for ourselves. He died that we might live. He rose again so that we might rise again at the last day. What a wonderful Rescuer!
"[Jesus] set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:7-8, The Message)
When no one stepped forward, the Creator personally took on the task of rescuing the ants (this was His plan all along). After all this, many of the ants still rejected the Creator’s help. The analogy of the ants pictures God’s Only Begotten Son’s coming into the world, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.
Unsurprisingly, the analogy quickly brakes down. Fallen mankind plunged much further down and Holy God is eternally higher than the analogy of ants to men. The gulf that Jesus spanned to bring the Creator and the creation together stretched eternally in both directions. Still, Jesus accomplished for us what we could not accomplish for ourselves. He died that we might live. He rose again so that we might rise again at the last day. What a wonderful Rescuer!
"[Jesus] set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:7-8, The Message)
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Seven Principles To Get Along With People:
In Philippians 4:2-3 we read about two Christian ladies who did not get along. In the work of the Lord, differences between people come up. Offenses will come and forgiveness must be swift and intentional. Forgiveness and reconciliation are a process. Living in unity takes God-filled people willing to set aside pettiness and childishness. Here are some Bible principles to help move in that direction:
1. The Bible commands us to forgive. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).
2. Remember our Lord’s example on the cross as He died for our sins. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us: “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Give the situation to the Lord.
3. We must be liberal in our forgiveness. Luke 17:4: "And if he [your brother] sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him."
4. Don’t keep a list in your mind of the things people do against you. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts “Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others” (1 Corinthians 13:5).
5. Psalm 141:3 is a great Bible prayer, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Resist the urge to talk about a person or a situation with others. Proverbs 10:12 reads, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
6. Be a peacemaker not a peace-taker. Unforgiveness and bitterness disrupts your worship. Matthew 5:23-24 teaches us, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
7. Jesus teaches us to “love [our] enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44 - 45a).
Capital Baptist Fellowship preaches forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ’s death and resurrection, so we must be forgiving toward one another and practicing reconciliation among our members!
~Parish Hartley
September 25, 2011
1. The Bible commands us to forgive. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).
2. Remember our Lord’s example on the cross as He died for our sins. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us: “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Give the situation to the Lord.
3. We must be liberal in our forgiveness. Luke 17:4: "And if he [your brother] sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him."
4. Don’t keep a list in your mind of the things people do against you. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts “Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others” (1 Corinthians 13:5).
5. Psalm 141:3 is a great Bible prayer, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Resist the urge to talk about a person or a situation with others. Proverbs 10:12 reads, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
6. Be a peacemaker not a peace-taker. Unforgiveness and bitterness disrupts your worship. Matthew 5:23-24 teaches us, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
7. Jesus teaches us to “love [our] enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44 - 45a).
Capital Baptist Fellowship preaches forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ’s death and resurrection, so we must be forgiving toward one another and practicing reconciliation among our members!
~Parish Hartley
September 25, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Missions 101
TITLE: “The Object, Motivation, Product, Engine and Obstacle of Missions: Missiology 101”
THEME: Only a church with a proper understanding of the object, motivation, engine, product, and obstacle of missions can be a missions active church.
INTRODUCTION:
TAMING THE LION:
One of my favorite stories is about an old lion who went walking through the jungle one day and came up to a little rabbit, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And that little rabbit just trembled and said, “You are, O mighty lion.” The lion shook the dust off his mane, and he walked down and found a monkey, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And the little monkey said, “You are, O mighty lion! You are!” Then he walked up to a big bull elephant. He looked up at that elephant, and he said, “Rrrooar! Who is the king of the jungle?” That elephant looked down at the lion, wrapped his trunk around him a couple of times, slung him over his head, and threw him up against a tree. That lion hit the tree and slid down to the roots, looked up at the big bull elephant and said, “Well, just because you don’t know the answer, you don’t have to get sore about it.”
Let me ask you a question, Why are we so many churches struggling in the area of missions? We are struggling as a convention. Of all churches only about 5 percent will ever start a new church. Of all the members in these churches only a small percent ever commit in any meaningful way to the fulfilling of the commission. Of those who commit to get involved only a sprinkling of them ever go. Those who are excited by the Holy Spirit to get involved are thought to be overboard. Vance Havner said, “Christians today are so subnormal that should they become normal everyone would think of them as abnormal.”
TRANSITION:
How are we going to reach the world if we can’t reach our town? How can we begin a work in another state or country, when we a languishing here at home? The answer is, We cannot. The Word of God instructs how we ought think about missions so that we can live missions. Right thinking leads to right living!
OUTLINE:
I. The Glory of God Is the Object of Missions
A. The words “missions” and “missionary” never appear in the Bible. Both words come from the Latin word mittere which means “to send.” Still, the idea of missions appears on every page of the Bible.
B. The object of missions is to bring glory to God. The two primary words for glory are qadosh and doxa. These terms carry the idea of presence. When the the Lord is experienced in a way that causes people to be aware of His presence this is the “glory of the Lord.”
1. The glory of God was Jesus’ chief concern.
John 12:27-28 (NKJV) 27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
2. In turn,, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. John 16:14 “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
C. Everything we do ought to be guided by the golden truth of the glory of God:
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything, including missions, is primarily and ultimately centered in bringing glory to God.
2. Phil. 2:10-11 states that the confession that Jesus is Lord is to the glory of God the Father. The passage reads, “10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
D. Missions is all about spreading the knowledge of the one true God. But we often misrepresent Him. Think of His creation: Traveling at the speed of light, 186,282 miles per second, we pass the moon in two seconds. 8 ½ minutes later we pass the sun. The earth is 93 millions miles away. 5 hours later we leave our solar system. Light travels 5.87 trillion miles a year. After 4 years we pass the nearest star, Alpha Centuri. For 100,000 years we travel across our galaxy, the Milky Way. We travel another 1,500,000 years before reaching the Great Nebula. At this point, speaking astronomically, we are just traveling across country. At 4,500,000,000 years we travel outside what scientist can see into the vast unknown. God created, ex nihilo (from nothing, all this. It was no strain or fuse. He spoke and there it was!
In our galaxy there are about 100 billion stars. Our galaxy is one of about 1,000,000 within optical range. Isaiah wrote, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number, he calleth then all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong; not one faileth (or is missing)” (40:25-26).
E. Habakkuk saw a time when the mission enterprise would cease, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”(2:14). The reason we continue to push forward is fact that the glory of the Lord does not yet penetrate every particle of His creation!
II Love For Jesus Christ is the Motivation for Missions
A. The only legitimate reason for going and making disciples is love for Jesus Christ:
1. John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2. 2 Co. 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
B. Jesus Interview with Peter highlights this truth. The third time Jesus appears the disciple. Jesus has not said anything to Peter about his denial three times. After Jesus feeds the weary fishermen He turns to Peter and asks, “Do you love Me” (John 21: 15-17) Three times Jesus asks. Three times Peter tries to answer. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. He simple wanted Peter to say it.
1. You can plant a church and not love Jesus. You can give to a missions offering and not love Jesus. You can witness and not love Jesus. You can be a preach a message and not love Jesus. You can go on a mission trip and not love Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want to know if we preached for Him today, taught for Him today, sang for Him today, or witnessed for Him today. Jesus is asking “Do you love Me today?”
III Kingdom Growth Is the Product of Missions
A. The advance of the kingdom is part and parcel of the mission.
1. Jesus prayed “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the purest and most sublime of mission prayers.
2. During Jesus earthly ministry it was all about the Kingdom of God. Matthew 12:28 reads, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Mt. 12:28 Jesus is speaking of the power of the kingdom that drives out the powers of darkness. This world is Satan’s abode. He hates the worship of God and desires the glory for himself. Missions goes into the lions den and by the power of God drives Satan out!
3. Luke 17:20-21 (KJV) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” During Jesus ministry the foreshadowing of the kingdom was present in a special way. Now the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of god in human hearts. It is hidden and grows quietly. Mark 10:15 (KJV) “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” John 3:3 reads, “3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. David Brainerd, missionary to the Indians in New Jersey in the 1740s, died at age 29. In 1747, seven days before his death, he wrote, “Friday, October 2. My soul this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I long to be with Him that I might behold His glory . . . Oh that His kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify Him for what He is in Himself. . . .Oh, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.” Brainerd was possessed by a passion for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God.
5. But at the consummation of the mission enterprise the physical kingdom will be established! We’ll work until Jesus comes and rest afterwards. Why? When Jesus appears the glory of God will be universally acknowledged and the Kingdom will be universally visible.
IV Worship is the Engine of Missions
A. John Piper writes, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is ultimate, because God is ultimate, not man.” I agree. Worship and service are eternal. These two graces will be the chief occupations of heaven. Missions is temporary and will cease when the glory of God covers every part of the world! Worship fuels missions. Worship is more than the position of the body or your location. Worship has everything to do with the condition of you heart. The heart of worship is worship from the heart. Worship may be described as: Kissing toward God; Reverencing God; Extolling the greatness of God; Praising God for His Son; And rejoicing in God’s salvation. This becomes the substance of our message to the nations. Only a worshiping people can truly be a missionary people. We need to understand what we are doing in worship.
B. Worship moves the hand of God. Psalm 67:1-2, the first two verses of the great mission Psalm, reminds us of the importance of worship. Though the word “worship” does not appear in the text, obviously God only blesses those who worship.
1. God blesses those who worship: Abraham and Isaac worshiped of Mt. Moriah and Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure. Three Hebrew children worshiped and God gave them asbestos pajamas. Daniel worshiped and God shut the Lion’s mouth (they lost their appetite for preacher!). Paul and Silas worshiped and God shook the prison and then world. John worshiped and received the Revelation on the isle of Patmos. When we worship we are blessed that we might be a blessing TO ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD(Ps 67:3-6).
2. The world needs the healing touch of God’s grace. We are the salt of the earth. “We need to get the salt out of the shaker.” We are the peace makers. We are the ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. When we are not present then chaos, confusion, hurt and hatred will win the day.
V The Obstacle of Missions Is Disobedience
A. Andrew Murray put his finger on the problem in his day and ours when he wrote, “As we seek to find out why, with such millions of Christians, the real army of God the real army of God that is fighting the hosts of darkness is so small, the only answer is – lack of heart. The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is not enthusiasm for the King. . . . If there is no desire for soul-winning at home, how can the interest in the distant unevangelized be truly deep or spiritual?”
1. I want to build on this thought. If we don’t have a desire for the glory of God, why go some where else to help others seek it? If we don’t have a longing for true worship, why go some where else to help others worship? Why go around the world to see others fall in love with Jesus when our own love is cool? If we do not have a desire for the King or His kingdom, why go across geographical and social boundaries to cause others to bow before Him? Well, the answer is that we will not go to see in others what is not first of all in ourselves. We will not give to support nor pray for the unfinished task until our lives are consumed by the passion and life of Christ!
CONCLUSION:
God is not short handed. Yet he is always, in ever generation placing his hands on those who will respond to His call to join him in the task of filling the world with His worship and glory. Will you join Him? Will you say yes to the Lord? The needs are great, the laborers few, the time limited, but by God’s grace and power we will do all we can while can for as many as we can.
One of my favorite stories comes from the life of John C. Paton. An older Christian complained about his going as a missionary to the South Sea Islands by saying, “You’ll be eaten by cannibals.”
Paton responded, “Mr. Dickson you’ll soon be laid in the grave and be eaten by worms. If I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference whether I’m eaten by Cannibals or worms; In the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen redeemer.” As I think about Patton’s answer, I pray, Lord, increase his tribe!
THEME: Only a church with a proper understanding of the object, motivation, engine, product, and obstacle of missions can be a missions active church.
INTRODUCTION:
TAMING THE LION:
One of my favorite stories is about an old lion who went walking through the jungle one day and came up to a little rabbit, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And that little rabbit just trembled and said, “You are, O mighty lion.” The lion shook the dust off his mane, and he walked down and found a monkey, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And the little monkey said, “You are, O mighty lion! You are!” Then he walked up to a big bull elephant. He looked up at that elephant, and he said, “Rrrooar! Who is the king of the jungle?” That elephant looked down at the lion, wrapped his trunk around him a couple of times, slung him over his head, and threw him up against a tree. That lion hit the tree and slid down to the roots, looked up at the big bull elephant and said, “Well, just because you don’t know the answer, you don’t have to get sore about it.”
Let me ask you a question, Why are we so many churches struggling in the area of missions? We are struggling as a convention. Of all churches only about 5 percent will ever start a new church. Of all the members in these churches only a small percent ever commit in any meaningful way to the fulfilling of the commission. Of those who commit to get involved only a sprinkling of them ever go. Those who are excited by the Holy Spirit to get involved are thought to be overboard. Vance Havner said, “Christians today are so subnormal that should they become normal everyone would think of them as abnormal.”
TRANSITION:
How are we going to reach the world if we can’t reach our town? How can we begin a work in another state or country, when we a languishing here at home? The answer is, We cannot. The Word of God instructs how we ought think about missions so that we can live missions. Right thinking leads to right living!
OUTLINE:
I. The Glory of God Is the Object of Missions
A. The words “missions” and “missionary” never appear in the Bible. Both words come from the Latin word mittere which means “to send.” Still, the idea of missions appears on every page of the Bible.
B. The object of missions is to bring glory to God. The two primary words for glory are qadosh and doxa. These terms carry the idea of presence. When the the Lord is experienced in a way that causes people to be aware of His presence this is the “glory of the Lord.”
1. The glory of God was Jesus’ chief concern.
John 12:27-28 (NKJV) 27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
2. In turn,, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. John 16:14 “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
C. Everything we do ought to be guided by the golden truth of the glory of God:
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything, including missions, is primarily and ultimately centered in bringing glory to God.
2. Phil. 2:10-11 states that the confession that Jesus is Lord is to the glory of God the Father. The passage reads, “10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
D. Missions is all about spreading the knowledge of the one true God. But we often misrepresent Him. Think of His creation: Traveling at the speed of light, 186,282 miles per second, we pass the moon in two seconds. 8 ½ minutes later we pass the sun. The earth is 93 millions miles away. 5 hours later we leave our solar system. Light travels 5.87 trillion miles a year. After 4 years we pass the nearest star, Alpha Centuri. For 100,000 years we travel across our galaxy, the Milky Way. We travel another 1,500,000 years before reaching the Great Nebula. At this point, speaking astronomically, we are just traveling across country. At 4,500,000,000 years we travel outside what scientist can see into the vast unknown. God created, ex nihilo (from nothing, all this. It was no strain or fuse. He spoke and there it was!
In our galaxy there are about 100 billion stars. Our galaxy is one of about 1,000,000 within optical range. Isaiah wrote, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number, he calleth then all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong; not one faileth (or is missing)” (40:25-26).
E. Habakkuk saw a time when the mission enterprise would cease, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”(2:14). The reason we continue to push forward is fact that the glory of the Lord does not yet penetrate every particle of His creation!
II Love For Jesus Christ is the Motivation for Missions
A. The only legitimate reason for going and making disciples is love for Jesus Christ:
1. John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2. 2 Co. 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
B. Jesus Interview with Peter highlights this truth. The third time Jesus appears the disciple. Jesus has not said anything to Peter about his denial three times. After Jesus feeds the weary fishermen He turns to Peter and asks, “Do you love Me” (John 21: 15-17) Three times Jesus asks. Three times Peter tries to answer. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. He simple wanted Peter to say it.
1. You can plant a church and not love Jesus. You can give to a missions offering and not love Jesus. You can witness and not love Jesus. You can be a preach a message and not love Jesus. You can go on a mission trip and not love Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want to know if we preached for Him today, taught for Him today, sang for Him today, or witnessed for Him today. Jesus is asking “Do you love Me today?”
III Kingdom Growth Is the Product of Missions
A. The advance of the kingdom is part and parcel of the mission.
1. Jesus prayed “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the purest and most sublime of mission prayers.
2. During Jesus earthly ministry it was all about the Kingdom of God. Matthew 12:28 reads, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Mt. 12:28 Jesus is speaking of the power of the kingdom that drives out the powers of darkness. This world is Satan’s abode. He hates the worship of God and desires the glory for himself. Missions goes into the lions den and by the power of God drives Satan out!
3. Luke 17:20-21 (KJV) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” During Jesus ministry the foreshadowing of the kingdom was present in a special way. Now the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of god in human hearts. It is hidden and grows quietly. Mark 10:15 (KJV) “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” John 3:3 reads, “3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. David Brainerd, missionary to the Indians in New Jersey in the 1740s, died at age 29. In 1747, seven days before his death, he wrote, “Friday, October 2. My soul this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I long to be with Him that I might behold His glory . . . Oh that His kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify Him for what He is in Himself. . . .Oh, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.” Brainerd was possessed by a passion for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God.
5. But at the consummation of the mission enterprise the physical kingdom will be established! We’ll work until Jesus comes and rest afterwards. Why? When Jesus appears the glory of God will be universally acknowledged and the Kingdom will be universally visible.
IV Worship is the Engine of Missions
A. John Piper writes, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is ultimate, because God is ultimate, not man.” I agree. Worship and service are eternal. These two graces will be the chief occupations of heaven. Missions is temporary and will cease when the glory of God covers every part of the world! Worship fuels missions. Worship is more than the position of the body or your location. Worship has everything to do with the condition of you heart. The heart of worship is worship from the heart. Worship may be described as: Kissing toward God; Reverencing God; Extolling the greatness of God; Praising God for His Son; And rejoicing in God’s salvation. This becomes the substance of our message to the nations. Only a worshiping people can truly be a missionary people. We need to understand what we are doing in worship.
B. Worship moves the hand of God. Psalm 67:1-2, the first two verses of the great mission Psalm, reminds us of the importance of worship. Though the word “worship” does not appear in the text, obviously God only blesses those who worship.
1. God blesses those who worship: Abraham and Isaac worshiped of Mt. Moriah and Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure. Three Hebrew children worshiped and God gave them asbestos pajamas. Daniel worshiped and God shut the Lion’s mouth (they lost their appetite for preacher!). Paul and Silas worshiped and God shook the prison and then world. John worshiped and received the Revelation on the isle of Patmos. When we worship we are blessed that we might be a blessing TO ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD(Ps 67:3-6).
2. The world needs the healing touch of God’s grace. We are the salt of the earth. “We need to get the salt out of the shaker.” We are the peace makers. We are the ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. When we are not present then chaos, confusion, hurt and hatred will win the day.
V The Obstacle of Missions Is Disobedience
A. Andrew Murray put his finger on the problem in his day and ours when he wrote, “As we seek to find out why, with such millions of Christians, the real army of God the real army of God that is fighting the hosts of darkness is so small, the only answer is – lack of heart. The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is not enthusiasm for the King. . . . If there is no desire for soul-winning at home, how can the interest in the distant unevangelized be truly deep or spiritual?”
1. I want to build on this thought. If we don’t have a desire for the glory of God, why go some where else to help others seek it? If we don’t have a longing for true worship, why go some where else to help others worship? Why go around the world to see others fall in love with Jesus when our own love is cool? If we do not have a desire for the King or His kingdom, why go across geographical and social boundaries to cause others to bow before Him? Well, the answer is that we will not go to see in others what is not first of all in ourselves. We will not give to support nor pray for the unfinished task until our lives are consumed by the passion and life of Christ!
CONCLUSION:
God is not short handed. Yet he is always, in ever generation placing his hands on those who will respond to His call to join him in the task of filling the world with His worship and glory. Will you join Him? Will you say yes to the Lord? The needs are great, the laborers few, the time limited, but by God’s grace and power we will do all we can while can for as many as we can.
One of my favorite stories comes from the life of John C. Paton. An older Christian complained about his going as a missionary to the South Sea Islands by saying, “You’ll be eaten by cannibals.”
Paton responded, “Mr. Dickson you’ll soon be laid in the grave and be eaten by worms. If I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference whether I’m eaten by Cannibals or worms; In the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen redeemer.” As I think about Patton’s answer, I pray, Lord, increase his tribe!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The Story of William Carey
"Shoemaker by trade, but scholar, linguist and missionary by God's training," William Carey was one of God's giants in the history of evangelism and missions! His story profoundly influenced me as a young college student and pastor. Someone wrote of Carey, "Taking his life as a whole, it is not too much to say that he was the greatest and most versatile Christian missionary sent out in modern times."
Born in a small thatched cottage in Northamptonshire, England in August 17, 1761, his family made a living as weaver's. In 1781 he married and shortly afterwards joined the particular Baptists in Olney in his quest for more spiritual truth. Two years later he moved to Moulton to become a schoolmaster — and a year later he became pastor of the small Baptist congregation there. In Moulton he heard God’s call to be a missionary. In his own words he cried, "My attention to missions was first awakened after I was at Moulton, by reading the Last Voyage of Captain Cook." To many, Cook's journal was a thrilling story of adventure, but to Carey it was a revelation of human need!
The more he read and studied, the more convinced he was "the peoples of the world need Christ." He read, he made notes, he made a great leather globe of the world and, one day, in the quietness of his cobbler's shop — not in some enthusiastic missionary conference — Carey heard the call: "If it be the duty of all men to believe the Gospel ... then it be the duty of those who are entrusted with the Gospel to endeavor to make it known among all nations." And Carey sobbed out, "Here am I; send me!"
There were no missionary societies and there was no real missionary zeal among the particular Baptists. When Carey propounded this subject for discussion at a ministers' meeting, "Whether the command given to the apostles to teach all nations was not obligatory on all succeeding ministers to the end of the world, seeing that the accompanying promise was of equal extent." Dr. Ryland shouted, "Young man, sit down: when God pleases to covert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine." He met with a cool reception to say the least!
But Carey persisted. He later said of his ministry, "I can plod!" And he was a man who "always resolutely determined never to give up on any point or particle of anything on which his mind was set until he had arrived at a clear knowledge of his subject."
Carey prayed, pled, plodded, persisted and preached. He said, “Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.“ And he preached — especially his epoch-producing message, "EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD. ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD." October 2, 1792 he told an assembly of pastors that he would go down the well if they‘d hold the rope. From this assembly the Particular Baptist Mission Society formed and Carey became the first missionary sent out.
It was in 1793 that Carey went to India. At first his wife was reluctant to go — so Carey set off to go nevertheless, but after two returns from the docks to persuade her again, Dorothy and his children accompanied him. There were years of discouragement (not one Indian convert for seven years), debt, disease, depression after the death of their 5 year old son, Peter, his dear wife, under the strain, became mentally unstable and remained so until her death, December 8, 1807. Still, Carey continued and conquered for Christ!
Did he ever see success? All that he suffered; all he endured; did our Father honor his faithfulness? Yes! When he died at 73 (1834), he had seen the Scriptures translated and printed into forty languages, he had been a college professor, and had founded a college at Serampore. He had seen India open its doors to missionaries, he had seen the edict passed prohibiting sati (burning widows on the funeral pyres of their dead husbands), but still he had seen only a few converts for Christ. As a result of Carey steadfastness, thousands of missionaries followed him to the mission fields of the world. Today Carey is know as the father of modern missions.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Paradoxical Commandments
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Charlie Brown Christmas: what's so merry about Christmas?
On their way to join the rest of the Peanuts gang all skating on a frozen pond, Charlie Brown confides in Linus that even though Christmas is approaching he still feels depressed despite all the presents and cards and tree decorating. His depression and aggravation only get exacerbated by the goings-on in the neighborhood. Though his mailbox is empty of Christmas cards, he tries sarcastically to thank Violet for the card she "sent" him, though Violet says she didn't send him a card.
Charlie Brown (shouting after Violet as she walks away): "Don't you know a sarcasm when you hear it?"
Charlie Brown visits Lucy in her psychiatric booth. On her advice, he gets involved in directing a school play about the Nativity. On the way to the auditorium, Charlie Brown is drawn to Snoopy, who is busy decorating his doghouse. After Charlie Brown demands an explanation, Snoopy hands him a flier about a neighborhood lights and display contest.
He is then accosted by Sally, who wants Charlie Brown to take dictation for a letter to Santa, in which she ultimately asks him (Santa) to "just send money", particularly tens and twenties, causing Charlie Brown to run away in exasperation.
Charlie Brown arrives at the rehearsals, but try as he might, he cannot seem to get control of the situation as the uncooperative kids are more interested in modernizing the play with dancing and lively music.
Thinking the play requires "the proper mood", Charlie Brown decides they need a Christmas tree. So Lucy takes over the crowd and dispatches Charlie Brown to get a "big, shiny aluminum tree . . . maybe painted pink". With Linus in tow, Charlie Brown sets off on his quest. But when they get to the tree market, Charlie Brown zeroes in on a small baby tree which, ironically as well as symbolically, is the only real living tree on the lot. Linus displays surprise upon seeing the tree and exclaims, "Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?”
Charlie Brown begins to wonder if he really knows what Christmas is about, loudly asking in despair. Linus quietly says he can tell him, and walks to center stage to make his point. Under a spotlight, Linus quotes Scripture, particularly the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 8 through 14:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Charlie Brown realizes he does not have to let commercialism ruin his Christmas.
In the end Linus goes up to the little tree and gently props the drooping branch back to its upright position, ornament and all. The kids then start humming "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." When Charlie Brown returns, he demands to know what's going on. When he sees what they have done with the tree, he cannot believe his eyes, and all the kids shout: "MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN!"
And so I say, along with the gang, “Merry Christmas.” Why? Because the wreck and havoc perpetrated and perpetuated by Satan is destroyed. The manger and the cross; the shepherds and the soldiers at the cross; the star and the darkness imposed by the Creator as Jesus died; the magi and the first witnesses of the resurrection are all part of the same story. If it is just about a precious child born into poverty, then no “merry” belongs in the greeting. If the story of Jesus ends with the wheels of history cruelly rolling over Him at the cross, then what use is there in celebrating anything during this season. But Christmas is about the Son of God coming into the world. Born of a virgin, He came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He came to die and be raised again; He came to set His people free! "This is a Faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . " (1 Timothy 1:15).
So I say Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 06, 2010
Problems For Evolutionists
"In 1968, 43 miles northwest of Delta, Utah, William J. Meister found apparent human shoe prints inside a 2-inch-thick slab of rock. Also in that slab were obvious trilobite [sic] fossils, one of which was squashed under the “heel.” (The 10-inch-long shoe print is at the left, and its rock mold is to its right. Notice how the back of the heel is worn, just as most of our shoes wear today. The heel was indented in the rock about an eighth of an inch deeper than the sole.)
According to evolutionists, trilobytes are among the oldest living organisms on earth. Trilobites were a Paleozoic marine animals living 600 to 280 million years ago, and have been extinct for at least 200 million years. Further validating this dating, the shale rock of the area is from the carboniferous period (290 to 355 million years ago).
This print seems to be a valid, with both stitching visible and a pronounced heel. Other imprints appearing to be human tracks have also been found in the same area, but without trilobites. Dr. Clifford Burdick investigated the area and found other prints as well as the barefoot imprint of a child's foot- complete with toes" (source: forbiddenhistory.info).
This brings up huge problems for evolutionists and their theories. First, either the earth is much younger or mankind in much older than any of their models allow. Which opens up the question of their entire system of dating. The Bible teaches that the earth is young instead of the millions of years needed for an evolutionary system.
Second, it appears that evidence of mankind's existence does coincide with the existence of the earliest creatures. This shows that instead of mankind coming along late in the history of the earth, mankind existed from the beginning. This lines up with the account in Genesis.
Also, if clear evidence of homo sapiens appears in such an old layer, perhaps the layer is not as old as scientists believe. It could just be that the surface of the earth is subject to much more dramatic and rapid change (a.k.a. the Flood) than they led us to think.
No fact of science contradicts the teachings of the Bible. The theories of science often do conflict, but not the known facts.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday!
Thanksgiving is the best of all holidays!
Have you noticed how Halloween and Christmas seem to crowd out the holiday between them. Its sort of like the little sapling growing in between to towering oaks in the forest.
The stores take down the skulls and witches and immediately replace them with Santas and Christmas trees. Don’t misunderstand. I hold no ill will toward Halloween or Christmas. But what about my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving!
I want to take just a moment and tell you why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
I have three basic reasons why I think Thanksgiving is the greatest of all the holidays: historical reasons; scriptural reasons; and personal reasons.
Historical Reasons
Thanksgiving has a rich history. The 1st winter in the New World was brutal(1620-21) on the Pilgrims. The beaver and the Bible were their mainstays. Of the original 102 only 44 survived. After the first harvest Governor Bradford and the pilgrim fathers decided to have a feast of Thanksgiving. Ninety Indians joined in. For three days they enjoyed preaching, featsing, talking and games.
That was 378 years ago and marked the beginning of the holiday we celebrate today.
President George Washington and the newly formed government continued the tradition of the Pilgrims by proclaiming November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving.
In 1863 of nation raged with the noised of civil war. Brother fought against brother over the issue of state’s rights. As fresh blood soaked the earth of a hundred battle fields, Abraham Lincoln set aside the fourth Thursday in November as a national day of thankfulness to God.
Personal Reasons
I’m not against any holiday, but I am partial to Thanksgiving. Let me give a few negative reasons: it's not compromised w/ paganism; it's not complicated; it's not commercialized.
There are positive ones as well: family oriented; and faith affirming.
When I was boy my folks loaded us kids in the car every thanksgiving to go to Mama and Papa Hartley’s house. All the Hartley clan would be there and I always looked forward to it. With the passing years I don’t go as much, but I wouldn’t take a million dollars for the memories.
Many of you could tell similar stories. And what a wonderful opportunity to start a new tradition with my children. And you have the same opportunity.
Scriptural Reasons
This reason alone would be enough. And of all the reasons, this is the greatest.
1 Chr. 16:8 “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”
Ps. 30:4 “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Ps. 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his holy name.”
Ep. 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Lord God who is seated upon the throne of all the universe commands His people to be thankful. Thankfulness doesn’t mean that we are laughing and giggling like some twit. You can be thankful with tears of sorrow coursing down your cheeks. You can be thankful in the midst of disappointment. You can be thankful in the face of personal crisis.
When you are thankful you are in the will of God; When you are unthankful you are out of the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Don’t tell me you can’t because God has said you can. He never give a command that he doesn’t also give the ability to carry out the command.
The story is told of John Gray, a preacher who never failed to thank God, no matter how bad things got. One Sunday he battled through wind and sleet to preach at a little village. The congregation was small. The people wonder what the preacher would could find to be thankful for. When it came time to pray, the preacher lifted his eyes toward heaven and said, “This is a wretched day, dear Lord, no doubt about it; but we thank Thee, Lord, that ever day isn’t as bad as this one!”
When we are thankful it shows we are filled with the spirit. When we are unthankful it shows that we are not filled with the spirit (see Ep. 5:18-20).
We are never more like Christ than when we are giving thanks to God. And we are never more like the lost world when we are unthankful.
Thankfulness rises from an obedient heart, while unthankfulness rises from a disobedient heart. The word “thank” in the Bible comes from the word eucharistew. The root word is charis. This is the word for grace. We’ve heard people at the supper table asking someone to say “grace.” This is Scriptural. When you say thank you to God, you are saying I don’t deserve what I’m getting. People today think they deserve something and they demand their part.
There was a man at the second church I pastored who was dying of Emphysema. He contracted the disease as a result of chemicals he was exposed to at his work site. He died a slow death by suffocation. I preached his funeral. At Thomas’ request they sang “Why Me Lord.”
Why me Lord what have I ever done
to deserve even one the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth lovin’ you or the kindness
you’ve shown?
That last testimony has always stuck with me. I cannot remember for the life of me what text I read or what I said, but I remember the hymn of thankfulness that Thomas requested.
Another aspect of being unthankful is the fact that People think they don’t deserve things. They don’t think they deserve detention hall; they don’t think they deserve a ticket from the police; They don’t think they deserve prison time. They don’t think they deserve judgement; They don’t think they deserve hell. Part of thankfulness is thanking God for the good and the bad. Everything isn’t good, but everything works for good.
Maybe your guilty of having an unthankful heart, God will forgive you if you’ll come to His son Jesus.
Maybe your saved but you’ve lost the attitude of gratitude you ought to have. Tell God that your struggling and ask Him to help you.
I think everyone needs to be encouraged in the area of thankfulness. When you publically say, “I’m struggling and need help” God does something special in our lives.
Have you noticed how Halloween and Christmas seem to crowd out the holiday between them. Its sort of like the little sapling growing in between to towering oaks in the forest.
The stores take down the skulls and witches and immediately replace them with Santas and Christmas trees. Don’t misunderstand. I hold no ill will toward Halloween or Christmas. But what about my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving!
I want to take just a moment and tell you why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
I have three basic reasons why I think Thanksgiving is the greatest of all the holidays: historical reasons; scriptural reasons; and personal reasons.
Historical Reasons
Thanksgiving has a rich history. The 1st winter in the New World was brutal(1620-21) on the Pilgrims. The beaver and the Bible were their mainstays. Of the original 102 only 44 survived. After the first harvest Governor Bradford and the pilgrim fathers decided to have a feast of Thanksgiving. Ninety Indians joined in. For three days they enjoyed preaching, featsing, talking and games.
That was 378 years ago and marked the beginning of the holiday we celebrate today.
President George Washington and the newly formed government continued the tradition of the Pilgrims by proclaiming November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving.
In 1863 of nation raged with the noised of civil war. Brother fought against brother over the issue of state’s rights. As fresh blood soaked the earth of a hundred battle fields, Abraham Lincoln set aside the fourth Thursday in November as a national day of thankfulness to God.
Personal Reasons
I’m not against any holiday, but I am partial to Thanksgiving. Let me give a few negative reasons: it's not compromised w/ paganism; it's not complicated; it's not commercialized.
There are positive ones as well: family oriented; and faith affirming.
When I was boy my folks loaded us kids in the car every thanksgiving to go to Mama and Papa Hartley’s house. All the Hartley clan would be there and I always looked forward to it. With the passing years I don’t go as much, but I wouldn’t take a million dollars for the memories.
Many of you could tell similar stories. And what a wonderful opportunity to start a new tradition with my children. And you have the same opportunity.
Scriptural Reasons
This reason alone would be enough. And of all the reasons, this is the greatest.
1 Chr. 16:8 “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”
Ps. 30:4 “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Ps. 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his holy name.”
Ep. 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Lord God who is seated upon the throne of all the universe commands His people to be thankful. Thankfulness doesn’t mean that we are laughing and giggling like some twit. You can be thankful with tears of sorrow coursing down your cheeks. You can be thankful in the midst of disappointment. You can be thankful in the face of personal crisis.
When you are thankful you are in the will of God; When you are unthankful you are out of the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Don’t tell me you can’t because God has said you can. He never give a command that he doesn’t also give the ability to carry out the command.
The story is told of John Gray, a preacher who never failed to thank God, no matter how bad things got. One Sunday he battled through wind and sleet to preach at a little village. The congregation was small. The people wonder what the preacher would could find to be thankful for. When it came time to pray, the preacher lifted his eyes toward heaven and said, “This is a wretched day, dear Lord, no doubt about it; but we thank Thee, Lord, that ever day isn’t as bad as this one!”
When we are thankful it shows we are filled with the spirit. When we are unthankful it shows that we are not filled with the spirit (see Ep. 5:18-20).
We are never more like Christ than when we are giving thanks to God. And we are never more like the lost world when we are unthankful.
Thankfulness rises from an obedient heart, while unthankfulness rises from a disobedient heart. The word “thank” in the Bible comes from the word eucharistew. The root word is charis. This is the word for grace. We’ve heard people at the supper table asking someone to say “grace.” This is Scriptural. When you say thank you to God, you are saying I don’t deserve what I’m getting. People today think they deserve something and they demand their part.
There was a man at the second church I pastored who was dying of Emphysema. He contracted the disease as a result of chemicals he was exposed to at his work site. He died a slow death by suffocation. I preached his funeral. At Thomas’ request they sang “Why Me Lord.”
Why me Lord what have I ever done
to deserve even one the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth lovin’ you or the kindness
you’ve shown?
That last testimony has always stuck with me. I cannot remember for the life of me what text I read or what I said, but I remember the hymn of thankfulness that Thomas requested.
Another aspect of being unthankful is the fact that People think they don’t deserve things. They don’t think they deserve detention hall; they don’t think they deserve a ticket from the police; They don’t think they deserve prison time. They don’t think they deserve judgement; They don’t think they deserve hell. Part of thankfulness is thanking God for the good and the bad. Everything isn’t good, but everything works for good.
Maybe your guilty of having an unthankful heart, God will forgive you if you’ll come to His son Jesus.
Maybe your saved but you’ve lost the attitude of gratitude you ought to have. Tell God that your struggling and ask Him to help you.
I think everyone needs to be encouraged in the area of thankfulness. When you publically say, “I’m struggling and need help” God does something special in our lives.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Capital Baptist Fellowship Capital Christian Institute
Great Divide Chaplain Services
Dear Partners in the Gospel:
Thank you all for your monthly support and prayers. May our Father smile on you all for your generosity toward His work in Helena, Montana!
Our Father works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. An expression is cliché only if it is not true -- the before used expression is altogether true! I see our Father working in unusual ways every week. He orchestrates and maneuvers events and people. He causes my path to cross the paths of others at providential moments and allows coalescence to occur at unexpected times. Divine serendipity always surrounds me and I never know what or who may lay around the next turn. I want to share an example of our Father’s constant working to redeem to Himself a people.
About a year ago I met “J” while doing a Bible study at an apartment building downtown. He has been a tremendous blessing and I see how our Father uses “J” to move the kingdom and the church forward each week. Well, through “J” I was introduced to another person named “J2” while doing street ministry downtown. At the time the new person’s girlfriend was being visited by Mormon missionaries. “J2” and his girlfriend visited the Mormon temple and she was very interested in Mormonism. “J” was told by “J2” that his girlfriend wanted me to come to her home and do a Bible study. Though busy beyond belief, I found a night we could go and we did. The Bible study was very personal and a God-thing to be sure. During that Bible I briefly met the girlfriend’s elderly dad. He did not sit in on the Bible study. Instead, he sat about eight feet away in the living room watching television (or so I thought). A week later the girlfriend’s dad fell. My friend “J” called to tell me about the dad's fall and said the dad asked for me. I dropped everything and drove to the emergency room to visit and pray with him. While at the emergency room I met another of his daughters named “A”. Over the next few weeks I visited the dad in the hospital and eventually the nursing home. So, I kept seeing the family and praying with them. This past week the dad’s daughter “A” that I met in the emergency room came to the Bible study at the apartments with my friend “J”. She already knows much of the gospel, but has been neither discipled nor baptized. When I spoke with her about this she said she wants to be baptized and I hope she follows through soon! Our Father neither slumbers nor sleeps -- He always and in every circumstance works His perfect will. Pray for all our Father’s divine appointments and that we faithfully act and speak up for Him.
Daily we are putting together the puzzle of Father’s plan for our ministry and for Capital Baptist Fellowship! Thank you for being a piece in that wonderful puzzle!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Parish and Jeanne Ann Hartley
church planter missionaries
Helena, Montana
Sunday, October 24, 2010
TEXT: Genesis 29:1-31
TITLE: The Day Jacob Met His Match
THEME: What a person plants, he will harvest.
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: We reap what we sow, but this does not thwart our Father’s eternal plan.
OUTLINE:
I. Jacob Finds Laban (29:1-13)
A. Jacob’s Arrival 29:1-8
B. Jacob’s Appraisal 29:4-10
C. Jacob’s Approval 29:11-13
II. Laban Fools Jacob (29:14-30)
A. Laban’s Daughters (29:14-19)
1. Leah the elder
2. Rachel the younger
B. Jacob’s Delight (29:20)
C. Laban’s Deceit (29:21-30)
1. A Spiritual Principle: Galatians 6:7-10
III. God Fulfils His Promise (29:31,35; see 28:14)
A. God’s ways are not our ways:
1. The Younger Preferred Over the Older: Our Father does not follow man’s order (ex. Esua and Jacob).
2. The Inward Preferred Over the Outward: Our Father looks on the heart not the outward appearance (ex. David).
3. The Despised Preferred Over the Honored: Our Father lifts up the downtrodden and (ex. Leah and Rachel).
B. This follows a spiritual principle laid out in
1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
C. The lineage of Jesus comes through Leah not Rachel.
CONCLUSION:
Our Father is always using unconventional means and overlooked people to fulfill His purposes. Just because someone is smart, talented, and attractive does not mean God will use them. He wants a willing heart surrendered to do His will. Are you that kind of person?
TITLE: The Day Jacob Met His Match
THEME: What a person plants, he will harvest.
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: We reap what we sow, but this does not thwart our Father’s eternal plan.
OUTLINE:
I. Jacob Finds Laban (29:1-13)
A. Jacob’s Arrival 29:1-8
B. Jacob’s Appraisal 29:4-10
C. Jacob’s Approval 29:11-13
II. Laban Fools Jacob (29:14-30)
A. Laban’s Daughters (29:14-19)
1. Leah the elder
2. Rachel the younger
B. Jacob’s Delight (29:20)
C. Laban’s Deceit (29:21-30)
1. A Spiritual Principle: Galatians 6:7-10
III. God Fulfils His Promise (29:31,35; see 28:14)
A. God’s ways are not our ways:
1. The Younger Preferred Over the Older: Our Father does not follow man’s order (ex. Esua and Jacob).
2. The Inward Preferred Over the Outward: Our Father looks on the heart not the outward appearance (ex. David).
3. The Despised Preferred Over the Honored: Our Father lifts up the downtrodden and (ex. Leah and Rachel).
B. This follows a spiritual principle laid out in
1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
C. The lineage of Jesus comes through Leah not Rachel.
CONCLUSION:
Our Father is always using unconventional means and overlooked people to fulfill His purposes. Just because someone is smart, talented, and attractive does not mean God will use them. He wants a willing heart surrendered to do His will. Are you that kind of person?
Saturday, October 23, 2010
From Atheism to Belief in God
The Psalmist said long ago that “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Today, with the modern advances in the sciences and the weakening of the institutional church, atheism is less and less appealing. Here are several examples of the “fools” who came to their senses.
First, we pause to think on Clive Staples Lewis. C. S. Lewis was born 29 November 1898 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Though he never militantly warred against the idea of God, he was an atheist. In his own words, Lewis became a theist, "In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed." Under the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien (a devout Roman Catholic) and Hugo Dyson, Lewis became a Christian in 1931. He went on to become one of the twentieth centuries greatest apologists.
Second, we look at Lee Strobel. Born in 1952, Strobel earned a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale, and a journalism degree from the University of Missouri. As a journalist and an atheist, he set out to disprove the existence of God. His journey from atheism to Christianity is chronicled in his first book The Case for Christ. He has gone on to write numerous apologetics (defenses of the Christian faith) with a style and energy that people love.
Third, we want to listen to Alister McGrath’s story. McGrath was born in 1953 in Northern Ireland. In his youth, he read A. J. Ayer’s Language, Truth, and Logic, and Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian. McGrath thought of God talk as vacuous. He felt this so strongly that he attempted to start an Atheist Society on the campus of the Methodist College in Belfast. McGrath likened his conversion to theism to that of his countryman C. S. Lewis who experienced “the steady unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.” By detailed study and comparison of the two opposing worldviews of atheism and theism, McGrath became disenchanted with the former and embraced the latter.
Our last interview is with Antony Garrard Newton Flew (February 11, 1923 – April 8, 2010). Flew, a British philosophy professor who was a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century, converted to theism at age 81. He confessed to a belief in God based on scientific evidence. After decades of insisting that belief in God was a mistake, Flew concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. He was best labeled a deist like Thomas Jefferson, whose God was not actively involved in people's lives. Flew stated in an interview a few years before his death that his view of Godm was the result of his "growing empathy with the insight of Einstein and other noted scientists that there had to be an Intelligence behind the integrated complexity of the physical Universe" and "my own insight that the integrated complexity of life itself – which is far more complex than the physical Universe – can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source" (tothesource.org, 2007). Though not a Christian, his acknowledgment of a creative power outside our plane of existence was significant.
Ultimately, God wants to be known. He sent His Son to be crucified and raised again so that all who believe might be saved. Many still deny God and His Only Begotten Son. Never give up on anyone!
~Parish Hartley~
First, we pause to think on Clive Staples Lewis. C. S. Lewis was born 29 November 1898 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Though he never militantly warred against the idea of God, he was an atheist. In his own words, Lewis became a theist, "In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed." Under the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien (a devout Roman Catholic) and Hugo Dyson, Lewis became a Christian in 1931. He went on to become one of the twentieth centuries greatest apologists.
Second, we look at Lee Strobel. Born in 1952, Strobel earned a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale, and a journalism degree from the University of Missouri. As a journalist and an atheist, he set out to disprove the existence of God. His journey from atheism to Christianity is chronicled in his first book The Case for Christ. He has gone on to write numerous apologetics (defenses of the Christian faith) with a style and energy that people love.
Third, we want to listen to Alister McGrath’s story. McGrath was born in 1953 in Northern Ireland. In his youth, he read A. J. Ayer’s Language, Truth, and Logic, and Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian. McGrath thought of God talk as vacuous. He felt this so strongly that he attempted to start an Atheist Society on the campus of the Methodist College in Belfast. McGrath likened his conversion to theism to that of his countryman C. S. Lewis who experienced “the steady unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.” By detailed study and comparison of the two opposing worldviews of atheism and theism, McGrath became disenchanted with the former and embraced the latter.
Our last interview is with Antony Garrard Newton Flew (February 11, 1923 – April 8, 2010). Flew, a British philosophy professor who was a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century, converted to theism at age 81. He confessed to a belief in God based on scientific evidence. After decades of insisting that belief in God was a mistake, Flew concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. He was best labeled a deist like Thomas Jefferson, whose God was not actively involved in people's lives. Flew stated in an interview a few years before his death that his view of Godm was the result of his "growing empathy with the insight of Einstein and other noted scientists that there had to be an Intelligence behind the integrated complexity of the physical Universe" and "my own insight that the integrated complexity of life itself – which is far more complex than the physical Universe – can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source" (tothesource.org, 2007). Though not a Christian, his acknowledgment of a creative power outside our plane of existence was significant.
Ultimately, God wants to be known. He sent His Son to be crucified and raised again so that all who believe might be saved. Many still deny God and His Only Begotten Son. Never give up on anyone!
~Parish Hartley~
Saturday, October 09, 2010
New Light From Old Lamps
“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”
- Luke 5:4
We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but he hath himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskilfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? “Without him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we can do all things. Christ’s presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church’s power-the shout of a king is in the midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
- Luke 5:4
We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but he hath himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskilfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? “Without him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we can do all things. Christ’s presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church’s power-the shout of a king is in the midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
"He Made The Stars Also” (Genesis 1:16)
“He Made The Stars Also” Genesis 1:16.
Compiled from various sources
As children we look up into the night sky full of stars and “wonder what they are.” We are told by our parents that they are stars and God made them. Then some TV show comes along denying that God made the stars or some teacher instructs us that they came from some Big Bang and suddenly our faith is shaken! I want to reaffirm what secular, humanistic, evolutionary teachers want to steal from you -- Our Father made the stars. Does that seem childish, uninformed, or out right backwards to you? If so, this message is for you.
What are stars anyway? A star is a “massive, luminous ball of plasma that is held together by gravity.” The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth. The Sun “rules” the day and the moon “rules” the night. Our Sun is large. The Sun has a diameter of about 1,392,000 kilometers (865,000 mi) (about 109 Earths). If the sun were a bowling ball, then the earth would be a poppy seed. The Sun, if it where hollow, would hold a million earths. The Sun accounts for about 99.86% of the Solar System's mass. But in cosmic terms our Sun is by no means a giant. Other stars dwarf our Sun in size!
Stars are not spread uniformly across the universe, but are normally grouped into galaxies along with interstellar gas and dust. On a clear, moonless night about 3,000 stars are visible with the unaided eye. A small telescope will increase the number to around 100,000 stars. But this is just the beginning! The stars we can easily see are all in our corner of the Milky Way Galaxy. The entire galaxy numbers about 100 billion stars. And beyond the Milky Way are other galaxies with many shapes and sizes. Around 100 billion such galaxies are known to exist. Taking the Milky Way as an average galaxy, the total number of known stars is thus (100 billion)2=(1011)2=1022. These estimated stars number 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, when we write this number out. This figure would be pronounced as “ten billion trillion” stars. Suppose these stars were divided up among the world's total population of 6 billion people. Then each person on Earth would receive more than 1 trillion stars!(internet source)
Yet all these stars may be only one page in God's catalog of the heavens. New instruments continue to probe deeper into space, with no end in sight. What an excellent way for the Creator to show his glory! Whatever the total number of stars He has created, God “counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name” (Psalms 147:4).
“The heavens declare the glory of the Lord”(Psalm 19:1). The purpose of the creation was and is to declare the glory of the Lord. We serve a mighty God! C.S. Lewis wrote, “If the solar system was brought about by accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was an accident too and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thought are accidents -- the accidental movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts are merely accidental by products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents.”
The Creator loves you and wants to be known by His creation. Equal to His great power and love is His holiness. He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross and to be raised again to save those who are lost. Trust Christ today and come to the saving knowledge of the One who made the stars.
Thoughts On The Evolution vs Intelligent Design Debate From A Biblical World-View
You must gather your courage and decide for yourself what is true or is not. The decisions to which you arrive will chart the course for the remainder of your life. Decide carefully and with your most cherished values at the foremost of you mind. I highly recommend you read Case for the Creator. I am including some thoughts on the subject addressed in the book. It presents a cogent defense of Intelligent Design from an academic perspective. Today we are witnessing the clash of two diametrically opposed world-views. Some very persuasive voices will try to convince you that we are simply the result of random cosmic accidents. They are not evil; however, the fruit from the seeds of their anti-God world-view is bitter.
Here are some thoughts based on Genesis 1:1. It addresses the subjects of Evolution, Big Bang Cosmology and the Bible. Keep reading the Word and looking unto Jesus. He will never disappoint you.
INTRODUCTION:
Who said it? “The vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.” The answer is Werner von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977). He was a German-American rocket physicist, astronautics engineer, and space architect, becoming one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. He is sometimes said to be the preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century and the he is called the father of space science (internet source).
I agree with the limerick that reads:
Once I was a tadpole beginning to begin,
Then I was a frog with my tail tucked in
Then I was a monkey in a banyan tree,
And now I am a professor with a Ph.D.
(Author Unknown)
There are some smart, very smart, people in the evolutionary camp; however, the Bible teaches that many people professing themselves to be wise became fools. Often in an effort to discredit the idea of intelligent design and a Designer they do not follow the line of evidence -- they don’t follow the evidence where it leads.
We as God’s people can have the utmost confidence in the Word of God and rest in what the Bible teaches. The flesh, the world, and Satan agitate, aggravate, and alienate God’s people with a constant bombardment of anti-creation, anti-God, and anti-Bible messages. But we have a more sure word of prophecy and we can trust our heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the sweet Holy Spirit.
Some Definition Work:
Creation denotes the existence of a divine Creator who has exercised His creative abilities, creating this world and the life-forms we see. Life is the product of intelligent contrivance. Thus, apparent design in biology would constitute evidence for a Designer.
Evolution stresses the naturalistic (random, undirected) descent of all living creatures from a common ancestor who originally evolved from inorganic matter. Life is the product of random chance. What we need here is a plausible mechanism, feasibility, and a history of functionality (internet source).
Evidence Against Evolution:
There is much evidence against biological macroevolution. Some of Darwin’s evidence used to support evolution is now refuted because of more modern scientific evidence. One fact is that body parts or entities could not have evolved gradually. Michael Behe discovered that cells were irreducibly complex. They needed every single chemical and part to function. Consequently, they could not have gradually evolved. Another evidence was the complete lack of transitional forms in the fossil record.
We have not been able to create life from non-life regardless of how hard we have tried. We have not been able to create one species from another even with human intervention. The things that have been used as examples of evolution either have supported microevolution or have been hoaxes, frauds, or have used artistic license to extrapolate conclusions without justification.
However, the best evidences against macroevolution and hence the very best evidence for creationism, is the unimaginable complexity and machine-like workings of a single cell including DNA, RNA, and the manufacture of proteins, etc. None of this was known during Darwin’s time. They thought the cell was a simple blob of protoplasm. The human genome contains so much information it would fill libraries if contained in books. The machine-like workings of a cell have been related to our most sophisticated factories. Nobody would ever suggest that random processes could generate libraries of information or make a manufacturing plant. This favors creationism.
Young Earth vs Old Earth
Evolutionary Theory demands billions and billions and billions of years to account for the world. The major problems with this is that Jesus believed in the truth of Genesis and He believed in a young earth. Here are some texts that teach that Jesus believed in a young earth.
Mark 10:6 tells us, "From the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’"
Mark 13:19 teaches, "In those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be."
Luke 11:50 - 51 reads, "The blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation." These verses, in particular, show us that our Lord did not believe billions of years had passed since the Creation.
We can say upon the authority of Scripture that Jesus believed the account in Genesis without equivocation. He believed in the creation account. He did not believe in a cosmos that was billions and billions of years old. Instead, the world would have been thousands of years (exactly how many no one knows). Finally, Jesus believed that the cosmos and humanity were relatively the same age. Humanity is not a late arrival on the scene.
What's at stake in the young earth vs old earth debate? If Adam is not the first man as the Bible teaches, then the account of the entrance of sin is a fallacy and the position of Jesus as our Federal head is a myth.
1 Corinthians 15:22 teaches, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive" (see also Romans 5:18-19).
Some Principles to keep in mind as we think of the first eleven chapters of Genesis:
1. In John 10:35, quoting from the Old Testament, the Bible declares that, “Scripture cannot be broken.” Building on that we can say with confidence that the Bible is authoritative in all areas in which it claims authority.
2. It is truth and defeats the lies of Satan (Matt. 4:1-10).
3. The scriptures are not of any private interpretation (1 Peter 1:20). The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion.
4. 1 Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. God’s people don’t have to rely on guesses and opinions; We don’t rely on secular books or going to school run by unbelievers; we learned it from God through the Word and the Spirit. It is personal.
If the first eleven chapters of Genesis are not reliable, then all of Scripture is wrong!
Direct Evidence for Creation:
The Big Bang theory is the current scientific explanation of our origin. It places the origin of our universe at a specific time in the past. So whether we believe in science or believe in creation or both, we believe we came from nothing at a specific time in the past. The difference is that the Big Bang states that everything was created from nothing without a cause or a purpose.
Alternatively, if we believe in creation, we believe that everything came from nothing by the will of an omnipotent, transcendent Creator that is not limited to time and space and we were created for a purpose. This completely explains how apparent design and complexity could have come into existence.
However, the very best evidence for creationism is the claim by God Himself that He created light, the universe, the Earth and all life. You might question whether that argument holds up under scientific scrutiny? We all know the creation story in Genesis, but how can we know directly through scientific rationale that it is true. We can show that it was written in the Old Testament, but how can we show direct evidence that it is true? We only need to accept the most thoroughly documented history in existence and examine the evidence for who Jesus was. Our calendar is based upon the birth of Jesus. How historical is that? In Mark 13:19 (NKJV) Jesus stated, “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be” (compiled from various sources).
Is Intelligent Design/Creationism Reasonable?
Is it reasonable to acknowledge a Creator? When challenged by skeptics to prove the existence of a Creator scientifically, Dr. Wernher von Braun, the Father of the American Rocket and Space Program, replied, "Must we really light a candle to see the Sun? . . . The electron is materially inconceivable, and yet it is so perfectly known through its effects that we use it to illuminate our cities, guide our airliners through the night skies and take the most accurate measurements. What strange rationale makes some physicists accept the inconceivable electron as real, while refusing to accept the reality of a Designer on the ground that they cannot conceive of Him? …The inconceivability of some ultimate issue (which always will lie outside scientific resolution) should not be allowed to rule out any theory that explains the interrelationship of observed data and is useful for prediction." To simply dismiss the concept of a Creator as being unscientific is to "violate the very objectivity of science itself." *
*Originally published in Edward F. Blick's Special Creation vs. Evolution, 1988, pp. 29-31. (taken from an internet source).
CONCLUSION:
What does a naturalistic, humanistic, evolutionary world-view give us?
A fatherless universe made-up up of mindless, heartless matter;
A building without a blueprint and a house without a home;
A body without a soul and a religion without hope;
A day without light, a night without end, and a fog that never lifts;
A philosophy without logic, a science without freedom, a theory flaunted as fact;
A system without meaning or purpose;
A future with no God and no hope.
Evolutionary Theory is degrading to humanity, hostile to reason, and antithetical to the revealed Truth of God. “And thus in that very first verse of Scripture, each reader is faced with a simple choice: Either you believe God did create the heavens and earth, or you believe He did not. If He did not, He does not exist at all, nothing has any purpose and nothing makes any sense. Or on the other hand there is a creative intelligence -- if there is a God -- then creation is understandable. It is possible. It is plausible. It is rational” (John MacArthur, The Battle For the Beginning, 41).
Here are some thoughts based on Genesis 1:1. It addresses the subjects of Evolution, Big Bang Cosmology and the Bible. Keep reading the Word and looking unto Jesus. He will never disappoint you.
INTRODUCTION:
Who said it? “The vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.” The answer is Werner von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977). He was a German-American rocket physicist, astronautics engineer, and space architect, becoming one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. He is sometimes said to be the preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century and the he is called the father of space science (internet source).
I agree with the limerick that reads:
Once I was a tadpole beginning to begin,
Then I was a frog with my tail tucked in
Then I was a monkey in a banyan tree,
And now I am a professor with a Ph.D.
(Author Unknown)
There are some smart, very smart, people in the evolutionary camp; however, the Bible teaches that many people professing themselves to be wise became fools. Often in an effort to discredit the idea of intelligent design and a Designer they do not follow the line of evidence -- they don’t follow the evidence where it leads.
We as God’s people can have the utmost confidence in the Word of God and rest in what the Bible teaches. The flesh, the world, and Satan agitate, aggravate, and alienate God’s people with a constant bombardment of anti-creation, anti-God, and anti-Bible messages. But we have a more sure word of prophecy and we can trust our heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the sweet Holy Spirit.
Some Definition Work:
Creation denotes the existence of a divine Creator who has exercised His creative abilities, creating this world and the life-forms we see. Life is the product of intelligent contrivance. Thus, apparent design in biology would constitute evidence for a Designer.
Evolution stresses the naturalistic (random, undirected) descent of all living creatures from a common ancestor who originally evolved from inorganic matter. Life is the product of random chance. What we need here is a plausible mechanism, feasibility, and a history of functionality (internet source).
Evidence Against Evolution:
There is much evidence against biological macroevolution. Some of Darwin’s evidence used to support evolution is now refuted because of more modern scientific evidence. One fact is that body parts or entities could not have evolved gradually. Michael Behe discovered that cells were irreducibly complex. They needed every single chemical and part to function. Consequently, they could not have gradually evolved. Another evidence was the complete lack of transitional forms in the fossil record.
We have not been able to create life from non-life regardless of how hard we have tried. We have not been able to create one species from another even with human intervention. The things that have been used as examples of evolution either have supported microevolution or have been hoaxes, frauds, or have used artistic license to extrapolate conclusions without justification.
However, the best evidences against macroevolution and hence the very best evidence for creationism, is the unimaginable complexity and machine-like workings of a single cell including DNA, RNA, and the manufacture of proteins, etc. None of this was known during Darwin’s time. They thought the cell was a simple blob of protoplasm. The human genome contains so much information it would fill libraries if contained in books. The machine-like workings of a cell have been related to our most sophisticated factories. Nobody would ever suggest that random processes could generate libraries of information or make a manufacturing plant. This favors creationism.
Young Earth vs Old Earth
Evolutionary Theory demands billions and billions and billions of years to account for the world. The major problems with this is that Jesus believed in the truth of Genesis and He believed in a young earth. Here are some texts that teach that Jesus believed in a young earth.
Mark 10:6 tells us, "From the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’"
Mark 13:19 teaches, "In those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be."
Luke 11:50 - 51 reads, "The blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation." These verses, in particular, show us that our Lord did not believe billions of years had passed since the Creation.
We can say upon the authority of Scripture that Jesus believed the account in Genesis without equivocation. He believed in the creation account. He did not believe in a cosmos that was billions and billions of years old. Instead, the world would have been thousands of years (exactly how many no one knows). Finally, Jesus believed that the cosmos and humanity were relatively the same age. Humanity is not a late arrival on the scene.
What's at stake in the young earth vs old earth debate? If Adam is not the first man as the Bible teaches, then the account of the entrance of sin is a fallacy and the position of Jesus as our Federal head is a myth.
1 Corinthians 15:22 teaches, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive" (see also Romans 5:18-19).
Some Principles to keep in mind as we think of the first eleven chapters of Genesis:
1. In John 10:35, quoting from the Old Testament, the Bible declares that, “Scripture cannot be broken.” Building on that we can say with confidence that the Bible is authoritative in all areas in which it claims authority.
2. It is truth and defeats the lies of Satan (Matt. 4:1-10).
3. The scriptures are not of any private interpretation (1 Peter 1:20). The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion.
4. 1 Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. God’s people don’t have to rely on guesses and opinions; We don’t rely on secular books or going to school run by unbelievers; we learned it from God through the Word and the Spirit. It is personal.
If the first eleven chapters of Genesis are not reliable, then all of Scripture is wrong!
Direct Evidence for Creation:
The Big Bang theory is the current scientific explanation of our origin. It places the origin of our universe at a specific time in the past. So whether we believe in science or believe in creation or both, we believe we came from nothing at a specific time in the past. The difference is that the Big Bang states that everything was created from nothing without a cause or a purpose.
Alternatively, if we believe in creation, we believe that everything came from nothing by the will of an omnipotent, transcendent Creator that is not limited to time and space and we were created for a purpose. This completely explains how apparent design and complexity could have come into existence.
However, the very best evidence for creationism is the claim by God Himself that He created light, the universe, the Earth and all life. You might question whether that argument holds up under scientific scrutiny? We all know the creation story in Genesis, but how can we know directly through scientific rationale that it is true. We can show that it was written in the Old Testament, but how can we show direct evidence that it is true? We only need to accept the most thoroughly documented history in existence and examine the evidence for who Jesus was. Our calendar is based upon the birth of Jesus. How historical is that? In Mark 13:19 (NKJV) Jesus stated, “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be” (compiled from various sources).
Is Intelligent Design/Creationism Reasonable?
Is it reasonable to acknowledge a Creator? When challenged by skeptics to prove the existence of a Creator scientifically, Dr. Wernher von Braun, the Father of the American Rocket and Space Program, replied, "Must we really light a candle to see the Sun? . . . The electron is materially inconceivable, and yet it is so perfectly known through its effects that we use it to illuminate our cities, guide our airliners through the night skies and take the most accurate measurements. What strange rationale makes some physicists accept the inconceivable electron as real, while refusing to accept the reality of a Designer on the ground that they cannot conceive of Him? …The inconceivability of some ultimate issue (which always will lie outside scientific resolution) should not be allowed to rule out any theory that explains the interrelationship of observed data and is useful for prediction." To simply dismiss the concept of a Creator as being unscientific is to "violate the very objectivity of science itself." *
*Originally published in Edward F. Blick's Special Creation vs. Evolution, 1988, pp. 29-31. (taken from an internet source).
CONCLUSION:
What does a naturalistic, humanistic, evolutionary world-view give us?
A fatherless universe made-up up of mindless, heartless matter;
A building without a blueprint and a house without a home;
A body without a soul and a religion without hope;
A day without light, a night without end, and a fog that never lifts;
A philosophy without logic, a science without freedom, a theory flaunted as fact;
A system without meaning or purpose;
A future with no God and no hope.
Evolutionary Theory is degrading to humanity, hostile to reason, and antithetical to the revealed Truth of God. “And thus in that very first verse of Scripture, each reader is faced with a simple choice: Either you believe God did create the heavens and earth, or you believe He did not. If He did not, He does not exist at all, nothing has any purpose and nothing makes any sense. Or on the other hand there is a creative intelligence -- if there is a God -- then creation is understandable. It is possible. It is plausible. It is rational” (John MacArthur, The Battle For the Beginning, 41).
Monday, October 04, 2010
“Genesis 15:6: The John-Three-Sixteen of the Old Testament”
TEXT: Genesis 15:6
TITLE: “Genesis 15:6: The John-Three-Sixteen of the Old Testament”
KEY VERSE: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Like Abram, we believe our Father and He imputes righteousness to our account.
INTRODUCTION:
The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. This axiom is very true as we look at Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6 and the surrounding verses.
How can a person be right with God? How can sinful creatures stand before holy God who must eternally judge even the smallest sin? Some say it is faith and the ordinances of the church. Others say it is by obeying the Ten Commandments. Another group believes your good works must out weigh your bad works as though God holds a balance and judges on the basis of your works. Some churches advocate a mourners bench and praying through to be saved. This is all an attempt to get God in the notion to save sinners as though He must be cajoled or coercer. He is ready and able to save. We don’t need to be like the pagan who thinks God is distracted or disinterested.
Salvation is God’s business and His way is the only way. We don’t have the right or privilege to interject our ideas or feelings into the salvation of the Lord. Jonah hit the nail on the head when he declared “Salvation is of the Lord.”
Before the Moses ever received the Ten Commandments, without praying a prayer or bowing at a mourners bench, without following a ritual or confessing his sin to a man, Abram was declared to be right with God. The way Father Abraham is made right with God is the same way we are right with our heavenly Father.
TRANSITION:
Let’s see what the Word says to us this afternoon. Our Father doesn’t mind our questions. In the Bible people with honest faith questions are always accepted. When we pray “Lord I believe, help my unbelief,” our Savior’s heart is moved to help us.
OUTLINE:
I. I am childless, but You promised an heir?
A. Yahweh’s Declaration:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
B. Abram’s Question:
Genesis 15:2 - 3 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
C. Yahweh’s Explanation:
Genesis 15:4 - 5 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
II. I am landless, but You promised me Canaan?
A. Yahweh’s Declaration
Genesis 15:7 7Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
B. Abram’s Question
Genesis 15:8 8And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”
C. Yahweh’s Explanation:
1. Covenant Established: Genesis 15:9-11 reads, "So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."
2. Covenant Expounded: Genesis 15:12 -19 reads, "Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
III We are undone, but You promised us heaven.
A. God said, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Abram continued to put his trust and confidence in the Lord and believed He would fulfill ever promise although he did not understand how. “This foundational truth [Gen. 15:6] is repeated three times in the New Testament (Romans 4:3,16-25; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23) to show that righteousness is reckoned in return for faith” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament).
B. We stand in the same place as Abram. Knowing the promises of God, but not seeing or understanding. Faith is not illogical nor is it opposed to reason. Instead, it means we take God at His Word. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Romans 10:16 - 17 declares 6But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1. Romans 3:21 - 24 declares "21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
C. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by ME." Do you believe in such a way that you are willing to follow Him?
Without the Way, there is no going;
Without the Truth, there is no knowing;
Without the Life, there is no living.
Jesus is the Way, follow Him;
Jesus is the Truth, believe on Him;
Jesus is the Life, grow in Him.
Romans 4:16-25 reads, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 23Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification (italics added for emphasis).”
CONCLUSION:
Do you have questions? We all do. Our Father doesn’t mind our faith questions. But some allow fleshly questions to keep them from Jesus. Questions like, What about all the different denominations? Why are there so many Bible translations? How could a loving God consign someone to hell? And so on. These are questions that bar people from heaven. The number one thing is whether or not you are born again. Jesus died for you and rose again. He will save you if you receive Him as your Master and Rescuer.
TITLE: “Genesis 15:6: The John-Three-Sixteen of the Old Testament”
KEY VERSE: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Like Abram, we believe our Father and He imputes righteousness to our account.
INTRODUCTION:
The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. This axiom is very true as we look at Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6 and the surrounding verses.
How can a person be right with God? How can sinful creatures stand before holy God who must eternally judge even the smallest sin? Some say it is faith and the ordinances of the church. Others say it is by obeying the Ten Commandments. Another group believes your good works must out weigh your bad works as though God holds a balance and judges on the basis of your works. Some churches advocate a mourners bench and praying through to be saved. This is all an attempt to get God in the notion to save sinners as though He must be cajoled or coercer. He is ready and able to save. We don’t need to be like the pagan who thinks God is distracted or disinterested.
Salvation is God’s business and His way is the only way. We don’t have the right or privilege to interject our ideas or feelings into the salvation of the Lord. Jonah hit the nail on the head when he declared “Salvation is of the Lord.”
Before the Moses ever received the Ten Commandments, without praying a prayer or bowing at a mourners bench, without following a ritual or confessing his sin to a man, Abram was declared to be right with God. The way Father Abraham is made right with God is the same way we are right with our heavenly Father.
TRANSITION:
Let’s see what the Word says to us this afternoon. Our Father doesn’t mind our questions. In the Bible people with honest faith questions are always accepted. When we pray “Lord I believe, help my unbelief,” our Savior’s heart is moved to help us.
OUTLINE:
I. I am childless, but You promised an heir?
A. Yahweh’s Declaration:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
B. Abram’s Question:
Genesis 15:2 - 3 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
C. Yahweh’s Explanation:
Genesis 15:4 - 5 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
II. I am landless, but You promised me Canaan?
A. Yahweh’s Declaration
Genesis 15:7 7Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
B. Abram’s Question
Genesis 15:8 8And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”
C. Yahweh’s Explanation:
1. Covenant Established: Genesis 15:9-11 reads, "So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."
2. Covenant Expounded: Genesis 15:12 -19 reads, "Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
III We are undone, but You promised us heaven.
A. God said, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Abram continued to put his trust and confidence in the Lord and believed He would fulfill ever promise although he did not understand how. “This foundational truth [Gen. 15:6] is repeated three times in the New Testament (Romans 4:3,16-25; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23) to show that righteousness is reckoned in return for faith” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament).
B. We stand in the same place as Abram. Knowing the promises of God, but not seeing or understanding. Faith is not illogical nor is it opposed to reason. Instead, it means we take God at His Word. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Romans 10:16 - 17 declares 6But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1. Romans 3:21 - 24 declares "21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
C. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by ME." Do you believe in such a way that you are willing to follow Him?
Without the Way, there is no going;
Without the Truth, there is no knowing;
Without the Life, there is no living.
Jesus is the Way, follow Him;
Jesus is the Truth, believe on Him;
Jesus is the Life, grow in Him.
Romans 4:16-25 reads, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 23Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification (italics added for emphasis).”
CONCLUSION:
Do you have questions? We all do. Our Father doesn’t mind our faith questions. But some allow fleshly questions to keep them from Jesus. Questions like, What about all the different denominations? Why are there so many Bible translations? How could a loving God consign someone to hell? And so on. These are questions that bar people from heaven. The number one thing is whether or not you are born again. Jesus died for you and rose again. He will save you if you receive Him as your Master and Rescuer.
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