brianhenryblog

September 2, 2013

BUTTERFLIES AND BEES AND THE BOTANIST

H. P. Barker was a master of illustrations. One day he described himself looking out a window and watching a garden full of plants and flowers. And he said I saw three things in the garden.

First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then it would flutter to another flower and only for a second or two would it sit and it would move on and it would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could but derived absolutely no benefit from it.

Then, he said, I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. And the botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away.

And then be said the third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full.

And H. P. Barker said. So it is with people who approach the Bible.

There are those who just flutter from lovely sermon to lovely sermon, from class to class, fluttering here, fluttering there, bringing nothing and gaining nothing but a nice feeling.

Then there are the spiritual botanists who take copious notes who are trying to make sure that all the vowel pointings are correct but they don’t have the capacity to draw anything out of the flowers, its pure academics.

Then there are the spiritual bees who draw out of every precious flower all that is there to make the honey that makes them so blessed to those around them.

Which are you? You can come to Church and be a butterfly, you can flit from class to class, Bible study to Bible study, seminar to seminar, book to book, flipping your little pretty wings, never changing.

Or you can be a botanist with enough notebooks to sink a small battleship.

Or you can be a bee coming in empty and going out full and turning it into the honey that makes life sweet. Which are you? The sword is there, it’s available. Are you using it?

September 2, 2013

THE JEWISH ROOTS TO A BELIEVER’S BAPTISM BY IMMERSION

If you have not been baptized with true believer’s Baptism, you’re in one of these categories. Either you haven’t been taught correctly, you aren’t willing to humble yourself. It doesn’t matter to you. You refuse to be baptized because you don’t want to put your life on record that way or you’re hiding in the church as a non-believer. Apart from that, I can’t figure any reason or any category where we could place you. So I want to help you to understand the importance of Baptism.

When a Gentile came along and wanted to become a proselyte, or wanted to become a worshiper of Jehovah, of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the true and living God, the Creator and the Redeemer, he would go through a three-stage ceremony.

First was called Melah.

This was the painful part, circumcision, the unique sign of the people of God to demonstrate in symbol their identification with God’s people. It was even more than that. They needed to demonstrate in circumcision that they were sinful. And listen carefully, there is no place on the human body in which the evidence of our sinfulness is more profound than in the reproductive area because if you ever question the sinfulness of man and woman, all you have to do is look at what they produce, nothing but more sinners. Circumcision, then, was a way to ceremonially demonstrate not only that you belong to the people of God, but that you needed a soul cleansing at a profound level. A Gentile would have to go through that. Not easy to say I want to belong to the people of God and worship the true God, melah.

Then there was Tebalaw

That was the second aspect of the ceremony, immersion in water. That’s right, immersion in water. Why? To demonstrate they were dead as to the old life. It was a kind of water burial. They were dead to the old life, apart from God’s Word, apart from God’s truth, apart from God’s promises, apart from God’s people, and that old life was buried and they had risen into a new life and a new family.

And then there was Corban

That was the third phase when an animal was sacrificed. The blood of that animal was sprinkled on the person, on the Gentile, symbolizing the need for forgiveness of sins, provided through the death of a substitute. That substitute would be eventually the Lord Jesus Christ.

So there was a proselyte baptism, very, very familiar to the people in Jerusalem and Judea.

By the time we come then to the New Testament, they are familiar with immersion. They know what it is to be baptized. They know it is connected to coming to worship the true God. It is a symbol of the death of the old life, and the beginning of a new life. It is not surprising to them, then when John the Baptist appears. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets, and he begins his ministry by calling for baptism. And it’s an amazing thing because all these people are coming to him, the gospels tell us all Judea was coming out to him. And these masses of people were being baptized because John was saying the Messiah is coming, the Kingdom is coming, you must repent, you must be ready for the Messiah and the Kingdom.

You need to be washed. You need to be cleansed. You need to be prepared for the Messiah’s arrival. And he was calling on them to repent and be baptized, and listen to this, to literally view themselves as if they were Gentiles, as if they were outside the covenant, outside the Kingdom, aliens of God, strangers to the promises. And they prided themselves on being the people of God.

They prided themselves on being the Jews. It was for them enough that they were Jewish. God was bound to love them and embrace them forever in His Kingdom just because they were Jewish, they thought. That wasn’t John’s message. John’s message was you need to view yourself as if you were an alienated Gentile outside the covenant, outside the promises, under judgment. This was a bitter pill for them to swallow.

But they came and they were baptized with a proselyte baptism. John preached repentance from sin and a call to righteousness, to be ready for the Messiah; called for people to turn from iniquity to holiness, to die to the old life, and to come into a new life.

And there was no better outward symbol for that then what they were familiar with, baptism—to testify that they were willing to make that dramatic confession of their alienation and turn to God in righteousness.

September 2, 2013

WHO ARE THE RELIGIOUS LOST?

The religious lost have hopeful beginnings. They offer unacceptable worship yet they resent the true worshippers. This is pretty typical. They hate true believers. They hate us because of our narrowness. They resent the fact that we say this is the truth and everything else isn’t. They resent our righteousness. They resent our goodness. They resent our virtue. They resent the blessing of God.

They love their sin, they are religious but they love their sin. And the righteous are a living rebuke to them. That’s why you see in the world in which you live today, they want to keep us out of the public discourse. They want to keep the Bible out of churches and replace it with fantasy literature and pagan Keller meditation.

They want to keep the Bible out of the schools, the Bible out of the politics, the Bible out of social life, the Bible out of the culture, the Bible out of everything. It’s like Darwin said, “I don’t reject the idea of God. I just reject the God of the Bible. I don’t want anybody telling me this is the truth. I don’t want anybody telling me I’m a sinner, this is sin and I’m on my way to hell and I need to recognize that God provided a substitute to die in my place Jesus Christ who will take away my sin.” That’s what they reject; they resent the true believers.

The religious lost get angry over the true believers. They get angry over those who say this is the truth and this alone is the truth and this is the only way of salvation. They are self-righteous.

This is characteristic of those who reject God and love their sin. They’re angry with God, they’re angry with the Bible, they’re angry with the God of the Bible, they’re angry with the people of the God of the Bible. They’re angry with the proclamation of the Scripture.

They work feverishly and angrily to obliterate the God of the Bible. And the people who proclaim the Bible from social influence. They don’t like us intimidating them.

Finally the religious lost are doomed. They have a hopeful beginning but come to the place where they offer unacceptable worship and resent those who truly worship God as God desires to be worshipped.

August 30, 2013

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). That means He claimed to be nothing less than God in human flesh. even his enemies knew that.

That’s why they tried to stone Him to death (John 5:18; 10:33) and eventually had Him crucified (John 19:7).

If the biblical claims of Jesus are true, He is God!

JESUS CHRIST IS HOLY

God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13).

As God, Jesus Christ has every element of God’s character. Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” He was perfectly holy (Hebrews 4:15). Even His enemies couldn’t prove any accusation against Him (John 8:46)

God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR

Our failure to obey God–to be holy–places us in danger of eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The truth is, we cannot obey Him because we have neither the desire nor the ability to do so. We are by nature rebellious toward God (Ephesians 2:1-3). The Bible calls our rebellion “sin.” According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings8:46). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And we are incapable of changing our sinful condition. Jeremiah 13:23 says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”

That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. We might even be involved in various religious or humanitarian activities. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).

God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death: “The soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s hard for us to understand because we tend to evaluate sin on a relative scale, assuming some sins are less serious than others. However, the Bible teaches that all acts of sin are the result of sinful thinking and evil desires. That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences. We need to be changed inwardly so our thinking and desires are holy

Jesus is the only one who can forgive and transform us, thereby delivering us from the power and penalty of sin: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior, who paid the penalty and died for sinners: “Christ … died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). John3:16 says, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” He alone is “our great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13).

JESUS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE OBJECT OF SAVING FAITH

Some people think it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. But without a valid object your faith is useless

If you take poison–thinking it’s medicine–all the faith in the world won’t restore your life. Similarly, if Jesus is the only source of salvation, and you’re trusting in anyone or anything else for your salvation, your faith is useless.

Many people assume there are many paths to God and that each religion represents an aspect of truth. But Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6). He didn’t claim to be one of many equally legitimate paths to God, or the way to God for His day only. He claimed to be the only way to God–then and forever.

JESUS IS LORD

Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians1:16). Therefore He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Confessing Jesus as Lord means humbly submitting to His authority (Philippians 2:10-11). Believing that God has raised Him from the dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection–the pinnacle of Christian faith and the way the Father affirmed the deity and authority of the Son (Romans 1:4; Acts 17:30-31).

True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is more than simply being sorry for sin. It is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15); and “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31).

It isn’t enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. Their faith is not genuine. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

Jesus is the sovereign Lord. When you obey Him you are acknowledging His lordship and submitting to His authority. That doesn’t mean your obedience will always be perfect, but that is your goal. There is no area of your life that you withhold from Him.

JESUS IS THE JUDGE

All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day face Him as their Judge: “God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?

Who does the Bible say Jesus is? The living God, the Holy One, the Savior, the only valid object of saving faith, the sovereign Lord, and the righteous Judge.

Who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question. He alone can redeem you–free you from the power and penalty of sin. He alone can transform you, restore you to fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose. Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

August 29, 2013

MARKS OF THE ELECT. 1 Thessalonians: 1-10

Marks of the elect

I Thes 1: 1-10

You are elect because you have

1.A faith that works,

2. a love that labors,

3. a hope that perseveres,

4. a preaching that is powerful.

5. A new life – mimics of The Lord.

6. A transcending joy

7. a behavior that is exemplary

8. A witness that is strong

9. A submission to God. Turned from idols

10. Awaiting the return of the bridegroom

August 29, 2013

AM I TRULY SAVED ACCORDING TO MATTHEW’S GOSPEL?

Won’t you join me and take a little trip through Matthew and see if I am truly saved.

You’re reading along, you’re reading chapter 1 about Jesus Christ genealogy and His birth. You come into chapter 2, you read about the homage paid Him at His birth and the wonderful visit of the Magi, and you’re all into that. And so you found out who Jesus is, Son of the Highest, God in human flesh, Jesus, Savior of people for her sins. We know who He is. All right, we’ve been introduced to Jesus Christ.

We come into chapter 3 and what is the first thing we run into? John the Baptist and what’s he doing? He’s preaching. And what does he say in verse 2? “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now what is the first thing you need to do if you’re going to get into the Kingdom. What is it? Repent. You don’t really have to be that scholarly to figure it out. It just hits you right there between the eyes.

And then you just follow a little longer and you get into chapter 4 and all of a sudden Jesus comes along to pick up where John left off in verse 17, and from that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now the first condition that you’re just hit with like a bolt is one word, “repent.” It means basically to turn from your sin. And later on in chapter 9, verse 13, Jesus says you still don’t understand that I am come to call sinners to…what? Repentance.

So, the first element of entrance to the Kingdom is repent. What does that mean? Recognize your sin and desire to turn from it. Recognize your sin and desire to turn from it. That’s where it starts. That’s where salvation begins in a recognition of sin and a desire to turn from it. You’ve got to be sorry for your sin and desire to turn from it, to repent.

Well, you read a little further, you come to chapter 5. And it begins this way, “He opened His mouth and He taught them,” in verse 2. And verse 3 says, “He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” And now you’re saying to yourself, “O, here’s another element of entrance into the Kingdom. What is this? Poor in spirit?”

In other words, a sense of unworthiness. This is a beggar. The Greek term means to beg. You’re not earning your own way, you’re begging. You have no resources. And so you say I want to turn from my sin, I repent, I’m sorry for my sin, but I..I am unworthy to enter into Your Kingdom. I…I am a beggar. I have nothing in my hand. I have to cry out for anything.

And you see that same beggar in verse 6 and he’s hungry and he’s thirsty. And he wants to be filled and he wants to be quenched but he knows that he doesn’t have any resource. Then this is the second thing that strikes you strongly in Matthew about getting in the Kingdom. There’s a sense of inadequacy triggered by the conviction of sin. And a bankruptcy of personal character, you just don’t…I mean, you want to turn from your sin and you want to come in the Kingdom but you know you’re not adequate for that. And you know you have no resource.

And the third thing that hits you is in verse 4. You mourn and then verse 5, meekness. That’s lowliness and humility. It’s the kind of meekness, verse 7, that can show mercy to other people. The kind of meekness that seeks purity in heart in verse 8. The kind of meekness that makes a peacemaker. The kind of meekness that is willing to be persecuted. And you see humility here.

And so, just reading through at face value to get into the Kingdom, you must repent. To get into the Kingdom there’s a poverty of spirit that must be recognized. To get into the Kingdom there must be humility that says I’m nothing in front of you, I’m nothing, I’m nobody. You’re not offering to God some great thing when you come to enter His Kingdom.

And I read a little further and I got into chapter 7 and I found out something else. Verse 21, “Not everyone that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom.” Oh, and now I learn it’s more than talk. It’s more than just saying you want to be in. “But He that doeth the will of My Father who’s in heaven.” It’s an obedience factor here. There’s a willingness to submit to God in obedience.

So, here we find‑‑first of all‑‑repentance, a sorrow for sin and a desire to change. And then out of that comes a sense of unworthiness knowing you don’t have any resource for that, you can’t change. You’re personally bankrupt. You can’t do anything to deserve it. And then you feel humble before such an awesome God and an awesome Kingdom. And then you learn that you’ve got to do more than just say you want that. It’s not just saying you belong to the Lord. It’s not external, it’s something deep inside. And it’s obedience to the will of God. And there you have submission to Lordship…submission to deity.

And you go to chapter 8 and you find the same thing. A guy comes along and he says I want to follow You, Lord, in verse 19. I want to be in Your Kingdom. I mean, I want to follow You. And the Lord puts him off and says, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests and the Son of Man has no where to lay His head.” And another disciple would be came along and said, “Permit me to go bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Follow Me but let the dead bury their dead.” And here you know what He’s talking about? Submission, dropping the things of the world, coming and following in obedience, letting go of the world. So, if I want to be in His Kingdom, I can’t be fussing around with the stuff that doesn’t matter, I’ve got to be willing to follow Him at any cost.

And then you read a little further and you come to chapter 10. And you’re struck immediately by verse 32. “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father who is in heaven.” There’s that heavenly Kingdom with that heavenly Father. And if you want to have a relationship with Him, you’ve got to confess Him before men, the Lord before men. “And if you deny Me,” He says in verse 33, “I’ll deny you.” So there has to be an outward confession. There has to be a public taking your place with Jesus Christ.

How does someone enter the Kingdom? Repentance, turning from their sin and desiring to have a change, realizing their unworthy of such a change and such an entrance into a Kingdom, being left with meekness and humility and out of that a willingness to submit obediently to Christ’s Lordship no matter what it cost. And then to outwardly confess Jesus as Lord and be willing to state that He’s your Lord before men.

And then you’re struck by verse 37 where it says, “If you love your father or mother more than Me, you’re not worthy of Me. And if you love your son or daughter more than Me, you’re not worthy of Me. And he that takes not his cross and follows after Me is not worthy of Me. And he that finds his life will lose it and he that loses his life for My sake will find it.” And you come to the point of self‑denial, self‑sacrifice. It means you say no to everything. No to your comforts of like, no to your family, as we saw earlier, chapter 10, no to your own self will, your own desires, you’re abandoning yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you’re outwardly confessing Him, you’re sacrificing everything, you’re selling everything to buy the pearl, you’re selling everything to take the treasure out of the field.

And then as you come to chapter 15, you see another ingredient. Verse 21, and Jesus is approached by this woman from Canaan and she cries out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David, my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon.” And He doesn’t answer her. And He doesn’t pay any attention to her. But she kept up. And she kept up. And finally in verse 28, He says, “O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” This is another element. She wanted Kingdom blessing. She wanted to receive from His hand. And what was necessary was a sustained faith in the sufficiency of Christ…persistent.

The people who enter the Kingdom press their way in it. They go through that narrow gate and they walk that narrow way and there’s a price but they are persistent in their confident faith that there’s sufficiency in Jesus Christ. They can’t be distracted. They pursue it. Like the guy who keeps knocking and knocking and the Lord responds.

So Matthew has laid it out for us very clearly. If you would just sit down and read that, you would see that in order to enter the Kingdom there must be repentance. There must be a sense of unworthiness. There must be humility. There must be a willingness to submit obediently to the Lordship of Christ and confession and self‑sacrifice and a persistent pursuing faith. And may I suggest to you that that’s Matthew’s formula or as close as he’s going to get to one for salvation. All the elements are there. And let me also say, none of those are produced in the flesh. They are all the work of the Spirit of God. But they are nonetheless the elements, the constituent parts that occur in the soul that is brought to the Kingdom.

Now let me sum all this up that we’ve seen in Matthew and I’ll give it some theological definition. This is a very fast course in soteriology‑‑ the doctrine of salvation. Follow. Now this is an instant miracle, salvation is, but these are constituent parts. The first thing that happens is election. When Paul wrote the Thessalonians, he said, “I know you’re saved because I know your election from God.” That’s where it started. Election…salvation is a result of these elements…election, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Elect before the foundation of the earth…election.

Then comes instruction. “It is the law of the Lord that is perfect converting the soul,” Psalm 19, verse 7. “Faith comes by hearing a speech about Jesus Christ,” Romans 10 says. So, first is election, then comes instruction‑‑the coming in of the Word.

Then comes conviction. As the Word comes, it convicts. Psalm 119:59, “I thought on my ways and turned my heart unto Thy testimonies.” As a man begins to look at his own life in the light of the Word of God, he will draw himself to God. Lamentations 3:40, “Let us search and test our ways and turn to the Lord.” Psalm 78:34, I love this, “When He slew them, then they sought Him.” When they were devastated by the instruction, then came the conviction.

Election, instruction, conviction…conviction leads to repentance. When a person is convicted of their sin, they have the godly sorrow spoken of in 2 Corinthians 7:10 that causes them to want to turn from their sin to God. And repentance leads to conversion. Election, instruction, conviction, repentance, conversion…conversion is the turning to God prompted by the repentant heart. And that’s what our Lord is calling for here. And then following that is obedience. A willingness to submit obediently.

After this little trip I believe that I am truly saved, a believer in and follower of The Lord Jesus. What about you?

August 28, 2013

GOD’S WILL IS FOR ALL TO BE SAVED

you call Me Master and obey Me not,

you call Me light and see Me not,

you call Me the way and walk Me not,

you call Me life and live Me not,

you call Me wise and follow Me not,

you call Me fair and love Me not,

you call Me rich and ask Me not,

you call Me eternal and seek Me not,

you call Me gracious and trust Me not,

you call Me noble and serve Me not,

you call Me mighty and honor Me not,

you call Me just and do not accept My justice.

If I condemn thee, blame Me not.”

God has set in order the requirement for entrance to the Kingdom of heaven. It has nothing to do with a building, it has to do with Jesus Christ. Calling Christ Lord or anything else is not enough, it is doing the will of God that is the answer.

You say, “Well what is the will of God?”

Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 2, he says, “God our Savior who will have all men to be…what?…saved.” That’s the will of God. That is what God’s will is. This is literally His will. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father but by Me,” that’s God’s will.

In John 5:39 the Father comments on His Son and says, “And this is My will,” and then He points out…Christ points out that the will of God is that He sent Christ, that everyone who sees Christ, who believes on Christ may have everlasting life. Hearing and seeing and believing and receiving, this is God’s will. And that’s why in John 1:12 the Bible says very plainly, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.”

It is by receiving Christ for without faith it is impossible to please God and that means faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not by sincerity, it’s not by religiosity, it’s not by reformation, it’s not by kindness, it’s not by service to the church, it’s not even simply by naming the name of Christ, it’s by personal trust and faith in that same Christ.

August 27, 2013

HOW CAN I BE SAVED AND BE SURE I AM GOING TO HEAVEN?

God, who is perfectly good and limitless created the universe. God sustains His creation expressing His kindness to all men. All men are to live in worship and obedience to God. All are accountable to Him.

In Adam and Eve mankind rebelled against God. All are born into the world in sin and under condemnation. Sin separates from God. The consequence of sin is physical and spiritual death. An eternal hell awaits those who remain in a state of sin and rebellion.

God in His grace has made a way for man to be reconciled to Him. By dying on the cross as a substitute for sinners, Jesus Christ provided the only way for those who repent to be forgiven for their sins. Heaven is the destination for those who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

Jesus is alive and in His gospel offers spiritual life and a new relationship with God. To receive this life the sinner must do two basic things:

Turn from his sin and self-centered life and follow Jesus as Lord.
Trust that Jesus has done everything needed for our acceptance by God.
Acts16:31 declares: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Here are the steps every one must take in order to experience salvation.

Admit that you are a sinner – Romans 3:23
Realize that the penalty of sin is eternal death – Romans 6:23a
Acknowledge that there is nothing you can do to save yourself – Romans 3:20
Realize that Christ has paid the penalty for sin – Romans 5:8-9
Repent (turn from) of your sin – Luke 13:3
Believe in (turn to) Jesus Christ alone for salvation – Romans 10:9

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23a

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 3:20

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

Romans 5:8-9

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!”

Luke 13:3

“I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Romans 10:9-10

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Illustration: I often use the ABC’s of the gospel:
1. Admit that you are sinner and repent.

2. Believe in Christ as your Savior and the Lord who forgives all sin.

3. Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and ask Him to come into your life as the only one who can give you the gift of eternal life. (Rom. 10:9,10)

August 27, 2013

REGENERATION FOR ROMANS IN ROMANS

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who supress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18).

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There is none righteous, not even one (Rom. 3:10).

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All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

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The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

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The second death is the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).

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But God demonstrated His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

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God justifies (believers) as a gift, by His grace, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24).

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If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom. 10:9-10, 13).

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There is therefore now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

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Those God justifies He glorifies. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:30, 35-39).

August 27, 2013

A PREACHER’S JOB DESCRIPTION

I have never aspired to be known as a theologian, a polemicist, or an academician. My passion is teaching and confronting the world with the Word of God.

Even though I’ve dealt with theological questions and doctrinal controversies in some of my emails, I have never done so from the perspective of a systematic theologian. It is of little concern to me whether some point of doctrine fits with this tradition or that. I want to know what is biblical. All my concerns are biblical, and my desire is to be biblical in all my teaching.

My father was a preacher whose only desire was to “Preach the Word!” That simple statement became the compelling stimulus in his heart. It is all he desired do in his ministry– teach the Word.

Preachers today face a tremendous amount of pressure to do everything but teach the Word. Church growth experts tell them they must address people’s “felt needs.”

They are encouraged to be
storytellers,
fantasy literature analysts,
movie reviewers,
comedians,
psychologists, and
motivational speakers.

They are warned to steer clear of topics that people find unpleasant. Many have given up biblical teaching in favor of devotional homilies designed to make people feel good. But the teacher whose passion is biblical has only one option: “Teach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2)

Preaching the Word is not always easy. The message we are required to proclaim is often offensive. Christ Himself is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). The message of the cross is a stumbling block to some (1 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 5:11), mere foolishness to others (1 Corinthians 1:23).

But we are never permitted to trim the message or tailor it to people’s preferences. Paul made this clear to Timothy at the end of 2 Timothy 3:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (v. 16, emphasis added). This is the Word to be preached: the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts 20:27).

In chapter 1 Paul had told Timothy, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me” (v. 13). He was speaking of the revealed words of Scripture–all of it. He urged Timothy to “Guard . . . the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (v. 14). Then in chapter 2 he told him to study the Word and handle it accurately (2:15). Now he is telling him to proclaim it. So the entire task of the faithful teacher revolves around the Word of God–guarding it, studying it, and proclaiming it.

In 1 Corinthians he states. “When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (2:2). In other words, his goal as a teacher was not to entertain people with his rhetorical style, or to amuse them with cleverness, humor, novel insights, or sophisticated methodology–he simply preached Christ crucified.

Be Faithful In and Out of Season

Teaching is a never-ending task. Not only are we to teach the Word, we must do it regardless of the climate of opinion around us. We are commanded to be faithful when such teaching is tolerated–but also when it is not.”

Paul says we are to teach the Word even when it is not in fashion. The expression he uses is “be ready.” The Greek term (ephistemi) literally means “to stand beside.” It has the idea of eagerness. It was often used to describe a military guard, always at his post, prepared for duty.

Reprove, Rebuke, and Exhort

Paul also gives Timothy instructions about the tone of his teaching. He uses two words that carry negative connotations and one that is positive: reprove, rebuke, and exhort. All valid teaching must have a balance of positive and negative. The teacher who fails to reprove and rebuke is not fulfilling his commission.

Reproving, rebuking, and exhorting are the same as teaching the Word. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Notice the same balance of positive and negative tone. Reproof and correction are negative; teaching and training are positive. The teacher should confront sin and then encourage repentant sinners to behave righteously. He is to do this “with great patience and instruction” (4:2).

Don’t Compromise in Difficult Times

There is an urgency in Paul’s charge to young Timothy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Tim. 4:3).

Note that Paul does not suggest that the way to reach such a society is to soften the message so that its people will be comfortable with it. Just the opposite is true. Such ear-tickling is abominable.

The truth of God does not tickle our ears. It burns them. It reproves, rebukes, convicts–then it exhorts and encourages. Teachers of the Word must be careful to maintain that balance.

No one can teach with power who does not teach the Word. And no faithful teacher will water down or neglect the whole counsel of God. Proclaiming the Word–all of it–is the teachers calling

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