Be a Light Without Fear

My fellow brothers and sisters, we need to get over our fear of being called bigots, intolerant, or racists, and make it perfectly clear to both church and society that no Christian can truly follow Christ and endorse self-harm (as in gender reassignment surgery) and same-sex relationships. We cannot show a godly love for our neighbor if our silence is interpreted as submission to Satan's objective of destroying God's temple. Let me repeat, it is better to be accused of being harsh than it is to tell lies with hushed tons of compassion, love, care, and thoughtfulness.

Erwin W. Lutzer, The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness, pg.213

The Lord Needs Bulldozers

Brethren, the time has come, once again, for the Church and her preachers to take heart and play the part of men in the face of the world’s whirling winds.  We will need the steadfastness of John.  Congregations need pastors who will dare to preach to them, not merely opine.  Pastors who, like John, will look their people in the eyes and tell them the truth about sin, faith, death, sex, marriage, faithfulness, virtue, and truth; who will call sin “sin,” and point sinners to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away their sins; the Lamb hidden for them to eat in the bread and the chalice.  We need the ministry of John, that the Church dare to stand apart from the world for the sake of the world; to look, speak, and act differently from every other place in the world for the sake of engaging the world with a Gospel not of this world.  We all need Pastor John’s preaching in our lives, to bulldoze our idols and make plain to us our priorities.  To call us out into the wilderness to repent and believe our Baptism.  To give us a joy for which we will gladly lose our heads.

Joshua Hayes,  Gottensdienst 24.4

“Stolen” from Steve Bricker.

Lies You Might Believe

The pastor at our assembly just finished a series of messages he titled, “Lies You Might Believe.”  These are lies you typically hear from non-believers who try to denigrate the Christian faith, OR from false teachers who have an agenda, OR from those who really don’t understand what Scripture says.

These messages have some good apologetics information for defending against these lies.  Here are the lies examined by the individual messages:

God Does Not Mean What He Said

We All Worship the Same God

Everyone Is a Child of God

People Are Basically Good

A Loving God Could Not Send Anyone to Hell

You Are Saved By Praying a Prayer

When You Die, God Gains Another Angel

Believe in Yourself and Anything Is Possible

I Deserve to Be Happy

We Should Never Judge

To listen to these messages, go to the sermon topic and use the drop-down window to select the individual message.  You’ll be glad you did.

“Negative” Teaching is Fine

Many, alas, seem to object in these days to negative teaching.  “Let us have positive teaching,” they say.  “You need not criticize other views.”  But our Lord definitely did criticize the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Studies in the Sermon on the Mount,” volume 1, p.181

The World is Our Enemy

The world is the enemy of the Christian.  You do not go out of it, but you must not spend too much time in it.  If you spend too much of your time in a worldly atmosphere you will find that the edge of your spiritual life will become dulled.  There is nothing wrong inherently in looking at television or listening to the radio, but if you spend too much time in doing so, it is certain that you will not be able to pray so well, and you will lose your fast for the Scriptures.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20,” pg.146

Are You a Slack Christian?

The slack Christian is always a miserable Christian — grumbling and complaining, asking why this and why that.  The answer to that is to take more exercise, exercise your senses on the Word, come and listen to the exposition of the Word, avail yourself of every opportunity of doing so.

But look at it in this way also:  Are you able to help others and to teach others?  If not, the reason may well be that you only attend a place of worship once on a Sunday or perhaps still more infrequently.  You imagine that is enough.  But if so, why do you fail, why are you not successful in helping others?  You need all the help you can be given, especially “as you see the day approaching.”  And “the day” is approaching, and it behoves us to take advantage of everything that God has provided for us.  The fellowship of the saints is one of the things that God has provided; so let us make full use of it.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20,” pg.90-91

Learn THEN Evangelize

People seem to think that nothing matters but evangelism, and so the Church herself becomes weaker instead of stronger.  The way to evangelize, ultimately, is to build up the Church.  If every member of the Christian Church were adult, were strong, were able to take strong meat, and to teach others, you would find that the world would be evangelized in a way we have never known.  It is you and I who are to do this.  We are not to sit back in crowds and let one or two do everything.  We are all meant to be teachers, every one of us; and in this is the way in which we become teachers.  Never was there such an opportunity for the individual Christian as there is at this moment.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20,” pg.89-90

Study and Know the Scripture

There is no doubt but that the most unhappy and discouraged Christians today are those who do not exercise their senses with respect to this Word of God.  We cannot live on snippets in the spiritual realm  We have to get down to these profound truths of the Scripture; we have to make time to read them and to read books about them.  The trouble today, as it has been for so many years, is that Christian people have not been reading their Scriptures, not troubling to understand them.  They say, “Oh, I am too busy, I have too many things to do, and life is very harassing at the present time.”   But our forefathers, who worked much harder, and for much longer hours, and for much smaller wages, found the time.  Those men used to read their Scriptures and study them  They generally bought a Bible which had a commentary at the bottom of each page, and they studied it and spent time with it.  They also read other books which helped them to understand the Scriptures.  They were “exercising their senses”; and that is what made them strong.  That was the secret of the Protestant martyrs.  It was the secret likewise of the Covenanters in Scotland in the seventeenth century.  Those men were strong because they knew their Scriptures, and they knew the truth of the Scriptures.  They had exercised their senses.  They gave time to the exercise; they lived by the Word.  And thus they ceased to be babes and became mighty, strong men.

You and I must behave in a like manner.  There is no substitute for that.  We do not sit back and “just look at Jesus” to do it all for us.  That is false doctrine: I do not hesitate to use such a term.  We must exercise our senses, and we must build ourselves up in our most holy faith.  It will not happen to us automatically; there are no short-cuts in the Christian life.  If you want to build yourself up, exercise yourself in the Scriptures.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20,” pg.88-89

Your “Old Man” Is Dead!

What the Apostle [Paul] is saying is this: if you are a Christian, if you have been born again, the you that you were is dead; it is gone.  That “old man” died with Christ upon the cross on Calvary’s hill; it was “crucified with him.”  Now Romans 6:6 and the following verses are not an appeal to us to die with Christ (there is no more tragic misinterpretation of Scripture than that); they are telling us that we have already done so.  There are those who say, “Ah well, you believe that Christ died for you?  Now you must die with him.”  You cannot do that.  As Romans 6:6 tells us, you have died with him, you were “crucified with him.”  He does not tell you to die.  If you are in Christ you have already died with him; the “old man” is already dead.

Now let us be clear about this.  it does not mean that the old nature is dead; it is “the old man” that was crucified with Christ.  There are relics and remnants of the old nature still left in us.  That is why Paul has to tell us, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (6:12).  It is there, but do not let it reign.  Why? Because you are dead.  You once were one, but you are now two as it were; you are a “new man.”  You are aware of the old nature in you, but you know for certain that as a being you are no longer what you were born as.

Is this clear to you?  This is what gives you an assurance that you are a Christian.  You are imperfect still, you sin still, you fail still.  There are many things about you that are wrong, but you know that the man you once were is dead; you are not that man.  You are not a perfect man yet in Christ, but you are not that “old man.”  The old man has died; he has been crucified and buried with Christ.  You no longer belong to the world; you are no longer under the dominion of sin and Satan.  Oh, the apostle Paul has again summed it up by saying, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.216-217

True Joy vs Counterfeit Joy

The sort of Christian who looks back to his conversion constantly and who is always talking about that seems to me to be utterly unscriptural.  The Christian life is a life that grows and develops and becomes more wonderful as you go on.  People say, “Oh, that I might have again that first flush of joy.”  My dear friend, if your joy is not greater now than when you first believed there is something radically wrong with you.  We need to be taught that “tribulation works patience” and that patience works experience and that experience leads to hope.  “Hope maketh not ashamed”; of course not!  So the rejoicing that Christians know, the joy of men and women who are children of God, is a rejoicing that never fails them.  And that is how to differentiate between the true and the counterfeit.  There are people who have a manufactured joy that can be worked up.  Psychologists in public meetings often know how to do this, and they work people up with hymns and choruses and various other forms of manipulation, and people think they are filled with this joy.

But I can tell you how to discover the difference between the true and the false: false joy goes out the window the moment you are in trouble.  It is a fair-weather friend.  When the tribulations come, when the trials come, you are utterly cast down, your joy is gone, all your happiness has disappeared, and you are grumbling and complaining and wonder why God is dealing with you like this.  You have a false joy.  A true joy is the joy of the child of God who rejoices in tribulations, in the midst of them, in the depths or the height of them.  “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice,” whatever the circumstances and the conditions.  This is a valuable test: knowing that when everything has gone against you, you still have a spirit of rejoicing within you.  This joy is in Christ, of course.  It is not vague and general.  The test of whether we are true Christians or not is this: we “worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil.3:3).  The true Christian says, “In the cross of Christ I glory,” in the words of an old hymn. Paul says, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal.6:14).  So whatever your circumstances are, however great the tribulation, you go on rejoicing, because you are rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ, in his cross, in everything that appertains to him.  And that is a joy that is “unspeakable and full of glory.”  It is a joy, if I may borrow the words of Wordsworth and lift them up into infinity, that is “too deep for tears.”  That is the joy we are describing.  The joy of rejoicing.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Experiencing the New Birth: Studies in John 3,” pg.207-208

Are You A Man of God?

I know quite a few Christian men who wouldn't think twice about picking up a baseball bat to protect their families from a dangerous intruder who had broken into their homes.  Sadly, not too many of them are willing to pick up the Sword of the Spirit to protect their wives and children.

Gentlemen, how about becoming the spiritual leaders of your households, if you have been remiss in that responsibility?  There is nothing you can do for your wives and children that will bless them more than your becoming true men of God.  Family prayer and the study of God's Word with one another are essential.  With God's help, make these your discipline this year and the years ahead until Jesus comes!

T.A. McMahon, "TBC Notes," The Berean Call, January 2011.

The Right Path

Which Path Will You Choose
by Dr. J. Vernon McGee

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:18, 19)

There are two ways that are set in contrast. One is the way in which the righteous go. There is another way, the way the lawless go. It is a way of darkness. It reminds us of the broad way that our Lord described, which I believe has been misunderstood.

I can remember when I was a boy that we would be taught about the broad way and the narrow way. Now if they had asked me which way I wanted to go, I would have said immediately, “I think you could have a lot more fun on the broad way.” Unfortunately, I think that is the impression most often given. However, that is not accurate at all. The picture is altogether different.

The broad way is a wide one today. That is where the mob is. The crowd is having a “vanity fair” down that way all the time. The carnival is going on. Down there is the place where they indulge the flesh, and they call it the way of liberty. We hear today that we are living in a new age in which we can do as we please. That is certainly a broad way – that is, at the entrance. But notice that this broad way gets narrower and narrower and narrower. The way of the lawless is the dark way. “The way of the wicked is as darkness.” There are the bright lights at the entrance, but down a little farther there are no lights. The people don’t even know what they are stumbling over. That is the broad way that the Lord Jesus described. It is just like going in at the big end of a funnel and then finding that it gets narrower and narrower until finally it ends in destruction.

In contrast, the narrow way is very narrow at the entrance. The Lord Jesus said, “… I am the way …” (John 14:6, italics mine). It is so narrow that it is limited to one Person: Christ. No one can come to the Father but through Him. You just can’t find a way any narrower than that. Peter said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9). The entrance is narrow, but after the entrance the way gets wider and wider, leading to an abundant life here and on into the light of heaven itself. My friend, we need to enter into the narrow end of the funnel, and that end is labeled, The Lord Jesus Christ.

HT: Lighthouse Trails Research Ministry

Some Recommended Reading

I have come across a few articles in the past few weeks which I think are very good - good enough to recommend to my readers as articles worth your while.

Let’s start with this one from Steve Bricker at “What Accords With Sound Doctrine.”  Using teachings from Tertullian, Steve examines a result of not properly understanding Scripture - a type of idolatry caused by bringing insult or disgrace to God.  And just how do Christians do this?  “The desire to enter into the world's realm in order to befriend their worldview and customs for the sake of the gospel is not what the apostle Paul intended when he said ‘I become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some’ (1 Cor 9:22).”  Yet too often Christians believe this is necessary, and actually bring condemnation on the faith.  Steve also points out that even our speech can bring disgrace upon our Lord. 

One of my favorite blogs is one I found fairly recently.  Posted by Jon Gleason over in Scotland, Mine Renewers is well-worth following.  The particular article I want to direct you to is about why words matter when it comes to discussing “having sex.”

John Piper is a man I don’t give blanket recommendations for.  Although he has some excellent teachings, he has especially in more recent years tended to come up with some really questionable stuff, such as praying that God would help in the selection of a new Pope, endorsing the Passion 2013 conference, supporting a contemplative/emergent author, teaching Lectio Divina, and claims of direct revelation from God. So one has to be very careful with Piper’s teachings (especially if you are a non-Calvinist because he is a 5-pointer).  That being said, he had an excellent article about what should happen if someone in a same-sex fake marriage repents.

Finally, Kevin DeYoung has a good, short article with responses to some of the more common arguments defending homosexuality against the Christian faith and the Bible.

The Valley of Vision

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; 

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up, 

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to posses all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow, 

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty, 

thy glory in my valley.

Arthur Bennett, Introduction to “The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.”

Seek God As He Is

As the sailor locates his position on the sea by ‘shooting’ the sun, so we may get our moral bearings by looking at God.  We must begin with God.  We are right when, and only when, we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position.

Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly.  We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image.  The flesh whimpers against the rigor of God’s inexorable sentence and begs like Agag for a little mercy, a little indulgence of its carnal ways.  It is no use.  We can get a right start only by accepting God as He is and learning to love Him for what He is.

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p.95

Doing Theology

Though defending the faith is important, I consider it secondary compared to knowing the things of God, putting that knowledge in the heart, and rendering to God glory by expressing that knowledge in worship and lifestyle. This, I am convinced, is the goal of theology. We read in Scripture that the early Christians “were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer” (Acts 2:42). They were doing theology. Again, doing theology involves studying about God and expressing in our lives what we learn.

Stephen Tsoukalas, Christian Faith 101: The Basics and Beyond, pg. xiv, italic in the original.

Encouragement

Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!

-- John Wesley (1703-1791)

HT: The Berean Call

Test All Teaching

We must constantly test all teaching and all tradition by the Word of God, obeying what is of God and rejecting what is of men.  At first a man may teach and preach a clear, scriptural message, gaining acceptance among Bible-believing people.  Having gained this acceptance, he begins to add some human teaching.  His devoted followers who have come to feel that he can do no wrong follow him blindly, even if his message blunts the sharp edge of the Word or waters down its clear meaning.

William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, Mark 7:20-23.

Nothing in Competition with the Lord

See to it therefore that there be nothing that stands in any competition with God in your esteem. Value Him more than all riches. Value His honor and glory more than all the world. Be ready at all times to part with all things else and cleave to God.  

Let God be your peculiar friend. Value His friendship more than the respect and love of all the world. When you lose other enjoyments, when you lose earthly friends, let this be a supporting, satisfying comfort to you, that you have God left. You haven't lost God.

--Jonathan Edwards, "Christians a Chosen Generation," in Sermons and Discourses, 1730-1733, ed. Mark Valeri (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1999), 318.  (Via The Berean Call 10/4/11 e-mail.)

Faith vs Reason

Actually, there should be no conflict between faith and reason, if only each enduement functions appropriately.  Reason is a gift of God, the crown of manhood and the principle in man to which God Himself appeals (Isaiah 1:18). Faith is also a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).  So when he endowed man with these dual qualities, He never meant there to be any inherent antagonism between them.  They were designed to co-operate and be mutually helpful, but sin has separated them.  Reason is the eye of the soul, and faith is the eye of the spirit.  “Faith which is irrational is irreligious: reason which is unbelieving is illogical.”

Faith does not contradict reason, but rises superior to it.  What reason cannot understand, faith accepts.  Faith is not subject to reason, seeing it rises into the realms of the unseen where reason cannot follow.  Man, with all his God-given reasoning powers, cannot find God out, but faith accepts Him as a living, bright reality.  Faith trusts God where reason cannot trace Him.  Reason argues from things seen that there must be an unseen realm.  Faith enters that unseen world and endures as seeing Him who is invisible.  The Christian walks by faith, not by sight (Colossians 2:16; II Corinthians 5:7).  “Sight” here means form, external appearance, and is the opposite of faith (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 6:24,25), by which “we know,” and “we have” (II Corinthians 5:1).  “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believe.” (John 20:29).  Reason may ratify the conclusions of faith, but it cannot override them. ...

Faith, then, rises into the sphere where God is all and in all and in which He moves and rules without limitation of godless reasoning.  Reason is full of “whys” and “wherefores.”  Faith, on the other hand, asks no questions.  It takes God at His Word.  In the realm of truth it is not what do reason and experience say, but what does God say, that counts, and faith rests in the assurance that there is nothing too hard for Him.

Herbert Lockyer, All the Doctrines of the Bible, p. 197