I know that I am risking being labeled a patriarchal mysogynist, so let me set the record straight right up front: I don't have the right to tell any woman (or man for that matter) what they may or may not do with their own body. Nobody will ever have to give an account to me for what they have done. I also know that I will never be held accountable by the God of all creation for the decisions anyone else may or may not make. I do believe very strongly that God at times convicts us that we need to speak up and if I choose to remain silent, I will have to give account to him one day for why I remained silent when he wanted me to speak. So I am writing the following with the conviction that I am supposed to be writing this and sharing it. You have every opportunity to read it or continue scrolling to the next item. So if you you find what I have written to be offensive keep in mind that you made the choice to read this.
ABORTION
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1
Before we even begin to discuss the abortion issue we must establish and understand ownership. Who does it all belong to? This verse in Psalm 24 clearly states that God owns everything. That means we are simply stewards of his creation who have been charged with taking care of his belongings. We are not our own and the things we have in our possesion don't truly belong to us. If any of us are parents we are simply stewards of these young children. They belong to God and we have been charged with taking care of them for Him.
Because God owns everything that exists, including ourselves, we are also obligated to him for what we do with what he has placed in our care. That places constraints on a woman's 'right to choose.' We dont really have the right to choose because we are not our own and our children are not our own. We must answer to Him. Revelation 20:11-15 describes the future time of judgment when everyone who has ever lived will have to give account of his/her life and they will be judged by what they had done.
Murder is sin.
'You shall not murder." Exodus 20: 14
"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood also be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." Genesis 9:6
Murder is defined by the dictionary as the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. God emphatically forbids murder to the point that the penalty for murder was that their own life would be required. It is a capitol offence. The reason is because man is made in the image of God. As such, man is special and different than the rest of creation. We are the image bearers of God. Now don't misunderstand me here. It is not our job to execute judgment. Some have done that and it is wrong. Romans 13:4 explains that the government authorities are charged with that job, NOT US. God will hold them accountable for how they did what was required of them. But we are still responsible for how we take care of those who he has entrusted to our care.
It comes down to the great commandments:
Love God and love your neighbor (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37)
Is the fetus actually a person?
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations" Jeremiah 1:5
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb" Psalm 139: 13
These verses really need no commentary. It is completely clear that the unborn child is a human being that God personally created in the womb. Even from the womb every person who has ever been conceived was and is an image bearer of God. That means killing them is murder.
But a woman has the right to choose.
Yes. We all have a right to choose...to obey or disobey. We also will be called into account for the choices we made. God will not leave the guilty unpunished. (Exodus 34:7) So we are free to choose, but there are consequences to our choices. Deuteronomy 30:19:
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
It is a choice. But it is not a choice without consequences.
What if an abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother?
There is absolutely no situation where a baby in utero must be killed in order to save the life of the mother. Dr. Anthony Levatino explains that if a womans life is in danger due to toxemia or eclampsia, there simply isn't enough time to prepare a woman's cervix to perform an abortion (possibly a few days). In such cases a C-section which can be accomplished in about an hour is the remedy.
Another situation often invoked to make the case of why abortion is ncessary is to protect a woman's 'health.' That was covered in another Supreme Court ruling called Doe vs. Bolton. The text reads, "medical judgment may be exercised in light of all factors -- physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age -- relevant to the wellbeing of the patient. All these factors may relate to health." That means when you see the exception in cases when it is necessary to protect a woman's health, the word 'health' can mean absolutely anything the abortionist, who stands to make a profit, wants it to mean.
What if the baby is going to be born with birth defects?
"The Lord said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?' " Exodus 4:11
Whether a child is born with birth defects or not doesn't change the fact that this child is also an image bearer of God and God created that child. We don't have the right to kill this child.
Many women have been encouraged to have an abortion because their child was going to be severely handicapped. Many who chose to carry the child anyway gave birth to a perfectly healthy child who had absolutely nothing wrong with them. The Doctor was wrong!
What if the baby is not viable?
It's not an abortion if the baby has died in the womb.
You don't know what a woman goes through.
No I don't. That is true. But it still doesn't change the fact that this unborn child is a special creation and image bearer of God and belongs to God and we don't have the right before him to decide if the child lives or dies.
I also feel for women because the entire abortion issue is based on a lie. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with women's health. Abortion itself is extremely dangerous and many women have been severely wounded by the procedures and some have died. My heart goes out to women who were lied to and told that they needed an abortion and later found out that because of the procedure they had their reproductive system damaged and could not have children later when they wanted them. Abortion is not only the murder of the most vulnerable and innocent humans among us, it is also a violent assault on the mothers who carry them. God told the Israelites to choose life. Abortion is choosing death and we must be clear about that.
I don't believe in God
If I have seemed harsh and direct it is because my primary intended audience is to those who do believe in God and even claim Jesus Christ as their personal savior. As such, this shouldn't even be an issue. But let me address those who are agnostic/atheists for a moment. To believe in something or to disbelieve has absolutely no effect on whether something is true or not. All belief or unbelief determines is that you either believe something that is true or something that is false. To not believe in God doesn't make him cease to exist. I would suggest if you don't believe in God that you do some serious, honest investigation into the evidence for a creator because the ramifications are extremely serious if it turns out that you're wrong. I would suggest you read Lee Strobel's The case For Christ
But I have had an abortion. What now?
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
There is no sin that you could possibly commit that the blood of Jesus Christ can't cover. If you are carrying the guilt from having had an abortion I want you to know that this promise in 1 John is absolutely trustworthy. If you confess your sin God will forgive you. King David was a man after God's own heart. But he sinned horribly when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband murdered to conceal what he had done. When he was confronted by Nathan the prophet, David said, "I have sinned against the Lord." Immediately Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin." David was instantly forgiven. There were still consequences but the guilt was gone. David wrote in Psalm 32:1-2;
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him."
If you have truly repented and asked God to forgive you, your sin is completely gone. You will never have that sin brought up again and it will never be counted against you. It is as if it never happened. You are declared innocent. 1 Corinthians 5:21 says "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus is the God of all creation and is greater than all that is. His death on the cross is more than sufficient to cover all our sins, if we will believe and place our trust in him. I hope and pray that you will trust him and find the blessedness that comes from having your sins forgiven.
May God convict those who need to be convicted of sin, and may he forgive those who need to be forgiven. And in all cases may his richest blessings be upon all of you.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Doctrine Divides? No! Doctrine Unifies!
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." John 17:20
There is a saying that has become common in the modern era that says 'Doctrine divides but Christ unifies.' In practice it has become commonplace to avoid teaching doctrine in the interest of unity. We want to avoid arguing at all costs in order to create a large umbrella under which the majority can comfortably fit. But is that really what Jesus intended? Why did the apostle Paul tell Titus to "teach what is in accord with sound doctrine"(Titus 2:1) if it was only going to cause divisions. Jesus himself in the 'Great Commision' told his disciples to teach those who would believe "everything he had commanded them" if doctrine wasn't important. The fact is, doctrine unites us.
This very principle is what unites people. In the Old Testament, God gave Moses the law which governed the people of Israel and in so doing, united them. The Old Covenant law was their 'doctrine.' This same principle applies for all nations. We have a constitution and system of laws which governs us as a nation. While there may be similarities with laws of other nations, our system is unique to us and unifies us.
The same is with the church. Our identity is in Christ, but you cannot separate true doctrine from the person of Christ. And some things are true about the Christian gospel and some things are false. That is why doctrine is vital. Jesus said in John 14:15:
"If you love me you will obey what I command."
Yes, we are saved by grace alone. But those of us who are being saved are in the process of being conformed into the perfect image of Christ. The life of the Christian is a life charactorized by 'surrendered obedience.' But in order to be obedient we need to understand what Jesus and his disciples taught so we know what obedience looks like. Therefore we need to study and learn sound doctrine.
The biggest reason for disunity is because we have failed to teach sound doctrine. I find it interesting that so much of the New Testament writing is devoted to correcting false doctrines that have slipped in even while there were still eyewitnesses living. Do we really have any idea how far we've fallen in the nearly two millenia since then? Especially when we don't devote ourselves to the apostles teaching. One of the consequences of neglecting sound doctrine is we find ourselves in the situation of attempting to unify 'sheep and goats.'
It has gotten to the point that many churches seem more concerned about trying to reach out to the 'goats' than they are about caring for the sheep. Charles Spurgeon predicted such a time as we now find ourselves living:
"A time will come when instead of sheperds feeding sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats."
Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit there own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
Notice that Paul said a 'great number of teachers'; not just a few here and there sporadically. Jesus said in Matthew 24:11 that there would be many false prophets who would deceive many. He didn't say just a few. He said MANY. And in verse 24 Jesus said they would even perform signs and miracles in order to deceive. Jude refers to these teachers as 'blemishes at your love feasts, shepherds who feed only themselves, etc.' In verse 19 he said, "These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit."
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Prov. 14:12)
These false teachers are giving people exactly what they want and it IS NOT GOD!
In a large number of cases today (possibly the majority) we are trying to find common ground between those who are truly the followers of Christ, and those who claim to be followers of Christ but demonstrate by what they believe and the way they choose to live that they are really following their own fleshly desires. Why are we trying to unify two groups of people that Jesus intends to separate? Not that we need to be specifically trying to make the separation now but we need to be learning and teaching sound, solid doctrine. Sound doctrine will inevitably separate the sheep from the goats. As the apostle John said in 1 John 2: 19:
"They went out from among us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
So yes, it is true. Doctrine does divide. It divides the sheep from the goats. And it is supposed to divide the true followers of Christ from those who don't truly follow Him. But then pure, solid doctrine unites those who truly are followers of the Good Sheperd who hear His voice.
1 Corinthians 1:18:
"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."
Beware of any teaching that would be appealing to someone who is not being saved.
There is a saying that has become common in the modern era that says 'Doctrine divides but Christ unifies.' In practice it has become commonplace to avoid teaching doctrine in the interest of unity. We want to avoid arguing at all costs in order to create a large umbrella under which the majority can comfortably fit. But is that really what Jesus intended? Why did the apostle Paul tell Titus to "teach what is in accord with sound doctrine"(Titus 2:1) if it was only going to cause divisions. Jesus himself in the 'Great Commision' told his disciples to teach those who would believe "everything he had commanded them" if doctrine wasn't important. The fact is, doctrine unites us.
This very principle is what unites people. In the Old Testament, God gave Moses the law which governed the people of Israel and in so doing, united them. The Old Covenant law was their 'doctrine.' This same principle applies for all nations. We have a constitution and system of laws which governs us as a nation. While there may be similarities with laws of other nations, our system is unique to us and unifies us.
The same is with the church. Our identity is in Christ, but you cannot separate true doctrine from the person of Christ. And some things are true about the Christian gospel and some things are false. That is why doctrine is vital. Jesus said in John 14:15:
"If you love me you will obey what I command."
Yes, we are saved by grace alone. But those of us who are being saved are in the process of being conformed into the perfect image of Christ. The life of the Christian is a life charactorized by 'surrendered obedience.' But in order to be obedient we need to understand what Jesus and his disciples taught so we know what obedience looks like. Therefore we need to study and learn sound doctrine.
The biggest reason for disunity is because we have failed to teach sound doctrine. I find it interesting that so much of the New Testament writing is devoted to correcting false doctrines that have slipped in even while there were still eyewitnesses living. Do we really have any idea how far we've fallen in the nearly two millenia since then? Especially when we don't devote ourselves to the apostles teaching. One of the consequences of neglecting sound doctrine is we find ourselves in the situation of attempting to unify 'sheep and goats.'
It has gotten to the point that many churches seem more concerned about trying to reach out to the 'goats' than they are about caring for the sheep. Charles Spurgeon predicted such a time as we now find ourselves living:
"A time will come when instead of sheperds feeding sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats."
Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit there own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
Notice that Paul said a 'great number of teachers'; not just a few here and there sporadically. Jesus said in Matthew 24:11 that there would be many false prophets who would deceive many. He didn't say just a few. He said MANY. And in verse 24 Jesus said they would even perform signs and miracles in order to deceive. Jude refers to these teachers as 'blemishes at your love feasts, shepherds who feed only themselves, etc.' In verse 19 he said, "These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit."
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Prov. 14:12)
These false teachers are giving people exactly what they want and it IS NOT GOD!
In a large number of cases today (possibly the majority) we are trying to find common ground between those who are truly the followers of Christ, and those who claim to be followers of Christ but demonstrate by what they believe and the way they choose to live that they are really following their own fleshly desires. Why are we trying to unify two groups of people that Jesus intends to separate? Not that we need to be specifically trying to make the separation now but we need to be learning and teaching sound, solid doctrine. Sound doctrine will inevitably separate the sheep from the goats. As the apostle John said in 1 John 2: 19:
"They went out from among us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
So yes, it is true. Doctrine does divide. It divides the sheep from the goats. And it is supposed to divide the true followers of Christ from those who don't truly follow Him. But then pure, solid doctrine unites those who truly are followers of the Good Sheperd who hear His voice.
1 Corinthians 1:18:
"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."
Beware of any teaching that would be appealing to someone who is not being saved.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Does God Even Go to Church Today?
"The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." 1 Samuel 3:1
This verse says a lot about the spiritual condition of Israel towards the end of the time of the judges. First, as indicated by the fact that Samuel was in the service of Eli, the high priest, there was plenty of religious 'activity' going on. The daily sacrifices were being offered and the daily and weekly rituals were being performed. But worship had become lifeless. It seemed that they were simply going through the motions without any true regard for the God who had saved them. Eli was the high priest but he didn't hold his office with the reverence due. His sons were corrupt and took advantage of the people and Eli did nothing about it...even after being warned by a prophet. There was religion but it was dead religion. The sad thing is that nobody seemed to be bothered by it.
It mirrors the state of the church today. There's a lot of 'religious' activity going on. We have nice music and nice little sermons that really have little substance to them (if not downright heretical). Often the churches are more concerned about the style of worship than they are about whether or not the Word being preached pricks the hearts and consciences and impacts their lives for God's glory.
"The word of the Lord was rare."
We have a serious lack of expository preaching. Typically, we do not dig into the texts of the scripture and mine for the deep truths contained within them. Often the teaching is simply pandering to the congregation just to keep them happy and coming each week. It's what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to myths."
Much of the face of Evangelical Christianity in the public eye is exactly that; teachers that do not teach the word of God but pander to what the 'itching ears' want to hear. From the prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen and Jesse Duplantis to the Emergent Church Universalists like Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, they preach a message that panders to the carnal desires of those who are not truly being saved.
The VERY FIRST sermon ever preached by the disciple Peter was one that warned of coming judgment and called people to repent. That message is seldom heard today and yet that was the basis of the message of the gospel. The typical messages today use select Bible verses taken out of context that can be manipulated to mean whatever the false teacher and listeners want it to mean.
"There were not many visions"
In the other ditch we have very strong doctrinal teaching but we don't have the active work of the Holy Spirit manifesting itself. This is often typical in the old denominations. Often the teaching is very sound but tends toward ritualistic legalism. Worship has become lifeless and it follows a liturgy that had deep meaning and purpose at one time, but nobody knows why they do it anymore. Cessationism is often very prevelant in these bodies. This is the idea that when the canon of scripture was complete, the gifts of the spirit ended as well. The cessationist belief discounts things like tongues and the prophetic (healing to a certain extent as well), saying that all of that is unnecessary now that we have the Bible in its complete form. The problem with that belief is that the Bible doesn't teach that. The cessationist relies on passages like 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and they understand the word 'perfection' in 1 Corinthians 13:10 to mean the completion of the New testament canon. The problem is that from the time 1 Corinthians was written to the time the final New testament book was written, was only about 40 years. If the cessationist view on this verse is correct, then chapter 14 is completely unnecesary. It contains detailed instruction on how the gifts of the spirit are to be used and these instructions are for the entire church for the entire church age.
In short, there is no scriptural basis for cessationism.
I asked a mentor of mine, given the lack of scriptural support for cessationism, why so many lean towards that belief. He responded, "Because we are afraid of what might happen if the Holy Spirit truly had his way among us." This is more subtle than pursuing the prosperity message or the universalist idea of anything goes, but it still means that we don't have a heart that seeks after God. It is true that spiritual gifts are mishandled and used improperly. But that doesn't discount the legitimacy of the gifts. The problem in the Corinthian church was that they were using the legitimate gifts improperly. The truth is, we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit today just as much as the early church did. To think otherwise is to mirror the Loadocian church in Revelation 3:17:
"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."
In the story of God giving the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, the children of Israel told Moses not to let God speak to them directly. But that he should go speak to God and then tell them what he had said. In Exodus 34 Moses came back and his face was radiant the people didn't want to be near thim either. That is the human condition.
Fallen humans don't want God.
And they don't want people who have been with God either.
Even Peter, when he first encountered Jesus said, "Go away from me Lord. I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8)
Is this who we have become as the church today? Does God even come to church? And more importantly; Would we even notice if He didn't show up? In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said:
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
LET'S ANSWER THE DOOR!
This verse says a lot about the spiritual condition of Israel towards the end of the time of the judges. First, as indicated by the fact that Samuel was in the service of Eli, the high priest, there was plenty of religious 'activity' going on. The daily sacrifices were being offered and the daily and weekly rituals were being performed. But worship had become lifeless. It seemed that they were simply going through the motions without any true regard for the God who had saved them. Eli was the high priest but he didn't hold his office with the reverence due. His sons were corrupt and took advantage of the people and Eli did nothing about it...even after being warned by a prophet. There was religion but it was dead religion. The sad thing is that nobody seemed to be bothered by it.
It mirrors the state of the church today. There's a lot of 'religious' activity going on. We have nice music and nice little sermons that really have little substance to them (if not downright heretical). Often the churches are more concerned about the style of worship than they are about whether or not the Word being preached pricks the hearts and consciences and impacts their lives for God's glory.
"The word of the Lord was rare."
We have a serious lack of expository preaching. Typically, we do not dig into the texts of the scripture and mine for the deep truths contained within them. Often the teaching is simply pandering to the congregation just to keep them happy and coming each week. It's what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to myths."
Much of the face of Evangelical Christianity in the public eye is exactly that; teachers that do not teach the word of God but pander to what the 'itching ears' want to hear. From the prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen and Jesse Duplantis to the Emergent Church Universalists like Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, they preach a message that panders to the carnal desires of those who are not truly being saved.
The VERY FIRST sermon ever preached by the disciple Peter was one that warned of coming judgment and called people to repent. That message is seldom heard today and yet that was the basis of the message of the gospel. The typical messages today use select Bible verses taken out of context that can be manipulated to mean whatever the false teacher and listeners want it to mean.
"There were not many visions"
In the other ditch we have very strong doctrinal teaching but we don't have the active work of the Holy Spirit manifesting itself. This is often typical in the old denominations. Often the teaching is very sound but tends toward ritualistic legalism. Worship has become lifeless and it follows a liturgy that had deep meaning and purpose at one time, but nobody knows why they do it anymore. Cessationism is often very prevelant in these bodies. This is the idea that when the canon of scripture was complete, the gifts of the spirit ended as well. The cessationist belief discounts things like tongues and the prophetic (healing to a certain extent as well), saying that all of that is unnecessary now that we have the Bible in its complete form. The problem with that belief is that the Bible doesn't teach that. The cessationist relies on passages like 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and they understand the word 'perfection' in 1 Corinthians 13:10 to mean the completion of the New testament canon. The problem is that from the time 1 Corinthians was written to the time the final New testament book was written, was only about 40 years. If the cessationist view on this verse is correct, then chapter 14 is completely unnecesary. It contains detailed instruction on how the gifts of the spirit are to be used and these instructions are for the entire church for the entire church age.
In short, there is no scriptural basis for cessationism.
I asked a mentor of mine, given the lack of scriptural support for cessationism, why so many lean towards that belief. He responded, "Because we are afraid of what might happen if the Holy Spirit truly had his way among us." This is more subtle than pursuing the prosperity message or the universalist idea of anything goes, but it still means that we don't have a heart that seeks after God. It is true that spiritual gifts are mishandled and used improperly. But that doesn't discount the legitimacy of the gifts. The problem in the Corinthian church was that they were using the legitimate gifts improperly. The truth is, we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit today just as much as the early church did. To think otherwise is to mirror the Loadocian church in Revelation 3:17:
"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."
In the story of God giving the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, the children of Israel told Moses not to let God speak to them directly. But that he should go speak to God and then tell them what he had said. In Exodus 34 Moses came back and his face was radiant the people didn't want to be near thim either. That is the human condition.
Fallen humans don't want God.
And they don't want people who have been with God either.
Even Peter, when he first encountered Jesus said, "Go away from me Lord. I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8)
Is this who we have become as the church today? Does God even come to church? And more importantly; Would we even notice if He didn't show up? In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said:
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
LET'S ANSWER THE DOOR!
Thursday, December 13, 2018
How We are Made Righteous
Job 25:4, "How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure?"
The book of Job is possibly one of the oldest narratives in the Old Testament and is the only book that is completely unrelated to Israel. It's about a man who had been blessed tremendously by God and then had everything taken away. As Job and his three friends are dialoguing and trying to make sense of everything, Job's friend Bildad asked this question. And it is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF EVERY MAN WHO HAS EVER LIVED. That question would loom for nearly 2,000 years. The nation of Israel would be born and The Old Covenant would be established between them and God. The nation would break the covenant and the story of the Old Testament would end with this answer:
It is not possible for man to be righteous before God.
BUT A SOLUTION TO MAN'S GUILT WOULD COME!!
From the third chapter of Genesis and all throughout the old testament there is the promise that a rescuer would come who would save his people from their sins. And finally he did. And after he came and fulfilled everything we had the solution.
2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".
Some 2,000 years earlier a man named Bildad asked the question. Here is the answer. May you be richly blessed in this Advent Season as we celebrate his coming.
The book of Job is possibly one of the oldest narratives in the Old Testament and is the only book that is completely unrelated to Israel. It's about a man who had been blessed tremendously by God and then had everything taken away. As Job and his three friends are dialoguing and trying to make sense of everything, Job's friend Bildad asked this question. And it is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF EVERY MAN WHO HAS EVER LIVED. That question would loom for nearly 2,000 years. The nation of Israel would be born and The Old Covenant would be established between them and God. The nation would break the covenant and the story of the Old Testament would end with this answer:
It is not possible for man to be righteous before God.
BUT A SOLUTION TO MAN'S GUILT WOULD COME!!
From the third chapter of Genesis and all throughout the old testament there is the promise that a rescuer would come who would save his people from their sins. And finally he did. And after he came and fulfilled everything we had the solution.
2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".
Some 2,000 years earlier a man named Bildad asked the question. Here is the answer. May you be richly blessed in this Advent Season as we celebrate his coming.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Jesus Divides
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
These words were spoken by a man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Christ child. It is a very sobering word that God spoke through him that we would do well to understand.
We have become accustomed to the phrase: "Doctrine divides, but Christ unifies." This is not true. Jesus was one of the most polarizing individuals to ever walk the face of the earth. People generally did not have a neutral reaction when in his presence. You cannot separate Jesus Christ from the doctrine of the New Covenant.
While it is true that Jesus preached about unity, it must be understood that he meant unity within the body, that is, the church. His person and teaching created a chasm between those who were truly his and those who weren't -- the sheep and the goats. He never intended to bring about unity between the sheep and goats, and his presence very quickly showed the distinction between the two. This was what Simeon meant when he said that the hearts of many would be revealed. Jesus's preaching exposed the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law but gave hope and mercy to those who were downtrodden and had lost hope. This was the rising and falling of many in Israel.
After Jesus returned to heaven and it became the mission of the disciples to continue the work He had begun, the reaction of the people was the same towards them as well. Jesus said in John 15:18ff that if the world hated him, the world would hate his followers. And today we see that just as it was the false teachers of Jesus's day that persecuted him, it is the false teachers of today that resist the truth of the gospel. And it has been that way throughout the church age.
So as we celebrate God sending his Son into the world to rescue his people there is a question we all must ask, when the thoughts of our hearts are revealed by the Son of God, what will be exposed. Are we willing to humble ourselves before Him and submit to his will. Or will we reject him and embrace a false Jesus.
May you be richly blessed this Christmas season.
These words were spoken by a man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Christ child. It is a very sobering word that God spoke through him that we would do well to understand.
We have become accustomed to the phrase: "Doctrine divides, but Christ unifies." This is not true. Jesus was one of the most polarizing individuals to ever walk the face of the earth. People generally did not have a neutral reaction when in his presence. You cannot separate Jesus Christ from the doctrine of the New Covenant.
While it is true that Jesus preached about unity, it must be understood that he meant unity within the body, that is, the church. His person and teaching created a chasm between those who were truly his and those who weren't -- the sheep and the goats. He never intended to bring about unity between the sheep and goats, and his presence very quickly showed the distinction between the two. This was what Simeon meant when he said that the hearts of many would be revealed. Jesus's preaching exposed the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law but gave hope and mercy to those who were downtrodden and had lost hope. This was the rising and falling of many in Israel.
After Jesus returned to heaven and it became the mission of the disciples to continue the work He had begun, the reaction of the people was the same towards them as well. Jesus said in John 15:18ff that if the world hated him, the world would hate his followers. And today we see that just as it was the false teachers of Jesus's day that persecuted him, it is the false teachers of today that resist the truth of the gospel. And it has been that way throughout the church age.
So as we celebrate God sending his Son into the world to rescue his people there is a question we all must ask, when the thoughts of our hearts are revealed by the Son of God, what will be exposed. Are we willing to humble ourselves before Him and submit to his will. Or will we reject him and embrace a false Jesus.
May you be richly blessed this Christmas season.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
False Gospels Pander to Those Who Aren't Being Saved
"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let hem be under God's curse.
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."
Galations 1: 8-10
Paul Washer in his sermon entitled, 10 Indictments Against the Modern Church, made this statement: "I believe we should be seeker friendly, but we must understand that there is but one seeker and his name is God."
If you look at the modern church today, or what passes for the church, it's a lot like a huge cafeteria where you can pick and choose what you want. But you might have a difficult time finding something that bears even a slight resemblance to the gospel that Jesus and his apostles taught. Add to that the fact that 'doctrine' has become a bad word and it's no wonder that it is increasingly difficult to find a church that truly adheres to solid Biblical doctrine.
Charles H. Spurgeon said, "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats." When one walks into some churches today and sees what looks more like a playground or an amusement park, it becomes clear that Spurgeon's words were darkly prophetic. They echo what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
Jesus warned in Matthew 24:11 that there would be MANY false prophets who would deceive MANY. While Jesus doesn't contrast the word 'many' in this case, in most other cases when he uses the word 'many', He contrasts it with the word 'few'. I am stating only my opinion here but is it possible that there would be comparatively few true preachers of the gospel? Either way, there are many warnings from Jesus himself about false teachers. The writers of the New Testament epistles spend a lot of ink and papyrus correcting and denouncing false teaching and Paul uses extremely strong language in our text in Galations calling any teacher who preaches anything other than what he preached, "Cursed".
Today we have the prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen telling us that we can have 'Our Best Life Now'. We have 'Word/faith preachers telling us that we have the power to control our own destinies by 'having enough faith." (Faith healers and prosperity preachers) We have those of the emergent church like Brian McLaren and Rob Bell (Love Wins) telling us that there is no eternal judgment and that the gospel needs to change with the times. Read this quote from an Emergent Church leader:
"We do not think this [Emergent Church Movement] is about changing your worship service. We do not think this is about...how you structure your church staff. This is actually about changing theology. This about our belief that theology changes. The message of the gospel changes. It's not just the method that changes." Tony Jones ("A New Theology For a New World." A workshop for the 2004 Emergent Convention in San Diego)
But the apostle Paul was very clear in the passage in Galations that the ONLY gospel is the one he was preaching. These false preachers are under a curse. They are not servants of Jesus Christ. They are servants of men. They preach what the 'itching ears' of unsaved, carnal people want to hear. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. The prosperity gospel, the Universalist gospel and word/faith offer things to people that a person who is not being saved will find desirable. Carnal people find wealth appealing. Everyone likes a message that you can control your own destiny. And the idea that nobody goes to eternal judgment sits well with everyone.
Any gospel that appeals to carnal people is a false gospel.
In conclusion I am going to quote The Apostles Creed. It basically summarizes the gospel in a short paragraph. It should be noted that the phrase, "He descended into hell" means the grave, or place of the dead. Also the word 'catholic' does not refer to the Roman church, but rather means universal... the entire body of Christ. Here is the creed:
I believe in God, The Father Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ , His only son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
This creed was put together in order to encapsulate very succinctly and simply what the true doctrine of the church is. And it is useful as a summary. However, it is exrtremely necessary that every believer do as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11:
"Now the Bereans were of more noble charactor than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
Without careful examination of the scripture, it isn't a question of will you be deceived, It's a question of when and to what extent.
DON'T BE DECEIVED
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."
Galations 1: 8-10
Paul Washer in his sermon entitled, 10 Indictments Against the Modern Church, made this statement: "I believe we should be seeker friendly, but we must understand that there is but one seeker and his name is God."
If you look at the modern church today, or what passes for the church, it's a lot like a huge cafeteria where you can pick and choose what you want. But you might have a difficult time finding something that bears even a slight resemblance to the gospel that Jesus and his apostles taught. Add to that the fact that 'doctrine' has become a bad word and it's no wonder that it is increasingly difficult to find a church that truly adheres to solid Biblical doctrine.
Charles H. Spurgeon said, "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats." When one walks into some churches today and sees what looks more like a playground or an amusement park, it becomes clear that Spurgeon's words were darkly prophetic. They echo what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
Jesus warned in Matthew 24:11 that there would be MANY false prophets who would deceive MANY. While Jesus doesn't contrast the word 'many' in this case, in most other cases when he uses the word 'many', He contrasts it with the word 'few'. I am stating only my opinion here but is it possible that there would be comparatively few true preachers of the gospel? Either way, there are many warnings from Jesus himself about false teachers. The writers of the New Testament epistles spend a lot of ink and papyrus correcting and denouncing false teaching and Paul uses extremely strong language in our text in Galations calling any teacher who preaches anything other than what he preached, "Cursed".
Today we have the prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen telling us that we can have 'Our Best Life Now'. We have 'Word/faith preachers telling us that we have the power to control our own destinies by 'having enough faith." (Faith healers and prosperity preachers) We have those of the emergent church like Brian McLaren and Rob Bell (Love Wins) telling us that there is no eternal judgment and that the gospel needs to change with the times. Read this quote from an Emergent Church leader:
"We do not think this [Emergent Church Movement] is about changing your worship service. We do not think this is about...how you structure your church staff. This is actually about changing theology. This about our belief that theology changes. The message of the gospel changes. It's not just the method that changes." Tony Jones ("A New Theology For a New World." A workshop for the 2004 Emergent Convention in San Diego)
But the apostle Paul was very clear in the passage in Galations that the ONLY gospel is the one he was preaching. These false preachers are under a curse. They are not servants of Jesus Christ. They are servants of men. They preach what the 'itching ears' of unsaved, carnal people want to hear. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. The prosperity gospel, the Universalist gospel and word/faith offer things to people that a person who is not being saved will find desirable. Carnal people find wealth appealing. Everyone likes a message that you can control your own destiny. And the idea that nobody goes to eternal judgment sits well with everyone.
Any gospel that appeals to carnal people is a false gospel.
In conclusion I am going to quote The Apostles Creed. It basically summarizes the gospel in a short paragraph. It should be noted that the phrase, "He descended into hell" means the grave, or place of the dead. Also the word 'catholic' does not refer to the Roman church, but rather means universal... the entire body of Christ. Here is the creed:
I believe in God, The Father Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ , His only son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
This creed was put together in order to encapsulate very succinctly and simply what the true doctrine of the church is. And it is useful as a summary. However, it is exrtremely necessary that every believer do as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11:
"Now the Bereans were of more noble charactor than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
Without careful examination of the scripture, it isn't a question of will you be deceived, It's a question of when and to what extent.
DON'T BE DECEIVED
Monday, July 2, 2018
When Your Faith Falters
Matthew 14:28-31, " 'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.' 'Come,' He said. Then Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' He said, 'why did you doubt?' "
Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus walking on the water, and Peter doing the same. But then he got scared when he saw the wind and waves and started to sink. As far as I know, Peter is the only person, other than Jesus, to have ever walked on water. But all of us have, and do experience the sinking feeling of our faith faltering. As James said in Chapter 3:2, "We all stumble in many ways...."
What is so beautiful about this story, is what happens when Peter's faith failed. He cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me"! And it says IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
When our faith fails and we doubt, we need to do as Peter did and cry out, "Lord, save me".
When Jesus asked Peter why he doubted, it was after He had reached out and grabbed him. It was not in judgment. It was in mercy. He had just saved him. It was as if He was saying, "why did you doubt? I've got you. I'm not going to let you drown."
The truth is, we are all like Peter. We fail and stumble. But God knows our frailty.
Psalm 103:14, "For He knows how we are formed. He remembers we are dust."
And like Peter, we follow a loving God who is merciful and in complete control. He will never fail us. We can trust Him completely.
So whatever you are going through, when your faith fails, do as Peter did and cry out, "Lord, save me".
He's got you.
May God richly bless you all.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus walking on the water, and Peter doing the same. But then he got scared when he saw the wind and waves and started to sink. As far as I know, Peter is the only person, other than Jesus, to have ever walked on water. But all of us have, and do experience the sinking feeling of our faith faltering. As James said in Chapter 3:2, "We all stumble in many ways...."
What is so beautiful about this story, is what happens when Peter's faith failed. He cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me"! And it says IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
When our faith fails and we doubt, we need to do as Peter did and cry out, "Lord, save me".
When Jesus asked Peter why he doubted, it was after He had reached out and grabbed him. It was not in judgment. It was in mercy. He had just saved him. It was as if He was saying, "why did you doubt? I've got you. I'm not going to let you drown."
The truth is, we are all like Peter. We fail and stumble. But God knows our frailty.
Psalm 103:14, "For He knows how we are formed. He remembers we are dust."
And like Peter, we follow a loving God who is merciful and in complete control. He will never fail us. We can trust Him completely.
So whatever you are going through, when your faith fails, do as Peter did and cry out, "Lord, save me".
He's got you.
May God richly bless you all.
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