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We Cry, Abba Father

6/26/2020

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     Please open your Bible to the book of Mark chapter 14.  I will begin at verse 32 and read through verse 39.

     In this text we find our Lord agonizing in prayer as he called on the Father.  He offered prayer of such intensity the Bible says he sweat great drops of blood. Medically, bloody sweating is called hematohidrosis.  Doctors know it may occur in individuals suffering from extreme levels of stress.  

     Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form, which constrict under the pressure of great stress.  In the case of our Lord, his body fell under such pressure the small capillaries associated with the sweat glands burst from the stress of his agonizing prayer.  This resulted in the secretion of blood through the sweat glands.

     There is not doubt Jesus was troubled in soul.  In John’s gospel Jesus said, “And now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”

     I remind you our Lord endured the agony of Gethsemane and the agony of the cross for our salvation.  I trust you hold him in great reverence today.  We owe all to him.

     With that said, I want you to take note of how Jesus addressed the Father.  May we read the text together: (Mark 14:32-39).

32And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

33And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

34And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

35And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

36And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

37And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

39And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

     As we begin, please take note of verse 33.  Jesus took his inner circle of disciples and began to be sore amazed (deeply distressed) and to be very heavy (very troubled).  Then Jesus separated himself from Peter, James, and John going forward a little whereupon he fell on the ground and prayed.  Mark says he prayed this way, saying, “Abba, Father.”

     This language speaks of the intimate relationship between Jesus and his Father.  The word abba is an Aramaic term of endearment for the Father.  This word combined with the Greek could be read as dear Father.  Jesus is praying, “my dear Father.”  Clearly, his heart is deeply troubled with the prospect of becoming the object of the Father’s holy wrath against the sin of the world.

     You will recall in our Lord’s high priestly prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus lifted his eyes to heaven in the presence of all his disciples and offered a prayer to the Father in which he said, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

     Think carefully about this statement.  Jesus is speaking of a pre-existence with the Father before the world was.  Of course, he was not speaking of his human nature.  Humanly speaking, life for the man Christ Jesus began at conception in the womb of his mother Mary.  As you will recall, Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost as the power of the Highest overshadowed her. 

     It is essential to understand the miracle of the virgin conception clothed the eternal Word with human nature in the person of Jesus the Christ.  As the Word of God declares, it pleased the Father that in him (Jesus, the promised Messiah) should all the fullness of the Godhead (the Divine Nature) dwell in bodily form (Col. 1:19; 2:9).    

     This explains our Lord’s reference to the glory he had with the Father before the world was.  No mere man could make this statement, but the Divine Son of God could make this statement.  Jesus is referencing his position in the Godhead where he shares the intrinsic glory of God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

     In this statement we gain a glimpse into the fellowship of the Father and the Son before the world was.  I need to remind you the one true God possesses a triune nature.  He eternally exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  An intimate relationship exists between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit within the Godhead.  Indeed, God is love and that great attribute of God finds its first expression within the Godhead.

     I should also remind you the Bible is God’s self-revelation to mankind with the pinnacle of that revelation occurring with the advent of the man Christ Jesus.  While the nature of the one true God along with His attributes are revealed in the Old Testament history, the coming of Christ brought each into full focus.

     My friends, if you want to gain a proper and full knowledge of the nature and attributes of the one true, living God, then you must study the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ fully reveals the heart of his Father who sent him to be the Savior of the world.  Jesus Christ fully reveals the work of the Holy Spirit our Comforter who abides with us forever.  Furthermore, the eternal Son reveals the passion of God as Redeemer when he veiled his glory with human nature, took to himself the form of a servant, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.

     The centerpiece of any study of the life of Christ is his unique relationship to the Father and his revelation to mankind of the Fatherhood of God.  Consider the following Scriptures for a moment and we can see both his unique relationship to the Father and his revelation to us of the Fatherhood of God:

     In Luke chapter two we read, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?”  Joseph and Mary did not fully understand what Jesus meant with those words, but clearly at the tender age of twelve Jesus recognized his unique relationship to God as his Father.

     The years past until at age 30 Jesus appeared to John the Baptist the forerunner of Messiah.  Upon baptizing Jesus and identifying him as the Son of God, the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

     Soon Jesus began his public ministry and in his famous Sermon on the Mount he refers to his Father 15 times.  In those statements he reveals the Fatherhood of God in various ways.  For example he says, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

     Again, in this sermon Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thine name.”  Later in this same sermon he comforts us concerning daily needs by assuring us our heavenly Father knows that we have need of all these things.

     Then note these powerful words from John chapter twelve.  Jesus says, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.”

     Finally, at the end of his public ministry Jesus knew his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father.  In those hours before his great sacrifice upon the cross Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples and proceeded to give them the teaching found in John chapters 14 through 17. 

     It is in those hours Jesus told them, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

     My friend, it is the will of the Father that you join him in that glorious place one day when this life is over.  The Father stands ready to adopt you into his family.  Indeed, he is ready to cleanse you and pour his grace upon you and accept you into his family on the merits of his dear Son.
 
     Now, look again at the Savior who lies prostrate on the ground in the garden of Gethsemane.  He prays, “Abba, Father.”  I said at the beginning of this message the term Abba is a term of endearment.  Jesus is more than close to his Father.  He is the beloved Son of God.  He possesses an equal love for his Father and thus he addresses him as Abba, Father.  It might seem inappropriate to us, but this term is so endearing we could translate it as papa.

     As I thought about this language a picture came to my mind from a movie perhaps some of you have watched.  Movies about war generally portray violence and sometimes writers and producers may take too much license in their portrayal of that violence.  With that said, the movie featuring Mel Gibson as The Patriot set forth the possible experience of one father who suffered abuse at the hands of the British during the Revolutionary war fought by America for independence.

     Once thrust into the war the father left his children behind to fight.  After some time away he came to visit his family for awhile in a safe place apart from the war. But he had to leave again.  He said his good-byes and came to his youngest child, his daughter.  Traumatized by the war she had not said a word to anyone for some time, including her father.

     He knelt beside her and hoped she would respond verbally to him, but she did not.  Furthermore, when he reached to embrace her, she pulled away from him in silence.  He proceeded to mount his horse and to ride off when to the surprise of all the little one began to cry, Papa, Papa!  She wept as she saw him riding away and cried, Papa, Papa! 

     The cry of that child reached her father’s ears.  At once he turned his horse to a stop and seeing her running toward him, he dismounted and ran toward her and
embraced her.  She was crying, “Papa, Papa, please do not leave me.”  He consoled her with the promise he would come home again.

     I shared that story to illustrate the closeness of relationship depicted by the use of this term of endearment.  My friends, the Son of God addressed his Father with this same word.  “Papa, my dear Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou would have me to do.”

     Jesus proceeded to the cross and the moment came when he cried in agony of soul, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  In that moment, the Father could not run to his beloved Son.  In that moment, the heart of God was broken to save a lost world. 

     In that moment, the Father so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son for our redemption.  In that moment, the Father judged Jesus in our place as our sin bearer.  In that moment, the Lord Jesus offered himself through the eternal Spirit without spot to God.  In that moment, he purchased a pardon from guilt and condemnation for all who believe upon him.  Praise his dear name!
 
Conclusion
 
     Now I close with this powerful truth.  Through the work of the cross the Father is free to welcome all who believe into His family.  Those who do receive Christ as their Savior “have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15).

     How sweet to know the Father has poured upon us his love, his grace, and his mercy, adopting us into his family.  We are now his sons and daughters by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  And you better know when we cry, “Papa, Papa,” He is free to take us in his arms with the promise He will never leave us, nor forsake us! 

​     What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  He is our Father and we are his children by faith in Jesus Christ.
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Are You Born Again?

6/8/2020

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     Please open your Bible to the book of 1 Peter chapter one.  I trust you will listen closely as I share with you the Word of God.  We come today to the most important question facing every man, woman, and child of age.  Are you born again?  Said another way, are you saved? 

     Our Lord is clear in John chapter three that a man must be born again, otherwise he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  My friend, you must be born again.  In the late 1970’s a gospel artist by the name of Evie Tornquist recorded a song entitled, “Born Again.”  Part of the words say,
 
You may think it's foolish what I'm going to say,
I'm not ashamed, no not ashamed,
One day I prayed Jesus, take my sin away,
And that's when I was born again
 
Born again, there's really been a change in me,
Born again, just like Jesus said,
Born again, and all because of calvary,
I'm glad so glad that I've been born again
 
     Are you born again?  Does your heart belong to the Lord Jesus?
 
     Unfortunately, I am afraid there are professing Christians who lack the new birth.  Such professed believers are lost, but outwardly they appear to be Christians. 


     Such is the case with a dear man who recently revealed to his family, friends, the greater Christian community, and the world that he no longer believes in God.  This is shocking since this man is the son of a pastor, grew up in a Christian home, and for about the last twenty years has travelled the country presenting Christian music in concerts.


     “I’ve been terrified to post this for a while—but it feels like it’s time for me to be honest,” Jon Steingard, the frontman for the band Hawk Nelson, wrote in the caption of a lengthy note on May 20th.


     “After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word “Christian” in front of most of the things in my life—I am now finding that I no longer believe in God,” he said.


     "When I began to believe that the Bible was simply a book written by people as flawed and imperfect as I am, that was when my belief in God truly began to unravel,” he wrote.  “Once I found that I didn't believe the Bible was the perfect Word of God,” Steingard, 36, further wrote, “it didn't take long to realize that I was no longer sure if He was there at all."


     Reading further into Steingard’s lengthy confession, the longtime singer-songwriter, also questioned why an “all-loving God” allows evil in the world and why Jesus died for the sins of mankind.


     I encourage you to pray for this young man.  Perhaps he will yet experience the new birth.  I share his struggles with you to illustrate a profoundly important reality.  Privilege does not mean a person is born again.  Growing up around Christianity and simply fitting in and learning the language of Christian culture does not mean an individual is born again.  Remember, Nicodemus outwardly was religious, but he was lost.


     One thing is obvious as you listen to this story, despite lengthy interaction with Christianity he lacks depth in his understanding of God’s word.  It is not difficult to discern even at age 36 he lacks a basic understanding of the gospel.  He did go on to say, “I’m open to the idea that God is there. I’d prefer if he was.  I suspect if he is there, he is very different than what I was taught.”


     Unfortunately, that sounds like a rejection of the revelation of God in Holy Scripture.  Let me just say, the Lord IS there, and no one is free to manufacturer a god to their own liking.  The true and living God is revealed in Scripture.  He is our Creator and He is our Redeemer in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.


    Perhaps several thoughts come to mind as you listen to another professed believer departing from the faith, but let’s not stray from the obvious:  this man has never been born-again.  Again, I ask you, are you born-again?
 
     You are looking at 1 Peter chapter one.  For context, may we begin at verse 13:
 
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
 
14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
 
15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
 
16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
 
17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
 
18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
 
19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
 
20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
 
21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
 
22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
 
23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
 
24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
 
25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
 
     Please look again at verse 22 which says, “seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit,” and now look again at verse 23 which says, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.”  And finally, look again at verse 25 which says the word of the Lord endures forever and “this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”


     These early believers experienced the new birth upon hearing the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  They purified their souls upon obeying the truth of the gospel through the Spirit.  My friends, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the heart and turns our eyes upon Jesus.  It is the Holy Spirit who teaches the truth of the gospel as it is proclaimed.  As the goodness of God leads us to repentance and teaches us to fully trust the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus for our salvation the new birth occurs.


     Please understand this:  the new birth is so powerful it is the equivalent of being raised in Christ.  Those born of God are now “risen in Christ” (Col. 3:1).   Those born again pass from death unto life.  Furthermore, those born of God are reconciled to God and have peace with God.


     Listen closely:  those born of God are no longer in the valley of decision halting between unbelief and belief.  Those born of God are born again by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, thus they do not doubt the Word—instead, they rejoice in the word more than any other treasure!


     Now, please listen well:  spiritually, the new birth occurs when we come to the cross through the witness of the gospel and there we die with Christ.  In the depths of a repentant heart the miracle of the new birth transpires.   Taught by the Spirit the broken soul grieves over sin and embraces the cross of Christ as his only remedy.  There at the cross the old life finds its doom. 


     Those who die with Christ through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit are then risen in Christ.  Subsequently, through the power of the new birth, new life manifests in the believer.  Indeed, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).  
 
Conclusion
 
     I conclude today with the words of our Lord found in John chapter six: 
 
35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
 
36But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
 
37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
 
38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
 
39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
 
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
 
41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
 
42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
 
43Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
 
44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
 
45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
 
     Please note those born of God are taught of God (v45).  It is not possible to be born again and remain in darkness.  Those taught of God know him and his Son.  However, some only nominally follow Jesus.  There is no substance to their faith and in time they walk away from Jesus.  As you continue reading from John chapter six you find many so called disciples who stopped following Jesus.  We read:
 
60Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
 
61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
 
62What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
 
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
 
64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
 
65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
 
66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
 
67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
 
68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
 
69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
 
     What about you?  Will you also go away? (John 6:67).  Those born of God do not walk away.  They are taught of God and they believe and are sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
 
     Are you born again?  Have you surrendered your heart to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit?  You have a choice to make with eternal consequence.  It is Jesus or the world.  It is trust in the living God, or it is willful unbelief.  I plead with you to yield your life to the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will change your heart when you trust him alone for your salvation.
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Be Not Soon Shaken or Troubled

5/31/2020

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Look with me now at our text today found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17:
 
1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
 
     As we begin, look again at verses one and two which say, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”

      It is important to pause here and establish the context in which the apostle is writing.  You will recall in his first letter to this church Paul answered a question relating to the death of loved ones occurring prior to the anticipated return of Christ for his people.  The church did not understand where they were and how their deaths fit into the narrative of Christ’s return.

     He proceeded to comfort them with the truths found in 1 Thessalonians chapter four, verses 13 through 18.  Those words comforted the church in that day and those words have comforted the church world-wide until this present day.  From that passage we understand our departed loved ones who believed upon Christ are with him awaiting his return.  Upon his return our departed loved ones will receive their resurrected bodies when they are raised first.  In that moment they will be clothed upon with immortality as they experience the redemption of their body.

     Next, the living believer shall be changed, that is, they too experience the redemption of the body whereupon this mortal puts on immortality and this corruptible puts on incorruption.  In that moment of change the authentic church world-wide shall be caught up to meet resurrected believers in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

     It is the truth concerning the resurrection and rapture of the church recorded in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 that calmed the troubled minds of early believers and filled them with wonderful assurance concerning the well-being of departed loved ones.  As well, this assurance provided the comfort of living day by day with the blessed hope of the return of Christ for his church at which time we all will be reunited in his presence.  This is the meaning of the phrase “our gathering together unto him” in verse one.  But now the church is troubled again, however, this time they are not ignorant of the Lord’s return.  Instead, they are confused about how the church relates to the day of the Lord.

     In fact, they thought themselves to be experiencing the day of Christ (or the day of the Lord).  Evidently one or more individuals altered Paul’s teaching on the rapture—and the day of the Lord that follows—in such a way the Thessalonians thought themselves to be in the immediate days leading up to the physical, glorious appearing of Christ at the end of the great tribulation.

     Let me pause here to say an additional word about the day of Christ, or what is referred to elsewhere in Scripture as the day of the Lord.  The day of Christ culminates with his glorious appearing described in Matthew 24 and Revelation chapter 19.  Prophetically, Christ is destined to physically return to the earth.  His first order of business is to defeat the armies of the anti-Christ at the battle of Armageddon.  This great battle occurs at the end of the seven-year tribulation detailed in Scripture.

     Of course, if the Thessalonians thought themselves to be living in the days of the tribulation leading up to the return of Christ, they had good reason to be shaken in mind and troubled in their heart.  There is no blessed hope in the prospect of enduring the day of the Lord.  Rather, our blessed hope is to be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).

     And when shall the church stand before the Son of man?  At the time of our gathering unto him at the rapture.
 
     Now look again with me at verse three which says, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”

     Please take careful note of Paul’s instruction aimed at calming the troubled minds of these early believers.  He says, “let no man deceive you by any means.”  With this statement Paul is rebuking the misguided idea the church is destined to endure the tribulation.  In fact, this statement is meant to preserve the doctrine set forth in 1 Thessalonians chapter four in which he established the blessed hope of the church.  Furthermore, according to verse five Paul had already taught the proper order of things to them when he was present with them.

     But now in verse three he reviews that teaching once again to re-establish the proper prophetic order of things.  Paul emphatically says the day of Christ cannot occur until two things happen.  The point he is making is straight forward.  Since those two things had not happened the Thessalonians were not living in the tribulation period with the day of Christ unfolding.

     Let me quickly say--nor are we.  Down through the history of the church (with some examples in our own day) because of severe persecution and perhaps other movements in the world, segments of the visible church erroneously conclude they are living in the tribulation.  Not so for the two reasons Paul states in this verse.  He says except there be a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the day of Christ is NOT at hand.

     It is rather easy to understand the man of sin, the actual anti-Christ, is not currently in power.  Therefore, like the Thessalonians we can properly conclude the day of Christ is not at hand.  However, the first part of Paul’s reasoning is not so obvious to many Bible students.  Paul says except there be a falling away first with the subsequent unveiling of the son of perdition, the day of Christ is not at hand.

     So, what is he talking about with the reference to a “falling away?”  The more I study this passage the more I am convinced the answer is connected to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  Try to stay in the context of Paul’s teaching to the Thessalonians.  The falling away, or the departure, is exactly what Paul taught them in his first epistle.  His argument to correct the misguided Thessalonians is the day of Christ cannot occur until the event described in chapter four of his first epistle occurs.

     Yes, there will be a tribulation.  Yes, Daniel’s 70th week of prophecy concerning Israel will unfold in time.  Yes, there is one more world leader destined to rule globally.  Yes, Christ will consume him with the spirit of his mouth and destroy him with the brightness of his coming.  But none of those events can occur until after the “falling away” or the rapture of the church takes place!
 
     Now let us tie verses six and seven to this point and allow the Word of God to drive this truth home to our hearts.  These verses say, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

     First, note carefully Paul says to the Thessalonians you know what withholds the revealing of the man of sin in his time.  How did they know?  Paul had taught them previously.

     Next, note he says, “for the mystery of iniquity doth already work.”  The mystery of iniquity speaks of the willful rebellion against the living God fostered by the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.  Satan is behind that spirit and he seeks to ultimately dominate the world with his man of sin—whom he longs to bring on the world scene.

     I must say, the church is adept at discerning the desire of the world system to move to a global rule without God.  However, despite the obvious desires of the world to bring this new world order to fruition, they just cannot get there.  There is a person who is delaying and hindering the appearance of the man of sin and his global kingdom.

     Look again at verse seven which says, “only he who now letteth (delays/hinders) will let, until he be taken out of the way.”  The person referred to here can be none other than the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent back to the church from the Father.  It is the Holy Spirit who providentially, as well as through the body of Christ, is holding back the appearance of the man of sin.  It is only after He is taken out of the way that the antichrist can appear on the world scene.

     Now I ask you, how can our Comforter who indwells us be taken out of the way unless we are taken out of the way?  He will not leave us as orphans!  His world-wide influence manifesting through the church will be taken out of the way when the church departs this earth and is caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17).  Then shall that Wicked be revealed who will meet his doom when the Lord returns with his bride to rule and reign on this earth.  Praise his name!
 
Conclusion
 
     Now look again at verse 13 as I conclude:
 
13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
  
Do you believe the truth?  The Lord is calling you to Christ through the truth of the gospel.  Give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved today.  Enter the blessed hope of the return of Christ for all who believe upon him!

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He Entered Once Into the Holy Place

5/16/2020

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     I call your attention to a single verse in Hebrews chapter nine for the foundation of this message.  Please look with me at verse 12 where we read: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
 
    You will note in our text the reference to the holy place.  It is of great importance to understand the truth communicated by God to mankind by the establishment of the holy place.

       Let me pause here to interject that God raised up the nation of Israel to reveal himself to the world.  As you may know, God established a covenant with Israel. Under the old covenant God ordered the worship of His people in a way designed to reveal His holiness and to picture the necessity of atonement for sin.

     In fact, through the Old Testament sacrificial system of worship God made it abundantly clear no one could approach Him apart from an atonement for sin.  The Scripture emphatically says: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul” (Lev.17:11).

     Please understand the Lord gave the blood upon the altar for an atonement, that is, a covering for sin.  From the beginning of history, this is the means by which the Lord provided a covering for sin in His sight.  The first recorded death in the history of the world occurred in the garden of Eden when God sacrificed the life of at least two animals to provide coats of skin to cover both Adam and Eve.

    Adam’s effort to cover himself was insufficient.  He needed God’s provision for his nakedness.  This speaks of more than mere physical nakedness.  Adam needed a covering for his spiritual nakedness in the sight of God.  The clear lesson to be learned from the very beginning is this:  only God can provide a sufficient covering for sin that delivers mankind from guilt in His sight.  That provision lies in the death of an innocent sacrifice that dies in the place of the guilty.

     So it was all the faithful in the Old Testament approached God through the shedding of blood, including Adam’s sons Abel and Seth and those that followed—like Enoch and Noah.  Following the global flood of Noah’s day Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshipped with sacrifices long before the giving of the Law of Moses.  However, the basic truth of blood atonement practiced by the faithful before the giving of the Law found its full expression in God’s revelation of the Old Covenant.

     Under the Old Covenant God proceeded to establish the worship of the nation of Israel around the tabernacle.  The description, size, and furniture of the tabernacle, along with the manner of worship in the tabernacle are laid out in precise detail in the books of Exodus and Leviticus.  Therein we learn the tabernacle consisted as a rectangle 150 feet long and 45 feet wide with the outer walls enclosing the area of the tabernacle standing at a height of 7 ½ feet.  On the east end of the tabernacle a gate 30 feet wide existed providing the priests entry to perform their duties.

     Once inside the tabernacle the general area encompassed by the walls was known as the outer court.  The brazen altar and the laver existed in the eastern end of the outer court.  Beyond the brazen altar and the laver, the priests came to a tent 45 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high.  This tent was divided consisting of two distinct sections.  The first section was called the Holy Place and the second section was called the Holy of Holies.

     Furthermore, a heavy veil separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.  No one could enter the Holy of Holies except the High Priest once a year, and only as God prescribed. 

     At this point, I need to compel you to think deeply about the picture the Old Testament tabernacle paints for us.  The descriptive language describing the two inner sections of the tabernacle as the holy place and the holy of holies reveals the most prominent attribute of our Creator, namely that He is holy.    

     In fact, holiness is the attribute by which God wanted to be known in Old Testament times.  For example, in 11:44 the Lord says, “For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy.”

     Again, the Lord says in the book of Isaiah, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”  The Lord is called the “Holy One” some thirty times in the book of Isaiah.

     Then in Psalm 47 we read, “God reigneth over the (nations): God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness” (Psalm 47:8).  Indeed, He is on the throne today ruling over all the creation.  No wonder Moses said, “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11).  And David declares in Psalm 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

     Now, let me ask you: do you understand God is holy?  Look again at the tabernacle.  Do you understand no man could walk into the holy of holies?  The Holy Spirit thus signifying the way into the holiest was not yet made manifest.

     I hasten to say what is pictured here is not only God’s holiness, but mankind’s uncleanness. 
The chasm between the holiness of God and man’s sinful condition is illustrated by the veil which no man dare go beyond. 

     In order to meet with the God who dwells beyond the veil men must be made clean.  Unholy men, sinners by nature, have no access beyond the veil.  We dare not try to climb up to the God of Sinai, nor even touch the mount lest we die.  We cannot come into His presence as sinners.  We are found out to be altogether unclean and unable to enter His presence. 

     My friends, the message pictured by the tabernacle is this:  the enmity of sin, the offense of God’s holy nature, constructed a veil separating us from the Father.  He is holy, but we are not.  Thus, we are forbidden access to His presence.  There must be a means provided by which a holy God can rend the veil and accept us into His holy presence.

     Next, please remember only the High Priest could enter beyond the veil.  He could only do so after he offered a sacrifice to cover his sin. Then he proceeded beyond the veil to make an atonement for the people in the holy of holies.  However, the veil remained and the Old Testament sacrifices that lacked the power to once for all deal with sin persisted until Christ came.

     Now Christ has become a high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle.  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

     And how is it that he entered heaven now to appear in the presence of God for us?  He entered as our text says, by his own blood.  At the cross the Lord Jesus Christ put away sin once for all by the sacrifice of himself.  He was offered to bear the sins of the world in his body on the tree.  And thus, by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us.

     You will recall that upon completing his redemptive work on the cross our Lord cried out in triumph, “It is finished!”  Matthew says upon crying out with a loud voice Jesus yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.

     My friends, Jesus went beyond the veil for us.  As our great High Priest, he has carried his own blood beyond the veil.  He has met with the Father at the mercy seat where his own precious blood has fully propitiated God.  The veil is now rent in two and the way is made into the holy of holies.  The blood of Christ has atoned for our sin and covered our guilt in the sight of a holy God. 

     Now all may come boldly to the throne of grace having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus.  We can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.  We are now accepted in the Beloved.  The unclean is made clean and the unholy is made holy by the power of the blood of Christ.  Let us hold fast therefore the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.  Amen!
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Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

4/27/2020

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     Please open your Bible to the gospel of St. John.  I will begin at verse one.  These famous words of Jesus carry a wonderful message for us in this hour of trial.  If your heart is troubled, you especially need to listen and take heed to this message. 

     No one can journey through this life without a season of trouble.  With that said, I am not referencing the common problems we all experience, rather I am now speaking about those seasons of trouble which possess the power to upend life as we know it.  Ultimately, for many the last earthly experience we call death is the most troubling of all.

     Yet, in the face of every season of trouble there is an answer.  The answer lies in personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who speaks into our lives with these powerful words, “Let not your heart be troubled, put your trust in me.”
 
 Look with me now at our text from John 14:1-3:

     Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
 
     As you may recall, the setting our Lord’s teaching in John chapters 13-17 is his private interaction with the twelve just prior to his betrayal, arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial, and then his subsequent crucifixion.

     The words of our text follow the revelation to the disciples that one among them would betray Jesus.  Not only that, but Jesus said he would soon leave, and they could not follow him.  Peter, unwilling to accept what Jesus said, proceeded to say to Jesus, “Lord, why can I not follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.”

     To which Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for my sake?  Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow twice until you have denied me three times.”

     Now, as our general habit is, we tend to read through these verses quickly without inserting our self into the setting.  Could you pause for a moment and try to capture the impact of our Lord’s words to these men.  He is alone with them after the Last Supper and the washing of their feet.  They are interacting with him for the last time after a long journey of some three and one-half years.  And now the stark revelation that everything is about to change.

     No more public ministry.  No more serving by his side.  Instead one of them will betray him and Peter will deny him.  Everything is about to change.  In the remainder of his time before entering the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, Jesus has a lot to say to these men.  However, in light of the great trial about to engulf them and before he proceeds to say he would not leave them comfortless, he speaks into their lives this powerful statement, “Let not your heart be troubled.”

     The Greek language here is communicating the idea of troubled in the sense of the heart being stirred up and disturbed.  Troubled in the sense of being thrown into confusion.  Jesus fully understood what these men faced, yet he said to them, let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.

     Change comes.  Like the disciples we can be suddenly thrust into a season of life never experienced before.  We can, in short order, see the world we are accustomed to upended.  However, Jesus would likewise say to us, “let not your heart be troubled, trust in me.”

     My friends, there is only one answer for a troubled heart and that answer is faith in the Savior, faith in the living God.  Faith in the living God settles a troubled heart!  Now hear this well:  Jesus did not shelter his men from the hour of trouble.  However, he did say the trouble on the outside did not have to trouble them on the inside!

     My friends, when the storm is raging on the outside those who put their trust in the Lord will experience peace on the inside.  The Word of God says, “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalm 9:9-10).

     Again the Word of God says, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:4-5).

     Again, the Word of God says, “For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:6-7).

     Again, the Word of Gods says, “But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him” (Psalm 37:39-40).

     Again, the Word of God says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust . . .

     Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling . . .

     Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (Psalm 91:1-2, 9-10, 14-16).

     Now I ask, do you understand the faithful character of your God?  Do you understand the character of the one who says, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me?”

     My friends, he is the Good Shepherd that gave his life for the sheep.  He loves his own and makes them to lie down in green pastures and leads them beside still waters.  And though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he is with us.  Therefore, we will fear no evil.  His presence, his rod, and his staff they comfort us.

     Even as we face a great national trial and days of uncertainty, yet he speaks powerfully into our life today with these reassuring words:  let not your heart be trouble; I will never leave you, nor forsake you; not one of my promises will fall to the ground; trust me and call upon my name.

     When Jesus taught his disciples to believe upon him, to keep their trust in him through their trial, of necessity they needed to pray as the trial unfolded.  Today if we are going to experience a peaceful heart through our storm, then we must pray.

     You see, the Word of God is teaching us to put our trust in him.  We are taught to seek him. We are taught to call upon his name.  We are taught to turn to him in the day of our trouble.  And when we do so, He will hide us in the shelter of his arms.  He will speak peace to our heart.  He will carry us through the storm.  He will be our refuge.  We will experience peace in the midst of the storm.  Instead of a troubled heart, the peace of God that passes understanding will rule our hearts!

     Dottie Rambo once penned these words in a song which came to my mind as I prepared this message.  It talks about prayer, the power of prayer, the peace prayer produces, and the simplicity of prayer.  She wrote:
 
          You can make your biggest dream come true
          Miracles can happen now to you
          Everything your soul is searching for
          It’s all there, in just a simple prayer
 
          When you’re lost and when you’re down and out
          You don’t know what life is all about
          There’s a lot of love to overflow your doubt
          It’s all there in just a simple prayer
 
          Just one prayer, a simple little prayer
          You can move a mountain, calm a sea
          Drive away the troubles of the world
          It’s all there, in just a simple prayer
 
          You can find a reason now to live
          If you have a lot of love to give
          And Jesus has a love he’d like to share
          It’s all there in just a simple prayer
         
          Just one prayer, a simple little prayer
          You can move a mountain, calm a sea
          Drive away the troubles of the world
          It’s all there, in just a simple prayer
 
 
     Amen!  As David says it, “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears . . . This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”  Without doubt this life presents us with many situations of such character the heart can be deeply troubled.  However, it is in the secret place of prayer we cast our burden upon the Lord. 

     It is through prayer we exchange of care for His peace.  Prayer calms the troubled waters of the soul and lays hold of God’s provision, protection, and peace.  Fervent prayer drives away the troubles of this world.  Indeed, let not your heart be trouble—trust in the Lord.  He is our way maker and our mountain mover!  He is the master of the sea and he will calm you, steady you, and bring you through the storm.  TRUST HIM TODAY!
 
     I came across a story in the news this past week from a TV personality.  If I called her name most of you probably would know who she is.  She was talking about her own struggles during this coronavirus pandemic.  She said, "These are weird times we’re in, and I’m trying to find a way to navigate it all. I haven't been out of the house in 14 days. As I sit here today, I believe I am coronavirus free. But I'm so afraid."

    She went on to say that stories of COVID-19 patients dying alone in hospital beds were "haunting" her. She admitted telling close family members to never let that happen.  She said, "If something happens to me, and I end up in the hospital, suit up and come on into the hospital room. I do not want to lay there by myself. And I know it might be selfish because I would be exposing you, but I'm saying, come on in, and hold my hand as I go to the other side.”

     Without doubt, the thought that potentially can cause the most trouble in the heart is the fear of dying.  Now listen to Jesus again in our text: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).

     Perhaps it seems strange the Lord would skip over further discussion of the earthly trial the disciples soon faced and instead turn their minds toward heaven.  However, there is a lesson here.  The ultimate reason our hearts can find a place of rest and peace in this troubled world lies in the assurance we are travelling toward the Father’s house.

     It is good to know we are safely aboard the old ship of Zion.  It is good to know the old ship can sail through the storms of this life, but better yet is the deep, abiding assurance the old ship will arrive home one day.  One day we will say good-bye to this world and when that day comes our heart will not be troubled, nor will it be afraid.  We are ready to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.

     Like the apostle who was caught up to the third heaven, we will see and hear things not lawful to utter as we enter glory.  To be with Christ in the place he is preparing for us cannot compare to any trial we face here or any trouble we are called upon to endure.

     As we travel through the troubled waters of this world there is a deep, abiding hope that sustains us.  It is a blessed hope.  The Savior says, “Let not your heart be troubled.”  Why?  Because he has gone away to prepare a place for his people, and he will come again to receive them unto himself.  He is preparing a place he describes as “his Father’s house.”

     And in his Father’s house there are many mansions, many dwelling places.  One day the redeemed of the Lord will settle down in their eternal inheritance.  The land in which they are destined to dwell is free from all the former things.  No police patrol the streets of the homeland.  No one is wearing a face mask and no ambulances hurry off to an emergency room.  Worry is not etched on the face of any who dwell there.  There is not a cloud in the sky, and no one is full of care or anxiety about tomorrow.  As a matter of fact, in the homeland there are no tomorrows, just one glorious eternal day!

     There are no “stay at home” orders there, rather in the Father’s house loved ones are moving about freely renewing old acquaintances.  Why, mothers are greeting sons and daughters they have missed for a long time.  There is no social distancing protocol in the Father’s house.  Instead, like Jacob who feel upon the neck of his beloved son Joseph when at last he seen him again, those in the Father’s house are embracing as they experience joy unspeakable in the homeland.

     Indeed, let not your heart be troubled, rest in the Lord.  Christ is coming and this blessed hope is the source of our inner strength.  Soon we will be home in the Father’s house!
 
Conclusion

     I know you all are aware of the “shelter at home” guidelines the nation has followed in recent days.  Did you know there was a day in history when the Lord told his people to “shelter at home?”

     After sending a series of judgments upon Egypt because Pharaoh refused to let his people go, the Lord dealt with Pharaoh one last time.  In preparation for the last judgment upon Egypt the Lord gave his own people a “shelter at home” order.

     He told them the death angel would soon pass over the land of Egypt and for them to be saved they must shelter in a home where the blood was applied.  Here is how the Lord said it to them:  “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”

     That night the children of Israel placed their trust in the Lord and the power of the blood.  Although death fell all around them, the blood of the lamb delivered them.  I do not believe they were afraid that night.  I do not think their heart was troubled.  There was trouble on the outside of the house, but there was no trouble on the inside of their house.

    My friend, are you sheltered where the blood is applied?  Until we trust the Lord Jesus as our Savior the sentence of death hangs over us like an ominous cloud.  However, when you trust Christ as your Savior the blood is applied to your heart in a spiritual sense.  Those who believe upon Christ pass from death unto life (John 5:24).  How glorious it is to be sheltered from the power of the second death.

     Are you trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?  If not, you are unprepared to cross to the other side.  The only way you can face the day of your death with peace is to trust the blood of Jesus.  Is his blood applied to your heart?  Give Him your heart today and place all your faith in the Lord Jesus.  On the authority of God's Word I can tell you all that believe upon him will never perish (John 10:28).
 

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Seven Truths Established by the Resurrection

4/25/2020

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     The bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a fact of history. His tomb is empty, and eyewitnesses confirm the reality of his resurrection.  He appeared to over 500 people in the days following his resurrection.  He demonstrated himself to be alive by many infallible proofs.  At his final appearance to a group of people which included his closest disciples, he ascended into heaven leaving the commission to go into all the world and preach the good news of salvation to all nations.

     Now consider with me seven truths clearly established by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  I begin with a verse of Scripture in Romans 1:4 which says Jesus is “declared to be the Son of God with power . . . by the resurrection from the dead.” 

     The first truth established by the resurrection concerns the person of Christ.  The bodily resurrection of Jesus confirms his identity as the unique Son of the living God.  The man Christ Jesus is the most unique individual in human history.  He was conceived in the womb of Mary without the agency of a human father.  His miraculous conception in the womb of Mary wrought by the Spirit of God clothed the eternal Word with the human nature of the man Christ Jesus.

     In the person of Jesus, (the promised Messiah), God took to himself human nature.  It pleased the Father that in him (Jesus) should dwell all the fullness of the Divine Nature in bodily form.  As such, Jesus is the unique Son of God—truly God and truly man in one person.  Thus, on the cross, as infinite God (the Word incarnate) he could satisfy the Divine wrath against the sin of the world. 

     Remember this, in order to suffer death of necessity a body was prepared for the eternal Son of God.  In order to redeem mankind, he must come as the last Adam.  God the Son stepped down from his throne and took to himself human nature in the person of Jesus the Christ.  As the perfect man and the spotless Lamb of God, he could now taste death as our substitute.  So our Savior, the only begotten Son of God, carried our cross to Calvary where by the grace of God he tasted death for each one of us.  He bore our sins in his body on the tree and as the Divine sacrifice for sin he fully satisfied the wrath of God against us.

​     Of course, if he is the Son of God and if he has defeated the power of death through the work of his cross, then the grave would not be able to hold him.  So it was, early the first day of the week as it began to dawn, suddenly there was a great earthquake for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door. 

     Jesus arose and as Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost God raised him up, “having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.”  Indeed, he is declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead!

     Hear me well, the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead establishes him as the Son of the living God.
 
     Now let me quickly move on.  Next, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is God’s declaration he accepts the death of Christ for our salvation.  In Romans 4 the Bible says Jesus was delivered for our offences (our sins), “and was raised again for our justification.”  Justification is an important Bible word connected to our salvation. 

     I ask you today, just how is a holy God going to allow unholy sinners into his heaven?  The truth is, he will not allow unholy sinners into his heaven.  For members of Adam’s race to enter God’s heaven they must be made holy again.

     With that in mind, I must hasten to say there is nothing you can do to make yourself holy.  You are guilty in the sight of God.  All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  In our lost condition we are unclean.  For God to allow any of Adam’s race to enter his heaven a way must be made to clear us of our guilt, wash us from our sin, and present us faultless before his throne.  We must be made holy again.

     Now, are you listening closely?  God raised Jesus from the dead for our justification.  The empty tomb is God’s declaration he accepts the death of his Son for our salvation.  The word justify means to be cleared of one’s guilt and declared righteous.  God raised Jesus from the dead guaranteeing that all who bow the knee to the Lord Jesus, trusting his death on the cross for their salvation, shall be saved. If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  Saved!

     This means God justifies you in His sight.  Based upon the substitutional work of Christ on the cross for you, God releases you from the guilt of sin.  Furthermore, he imparts to you the gift of righteousness.  This righteousness is the righteousness of Christ.  Here is a good way to picture this gift of righteousness.

     Most of you are aware of certain events that require formal dress.  For example, in some cases you cannot get into an event without wearing a tuxedo.  You simply must be dressed properly or entry into the event is impossible.  May I say to you, if you are going to enter God’s heaven you must be dressed properly.  You must have a robe of righteousness that fits you for heaven.

     You say, where am I going to buy one?  I am sorry to tell you, but this robe costs more than you can afford.  You say, but I must have it, or all is lost.  I am unholy and I must have this robe to be made holy and acceptable to God.  Is there any hope?

     Yes, there is hope.  Look at the empty tomb.  God raised Jesus from the dead for your justification.  He has a robe of righteousness just your size purchased by the blood of his dear Son and there is a place you can be fitted without cost and made ready for entrance into heaven.  That place is the foot of the cross, where you come to Christ and call upon his name!  Thank God he raised Jesus from the dead for our justification.
 
     The resurrection of Jesus from the dead establishes him as the Son of the living God and it establishes the great truth of justification by faith in Christ alone as our only hope of heaven.  Next, I would add this.  The resurrection establishes Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.

     Considering what I just preached it should be obvious Jesus is the only way of salvation.  Furthermore, he is the truth.  All spirituality that denies Jesus is false.  The resurrection establishes him as the truth and the life.  Only the risen Christ has the words of eternal life.

     Next, the resurrection establishes Jesus as the resurrection and the life.  Jesus says in John 5, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear (my voice) and shall come forth.”  Jesus will one day raise all the dead from their dusty graves.  Some in the resurrection unto life and others in the resurrection unto judgment.

     The rest of Scripture sets forth the order in which this will happen.  Christ is the first fruit.  Then they that are Christ’s at his coming will be raised incorruptible.  In fact, all the saved are said to be a part of the first resurrection.  But there is also a resurrection unto judgment.  The unsaved must be resurrected to face the Lord Jesus at the great white throne judgment described in the book of Revelation.  All who appear there are lost and must face the full consequences of sin and rebellion.  Sadly, they will be cast body, soul, and spirit into Gehenna, the lake of fire.
 
     This humbling thought brings us to the next truth established by the resurrection, namely that Jesus now holds absolute authority over the realm of the dead.  In Revelation chapter one Jesus says, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hades and of death.”  The keys speak of the absolute authority of the risen Christ over the realm of the dead.  Jesus Christ has the authority to place the saved in heaven and he has the authority to consign the lost to hell.  He will do both.
 
     Next, the resurrection establishes our Lord’s promise to come again.  The last appearance of our resurrected Savior is recorded in Acts chapter one.  After he gave his last words to those present that day the Bible says he “was taken up.”  As he ascended into heaven that day the angels said to them, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

     My friends, just as sure as no power could keep him in the grave, no power can prevent his coming again.  There are two phases to the Second Coming of the Lord.  The first part of his Second Coming has to do with his church, the bride of Christ.  Jesus is coming for his church as described in 1 Thessalonians chapter four where we read, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

     At this great event the church will experience the redemption of the body as our Lord clothes us with incorruptible, immortal bodies.  In that moment when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, “death is swallowed up in victory!”  Amen, because he lives we shall live also!
 
Conclusion
 
     The Resurrection establishes the following:
  • Jesus is the Son of God (Rom. 1:4)
  • God Accepts the Death of Christ for our salvation (Rom. 4)
  • Jesus is the way (salvation), the truth (all other spirituality is false), and the life (only Christ has the words of eternal life)
  • Jesus is the resurrection (John 5) and the life
  • Jesus stands in absolute authority over the realm of the dead (Rev. 1)
  • Jesus is coming again
 
     And finally, the resurrection of Jesus provides hope for all who believe upon him.  Hope is the most important commodity of the heart.  In a troubled world subject to death and uncertainty, Christ imparts a steadfast hope that girds up the mind and brings peace in every storm. The risen Christ is our hope.  What we possess in promise today we shall possess in reality tomorrow!  Indeed, because he is risen, we can rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
 

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A Name That You Live, But Art Dead

2/5/2020

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Revelation 3:1-6
 
1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

     I need to remind you that only two groups of people exist in our world.  The two groups consist of those who are saved, and those who are lost.  In our text today we shall discover the lost are comprised of some who take part in the visible church. 

     I must say, it is generally easy to discern the lost who live outside the professing Christian church.  However, it is not so easy to discern the lost who profess Christianity, and thus have a name that they live, and yet are not born again.

     This problem is widespread across Christendom in both the Catholic and the Protestant arms of the visible church.  As well, this problem exists in sections of the visible church that do not identify with either Catholicism or the various Protestant denominations. Various evangelicals or independent fellowships of professed believers have this same problem.

     I trust you will listen carefully as everyone participating in a Christian church needs to examine themselves.  I am afraid in the spiritual climate now existing especially in America the words of Christ find widespread application.  Hear me well:  just because you attend a church that professes to be Christian does not mean you are a Christian.  In fact, I am afraid if Jesus comes on a Sunday morning many congregations of people will not know anything has happened until they walk outside the building following the closing prayer.


     As you may know, the Lord gave the book of the Revelation while John was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos.  The Apostle says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

     The personalized messages to these churches came from the Lord Jesus Christ who appeared to John and commissioned him to write what he saw (and heard) and send it to the churches.  We would do well to recognize from the example of these seven churches the glorified Christ, who alone is the head of the authentic church comprised of those born of His Spirit, walks among the various local bodies of believers wherever they may reside.  He knows the condition of those churches that began as authentic bodies of genuine believers.  He knows if those churches remain true to Him, or if they need repentance.

     Sadly, the church in Sardis sank to a dire spiritual condition.  Jesus said they had a name that they lived, but in fact they were dead!  In name they were Christian, but the majority lacked the new birth and were spiritually dead.  The condition of this church toward the end of the apostolic era typifies many professing Christians down through the church age, who as the Lord warned elsewhere in Scripture, become “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness (a form of our religion if you please), but deny the power (the authority) thereof: from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:4-8).

     Those who possess only a form of Christianity are no better off than the lost world around them.  Like the world, they are “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  Rather, they resist the truth, are men of corrupt minds, and are reprobate concerning the faith.  We are to turn away from them because they are not a part of the authentic church.

     Again, from our text Jesus says to the unregenerate within the professing church, “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.  If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Rev. 3:3).

     May I say this kindly:  we need a whole lot of preaching to the church these days because our churches are filled with a few generations who have received the authentic gospel from previous generations of genuine believers, but who have not acted on that gospel.  I can preach that with confidence because our Lord says he will “come on them as a thief” and “they shall not know what hour” he will come on them.  The authentic church is not in darkness and the day of the Lord’s return will not come on them as a thief (1 Thess. 5:4).

     May I ask you a question:  have you responded to the Biblical gospel, or are you a Christian in name only?  Have you surrendered your life to Christ and are you now watching for His return?

     You will notice Jesus says in verse three of our text, “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief.”  The Lord Jesus is calling those in the visible church to a place of repentance.  No one in the visible church has the right to water down the Word of God and turn from the authority of the Word of God and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

     No one in the church has the right to pervert what they were taught and what they have heard, rather they need to fully embrace and hold fast the “word which by the gospel” was preached unto them (Cf. 1 Peter 1:25b).  Remember, therefore and repent.  Apart from personal repentance one is NOT watching for the return of Christ and such a person is NOT saved, regardless of participation in some form of church life.

     My friends, it is a startling thing to be involved in church and hear Jesus say to you, “I will come on you as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”  But this is exactly what Jesus is saying to many in our world today.

     In contrast to those in the visible church who have a name that they live but are dead, there are a few names which have not defiled their garments; and Jesus says, “they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” (3:4).

     Despite a worldly church that is busy abandoning the Word of the living God, there are a few who refuse to defile their garments.  As Brother James says it in his epistle to the church, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

     Those who know the Lord are actually serving the Lord!  Those who know the Lord do not ignore His call to personal holiness.  Those who know the Lord keep their garments clean, that is, they have a heart to avoid sin.  If you have no heart to avoid sin, then you are not yet born again.  You may think of yourself as a Christian, but if you can openly serve sin you are a Christian in name only.  You are yet dead in sins and trespasses.

     Jesus says, “He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.”  With these words our Lord is most certainly alluding to the battle that takes place in the human heart at the point of decision.  If you are going to walk with the Lord Jesus in his heaven, then you must overcome the spirit of this world that bids you to enjoy sin for a season.  You must overcome the spirit of this world that invites you to take sides against the Word of God and remain unrepentant.  You must overcome the lie that you are a Christian when in your heart you have no desire to obey the Word of the living God.
 
Conclusion

     Now I finish with our Lord’s words in verse 5: “and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

     Perhaps you will disagree with me, but I understand the book of life in the following light.  The book of life is not a roll of those who are saved, but rather a list of those for whom Christ died, that is, all humanity—all of Adam’s race.  Elsewhere, this book is known as the Lamb’s book of life.

​     Jesus is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.  In as much as he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) his book of life contains the names of every man and woman, all the descendants of Adam.  However, only those who believe upon him have the promise found in Revelation 3:5.  How wonderful it is to know that Jesus will never blot out the names of those who overcome the spirit of this world and confess him before men.  On the other hand, all unbelievers will have their name blotted out of the book of life.
 
     What about you?  Do you have a name that you live, but you are dead?  Is your heart surrendered to Christ?  If not, your life will tell on you.  Sadly if you persist in your religious but lost condition one day the Lord Jesus will blot your name out of his book.
 
 
    
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The Miracle of Life

1/20/2020

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     In this message we are considering the subject of The Miracle of Life.  To begin I call your attention to the statement found in Luke 2:21.  We will come back to it a bit later in this message.  The Bible says:
 
     “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

 
           Life is truly amazing.  Our world contains a wide variety of living organisms from the microscopic to the larger members of the reptile world.  The animal kingdom consists of many creatures that fascinate us with beauty and unique characteristics.  And of course, mankind stands apart from all other creatures.  Mankind possesses a quality of life that is clearly superior to and quite different from all other life forms.

    Over time the observation of life in its various forms gave rise to a well-established law in science.  It is the law of biogenesis.  This law states that living organisms develop only from other living organisms and not from nonliving matter.  Anything that is alive came from something else that is alive.  This law states that life did not come from dead chemicals.  There is not one example from observational science of anything dead producing life of any kind.  Random chemical processes do not produce life.  The folly of macro-evolution is once again exposed by what we know to be true from observational science.

     It follows if life cannot be explained in natural terms, then there remains only one other option.  Life is the result of supernatural causes, or we might say life is a miracle that proceeds from an all wise Creator.  I am glad to inform you the Bible reveals to us in detail the personality and power of the one true, living God who is Creator of all things.  His name in Genesis 1:1 is Elohim meaning the all powerful One.  Indeed, he is the all powerful One and nothing demonstrates His omnipotence more clearly than the vast universe He holds in his hand. 

     As well, He is known as Yahweh.  This is the common Hebrew name for God in the Old Testament occurring over 5300 times.  It is translated LORD (all capitals) in several English translations of the Bible.  We first learn of this name in Exodus 3 when Moses asked God by what name He should be called.  The Lord answered, “I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Ex. 3:14).  Yahweh is basically a shortened form of “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex. 3:15).  This name of God conveys the idea of His eternal self-existence. 

     In a word, God possesses life in himself.  He draws life from no outside source, rather He is the life.  As Creator it is in his power to give life to non-living materials.  God gave creatures shaped from non-living matter life. 

     In Genesis 1:20 we learn God created from the waters marine creatures and birds of the air after their kind.  He shaped their unique bodies from dead elements and then gave them a certain level of consciousness, or life.  The verse says, “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life.” 

     Likewise, we read in Genesis 1:24 that God created from the various earth elements the living creature after his kind.  This included cattle, creeping things, and beasts like the various dinosaur kinds, etc.  Again, God shaped their bodies from dead elements and then gave them a certain level of consciousness, or life. 

     All the sea creatures and land animals possess this aspect of life in contrast to plants.  Plants have no nephesh (no consciousness and are not “alive” in that respect).  However, the living creatures possess consciousness at various levels as determined by God’s design.

     With that said, we come to the creation of mankind.  The Bible makes a statement about mankind that is not true of the plants and the living creatures shaped from the sea and land.  God said of mankind, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

     No let’s establish a clear picture of God’s action when he created Adam the first man.  The Bible says, “And the LORD God (Yahweh who has life in himself) formed man of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7a).  Now pause for a moment in your thinking. 

     The Lord formed Adam from the dust of the ground.  Thus, you might say the Lord sculptured a body for Adam.  However, he lay there lifeless.  A full head of hair. Perfectly proportioned facial features.  The appearance of muscle tone in his chest, arms, and legs.  While he appears to be asleep, that is not the case at all.  This man is not alive.  He has a heart, but it is not beating.  He has lungs, but he is not breathing.  All his vital organs are ready, but something is missing.  His body is fully prepared like a house to live in, but there is a vacancy sign on the front door.  No one lives there yet!

     Then the Bible says God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  In that moment Adam awoke bearing the image and likeness of the Lord God.  He awoke with a consciousness designed to commune with His Creator.  As the image bearer of God Almighty his life stood in contrast to that of all other living creatures.  No plant or animal is made in the image of God or in His likeness.  For this reason, human beings should be viewed as the crowning jewel of God’s creative activity.

     Thus, mankind possesses a unique dignity as God’s image bearers.  Like the Triune God of eternity, mankind is relational in nature.  We possess the capacity for personal relationship with God and fellow human beings.  As Dr. Corey Abney writes in his essay entitled The Image of God:

     “People can know God, love God, and worship God.  We can also think, reason, and choose between right and wrong.  We have the capacity to look at the world and deduce that everything has a Creator (Romans 1:19-20).  The image of God is the defining mark of humanity that sets us apart from animals, plants, and grains of sand.  You can teach an animal tricks, but only man can learn truth.  You can make an animal work, but it is man who can worship.  Animals can see the sun, but man can glorify God for the beauty of a sunset.  Mankind has a unique dignity that is seen primarily in the spiritual ability to fellowship with God and others.  Both animals and man were created material and immaterial, but only man was created with a spiritual component as well.”

     My friends, the God who possesses life in Himself is the life giver and He has created mankind in His own image.

     At the beginning he made male and female and by his own design mankind would multiply and fill the earth
through the process of pro-creation.  However, as illustrated by the formation of the first man, life is more than just a biological process.  By design male and female provide the physical elements necessary for the formation of another human being, but only God can impart the living soul.  Thus, in the natural order each descendent of Adam is formed by God in the secret place of a mother’s womb.

     We should note the most famous passage in the Bible referring to the miracle of life in the womb is found in Psalm 139 where we read:

     “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:13-16).

     Brother Paul Taylor (respected Christian author amongst Biblical creationists) comments on these verses as follows:

“This is a pictorial account of the development of an unborn baby.  It refers to the formation of flesh (covering), internal organs (inward parts), and bones (frame).  None of these developments was hidden from God, though they were “secret” from people, indicating that we cannot directly see the formation of the unborn.  The concept of the “lowest parts of the earth” is a euphemism for the female reproductive system.  Even in this unborn state, it is clear that the baby is human, as God has already determined “the days fashioned” for the baby.”

     This passage is one of many in Scripture that references the unborn.  In each case the Bible speaks of the unborn as an actual person, a living human being already in existence.  God considers the unborn as fully human, as a real individual whom He has formed in the womb. The formation of a new human being is a continuum with a beginning at the moment of fertilization, or conception.

     Scientifically, we now know the blueprint for the house formed in the womb is settled at the moment of conception.  However, life is not simply the union of an egg and sperm in a mother’s womb, no more than dust formed into a full-fledged body is human in and of itself.  My friends, it is the impartation of the soul that constitutes human life in the image of God, and that must take place at the moment of conception when we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  At the moment of conception, a miracle takes place as a new human being consisting of body, soul, and spirit is formed by our marvelous Creator.

     So, the Scripture says in Psalm 139, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them.”  In continuance, that is, from the humble start of just a single cell containing all the DNA blueprint (God’s book) of the physical house to be fashioned for us, we eventually came to term and entered the world.
 
Conclusion

     Now I must finish were I began.  “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

     I ask you:  when did Jesus become a “person?”  When was the eternal Word clothed with a human nature?  Was it not in the moment when the power of the Highest overshadowed the virgin Mary and she conceived?  My friends, there can be no doubt about this.  Jesus did not become the Son of God the day of his birth, rather Jesus became the Son of God at the moment of his conception.  In that moment the Father prepared for him a body.  In that moment he was made a little lower than the angels so in time he could bear our sins in his body on the tree.
 
     I close with this important truth:  the procreation of every man and woman has a supernatural element in it as God gives life to a new human being.  No man has the right to arbitrarily take that life.
   
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Lost

1/20/2020

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     The beginning of a new year brings many thoughts to mind.  It is quite natural to think of personal goals and the aspiration of a better life as the new year unfolds.

     However, there is one thing infinitely more important than any measure of temporal prosperity the new year has to offer.  Jesus sums it up with these powerful words.  He says:  “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”  (Matt. 16:26).

     Clearly, Jesus teaches the soul can be lost in eternity.  Lost--how fearful the thought. To be lost is to die with no hope. Those who die lost will open their eyes in a place of outer darkness.  This place is outside the presence of God.  There is no light there and it follows there are no personal relationships there.  In that hopeless place the morning never comes to brighten the soul.  The day never comes, rather those who perish from the presence of the Lord must endure the darkness of an eternal night.

     What would a man give in exchange for his soul?  I assure you those who even now are engulfed in the torments of everlasting punishment would give the whole world but for one more opportunity to repent and be saved by His marvelous grace.
    
     I must hasten to tell you all men are by nature the children of wrath.  Said another way, by virtue of the fall of Adam everyone comes into the world estranged from God and under the curse of the lost condition.  We fell in our representative head—Adam.

     Thus, by one man many were made sinners. The fall of Adam introduced a spiritual reality that exists in the heart of every subsequent member of the race.  Each descendent of Adam is a sinner by nature.  Indeed, as the prophet says so concisely, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  (Jer. 17:9).

     I must say this kindly but hear me well: you are by nature a sinner.  Like everyone else, your heart was estranged from God even from your mother’s womb.  We all begin life with no spiritual life.  We are alienated from God and go astray from our mother’s womb (Psalms 58:3).

     The Bible says there is none good, no not one.  We discover very early in life that although we may pursue the good most of the time, we nonetheless yield to the presence of indwelling sin in many ways.  We are fallen and possess a nature incapable of meeting God’s standard of holiness.  We are thus lost in Adam.

     The Bible says all have sinned and all come short of the glory of God.  Can you accept the truth your own heart confirms, namely that you are guilty in the sight of God and are most certainly lost?  My friend, seeing your lost condition is the first step toward reconciliation with God.  In fact, as this realization floods your soul please know the goodness of God is at work leading you to repentance.

     While it is true all men are sinners and do not naturally seek the Lord, it is equally true the Lord seeks for us.  The Bible says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

     My friend, the Lord will deal with your heart.  He will come seeking for you just as He did the first Adam.  Upon disobeying the Lord, Adam and Eve attempted to hide themselves from the Lord among the trees of the garden.  But the Bible says, “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9).

     We are all just like Adam.  We run from God in our fallen state but thank God He comes looking for us!  The grace of God that brings salvation will appear to you in some season of your life.  Said another way, the Spirit of God will deal with your heart and draw you to Christ. 

     As the famous hymn so aptly says:
 
          Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me,
          I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see
          Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved
          How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
 
Be careful to listen my friend, lest you harden your heart and die unrepentant.

     Despite the goodness of God who in grace pursues a lost world, many persist in a lost condition.  Our world is characterized by the ungodly who war against God.  Think about the universities of not just America, but the world.  For the most part, God is pushed out of our so-called schools of higher learning while room is made for every fowl spirit bent on fostering rebellion against the knowledge of our Creator and Redeemer.

     Indeed, ungodliness is finding expression amongst both the cultured and the barbaric.  Nothing illustrates the lost condition any more than the cultured academic who articulates unbelief in his exalted place as a tenured professor at a leading university.  His students for the most part turn out to be learned men who proceed to occupy prominent places in society from which they can live out a life of cultured rebellion against the knowledge of God.

     Beware my friend, if your education has left you with no knowledge of God you are tragically lost.  It is time to humble your heart before God and come to the knowledge of salvation through His Son.  Such was the case with one of the greatest intellects the world has known.  Following his dramatic conversion to Christ, Saul of Tarsus became known as the Apostle Paul.  Once the grace of God opened his eyes to the knowledge of Christ and brought him to repentance, he wrote:

     “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Phil. 3:8).
 
     Not only is our lost world characterized by the ungodly, but it suffers greatly from the problem of false spirituality.  Millions of misguided souls are very zealous of their special brand of false spirituality.  Our world is quite open to the deception spawned by the spirit of antichrist.  Let me say this as clearly as I can:  if you are involved in any kind of spirituality that refuses to confess that Jesus is the unique Son of God, God come in the person of the promised Messiah, then you are lost.
    
Conclusion

     All the things we deem so important at the beginning of a new year seem of no consequence in comparison to preparing for eternity.      

     Now I must ask you, are you lost?
 
     Lost. The word should send a shiver down the spine.  Lost and all because of neglect, or unbelief, or self-will against God.  My friend, if you persist in resisting the Holy Spirit one day you will be beyond the reach of God’s grace.  Think about that.

     This is without question life’s greatest tragedy.  While there are many heartbreaking tragedies in this life, none of them compare to the fearful reality of a soul departing this life unprepared for eternity. 

     Remember, not one soul must go to the place called hell.  And yet as the Son of God says, there will be few saved in comparison to the multitudes destined to face eternal separation from God.

     I close with the story of a famous man who is rapidly approaching the end of this life unprepared to meet God.  If I mentioned his name, everyone in this building would know him.  He is fighting a battle with cancer and in a recent interview I listened with interest to see if he would acknowledge the Lord.

     Instead, as far as death is concerned, he basically said he would deal with what comes when it happens.  He shared no assurance about heaven and in reference to God his statement clearly indicated he did not know the Lord in a personal way.  In fact, he could not speak about the Lord clearly at all.  While he was not disrespectful his comments left me with the stark reality this man is about to take a leap into the dark.  Clearly after almost 80 years on the planet and despite much learning, this man has successfully pushed God out of his thinking.

     I am sure he has the idea that if there is a God somehow everything will work out alright.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

     My friends, there is a God.  He is our Creator and in the person of his beloved Son, He is our Redeemer.  Furthermore, He has commanded all men everywhere to repent.  Those who fail to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus will die in their sins.  Jesus says clearly, that if you die in your sins, you cannot come where he is.  Such souls are lost.

     It is time for you to surrender your heart to Christ before it is everlastingly too late.

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He Was Manifested in These Last Times for You                                 1 Peter 1:18-20

1/1/2020

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     The foundation of Christianity is the doctrine of special creation.  The doctrine of special creation consists of God’s revelation to mankind of his creative activity as documented in the first chapter of Genesis. 

     Clearly God’s method of creation consisted of the power inherent in his Word.  He commanded and the physical elements comprising the heavens and the earth were brought forth.  In six literal days God in his infinite wisdom established a very good creation free from sin, death, and the curse.  The original creation was mature, complete, perfect, and can certainly be described as paradise.

     The first man Adam and his wife Eve dwelt together in that paradise.  So says the history recorded in the inspired Word of the living God. They enjoyed life in its fullest meaning.  Unfettered joy and contentment ruled their hearts as they walked in the light of life flowing out of relationship with their heavenly Father.  All was well.

     It is important at this point for us to pause and consider God’s motivation for the creation.  Of course, we would not know the heart of God concerning this matter except for the fact He has told us in His written word.  The following words from Holy Scripture grant us a measure of insight into God’s heart and into His plan before the foundation of the world.

     First, in John 17:24 as Jesus is praying to the Father he says, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

     In as much as Scripture reveals the Triune nature of the living God, we should properly understand relationship exists within the Godhead.  The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit abide in an eternal relationship with each possessing the whole of the one Divine Nature.  Thus, Jesus speaks here of the love existing between him and the Father before the creation was brought forth.

     It should be properly observed that God did not create the universe, an inhabitable planet earth, and mankind because He was lonely.  God is complete in Himself lacking nothing and needing nothing.

     Next, in Ephesians 1:4 the Word of God says, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”  This verse grants insight into the eternal councils of God. 

   Before the foundation of the world, that is, before God moved to create the heavens, the earth, and mankind, He planned for a people whom He would redeem.  We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.

     The Apostle Peter says the same in the opening remarks of his first epistle which says, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

     We are His elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.  Thus, God clearly planned for a people whom He would redeem.

     The Apostle Peter goes on to say in this same chapter,

  “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  

   But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:18-20).

     And so, God foreordained the coming of His Son into this world before the foundation of the world.  What are we to glean from this revelation?  Clearly, God moved in creation of the world and with the creation of mankind in His image for the express purpose of securing a people unto Himself.

     Clearly the Lord knew mankind would fall.  He knew also in order to secure the salvation of the elect His Son must be sent into the world.  Yet, the Lord proceeded with the creation. 

    His motivation for doing so is clear.  According to the good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself, the Lord planned to have a people unto the praise of His glory!  He planned to redeem a people according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 3:11).

    This is the metanarrative through which we must interpret the history of the world and our present time.  It follows in order to have a people walking in faith in response to His love both angels and mankind must be created with the potential of disobedience. 

   I had a very good question this past week from a seventh grader in the Junior High Bible class I am teaching at FCA this year.  She asked the question, “Did God create sin?” 

    The answer is no, however, God did create both angels and mankind with the possibility of sin.  He shaped both with the possession of free will.  Said another way, love for God and loyalty to God is not mechanical. 

   For love to be genuine the potential for disobedience had to exist.  The mystery of iniquity which first appeared in the heart of Lucifer is nothing more than departure from love for God.  Lucifer’s pride flowed from disdain for God whom he sought to overthrow.

  And what can be said of the first man Adam?  His disobedience had nothing to do with deception.  Confronted with the possibility of disobedience to his Creator, Adam failed the test of faith and love when he took the forbidden fruit from the hand of his wife Eve.  Thus, sin entered the world and death by sin.

     But alas my friends, as all creation suddenly felt the pangs of a horrible change and as it appeared God’s very good creation was tarnished forever, the wheels of the hidden counsels of an infinite God began to roll. 

   The Bible says, “And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

    With these words the Father promised to send His Son into the world to deliver His elect from spiritual bondage to death.  The needed deliverance, however, would come with a price.  The serpent would bruise his heel.  The heel wound speaks of the cross.  As the Hebrew writer says in the New Testament, it was through death he destroyed him who had the power of death that is the devil (Heb. 2:14).

  As Adam and Eve left the Garden the journey to the Bethlehem manger began. Each page of subsequent history turned on the hinge of the Father’s promise in Genesis 3:15.

  In time God raised up a man named Abraham who fathered the nation of Israel through whom the promised Savior would be born.  God in his wisdom and purpose drove history until under Rome as predicted by the old patriarch Jacob in Genesis 49:10 the sceptre of power departed from Judah upon the arrival of Shiloh. 

   Shiloh is related to the word for “peace” (shalom) and in effect means “the one who brings peace.”  It is one of many names for the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Thomas Grinfield penned this simple refrain on December 25, 1826, that summarizes the history leading to the manifestation of the Son of God:
  
'Tis come, the time so oft foretold,
The time Eternal Love forecast:
Four thousand years of hope have roll'd,
And God hath sent His Son at last:
Let heaven, let earth, adore the plan:
– “Glory to God, and grace to man!”
 
     It is no wonder all of heaven burst into praise when the promised seed of the woman lay wrapped in swaddling clothes in a Bethlehem manger.  The bible says:
 
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
 
     We should join the heavenly host and lift our praise to God this Christmas season! 

     In the fullness of time the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.  The love of God the Father for a lost world compelled Him to send us His only begotten Son.  The love of God the Son for a world of sinners compelled Him to leave His Father’s side with a passion to rescue His own from sin and death.

  And so, foreordained before the foundation of the world, the eternal Word took to Himself human nature in the person of the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Spurgeon offers this insight on the babe of Bethlehem as he writes:
 
Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman.  Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son. Oh, the wonder of Christmas.
 
     J.I. Packer writes:
 
The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child.  The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets.  Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.
 
     As the Apostle Peter says, “he was manifested in these last times for you.”  Do you understand the Lord Jesus came just for you? 

     Open your heart and receive God's gift to you this Christmas season--His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 


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