The man who wrote me about the unpardonable sin came to church Sunday and then I had 1 1/2 hours with him Monday morning. Here is his follow-up Monday afternoon. - Mack T.
Thanks for talking to me, Mack. I really needed that. The message Sunday morning was very good. I sometimes wonder if it is some spirit that has vexed me all these years. Until recently, I always thought a man could pull himself up by his own bootstraps. I could not have been more mistaken. I did not have the opportunity to explain the depth of despair that I have found myself in. I knew than that God has to find me, not the other way around.
My soul started into a downward spiral into the depths of despair that I have never known, only to get worse when confronted with the warnings in the Book of Hebrews. I do not intend to pretend with God ever again that I am saved. I can see how all these years I have been building my own house on the sand. I pray that God will not forsake me because the most wonderful thing in existence to be sought more than the entire world is Christ.
How wonderful He is. He is the only thing that is of value to a man. Some say they put Him first, but he should be more than that--he is all. And how I wish he would let me have him as my all and everything. My whole world has been burned to the ground. Nothing has remained. All of this happenning to me was just symbolism before in my mind. Not now. This is real. My works have gone up in smoke. My secret sins have burned me. My only hope is that the Word says he is merciful; I am just a man and I have no idea how much mercy he has. I have no doubt that He will judge. That is certain. I just hope and pray that in spite of my grievious sins, he will have mercy and extend grace to me.
I have had this nagging feeling for a long time that I have been trusting in the wrong thing. It seemed as though there should have been victory a long time ago. I just kept doing the wrong thing, spiritually speaking. Making up ways of appeasing God in my own mind. Never wanting to admit that these sins have hounded me. In a sense I made up my own god, a god that could let me live in my sins and some day my prince would come and deliver me. I didn't realize I was a hypocrite and a perverse man. I can't stand to think of it. My past. I hate that guy. I am that man. I am the summer clouds that have no promise of rain. I am the spot in your love feast. It would seem that by now Jesus could walk in His garden an enjoy some fruit. By now I'm 48, and Jesus should be able to be refreshed by some fruitfulness from me. I have failed the only beautiful One. I have been a rogue and a ruffian. I wish I would have just cut out my tongue years ago.
But I guess it's all evidence that a man is just sinful and without any ability to save himself. To even have the moral strength to resist temptation or to stand and not fall is impossible without wholly trusting in Jesus. It's all so clear to me now. A man cannot live for one day or one minute without Christ or he will fall. The tough guy will fall.
He is a Wonderful Counselor that you have. I only hope that He will have me. I love that hymn that says, "Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart. Not be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou and Thou only, first in my heart; High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art." I now understand the worth of that Treasure. It is not some mysterious thing anymore. Jesus is everything and the only thing in the entire universe and beyond. HE IS EVERYTHING. I hope God will forgive me for my small thinking in the past. Mack, Jesus is the only worthy endeavor a man should ever seek. Tell the young men this. There is nothing else to seek. Nothing. I sought success in real estate and being a family man. I sought a lot of things. A man needs to seek only one thing -- Jesus and His righteousness.
I really loved your sweet church with just a piano and singing from a hymnal. I tell you, there were either angels in the front row singing or you have a church full of opera singers. The only errant voice was mine. What a way to worship, without the rythmic booming of drums and railing electric guitars blasting through one's brain. I am beside myself in awe of the beauty of it. I only hope that I didn't bring anything foul with me to your assembling. I am not worthy to be accounted with the righteous. I would like to come again, but I do not want to be a blemish. I humbly submit to the leading of the Spirit through your leadership of your flock there. Knowing my situation and my soul being so vexed, I would expect you to protect your flock. I would like to talk with you more at any rate and visit if it is possible.
I started reading from John Bunyan's testimony. His thinking is exactly like mine while he was in his despair. So I have some more hope. Thanks Mack; I'll call this week or you can call me at your leisure anytime.......... Thanks
[Doesn't sound like one who has committed the unpardonable sin, does it?]
- Mack T.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Our Posture Before the Word of God, Part 1
Regarding the Bible--
1. If I find something with which I do not agree, I am wrong.
2. If I find something which I cannot understand, it is wrong of me to judge it on that account.
3. If I find something which contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture elsewhere, I cannot be right.
4. If I find something which would slander the revealed character of God, I am wrong; Caution: that which is "unworthy of God" is not decided by man.
5. If I find something in Scripture which brings up an apparent contradiction, I am wrong not to face it squarely.
- to be continued
- Tom Lyon
1. If I find something with which I do not agree, I am wrong.
2. If I find something which I cannot understand, it is wrong of me to judge it on that account.
3. If I find something which contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture elsewhere, I cannot be right.
4. If I find something which would slander the revealed character of God, I am wrong; Caution: that which is "unworthy of God" is not decided by man.
5. If I find something in Scripture which brings up an apparent contradiction, I am wrong not to face it squarely.
- to be continued
- Tom Lyon
A Witness in Kazakhstan
Please Pray for the Gerhart Family
The Thomas Gerhart family live in Kazakhstan, not as official "missionaries", though they really are. They are there because Tom works at the American Embassy there. Please pray for them. There is no Christian church where they are. Please remember them in prayer. Here is an email from Tom today.
-- Mack T.
Dear Mack,
We are not missionaries, but only do what we can as ambassadors for Christ; like any ordinary Christian motivated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I work F/T at the American Embassy as an IT person.
We finished 3yrs in New Delhi 3/09. What a God forsaken place plagued with rampant idolatry disease & pestilence. Our 9th child was born at home in the bathtub which was actually better than the hospital. 2 of our children & Kim almost died in India from sickness. The good thing about India is there are always people everywhere. We would easily pass out 500 Gospel tracts to people who likely would never hear the Gospel any other way. As one fellow Christian said, "You can preach on a street corner & have a crowd within seconds & be beaten in 10 minutes."
Our current post, Kazakhstan, is a barren remote place. The cross of Christ is despised in Kazakhstan nonetheless the children & I pass out Gospel tracts every chance they get much to the dismay of the Police. We haven’t been able to find a Church or believers to meet with so we do Home Church. Luke 22, Laura 20, John 17, EmilyAnne 15, Matthew 14, Gloria 11, Joy 10, Grace 7, Ellie 4 & Faith 6 months (born in Kazakhstan).
We pray often that the Bibles & tracts we pass out would bear fruit and that we would use every opportunity we get, which is rarer now that the police hound us when we are out & about.
Prayerfully,
- Tom
The Thomas Gerhart family live in Kazakhstan, not as official "missionaries", though they really are. They are there because Tom works at the American Embassy there. Please pray for them. There is no Christian church where they are. Please remember them in prayer. Here is an email from Tom today.
-- Mack T.
Dear Mack,
We are not missionaries, but only do what we can as ambassadors for Christ; like any ordinary Christian motivated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I work F/T at the American Embassy as an IT person.
We finished 3yrs in New Delhi 3/09. What a God forsaken place plagued with rampant idolatry disease & pestilence. Our 9th child was born at home in the bathtub which was actually better than the hospital. 2 of our children & Kim almost died in India from sickness. The good thing about India is there are always people everywhere. We would easily pass out 500 Gospel tracts to people who likely would never hear the Gospel any other way. As one fellow Christian said, "You can preach on a street corner & have a crowd within seconds & be beaten in 10 minutes."
Our current post, Kazakhstan, is a barren remote place. The cross of Christ is despised in Kazakhstan nonetheless the children & I pass out Gospel tracts every chance they get much to the dismay of the Police. We haven’t been able to find a Church or believers to meet with so we do Home Church. Luke 22, Laura 20, John 17, EmilyAnne 15, Matthew 14, Gloria 11, Joy 10, Grace 7, Ellie 4 & Faith 6 months (born in Kazakhstan).
We pray often that the Bibles & tracts we pass out would bear fruit and that we would use every opportunity we get, which is rarer now that the police hound us when we are out & about.
Prayerfully,
- Tom
Friday, June 3, 2011
A Testimony from Malta
Dear Mack Tomlinson,
I am reading your book about the life of Leonard Ravenhill and would like to sincerely thank you for your work. I am being blessed and challenged by much of what
has been written. The book was providentially brought to my attention during this particular time in my life, and I thank our gracious God for this. Please received my
humble gratitude and appreciation for all your work and the effort which you put into it.
I know a little about this, since last February, after seven years of translatlion work, I have published the first edition of our Maltese language translation of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progess.
I hope and pray that your book is read by many and especially used to clarify and confirm those whom our blessed Lord, in spite of their limitations and weaknesses, might be called to be 'prophets' in these times we live in.
Once again, thank you.
Wishing you and your loved ones at home a most blessed day, and a closer walk with God.
Joseph Farrugia
Island of Malta
Europe
I am reading your book about the life of Leonard Ravenhill and would like to sincerely thank you for your work. I am being blessed and challenged by much of what
has been written. The book was providentially brought to my attention during this particular time in my life, and I thank our gracious God for this. Please received my
humble gratitude and appreciation for all your work and the effort which you put into it.
I know a little about this, since last February, after seven years of translatlion work, I have published the first edition of our Maltese language translation of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progess.
I hope and pray that your book is read by many and especially used to clarify and confirm those whom our blessed Lord, in spite of their limitations and weaknesses, might be called to be 'prophets' in these times we live in.
Once again, thank you.
Wishing you and your loved ones at home a most blessed day, and a closer walk with God.
Joseph Farrugia
Island of Malta
Europe
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Hindrances to Prayer
1. Pretense in prayer - Mark 12:40
2. Inconsistency in prayer - Acts 2:42; Romans 1:9; Luke 11:8; Romans 12:12
3. Lack of fervency(zeal) in prayer - Romans 15:30; James 5:16; Colossians 4:12; Hebrews 5:7
4. Generality (lack of specificity) in prayer - 1 Thessalonians 1:2; Ephesians 6:19; Philemon 1:4
5. Lack of devotion to prayer - 2 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 5:5; Mark 9:29; Luke 6:12; Eph 6:18
6. Lack of corporately gathering - Acts 1:14; Acts 12:5
7. Lack of self-control; lack - 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Cor 7:5
8. Failing to honor your wife -1 Peter 3:7
9. Failure to discern spiritual danger 1 Peter 4:7
10. Double-mindedness - James 1:6-8
- Bob Schembre
2. Inconsistency in prayer - Acts 2:42; Romans 1:9; Luke 11:8; Romans 12:12
3. Lack of fervency(zeal) in prayer - Romans 15:30; James 5:16; Colossians 4:12; Hebrews 5:7
4. Generality (lack of specificity) in prayer - 1 Thessalonians 1:2; Ephesians 6:19; Philemon 1:4
5. Lack of devotion to prayer - 2 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 5:5; Mark 9:29; Luke 6:12; Eph 6:18
6. Lack of corporately gathering - Acts 1:14; Acts 12:5
7. Lack of self-control; lack - 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Cor 7:5
8. Failing to honor your wife -1 Peter 3:7
9. Failure to discern spiritual danger 1 Peter 4:7
10. Double-mindedness - James 1:6-8
- Bob Schembre
Friday, May 27, 2011
From D. A. Carson
All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.
- D. A. Carson
- D. A. Carson
Does The False Prophecy of Harold Camping Damage the Cause of Christ?
I received this question yesterday from someone
"Does the false prophecy by Harold Camping about May 21st damage true Christianity? Of course, the liberal media took great delight in ridiculing the whole of evangelical Christianity over this, even though very few took part in it. Harold Camping's false prophecy about the end of the world gave great cause for unbelievers to mock. But will there be any long-term effects? My mom said her whole office was laughing about it. I would be interested in your comments on this."
My reply
Dear brother,
I do not agree that much harm comes to true Christianity from such false prophecies as Harold Camping has made. Such has always been the case and it has always occurred since the beginning of the Christian faith. False, counterfeit Christianity may be harmed, but never the true gospel and the true kingdom of Christ. How can needless harm come to His cause, when Jesus already told us it would happen? He said that many would come in His name with such claims, and that false prophets would arise and deceive many.
The Apostle Paul also said, in the clearest of terms, that "because men will not receive the love of the truth in order that they might be saved, that therefore God sends them strong delusion, that they might believe a lie." (2 Thess. 2:11)
True Christians always discern and see through the scam and extremes of the religious idiot or deluded ones. Nothing has changed. Jesus said it was going to come and so it simply means the kingdom is right on schedule.
Let's keep preaching the gospel, living holy lives, and looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And let us ignore the Harold Campings of this world. There have always been religious kooks who speak in the name of the Lord and speak from the Bible. Leave them alone, for they are a part of the false religious world, and not a part of the true cause of God and truth.
Yours warmly in Him
- Mack Tomlinson
"Does the false prophecy by Harold Camping about May 21st damage true Christianity? Of course, the liberal media took great delight in ridiculing the whole of evangelical Christianity over this, even though very few took part in it. Harold Camping's false prophecy about the end of the world gave great cause for unbelievers to mock. But will there be any long-term effects? My mom said her whole office was laughing about it. I would be interested in your comments on this."
My reply
Dear brother,
I do not agree that much harm comes to true Christianity from such false prophecies as Harold Camping has made. Such has always been the case and it has always occurred since the beginning of the Christian faith. False, counterfeit Christianity may be harmed, but never the true gospel and the true kingdom of Christ. How can needless harm come to His cause, when Jesus already told us it would happen? He said that many would come in His name with such claims, and that false prophets would arise and deceive many.
The Apostle Paul also said, in the clearest of terms, that "because men will not receive the love of the truth in order that they might be saved, that therefore God sends them strong delusion, that they might believe a lie." (2 Thess. 2:11)
True Christians always discern and see through the scam and extremes of the religious idiot or deluded ones. Nothing has changed. Jesus said it was going to come and so it simply means the kingdom is right on schedule.
Let's keep preaching the gospel, living holy lives, and looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And let us ignore the Harold Campings of this world. There have always been religious kooks who speak in the name of the Lord and speak from the Bible. Leave them alone, for they are a part of the false religious world, and not a part of the true cause of God and truth.
Yours warmly in Him
- Mack Tomlinson
Monday, May 23, 2011
What God says to the Wicked
"But to the wicked God says, 'What right do you have to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?'" - Psalm 50:16
There are some things that God especially dislikes. He dislikes them so much that He directly speaks to them in certain places in Scripture. One of those things is when people who do not know him quote the Bible and claim to be Christians when they are not.
In Psalm 50:16, God says directly to any unbeliever, "What right do you have to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?"
According to this Psalm, no unbeliever has the right--
1. To quote the Bible at all - "What right have you to recite my statutes?"
The Lord here says that a wicked person (an unbeliever) does not have the right even to quote the Bible; they don't believe it or obey it, so according to God Himself, they have no right to even let Scripture come out of their mouth.
How wicked a thing it is, from God's perspective, for wicked men, women, and children to in any way use the Bible, when all the time they despise in their hearts the very truths it teaches; to use and quote the Bible, for them, is grievous sin; they stand rebuked by God Himself, directly calling them out for this in vs. 16 of Psalm 50; the unbeliever, if they have any reverence for the things of God and true Christianity, ought to be very fearful to talk about the Bible or quote it, as if doing so somehow helps them or gains them something. The only thing it gains them is judgment and divine rebuke. It is as if God is saying, "You wicked person, how dare you take my words and put them in your dirty mouth? Don't quote Me every again, for you have no right to take my precepts and statutes into your mouth and use them!"
What else does an unbeliever not have the right to do?
2. To profess to be a Christian when they are not a true Christian at all; vs. 16 continues: "To the wicked God says 'What right have you . . . . . to take my covenant on your lips?'"
To say the same thing today would be, "What right do you have to claim to be a Christian when you are not?" God Himself here is speaking to the unbeliever, who professes the name of Jesus, but does not truly know, love, and obey Christ. It is easy believism that God rebukes here. How dare you name the name of Christ when you are yet wicked and dead in your sins! It is wicked and evil to say, "I know God, I know Jesus", when your life's evidence doesn't match up to your profession.
Every unbeliever who knows they love their sin and knows they do not love Christ ought to renounce any Christian profession at all; just admit what you are-- a wicked and unbelieving person; stop taking God's covenant (true salvation) on your lips; quit claiming to be a Christian when you give no evidence of it at all.
What is true often of such people? The real proof is in their life style. The Psalm tells us:
1. They hate the discipline and correction of God (vs. 17) "For you hate discipline and cast my words behind you."
Such people do not want God's words or his correction at all; they profess to know God, but in works they deny him; if asked if they are a Christian, they will say, "Oh, yea, I did that when I was eight years old at a church camp." But if ask if why they won't put off their sin now and follow Christ, they will cry, "Oh, that's just legalistic; I don't need to obey all your religious rules; I love God in my own way; He and I have a good thing going, and I don't need all that Bible stuff." Such a person is exactly who is in view in vss. 16-17.
2. They like sin and approve of it (vs. 18) "If you see a thief, you are pleased with him and you keep company with adulterers."
This is proof that one doesn't know God at all; they love what God hates and they affirm what He rejects. You cannot love or like sin and love the Saviour at the same time. Whoever is a friend of this world is an enemy of God.
3. They use their mouth and their words continually, not for the glory of God, but as an instrument of evil. (vs. 19) "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit; you sit and speak against your brother and slander your own mother's son."
How one talks, and how they use their tongue is proof of their true spiritual condition. Anyone who continually uses their words to criticize, slander, deceive and destroy others, is not a person who knows God at all. The fruit of the lips is proof of the root condition of the heart.
4. The final thing God says about such people-- "You thought I was one like yourself."
People claim to be Christians and yet live a wicked life because they think God is no different than them. They believe in their heart He is not much better than them; perhaps a little better, but not much different really; so they use the Bible at times and claim to know God, yet all the while continue in all the detestable things that are an offense to the God they profess to believe in, when in reality, He is not like them at all.
God says, "What right do you have to quote my Bible or claim to be a Christian?" No right at all, unless it is clearly true about you. Only those who know, love, reverence, and obey Jesus have the right to use the Bible or claim the name of Christian.
- Mack Tomlinson
There are some things that God especially dislikes. He dislikes them so much that He directly speaks to them in certain places in Scripture. One of those things is when people who do not know him quote the Bible and claim to be Christians when they are not.
In Psalm 50:16, God says directly to any unbeliever, "What right do you have to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?"
According to this Psalm, no unbeliever has the right--
1. To quote the Bible at all - "What right have you to recite my statutes?"
The Lord here says that a wicked person (an unbeliever) does not have the right even to quote the Bible; they don't believe it or obey it, so according to God Himself, they have no right to even let Scripture come out of their mouth.
How wicked a thing it is, from God's perspective, for wicked men, women, and children to in any way use the Bible, when all the time they despise in their hearts the very truths it teaches; to use and quote the Bible, for them, is grievous sin; they stand rebuked by God Himself, directly calling them out for this in vs. 16 of Psalm 50; the unbeliever, if they have any reverence for the things of God and true Christianity, ought to be very fearful to talk about the Bible or quote it, as if doing so somehow helps them or gains them something. The only thing it gains them is judgment and divine rebuke. It is as if God is saying, "You wicked person, how dare you take my words and put them in your dirty mouth? Don't quote Me every again, for you have no right to take my precepts and statutes into your mouth and use them!"
What else does an unbeliever not have the right to do?
2. To profess to be a Christian when they are not a true Christian at all; vs. 16 continues: "To the wicked God says 'What right have you . . . . . to take my covenant on your lips?'"
To say the same thing today would be, "What right do you have to claim to be a Christian when you are not?" God Himself here is speaking to the unbeliever, who professes the name of Jesus, but does not truly know, love, and obey Christ. It is easy believism that God rebukes here. How dare you name the name of Christ when you are yet wicked and dead in your sins! It is wicked and evil to say, "I know God, I know Jesus", when your life's evidence doesn't match up to your profession.
Every unbeliever who knows they love their sin and knows they do not love Christ ought to renounce any Christian profession at all; just admit what you are-- a wicked and unbelieving person; stop taking God's covenant (true salvation) on your lips; quit claiming to be a Christian when you give no evidence of it at all.
What is true often of such people? The real proof is in their life style. The Psalm tells us:
1. They hate the discipline and correction of God (vs. 17) "For you hate discipline and cast my words behind you."
Such people do not want God's words or his correction at all; they profess to know God, but in works they deny him; if asked if they are a Christian, they will say, "Oh, yea, I did that when I was eight years old at a church camp." But if ask if why they won't put off their sin now and follow Christ, they will cry, "Oh, that's just legalistic; I don't need to obey all your religious rules; I love God in my own way; He and I have a good thing going, and I don't need all that Bible stuff." Such a person is exactly who is in view in vss. 16-17.
2. They like sin and approve of it (vs. 18) "If you see a thief, you are pleased with him and you keep company with adulterers."
This is proof that one doesn't know God at all; they love what God hates and they affirm what He rejects. You cannot love or like sin and love the Saviour at the same time. Whoever is a friend of this world is an enemy of God.
3. They use their mouth and their words continually, not for the glory of God, but as an instrument of evil. (vs. 19) "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit; you sit and speak against your brother and slander your own mother's son."
How one talks, and how they use their tongue is proof of their true spiritual condition. Anyone who continually uses their words to criticize, slander, deceive and destroy others, is not a person who knows God at all. The fruit of the lips is proof of the root condition of the heart.
4. The final thing God says about such people-- "You thought I was one like yourself."
People claim to be Christians and yet live a wicked life because they think God is no different than them. They believe in their heart He is not much better than them; perhaps a little better, but not much different really; so they use the Bible at times and claim to know God, yet all the while continue in all the detestable things that are an offense to the God they profess to believe in, when in reality, He is not like them at all.
God says, "What right do you have to quote my Bible or claim to be a Christian?" No right at all, unless it is clearly true about you. Only those who know, love, reverence, and obey Jesus have the right to use the Bible or claim the name of Christian.
- Mack Tomlinson
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Today God Can Meet with You at Church
We get used to going-- "going to church" is what it is called; the reality is, we, the church, are going to each other, to meet together. We gather to join again as one body, under the headship of Christ, to worship, pray, sing, hear the truths of the Bible, and build one another up in faith and love.
We get used to going week in and week out; it becomes a routine, almost a rut--the tendency is to get used to it.
But please don't! Don't get used to it. When we get used to it, we then have no heart and mind preparation, and we bring no heart with us to the church meeting; then we go without expectancy of God meeting with us personally.
So as you go today, stop and get some expectancy in your heart. Ask the Lord Jesus to meet with you today "at church"- at the meeting of His saints; He will do so for seeking and asking souls; when He does, we are changed by Him and we then love the meeting of the church even more.
Today God can meet with you at church; ask Him to, and then bring a hungry expectant heart there with you.
"I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go unto the house of the Lord'."
- Mack Tomlinson
We get used to going week in and week out; it becomes a routine, almost a rut--the tendency is to get used to it.
But please don't! Don't get used to it. When we get used to it, we then have no heart and mind preparation, and we bring no heart with us to the church meeting; then we go without expectancy of God meeting with us personally.
So as you go today, stop and get some expectancy in your heart. Ask the Lord Jesus to meet with you today "at church"- at the meeting of His saints; He will do so for seeking and asking souls; when He does, we are changed by Him and we then love the meeting of the church even more.
Today God can meet with you at church; ask Him to, and then bring a hungry expectant heart there with you.
"I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go unto the house of the Lord'."
- Mack Tomlinson
An Interview on Leonard Ravenhill's Life
After opening the link, click on Listen just under Inside Out 87: In Light of Eternity
http://www.fln.org/media/family-life-podcasts/detail/inside-out-87-in-light-of-eternity/
the Lord bless your day
Mack T.
http://www.fln.org/media/family-life-podcasts/detail/inside-out-87-in-light-of-eternity/
the Lord bless your day
Mack T.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Preaching and the Gospel
One is unlikely to assert that we are justified by our sanctification, but whether done intentionally or not, that is what happens when we allow the teaching of Christian living, ethical imperatives, and exhortations to holiness to be separated from the clear statement of the gospel.
We can preach our hearts out on texts about what we ought to be, what makes a mature church, or what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives. But if we do not constantly in every sermon show the link between the Spirit's work in us and Christ's work for us, then we will distort the message and send people away with a theology of salvation by works.
Preaching from the epistles demands of the preacher that the message of the document be taken as a whole, even if only a selection of texts or just one verse is expounded. Every sermon should be understandable on its own as a proclamation of Christ. It is no good to say that we dealt with the justification element three weeks ago and now we are following Paul into the imperatives and injunctions for Christian living. Paul wasn't anticipating a three week gap between his exposition of the gospel and his defining of the implications of the gospel in our lives. Nor was he anticipating that some people would not be present for the reading of the whole epistle and would hear part of its message out of context.
- Graeme Goldsworthy
We can preach our hearts out on texts about what we ought to be, what makes a mature church, or what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives. But if we do not constantly in every sermon show the link between the Spirit's work in us and Christ's work for us, then we will distort the message and send people away with a theology of salvation by works.
Preaching from the epistles demands of the preacher that the message of the document be taken as a whole, even if only a selection of texts or just one verse is expounded. Every sermon should be understandable on its own as a proclamation of Christ. It is no good to say that we dealt with the justification element three weeks ago and now we are following Paul into the imperatives and injunctions for Christian living. Paul wasn't anticipating a three week gap between his exposition of the gospel and his defining of the implications of the gospel in our lives. Nor was he anticipating that some people would not be present for the reading of the whole epistle and would hear part of its message out of context.
- Graeme Goldsworthy
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Remembering All the Way
Deuteronomy 8:2 - You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has ledyou in the wilderness these forty years…
April was 40 years for me, 40 years as a Christian, 40 years ago I as a sinner came to the Lord Jesus to be saved from hell and be led through earth to heaven. Forty years! Where did it go? What have I done with it? What could I have done differently? Here’s one thing – I could have kept a journal, a journal at least of answers to prayer, special insights from the Bible, and special ways in which the Lord led me. A journal would have helped me to remember.
Wisdom and insights in the knowledge of God are better than silver and gold, Psa 119.72, Pro 3.14, 8.19, 16.16. We don’t want to waste such riches by forgetting them. A father might reprove his child for being wasteful. Well, the heavenly Father does not appreciate us being wasteful of His precious provisions for us.
Matthew 16:9 Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?
Psa 78:42 They did not remember His power, the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.
But journal or not, countless things are remembered from the journey. What an adventure! What an experience. What blood has secured our escape from destruction, what power it was that brought us from sin’s bondage to glorious freedom as sons of God, what songs to sing, what hidden manna we have eaten, what a book has been our guide, what judgments we have seen, what giants have been routed, what powerful heavenly provisions, what companions are the saints of God, what sermons we have heard, what a blessed hope is ours, what a Leader is ours.
What a Savior! If we forgot some things, well, the Lord does not. All church history and the kindnesses of the Lord will be shown in the ages to come, Eph 2.7. A Great Documentary is coming and the Christian can rejoice greatly.
- Bob Jennings
April was 40 years for me, 40 years as a Christian, 40 years ago I as a sinner came to the Lord Jesus to be saved from hell and be led through earth to heaven. Forty years! Where did it go? What have I done with it? What could I have done differently? Here’s one thing – I could have kept a journal, a journal at least of answers to prayer, special insights from the Bible, and special ways in which the Lord led me. A journal would have helped me to remember.
Wisdom and insights in the knowledge of God are better than silver and gold, Psa 119.72, Pro 3.14, 8.19, 16.16. We don’t want to waste such riches by forgetting them. A father might reprove his child for being wasteful. Well, the heavenly Father does not appreciate us being wasteful of His precious provisions for us.
Matthew 16:9 Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?
Psa 78:42 They did not remember His power, the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.
But journal or not, countless things are remembered from the journey. What an adventure! What an experience. What blood has secured our escape from destruction, what power it was that brought us from sin’s bondage to glorious freedom as sons of God, what songs to sing, what hidden manna we have eaten, what a book has been our guide, what judgments we have seen, what giants have been routed, what powerful heavenly provisions, what companions are the saints of God, what sermons we have heard, what a blessed hope is ours, what a Leader is ours.
What a Savior! If we forgot some things, well, the Lord does not. All church history and the kindnesses of the Lord will be shown in the ages to come, Eph 2.7. A Great Documentary is coming and the Christian can rejoice greatly.
- Bob Jennings
Thursday, May 5, 2011
An Influential Sermon
"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance."- 2 Timothy 3:10
A holy life is a most influential sermon!
"You ought to live holy and godly lives!" 2 Peter 3:11
- James Smith
A holy life is a most influential sermon!
"You ought to live holy and godly lives!" 2 Peter 3:11
- James Smith
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Bible Doctrine Note
It is a sad day indeed when Bible doctrine is heeded about as much as a flight attendant giving instructions about flotation devices.
- Doug Sangster
- Doug Sangster
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Trinity and the Error of Modalism
The Bible teaches that God is one God in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This teaching is commonly known as the Trinity - meaning that God is a "tri-unity" or "three-in-one." Now let me make it clear that Christians do not believe in three Gods. Nor does the Bible teach that God is one person who appears in three different forms or modes, which is an error sometimes known as modalism or Oneness Pentecostalism. Though the concept that God is one God in three distinct persons may be difficult for us to grasp, it is what Scripture clearly teaches.
The Bible teaches that God is one:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4)
For I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22)
The Bible clearly teaches that there are not three Gods, but one true God. However, Scripture also teaches that there are a plurality of persons in the Godhead.
God the Father is:
God - Phil 1:2
Creator - Gen 1:1
Eternal - Psalm 90:2
God the Son is:
God - John 1:1; Romans 9:5; Col 2:9; Tit 2:13; Heb. 1:5-13
Creator - Col 1:16
Eternal - John 8:58; (cf. Ex 3:14)
God the Holy Spirit is:
God - Acts 5:3-4
Creator - Job 33:4; Job 26:13
Eternal - Heb 9:14
This teaching that all three persons in the triune Godhead are One God but three distinct persons, is seen throughout Scripture:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
We are told here that Jesus Christ - the Word of God - was “with God” in the beginning. If I said, “I am with my wife,” you would not think I was saying that “I am my wife." In the same way, we can clearly see a distinction in John 1:1 between the Father and the Son. However, John also tells us that the Word “was God," so clearly He is the same God while at the same time being a distinct and separate person.
Another text illustrating this truth is Zechariah 12:10.
I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Zechariah speaks here of a time when God will pour out His Spirit, showing that the Spirit of God is a distinct entity. Some cult groups have claimed that the Holy Spirit is not a person but “God’s active force." However, we can see from other verses that God the Holy Spirit has every aspect of a person:
The Spirit loves (Rom 15:30); He is someone you can have fellowship with (2 Cor 13:14); He speaks (Acts 8:29); He can be lied to (Acts 5:3); He can be grieved (Eph 5:30). Clearly these are not attributes of an impersonal force, but of a person.
Notice also in Zechariah 12:10 that God says, “they will look on Me whom they have pierced." God says it is He who will be pierced on the cross, and then in the next part of the verse He speaks of the one on the cross as somehow different from Him: “and they will mourn for Him.” As in John 1:1, we see here a distinction of persons within the united Godhead.
The Error of Modalism
A common error and false teaching regarding the Godhead is modalism. Also known as Oneness Pentecostalism, modalism is a heresy which wrongly teaches that God is one person that puts on three different "masks." In other words, the modalist believes that God is one single person that has manifested Himself in three different modes or roles.
Those who adhere to this false doctrine believe that in the Old Testament God appeared as the Father, then in the ministry of Jesus God appeared as the Son, and then after Jesus' ascension God now operates as the Holy Spirit. This is a denial of the Trinity because it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture that God is one God in three persons, claiming instead that God is only one person playing three different roles. However, Scripture clearly teaches that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not simply three modes; they are not three masks worn by one person, but they are clearly three distinct persons in one united God.
One helpful verse on this is Matthew 26:39.
And going a little farther [Jesus] fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
In order to hold to the false notion that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all the same person, not only do you have to say that Jesus was praying to himself here, but you have to completely ignore the last part of the verse where Jesus says, “not as I will, but as you will.” This phrase clearly teaches that the Father and the Son have two different wills. They are One God - as Jesus said, "I and the Father are One" (John 10:30) - but they are two distinct persons in the Godhead, each with His own will.
Another text refuting modalism is Matthew 3:16-17, which recounts the baptism of Jesus.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Here we can see all three members of the Godhead acting as distinct persons. It would be ludicrous to suggest that Jesus was somehow acting as a ventriloquist here, making a voice sound from Heaven!
And the text immediately after Jesus' baptism is instructive as well:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1)
Are we supposed to believe, as the modalist claims, that this verse is teaching that Jesus led Himself into the wilderness? Or is the Holy Spirit another person in the Godhead who led Jesus into the wilderness?
So we can see from the above verses (and there are many more) that modalism, or Oneness Theology, is in direct opposition to what Scripture teaches. This denial of the triune Godhead not only results in the worshiping of a God who is different from the God of the Bible (i.e., idolatry), but it also leads to a works-based salvation. Within various groups the works added to salvation may be different, but some examples include: that baptism by full immersion is necessary for salvation; that baptism is invalid unless performed in the name of the Lord Jesus only; and that speaking in tongues is the only sure evidence of salvation.
In response, it should be noted that even though baptism is important and the obedient thing for a believer to do, it is not a work needed to get someone into heaven. The thief on the cross was never baptized. Secondly, the claim that baptism is invalid unless performed only in the name of the Lord Jesus contradicts the teaching of Jesus Himself in Matthew 28:19, where He commands His followers to baptize disciples "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Lastly, the claim that speaking in tongues is the only sure evidence of salvation contradicts John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It is not “whoever speaks in tongues” but "whoever believes" that is assured of salvation. In addition, 1John 5:13 tells us that the book of 1 John was written so that those who profess to believe in Christ can test that their faith is real, and therefore have Biblical assurance of salvation. However, there is no mention of speaking in tongues in 1 John, proving that speaking in tongues is not a Biblical evidence for salvation.
To deny the Trinity is to not worship the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself. Though the concept that the God of the Bible is one God in three distinct persons may be difficult for us to grasp, it is nevertheless what Scripture plainly teaches. To know this God is to have eternal life (John 17:3); to deny Him is to remain dead in sin (John 8:24).
- Kevin Williams and Garrett Holthaus
The Bible teaches that God is one:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4)
For I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22)
The Bible clearly teaches that there are not three Gods, but one true God. However, Scripture also teaches that there are a plurality of persons in the Godhead.
God the Father is:
God - Phil 1:2
Creator - Gen 1:1
Eternal - Psalm 90:2
God the Son is:
God - John 1:1; Romans 9:5; Col 2:9; Tit 2:13; Heb. 1:5-13
Creator - Col 1:16
Eternal - John 8:58; (cf. Ex 3:14)
God the Holy Spirit is:
God - Acts 5:3-4
Creator - Job 33:4; Job 26:13
Eternal - Heb 9:14
This teaching that all three persons in the triune Godhead are One God but three distinct persons, is seen throughout Scripture:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
We are told here that Jesus Christ - the Word of God - was “with God” in the beginning. If I said, “I am with my wife,” you would not think I was saying that “I am my wife." In the same way, we can clearly see a distinction in John 1:1 between the Father and the Son. However, John also tells us that the Word “was God," so clearly He is the same God while at the same time being a distinct and separate person.
Another text illustrating this truth is Zechariah 12:10.
I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Zechariah speaks here of a time when God will pour out His Spirit, showing that the Spirit of God is a distinct entity. Some cult groups have claimed that the Holy Spirit is not a person but “God’s active force." However, we can see from other verses that God the Holy Spirit has every aspect of a person:
The Spirit loves (Rom 15:30); He is someone you can have fellowship with (2 Cor 13:14); He speaks (Acts 8:29); He can be lied to (Acts 5:3); He can be grieved (Eph 5:30). Clearly these are not attributes of an impersonal force, but of a person.
Notice also in Zechariah 12:10 that God says, “they will look on Me whom they have pierced." God says it is He who will be pierced on the cross, and then in the next part of the verse He speaks of the one on the cross as somehow different from Him: “and they will mourn for Him.” As in John 1:1, we see here a distinction of persons within the united Godhead.
The Error of Modalism
A common error and false teaching regarding the Godhead is modalism. Also known as Oneness Pentecostalism, modalism is a heresy which wrongly teaches that God is one person that puts on three different "masks." In other words, the modalist believes that God is one single person that has manifested Himself in three different modes or roles.
Those who adhere to this false doctrine believe that in the Old Testament God appeared as the Father, then in the ministry of Jesus God appeared as the Son, and then after Jesus' ascension God now operates as the Holy Spirit. This is a denial of the Trinity because it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture that God is one God in three persons, claiming instead that God is only one person playing three different roles. However, Scripture clearly teaches that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not simply three modes; they are not three masks worn by one person, but they are clearly three distinct persons in one united God.
One helpful verse on this is Matthew 26:39.
And going a little farther [Jesus] fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
In order to hold to the false notion that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all the same person, not only do you have to say that Jesus was praying to himself here, but you have to completely ignore the last part of the verse where Jesus says, “not as I will, but as you will.” This phrase clearly teaches that the Father and the Son have two different wills. They are One God - as Jesus said, "I and the Father are One" (John 10:30) - but they are two distinct persons in the Godhead, each with His own will.
Another text refuting modalism is Matthew 3:16-17, which recounts the baptism of Jesus.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Here we can see all three members of the Godhead acting as distinct persons. It would be ludicrous to suggest that Jesus was somehow acting as a ventriloquist here, making a voice sound from Heaven!
And the text immediately after Jesus' baptism is instructive as well:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1)
Are we supposed to believe, as the modalist claims, that this verse is teaching that Jesus led Himself into the wilderness? Or is the Holy Spirit another person in the Godhead who led Jesus into the wilderness?
So we can see from the above verses (and there are many more) that modalism, or Oneness Theology, is in direct opposition to what Scripture teaches. This denial of the triune Godhead not only results in the worshiping of a God who is different from the God of the Bible (i.e., idolatry), but it also leads to a works-based salvation. Within various groups the works added to salvation may be different, but some examples include: that baptism by full immersion is necessary for salvation; that baptism is invalid unless performed in the name of the Lord Jesus only; and that speaking in tongues is the only sure evidence of salvation.
In response, it should be noted that even though baptism is important and the obedient thing for a believer to do, it is not a work needed to get someone into heaven. The thief on the cross was never baptized. Secondly, the claim that baptism is invalid unless performed only in the name of the Lord Jesus contradicts the teaching of Jesus Himself in Matthew 28:19, where He commands His followers to baptize disciples "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Lastly, the claim that speaking in tongues is the only sure evidence of salvation contradicts John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It is not “whoever speaks in tongues” but "whoever believes" that is assured of salvation. In addition, 1John 5:13 tells us that the book of 1 John was written so that those who profess to believe in Christ can test that their faith is real, and therefore have Biblical assurance of salvation. However, there is no mention of speaking in tongues in 1 John, proving that speaking in tongues is not a Biblical evidence for salvation.
To deny the Trinity is to not worship the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself. Though the concept that the God of the Bible is one God in three distinct persons may be difficult for us to grasp, it is nevertheless what Scripture plainly teaches. To know this God is to have eternal life (John 17:3); to deny Him is to remain dead in sin (John 8:24).
- Kevin Williams and Garrett Holthaus
Friday, April 22, 2011
Moody Stuart’s Six Exhortations
1. Never neglect daily private prayer; and when you pray, remember that God is present, and that he hears your prayers. (Hebrews 11:6)
2. Never neglect daily private Bible-reading and, when you read, remember that God is speaking to you and that you are to believe and act upon what he says. I believe all backsliding begins with the neglect of these two rules. (John 5:39)
3. Never let a day pass without trying to do something for Jesus. Every night reflect on what Jesus has done for you, and then ask yourself, "What am I doing for him?" (Matthew 5:13-16)
4. If you are in doubt as to a thing being right or wrong, go to your room and kneel down and ask God’s blessing upon it. (Colossians 3:17) If you cannot do this, it is wrong. (Romans 14:23)
5. Never take your Christianity from Christians, or argue that because such and such people do so and so, that therefore you may. (2 Corinthians 10:12) You are to ask yourself, “How would Christ act in my place?” and strive to follow him. (John 10:27)
6. Never believe what you feel, if it contradicts God’s Word. Ask yourself, “Can what I feel be true if God’s Word is true?” If both cannot be true, believe God, and make your own heart the liar. (Romans 3:4; 1John 5:10-11)
- Geoff Thomas
2. Never neglect daily private Bible-reading and, when you read, remember that God is speaking to you and that you are to believe and act upon what he says. I believe all backsliding begins with the neglect of these two rules. (John 5:39)
3. Never let a day pass without trying to do something for Jesus. Every night reflect on what Jesus has done for you, and then ask yourself, "What am I doing for him?" (Matthew 5:13-16)
4. If you are in doubt as to a thing being right or wrong, go to your room and kneel down and ask God’s blessing upon it. (Colossians 3:17) If you cannot do this, it is wrong. (Romans 14:23)
5. Never take your Christianity from Christians, or argue that because such and such people do so and so, that therefore you may. (2 Corinthians 10:12) You are to ask yourself, “How would Christ act in my place?” and strive to follow him. (John 10:27)
6. Never believe what you feel, if it contradicts God’s Word. Ask yourself, “Can what I feel be true if God’s Word is true?” If both cannot be true, believe God, and make your own heart the liar. (Romans 3:4; 1John 5:10-11)
- Geoff Thomas
Monday, April 18, 2011
Great Difficulties
When God is about to perform any great work, He generally permits some great opposition to it. Suppose Pharaoh had acquiesced in the departure of the children of Israel, or that they had met with no difficulties in the way. They would indeed, have passed from Egypt into Canaan with ease, but they, as well as the church in all future ages, would have been great losers. The wonder-working God would not have been in those extremities, which make His arm so visible. A smooth passage here would have made but a poor story.
- John Newton
- John Newton
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Common Temptation
It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer.
The truth is that in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.
- George Mueller
The truth is that in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.
- George Mueller
Grace is not a Thing
In the Christian life we can easily find ourselves using jargon without knowing what we're really saying. What exactly is "grace"?
It is legitimate to speak of "receiving grace," and sometimes (although I am somewhat cautious about the possibility of misuing this langauge) we speak of the preaching of the Word, prayer, baptism, and the Lord's Supper as "means of grace." That is fine, so long as we remember that there isn't a thing, a substance, or a "quasi-substance" called "grace." All there is is the person of the Lord Jesus — "Christ clothed in the gospel," as John Calvin loved to put it. Grace is the grace of Jesus.
If I can highlight the thought here: there is no "thing" that Jesus takes from Himself and then, as it were, hands over to me. There is only Jesus Himself. Grasping that thought can make a signficant difference to a Christian's life. So while some poeple might think this is just splitting hairs about different ways of saying the same thing, it can make a vital difference. It is not a thing that was crucified to give us a thing called grace. It was the person of the Lord Jesus that was crucified in order that He might give Himself to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- Sinclair Ferguson
It is legitimate to speak of "receiving grace," and sometimes (although I am somewhat cautious about the possibility of misuing this langauge) we speak of the preaching of the Word, prayer, baptism, and the Lord's Supper as "means of grace." That is fine, so long as we remember that there isn't a thing, a substance, or a "quasi-substance" called "grace." All there is is the person of the Lord Jesus — "Christ clothed in the gospel," as John Calvin loved to put it. Grace is the grace of Jesus.
If I can highlight the thought here: there is no "thing" that Jesus takes from Himself and then, as it were, hands over to me. There is only Jesus Himself. Grasping that thought can make a signficant difference to a Christian's life. So while some poeple might think this is just splitting hairs about different ways of saying the same thing, it can make a vital difference. It is not a thing that was crucified to give us a thing called grace. It was the person of the Lord Jesus that was crucified in order that He might give Himself to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- Sinclair Ferguson
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Authority of Christ
The fundamental basis of all Christian missionary enterprise is the universal authority of Jesus Christ, “in heaven and on earth.” If the authority of Jesus were circumscribed on earth, if He were but one of many religious teachers, one of many Jewish prophets, and one of many divine incarnations, then we would have no mandate to present Him to the nations as the Lord and Savior of the world.
If the authority of Jesus were limited in heaven, if He has not decisively overthrown the principalities and powers, we might still proclaim Him to the nations, but we would never be able to “turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18). Only because all authority on earth belongs to Christ do we dare go to all nations. And only because all authority in heaven as well is His do we have any hope of success.
- John Stott
If the authority of Jesus were limited in heaven, if He has not decisively overthrown the principalities and powers, we might still proclaim Him to the nations, but we would never be able to “turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18). Only because all authority on earth belongs to Christ do we dare go to all nations. And only because all authority in heaven as well is His do we have any hope of success.
- John Stott
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