Christianity

The Righteous Judge

/ Tim A. / 4 Comments

The Righteous Judge

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV).

Many of the false prophets and teachers are those who are relying upon their “good deeds” to get them into presence and pleasure of God. They believe that by their many deeds they surely will be allowed into God’s house. They have, according to them, healed the sick, cast out devils, and preached in His name; why shouldn’t God allow them in?

The reason they will not get in is because they are not known by the Savior. Someone is going to say because of this statement, “I thought God was omniscient.” He is. God does not know them in the sense of salvation. He has not declared them to be righteous/just. They have, in many cases, gone around doing good all their lives, but have spent that time relishing in the praises and accolades of the crowds they have preached to and performed before, and in fact neither do they know Him.

They are in fact self-deceived people. Because of a “Prayer of decision”, led by someone else, and false assurances given from men, and not from the Word of God they go from the church “altar” thinking all is well and there has never been any change made in their lives toward God, grace, and salvation. They fail to examine their own lives – “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV). Some may go on into religious activity, but there is no joy, peace, love for God or others; but duty alone to please God, and so their activity is their means of obtaining God’s pleasure; which will ultimately be to no avail. They are sometimes ones who believe that God surely must have a set of scales and will weigh the good on one side, and the bad on the other, and they just know that the good will outweigh the bad. Thus, we have God owing them a debt.

Many will speak of Jesus and of God. There are many who speak of Christianity, but know not the Christ. They speak vain words. Even the word Jesus Christ becomes only a means of “Fire Insurance” rather than a personal Savior to know, love, cherish and worship. The Righteous Judge: who is Jesus Himself will say to those who do not know Him and are not known by Him; “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity”.

Notice, that He attributes what they have deemed as good works, as iniquity.

Don’t Be Found Out

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Has anyone ever stopped to think about the foolishness of idolatry. That is the desire for things, the greed for wealth, the lust for power, and/or the opposite sex. That is, afterall, what idolatry is all about.

We live in an era not dissimilar from Jeremiah’s. The people were living in basic comfort, secure in their wealth, and easy lives. Though, ours is plagued somewhat with fear of terrorism we still go about doing whatever we please; paying the exhorbitant prices for gasoline, and everything going up due to that; yet we purchase, or at least those who can do. Power for more of the things desired.

Hear the word of the LORD through the prophet Jeremiah:

“As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, so is the house of Israel ashamed; They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets, Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You have birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’ But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah.” Jeremiah 2:26-28 (NKJV).

It seems quite clear that the people of Judah have been caught in the practice of idolatry, worshipping other gods, which are not gods at all, but more burdens for the people to carry. Have you ever notice the junk that we in our society build up and keep in closets, garages, security vaults, magazine racks, and how valuless they really are?

In the prophet Jeremiah’s day they were here being accused of having wood idols, and giving it praise for being their father. Also of telling one made of stone that was their mother. In the worship of other gods, they turned their back on God, denying Him as their birthparent as a nation. By turning their back and not their faces we find a great hypocrisy.

The hypocrisy is that while everything is going good, life is easy and comfortable, they really have no care to remember God, His holy days, nor His Law or His Word. However, when they start hearing about an enemy, or having some other troubles they begin to cry out to the true God for help. God, the LORD, says to that, “Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble;” It is like He is saying to them you have plenty of gods you love and adore more than Me, “Let them help you”. The prophet continues by saying, “For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah.” You would think that the more gods the better. Right? Wrong.

The one true God is sufficient to meet our every need. In fact there is no other god but the LORD God. The one who loves us enough to send His Son to die in our place.

We continue now to the next two verses:

“Why will you plead with Me? You all have transgressed against Me,’ says the LORD. ‘In vain I have chastened your children; They received no correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.'” Jeremiah 2:29-30 (NKJV).

At times when people face catastrophe they tend to recognize that God does exist. When things ease off, and start getting back to normal it is back to the worship of things,getting those desires met, achieving those personal goals at the cost of life, limb, or friendships, or spouses and family. When this happens, some of it is genuine, and some is not. The one’s who are genuine will continue being faithful when the things start being good again. They will hear the voice of the LORD and will obey Him. They do not turn away.

These are the ones whom the LORD will bless. These are the ones whom the LORD has genuinely saved.

These “two faced” people are about as dependable as a flat tire, and no rim with it. The correction of the LORD does no good, accomplishes nothing, and they hate the prophets who tell them the truth for the saving of their souls.

Don’t turn your back on God. Don’t be a two faced individual who worships God on Sunday, then, through the rest of the week no one will ever no any difference from watching your life, hearing your dirty words, and dirty jokes. When you have given your life to the LORD your life changes, for His glory and your good. You will love the Law, the History of His people, the Wisdom of the sages, and the prophets; both the Major and Minor prophets. You will love God’s Word.

Why I Preach Expositionally

/ Tim A. / 6 Comments

For several years following God’s call, and my surrender to His will in preaching, I struggled with how I would preach.  I grew up in an environment where notes were frowned upon for a preacher. “Any preacher who uses notes can’t be led by the Spirit” was and in some cases still is the argument against notes.  I use notes most of the time and have no problem taking some heat for it.  But, there is another thing that I struggled with and with that same environment is the idea of sermon preparation and the message itself.

For some time I struggled to find a message for the following Sunday morning.  Direction of the Holy Spirit was a necessity, and it still is, but there was something that had to change.  I could spend all week long praying, seeking a text which I believed to be Spirit inspired, and then prepare the thought of the text, or even insert my own idea.  You wind up preaching a lot of “Topical” sermons that way.  For me topical sermons are built from an idea, then you find a text to fit the idea, and that requires a lot of human flesh – at least on my part.

Well, finally to the point of this posting; here is WHY I PREACH EXPOSITIONALLY:

First of all to preach expositionally you need to start with a book of the Bible.  The Bible, then sets the path and plan for which the messages will take.  Since I am not a Hebrew nor a Greek student, I am dependent upon Strong’s Concordance in many cases; upon others who are more knowledgeable, and scholarly than myself; prayer, and the rest of Scripture.  Scripture must ultimately be interpreted by Scripture. 

Secondly, preaching through a Book of the Bible, you never wonder what you will be preaching on the next time, and you are most likely to be better prepared.  You have more time to pray on that particular topic, spend more time in study and preparation, and you always know you are  preaching the Word of God to the people.

Thirdly,  when I preach expositionally it is much more difficult to get off onto pet subjects, than when you preach topically.  There is nothing wrong with “Pet subjects”, but sometimes we may bore our people to tears with the continued rhetoric. 

Fourthly,  preaching expositional sermons keeps you in study.  I have found times when the Lord has pointed something out that may be a pet subject, that needs to be dealt with, and He will give me time to do it.

Fifth, expositional preaching will be a verse by verse, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, or chapter by chapter explanation of the Scriptures and how we may apply their teachings to our lives.  We are more assured by this that God is speaking through His Word.

There are times where we may need to preach a narrative sermon, a topical sermon or however God may lead, but I believe, and I know it to be extremely so for myself, that the best form of preaching is through the exposition of God’s Word, Book by Book, chapter by chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, and verse by verse and maybe sometimes even, Word by Word.

There are more reasons than these.  These are ones which I have found helpful.  There are others who have given reasons, and some of them as I have listed.  If God has called you to preach His Word, then do it with all your heart.  When you become a pastor that is the time to begin expositional preaching of the Word.  That is what our people need.  They do not always like it, nor appreciate it, but in the long run it is for their benefit, and yours.

The Promise Continues

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The Human Race Continues

In the following verses of Genesis chapter 10 we have the legacy of Noah and his sons. Human life, and all life would continue due to the amazing grace of our God and Savior. God used Noah for the continuation of life, and He chose to continue the human race for the ultimate saving of it. That is done through the sending of Messiah Jesus, and His death on the cross, His burial, and bodily resurrection. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we live eternally with Him. He returns to us what Adam lost.

We have a genealogy of the three sons in these verses. We will not see the genealogies of Ham or Japheth again. Shem’s genealogy is seen throughout the Scriptures; even to the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospel.

“Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.” Genesis 10:1-7 (KJV).

In these first seven verses are mentioned only the sons of Japheth and Ham. These are the descendants of Japheth – Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. These are the sons of Ham – Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan; with special note given to the sons of Cush; they being – Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabecha; and a couple of sons of Raamah being Sheba, and Dedan. Special note is given to one son of Cush who is not named among the others, and that is Nimrod in verses 8-14.

Japheth and Ham are the fathers of what were to become the Gentile nations. Following this genealogy we have no more genealogy for the Gentiles. There is virtually no way any one who is Gentile to trace and see from whom they came. We can know for certain that Noah came from Adam, and we are all descendents of them both.

In the new era following the flood Noah is almost like a second Adam, yet we have seen his sin in chapter nine by his drunkenness. Yet, he is like Adam in that he was given promise of a continuation of the human race, even unto the coming of the Savior, the Messiah. The Messiah would come through the lineage of Shem.

The people of the human race need to be assured that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. The penalty for sin is death. When we die there are two places for eternal beings to inhabit. One is a place of the glory and splendor of God. The other is a place of darkness, continual dying without dying, a place where your most innate desires go unmet, and your hatred for God is increased, but you cannot even curse Him. The only way to spend eternity in the glory and splendor of God is by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, His burial and resurrection. To go to the other all you need to do is nothing. It is already yours.

Judging the Doctrines of Men

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Judging Doctrines of Men

” Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:15-20 (KJV).

Again, it seems to be needed to state that Jesus’s intent was not against making judgments, but doing it with the wrong idea. Judgment of motive would be something you or I could have no clue. Only God alone could make that kind of judgment.

By our looking at verse 15 it seems we are required to make judgments by action, words spoken, and behavior. A “False prophet” is to be identified as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. How does one discern a false prophet? By the words they speak and the lives they live. There are a couple of Old Testament passages which tell us how to make that determination. The first says;

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ — which you have not known — and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst” Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (NKJV).

“And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken? — when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NKJV).

So the Old Testament gives us two ways by which we may discern or judge a prophet, whether they are from God or not. The first we determine by whom he calls on to worship. Even if the message comes to pass just as proclaimed, if he directs his people to turn away from the true God he/she is a false prophet, and cannot be trusted, and is worthy of death. The second means of discernment is when the prophet speaks, and what he/she says does not come to pass, then, you know they are not of God.

Usually, false teachers/prophets like having a large following. They are dependent upon the applause and accolades of the people. The true prophet of God proclaims the Word of the Lord, and is not motivated by men, money, or mention. The prophet of God will preach the Word of God even while he is being stoned, and hated and despised. The prophet of God will preach even when it seems no one is listening, or seems that no one cares.

One of the fruits of a true prophet of God is his faithfulness to the Word of God. The false prophet on the other hand will seek to twist it and make it easier to be heard, or use the word to help people feel better about themselves, rather than calling people to a holy, righteous way of life.

The fruits give the verdict. The fruits of the true prophet of God will be that those who hear the Word of the Lord through him will be on their face before God, seeking righteousness, holiness, and the face of God. The fruits of the false prophet will be large screaming, applauding crowds, praising the gods of pleasant speech, pleasure, and success. In fact, the fruits of the prophet of God may not be seen immediately; they may come after the prophet is dead.

Any teacher who does not bring forth good fruit is of no use in the kingdom or our Lord and Savior. He even tells us, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (v.19). The fruits of the prophet is the life he lives as well as the words he speaks.

Religion vs. Christ

/ Tim A. / 3 Comments

What I am writing here today is something which has been on my heart.  There are hoards and hoards of religious people and religion.  I have been told that I am religious.  I take offense to that, unless someone is using it to correct me in my attitude and/or heart.

A hundred years ago, and not so long ago, we heard the term, “Give me that ole time religion”, and we know what is meant by that; at least, most Christians of 40 and above do.  That “Ole time religion” was speaking of faith in Jesus Christ, and nothing more.  That meant a life that had been changed by the power of the death, burial, and resurrection, with future promise of Jesus returning.  Faith in Jesus is what was meant by that “Ole time religion”.

Now religion means anything.  Anything you want to believe is okay to hear many tell it.  We even have some professing christians telling us that it does not matter what you believe as long as you believe something.  Can religion in the meaning of our day really mean anything?

Religion, in the vernacular of the day can be believing in trees, saving the earth from global warming, politics, finances, and thus we have conflict.  Here is what religion does for us.  Look back to the era of the “Crusades” when English kings were trying to take Jerusalem from the Muslims.  They were doing it in the supposed name of “Christ”.  It wasn’t in the name of Christ.  It was in the name of king Richard or whatever king happened to be leading the charge.  It was in the name of power grabbing.  That was religion at work; not the name of Christ.

Now, there is another war going on, and it too is a war on religion.  Terrorism in the name of Mohammed would cease if all became Muslim.  We know that will not happen.  No true follower of Christ is going to give up Jesus for Islam or any other religion.  A Christian would die for Christ, but refuse to take a life in His name or for His name.

Religion has been the cause of many a war.  Christ came to give us peace.  The only way to peace is through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is not through the “Jesus” of the crusades.  It is through the Jesus of the cross of Calvary.  The Jesus Christ who gave His life that all who would believe might be saved.  The life of the Christian is life giving, not life taking.  Life taking is the work of  dead religion.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world”  James 1:27 (ESV).

False Fire

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It seems we live in a world of entertainment.  There must be excitement, or fire as I would call it.  Since I was a child I have been fascinated with fire; in the good sense. Fire can be used for good or for evil, and when the Bible speaks of fire you can find it in both cases.

One of those cases is in Leviticus 10 where two of the sons of Aaron offered “Strange fire” against the call of God (See Lev. 10:1-2).  Now what that “Strange fire” was is of no consequence concerning this article.  What matters is that they offered the wrong fire.  It was not God’s fire.  It was God’s fire that came out and “devoured them”, because of their disobedience.

When Elijah was on Mount Carmel challenging the prophets of Baal; he said in his challenge, “And put no fire under…” (1 Kings 18:23).  They used  a means of deception to make people believe that Baal was god, and the prophet of God – Elijah knew it.  When this challenge was finished Elijah, the prophet of God, ran for his life from the queen Jezebel, and was thinking that he was the only one.  This was after the great fire of God had fallen, consumed the offering and brought the rain that had been gone for three and one half years.

God brought Elijah to a place and there he showed him  a mighty wind, but God was not in the wind.  God showed him an earthquake, and God was not in the earthquake.  God showed him again a fire, and again He was not in the fire.  The still small voice which followed was the appearance of God. 

Isn’t it amazing that people today look for the profound, the loud, the excitement, the fire, the wind, and the earthquake, and God is not there.  They have all the excitement and miss God.

Where do we find God?  Where do we genuinely worship Him?  In the quietness of His “Still small voice”.  God says to us, “Be still, and know that I am God”.  Is God really in all the noise that people must make to worship God?  I am afraid that most miss Him, because there is False Fire being offered.

Two Paths of Judgment

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Two Paths of Judgment

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV).

Have you ever been travelling on a trip – long or short – and you come to a crossroads, a divide in the road and you must choose which way you are going to go? In doing this have you ever made the wrong choice, and ended up somewhere you never intended? In this passage of Scripture Jesus tells us of “two gates”. One gate leads to life, and the other leads to death and destruction. Jesus tells us to enter the “strait gate” or “narrow gate”. This thought gives us a picture of a path that is also narrow. The other gate is wide and broad, and this is the journey which all of us are on until we heed the call through the “Narrow gate”. The broad gate leading to destruction is the one of popularity. You go along to get along. There is tolerance. There is political correctness. There you can be and are expected to be Socially Progressive. It is the gate of the masses. It flows with ease; everyone is going the same direction.

The “Narrow gate” is one which only very few enter. This gate has a high price to enter it. It requires righteousness. The self-righteousness of hypocrisy is not good enough. It is a stench. It is the hard way of travel. The roads are narrow, bumpy, rocky, and the hills are steep, but O, what a view. No one takes this journey – this gate – without first counting the cost. Remember the price for entrance is righteousness. We cannot except someone else who is of cleaner, heart, soul, mind, and body pay the price. The price? That of His life. It is the life of Jesus. He is the only righteous man who ever lived.

We must conclude also that there are two groups of people represented here. Quoting John MacArthur, “The many will include pagans and nominal Christians, atheist and religionists, theists and humanists, Jews and Gentiles — every person from whatever age, background, persuasion, and circumstance who has not come to saving obedience to Jesus Christ.” MATTHEW, Vol. 1, p. 457 of THE MACARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY.

The few is not few because there is no room. Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection has provided room for all who will believe. However, you come in through the gate at the price He paid, not yours or mine. The room God provides is boundless. We must believe that Jesus died for all. In Adam all sinned, so in Jesus Christ; the second Adam; it is possible for all to be saved. The price for the narrow gate, which leads to life; has been paid in full by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The price you pay for the broad way; which leads to destruction; will be paid by you, and for all eternity.

Choose you this day which way you will go. Jesus and the narrow way, or yourself, popularity, your self-righteousness, and destruction.

Baptists and the Local Church

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

We hear much today of a universal church.  Is there such a character as a universal church, or as some would call it “Invisible church”?  Let’s see what the Bible says.

Consider this, Paul writing to the Local Church of Rome says, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints…” (Romans 1:7) To the Local Church at Corinth he wrote, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints…” (1 Corinthians 1:2).  To the local churches of Galatia, he wrote, “And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia…” (Galations 1:2).  To the church of Ephesus, Paul wrote, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus….” (Ephesians 1:1).  To the church at Phillipi is written, “Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons…” (Philippians 1:1).  Though, the letter to the Colossians is considered a circular letter to be passed on to all the other churches, even this tells us the message is for the local congregations who have pastors and deacons; to the church at Colosse it is written, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse…” (Colossians 1:2).

Paul has put great importance upon the local church.  As Baptist we also put great importance on the local congregation.  The church is visible with pastors and deacons as its officers.  It practices the ordinances which Jesus our Head gave us to practice.  Those being the ordinance of baptism which is by emersion, ie., the putting of the whole saved individual completely under the water, as testimony of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The second ordinance only being received and participating following their obedience to the first, and that is the Lord’s Supper.  The Lord’s Supper is given us as a reminder of the Body of Jesus Christ broken by the whips, the hair of His face pulled viciously out, and the bruises from the beatings apart from the tearing of the flesh by the cat o nine tails.  These are ordinances and not sacraments.  There is no legitimate participation of these apart from being administered by the local church.

How does Jesus feel about the local church?  Well He established her.  He calls pastors and He builds His Church.  In the book of the Revelation are seven letters He has written to seven churches.  These are local churches.  He loves His Church which is seen in the visible local church.  When you forsake the local church you forsake Christ.

The local church is to be autonomous, ie., having the right and privilege of self government.  There can be no hierarchy which tells the local congregation what they must do.  As Baptists we are independent of any governing body, save ourselves, and Jesus Christ as the Head.  No higher power can tell the local church who their pastors shall be, who their deacons shall be, or what types of minsitry they shall have.  These are the decisions of the local church.

With the advent of television we have many people sending their tithes and offerings to television ministries.  If one is a Christian they should be in their local church; titheing and giving offerings in their local church; worshipping in their local church.  It was/is the church our Lord has established.

How does one worship in a universal/invisible church?  Where does one go?  What does one do?  How does one tithe or give offerings to that which is invisible?  The invisible church is merely excuse for not being a faithful, worshipper in a local church, where you will find people who love the Lord, and will love one another, and where there is solid Biblical preaching and exposition of the Word of God.

I know that all Baptists will not agree with what has been written here, but this is my convictions that God has given me in the study of His Word.  I pray that many who are faithful to His Word will agree with His Word.

Birthright of Israel

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On Sunday morning of September 02, 2007 I watched a few moments of CNN, and they ran a story on a project called “Birthright Israel”.  It was an interesting piece of reporting.  It was also something of which I had never heard.

The report was telling of an organization which offers free trips, for Jewish young people who have never been to Israel, to go with basically all expenses paid.  Here is what the “Wikipedia” article says of it:

“Birthright Israel, also known as Taglit-Birthright Israel (whose logo is trademarked with lowercase ‘b’ and ‘i’) is a Zionist organization dedicated to helping Jews who have never been to Israel on an organized trip to travel there. Birthright Israel’s goals are to diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen participants’ personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people. As of Summer 2007, over 145,000 individuals from fifty-one different countries have participated since the trips began in the winter of 2000.”

With the Nation of Israel losing ground among the Nations of the world.  It seems to be more and more popular among certain segments of society to be anti-semitic, than supportive of Israel.  It is interesting and encouraging that there is a group who is sponsoring the trips of Jewish youth who have never been to Israel to go and see the country of their heritage, and birthright.

As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ we should be supportive of the Nation, and I do not mean in the things which are ungodly.  Our support should be in seeing that they will come to their homeland, this is fulfillment of God’s Word. 

The time is drawing near when our Lord Jesus will return in the clouds for His own Bride, then, will follow the “Time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), and they will be saved just as the Word of God says (Romans 9-11), and they too will see Jesus, and believe.

“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for  a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the LORD of hosts is his name:  If those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.”  Jeremiah 31:35-36ff

Let’s be sure we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  This is the place where many eyes are now looking.  It is a very important part of the fulfillment of the Word of God.  Let’s believe and watch and participate in what God is doing.

Like the Animals???

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

It is so very sad to look around at society and see things going to the dogs. With a man being sentenced to prison time for killing dogs, even though, he was unjustly and illegally fighting them is a sign of worse things to come.

We are human beings created in the image of God. We have been given, by God, the rule and dominion of this earth. The man I speak of may have deserved a fine, maybe some loss of time from playing on the team he was on, and maybe even a fine from the NFL for the bad name against them.

It is so unhuman to give greater power and authority to the animal kingdom than to the human being. It is when we begin acting like animals that we begin treating humanity more like animals.

Hear the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

“How can you say, ‘I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals?’ Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done–a restless young camel running here and there, a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her. Keep your feet from going undshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, ‘It is hopeless, for I have loved foreigners, and after them I will go.’ Jeremiah 2:23-25 (ESV).

Many reading this will probably think, “Well how is this relative or practical for our society today?” I personally think that is an easy answer. When we have parents wanting to do things to protect their daughters from sexually immoral living by having them take a shot to protect them from a form of cancer that can be gotten only by pre-marital sex at too young of an age, then we are telling our children, “Your urges are uncontrollable, just follow your ‘heart'”. In other words your sexual drive is stronger than your mind and will. Just go with how you feel and this vaccine will protect you. People we are more than animals. We have a will. We can make moral choices. Animals do not.

This was the problem with the people in Jeremiah’s day. They were giving themselves to Baal worship and this involved all sorts of immoral conduct. Then, they would say on the Sabbath day as they pretended to worship the Lord GOD, “We have not gone after the Baals”.

I do not mean to sound brash in what I am about to write here, but there are many of our young ladies and young men who go around acting like animals in heat. This is not pleasing to our Lord. Even sadder to say is that many of these doing this profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

What is the answer for our society today? We need to quit giving our young people the okay for sexual immorality. When birth control pills are given them, and a vaccine is provided to them to protect them from pregnancy and disease; we are in fact giving our okay to them. Let’s stop doing that. Let’s teach them the law of God’s Word. Let’s teach them by our own personal examples. The youth of America appreciate honesty, straight forward truth, and they will respect you for it. They will not respect “Hemming and Hawing around” about matters to get to the point.

As the people of God we who are adult Christians need to practice what we preach and teach. We should always be seeking the Lord to lead in our lives, and to give us the mind of Christ.

There is a lot of loose living in society. We as Christians should live a tight knit life in Christ, love our spouses, and be always faithful, and worship God and God alone through His Son Jesus Christ.

Sin, and Death of Noah

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The Sin and Death of Noah

” And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.” Genesis 9:18-29 (KJV)

The only logical thing for Noah to do following the flood was to farm. It needed to be done. One part of farming which we are informed of is his planting a vineyard. This led to his drunkenness, and shame brought upon his name and the name of Ham and his son Canaan.

This drunkenness could have been something new due to ecological changes. It may have been a surprise to Noah, he became hot from alcohol flowing through his veins, and due to his inebriated condition took off his clothing, and went to his tent to sleep it off. I do not intend to excuse the sin of Noah, but only see this as a possibility.  As in any case of drunkenness, it causes harm in the family.  Ham must have noticed his father going into the tent and unclothed, wondered in his mind what was the matter with his father, went in and was amused by what he saw. His father; the one who had always seemed to be in control, was drunk, out of control, and controled by some substance, and not God. 

Ham, did the unthinkable thing to do when you see someone else’s sin. He seems to have relished Noah’s shame, and he probably thought that his brothers, Shem and Japheth would do the same. They did not; instead, they took a cover, and walked backwards toward their father, and covered his body. In this there is a great lesson for the Christian. There have been times we saw a Christian celebrity fall; and the first thing we want to do is begin to point out their faults, their sins, their failures. A Christian brother or sister sins, and our own Christian papers with HEADLINEs a blind man can read declare it to the lost world. “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Psalm32:1-2 (NKJV). Paul the apostle quotes these verses in Romans 4:7-8. Ham’s conduct also clearly violates Paul’s call to the church at Galatia, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Galations 6:1. When we as a Christian see a brother sin or a sister; it is up to us to see it corrected; without broadcasting it over the tongue tube; ie., any means which the tongue is used to defame, and harm a brother or sister.

The actions of Ham brought a curse on his son Canaan. Some have associated this “Curse” with causing the blacks of the world to be subjects to slavery. To anyone who believes this; it is falacious, and full of deceit. The curse is on the people who were to be Canaan, and that land would hundreds of years later be conquered by Israel due to the sinful, unrepentant nature of the Canaanite people, who were the descendants of Ham/Canaan.

All who are upon the earth are descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth. All the races, Caucasion, oriental, black, Hispanic, etc. have all came from the lineage of Noah. We should ever be thankful that God in His wrath, yet, remembered mercy. He has and He will save by His grace and mercy.

Noah lives following the flood 350 more years. That makes him 950 years of age when he dies. God saved he and his family from the flood, yet, death still has dominion due to sin. Many, many people died in the flood. Men, women, children, all the animals. All who were not in the ark died. He shows no partiality. He plays no favorites, except with those whom He calls Just. There is a worse judgment than that of the flood thousands of years ago. It will be a judgment by fire, and who can, who will stand that judgment (2 Peter 3). One day all who refuse Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will stand at the Great White Throne Judgment and give account of their lives, their works, but they shall not stand. They will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire; unquenchable fire; unsatisfied fire; fire whose fuel source is hatred, hatred for all that is good and godly. Hatred for all that is of God. When there are judgments on the earth we need to be reminded that there is a worse judgment coming. It is God’s call to repent, to look to Him; to change our way of living.

There is an eternal ark of safety, and the ark is Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “He that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John6:37). In the ark of Jesus Christ there is no more death, dying, sickness, disease, fighting, discord, but only peace, wealth, life and joy forevermore. NOTE: I am not saying that all will be well here on earth. Jesus even told us: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer I have overcome the world”. In eternity with Jesus all our trials will be over. Here we are being prepared for those blessings. Death of this body is the beginning of the prepartion process for the body in eternity

Prayer in Judgment

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

Place of Prayer in Judgment

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12 (KJV).

I am a little slow sometimes on things, and my pointing this out has probably already been seen by most everyone else. I just noticed this a very short ten or so years ago. Ask, Seek, Knock, and you take the first letters of each word, and you have the word Ask. Now that is really neat. I do not believe that to be just an accident, or a coincidence, but the power of the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit.

God’s promises are stedfast and true (vv. 7-8). The first thing the Kingdom dweller must do is ASK; for wisdom, knowledge, righteousnss, for making right judgments. Ask for the glory of the Lord in all things. Ask for His glory in your own life. The second thing the Kingdom dweller ASK in Seeking is to do it diligently, frequently, hopefully, and once again; what ever we are seeking that we may glorify the Lord. The final thing in the ASK acrostic is in Knocking. Be consistent, persistent, victorious, and again for the glory of the Lord.

When we go to the Lord Asking, Seeking and Knocking we must always realize that He is much more generous than we are. He gives by grace always. We almost without thought give to those we deem most deserving; in most situations. God is much more generous than we are (vv. 9-11).

The Place of Prayer in Judgment is that in prayer we can believe God enables us to treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves. When you look deeply into someone else’s eyes you can see yourself. The same can be said of them looking into your eyes. When we get to the point that we can actually begin to realize this maybe we can get the gist of Jesus’s message of “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (v.12). The “Law and the prophets” has to do with the whole of the Word of God.

God’s Promise Bow

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I Do Set My Bow

“And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” Genesis 9:8-17 (KJV).

This covenant with Noah is not only with Noah. It is with all his “seed” as well. This not only include Shem, Ham, and Japheth; it also included all those who would follow. This also included the animal kingdom, and the earth. You must deny the promise of this covenant in order to see that this covenant and redemption does not include all of creation. The reason I say this is that there are professing Christians who believe there was death before the fall of Adam and Eve. To believe this is to cast doubt upon this covenant and the redemption of mankind. Angels fell before Adam and Eve, but there was no death on earth previous to Adam’s fall.

What is this covenant? There will be no more floods of earth shattering proportions – no more worldwide flood. This covenant is one reason why I must believe in a worldwide flood rather than, just a local one. Why would God need to make a covenant not to destroy the earth by flood, if it were only local? Who knows, there may have been only one continent at this period of time. It still would have been worldwide.

There has been no earthbound individual who has ever seen a complete rainbow. A complete rainbow will make a complete circuit, and the earth gets in the way for us right now. There is a complete rainbow around the throne of God. “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.” Revelation 4:3 (NKJV). ALSO SEE Ezekiel 1:28. The closest I have ever come is seeing a whole half of one. It was while my wife and I served the Cuyama Valley Baptist Church. One day we received the blessing of some rain, and I went outside and looked and on the western end of the valley there was a rainbow across the sky. It was a whole half, and full of its bright colors. O, that day was special to me. I needed a reminder of God’s promises, and that was it.

The rainbow was given by God. It is His remembrance of the destruction of the earth by flood waters over the earth. It is his reminder of the weakness of sinful man. It is His reminder of His promise to never again destroy the earth by flood waters. God is however, omniscient, and he doesn’t forget anything. He does “forget” our sin when it is under the blood of His Son Jesus. We see the rainbow and it reminds us of God’s promise to never destroy the world by flood again. It reminds us of God’s faithfulness. The people in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas; during the months of June and July of this year (2007); needed the reminder of this promise. They were probably starting to think that He forgot them. We need these reminders due to our sin. We are in desparate need of God’s grace and mercy. The flood waters of this world are troublesome for sure, but we need the reminder of the rainbow to remind us of God’s promises and His warnings. Some of the warnings God gives us in His Word, are simply negative promises, which will be fulfilled.

New Covenant

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A New Covenant

A covenant is defined as, “A formal binding agreement: COMPACT”, MIRRIAM/WEBSTER DICTIONARY. In the Hebrew it is ” ber-eeth’ “, and it means, “From H1262 (in the sense of cutting (like H1254)); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh): – confederacy, [con-]feder[-ate], covenant, league.” As you can see its meaning is similar.

Let me give a little understanding of the phrase above in perenthesis – (because made by passing between pieces of flesh). In Genesis 15 we have God passing through two halves of a heifer, a she goat, a ram, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon (v.9). The heifer, the she goat, and the ram are all three years of age. Abraham is instructed by God to cut them in halves, and later the presence of God represented by a “Smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces” (v. 17). That is God’s covenant with Abram [Abraham]. Because He could swear by no greater He swore by Himself – “For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater He sware by Himself” (Heb. 6:13)

“.And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.” Genesis 9:1-7 (KJV)

When you think of being blessed by God, what do you think of? Do you think of God’s presence with you, His hand being upon you, protecting, keeping, guiding? Or, do you think more in the temporal [temporary] things like houses, lands, cars, money, etc.? The first thing we are told in chapter nine is that God blessed Noah and his sons. Could it be that the blessing here really belongs to God? Adoration is given to the one who is worthy. Yes! God blesses them, but the One who is truly worthy of praise is glorified.

After the blessing God gives instruction for replenishing the earth. The call is given, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” The blessing was most likely temporal, because the legacy of Ham is not a good one. The blessing was for the purpose of filling the earth once again.

The new covenant contained the same elements as the Adamic Covenant with seven more added. “1) The relation of man to the earth under the Adamic Covenant is confirmed; 2) The order of nature is confirmed; 3) Human government is established – “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (v.6); 4) The earth is secured against another universal judgment by water; 5) A prophetic declaration is made that from Ham will descend an inferior and servile posterity; 6) A prophetic declaration is made that Shem will have a peculiar relation to Jehovah; all divine revelation is from semitic men, and Christ, after the flesh, descends from Shem; 7) A prophetic declaration is made that from Japheth will descend the ‘enlarged races’; Government, science, and art, speaking broadly, are and have been Japhetic so that history is the undisputable record of the exact fulfillment of these declarations.” THESE SEVEN PROMISES ARE FROM the Scofield notes.

There is one thing for which man can say they have been obedient to God in doing, and that is multiplying in the earth. God has given man the opportunity of knowing Him. God sent His Son to die in our place for our sins upon the cross, taking the judgment for sin that was ours from the Father, dying, carrying our sins away in burial, and rising again victorious over sin, death, and hell. He ever lives making intercession for those who know Him.

C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E Equals Compromise

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

Can you spell the word any differently than C-o-m-p-r-o-m-i-s-e?  Not at all.  It is a word which may mean different things to different people.  That is so with a lot of things in life.  None of us agree on everything all the time.  We get along most of the time because we compromise in order to do it.

I am a Baptist.  I also drive a school bus and work around people with a whole lot different beliefs than what I have.  We all get along really well most of the time.  I go and eat breakfast with one of the drivers who happens to be the pastor of a Church of Christ local church.  When we talk about anything “Religious” it is usually about “Pastoring” our churches.  I count him a friend.  I think we both know that there are areas of doctrine and things we disagree on, we are still friends.  I am saying this to get to something that has really got my blood boiling.

That is this.  Why is it in a Baptist Church this word C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E almost always comes up on the topic of the requirements of the pastor of a church, and the issue of marriage, divorce, and remarriage?  I have convictions on this matter, and some of the members of the church I pastor do as well.  This is usually concerning the “Husband of one wife” qualification.  This is found in 1 Timothy 3:2; “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…”  In the Gospel of Matthew and the Sermon On the Mount Jesus says, “But I say to you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:32).

On the  qualification of a pastor being, “the husband of one wife” I have the conviction, as do many others that the pastor of the local church should not have been divorced and remarried.  The office of the Pastor, and the Deacon is a position of example.  His life should be an example to others, and especially in marriage.  It seems to me that a pastor who has been divorced and remarried would be a shame to a church when his home is reflecting the image of the world than the image of Christ and the Church.  I am not saying the pastor should be perfect.  We have all sinned.  I may have gotten away from what got my blood boiling.

Speaking with some people the other day concerning their work on a Pulpit Committee or Pastor Search Committee which was looking for a pastor.  There had been some disagreement concerning a former pastor whom they found out, after he resigned, that he had been divorced and was remarried.  There was dishonesty with this man in the first place – that they did not know this before hand. 

The Committee had discussed compromise  before looking at resume’s of prospective pastors.  What was the compromise?  To not even consider whether the man had been divorced and remarried before.  Who would have been making the compromise here?  Only those who had the conviction that a pastor should be “the husband of one wife”.  The others were making absolutely no compromise.  To overlook whether a man had been divorced and remarried would have caused them to violate their convictions.  Then, what kind of “convictions” would that be?  No conviction at all.

I just find it appalling that those who cry for COMPROMISE on some issues want the one’s who have conviction to compromise, but they compromise nothing.  May God help us have CONVICTION.  A conviction is something you believe strongly enough you stand on it; live or die.  A conviction is something for which there is no compromise.  On this issue of divorce there are many who have no conviction.

Though the world and the “Church” is equal in the numbers of divorces; that alone should cause those of us who are the spiritual leaders of our churches to stand and say we are going to be different than the world around us, have a strong family life, and encourage the families of our churches to build strong families, and homes.  That will start by having CONVICTIONS WITHOUT COMPROMISE.  

Making Judgments

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Making Judgments

As we look at this portion we find a phrase which many use to tell us we are not to judge. Jesus does say, “Judge not, that ye be not judged”. However, if you read the several verses following we see that He tells us to make judgments concerning variety of issues.

The very first instance of a judgment we must make is concerning what is holy, and the casting of that unto the “dogs”. Would we not be making a judgment decision concerning what is “Dogs”. The other in this same verse concerning the throwing of pearls to “swine”. Again, there would be the need to make a judgment. There must be a greater meaning for “Judge not, that ye be not judged”, than the normal tendency. One of the things concerning judgment that we will see is that of the heart.

As human beings we do not know the intents of other human hearts. We have hard enough time knowing the intents of our own hearts, if indeed we can know that. It would seem to me that that is one thing the Lord is addressing in these first five verses.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” Matthew 7:1-6 (KJV).

We are too often too quick to judge others. One way we judge others and often very wrongly is for their motives. Christians, sad to say, often judge one another’s motives for their actions. We say things like, “The only reason he did that is to work his way to that cushy office job”. O, really, and how would we know this man’s or woman’s heart? We do not.

We are also too quick to judge by the traditions of men. That was the problem Jesus was addressing for sure. The Pharisees and scribes had certainly judged Jesus wrongly. They had accused him of breaking the Sabbath on several occasions for healing on the Sabbath, for working in the grain fields on the Sabbath, etc.. That was according the their traditions of the law, not according to the law. As Jesus says, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” Mark 2:27. After they had added their traditional understanding to it and added a few loopholes for themselves it became a switch for the wearing out on the people.

It is probably safe to say too, that this command is for the benefit of not condemning others with our judgment. People, without Jesus Christ, are already condemned. How can we, and why should we add our condemnation? “Therefore thou are inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest another, thou coondemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.” Romans 2:1. Condemnation and vengeance is Gods. Only He has the final say in judgment, and for one I am so thankful for that.

As Christians we are to first examine and make judgments of our own lives; “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” 1 Corinthians 11:31 (KJV). If we look intently into our own selves we find we have no place to accuse or condemn; “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:23-25 (KJV). To rightly judge self is to depart from sin and become compassionate to the sinner. We must first, have our eyes cleansed from obstacles before we can help others. Anything less is hypocrisy.

We are to discern the hardness, and lack of reception of filthy hearts. We are to recognize the dogs we come in contact with. The dogs are the scavengers on the streets content with their unscrupulous lives, spreading disease and are vicious. Paul writing to the church of Galatia says, “…‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’. But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another” Galations 5:14b-15, and he is using the animals of the street to illustrate the point of Christians needing to love one another, rather than “devour the other” in judgments. We should not take what is holy – from the altar – and give it to those whose lives despise holiness. This takes some discernment, ie., judgment. The swine are those who love their filthy mudhole better than being clean, better than the bathtub of being clean before the righteous and holy God of all creation. Why should we in foolishness throw the beautiful pearls of righteousness to the swine only to have them trampled in the mudhole. Surely judgment is needed to know when to stop, pack your bags, and leave.

Altar of Worship

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An Altar of Worship

“And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:20-22 (KJV)

This is the first mention of the building of an “Altar unto the LORD”. It is assumed, at least by me, that Adam and Eve would have built an altar, and that in the offerings of Cain and Abel; they would have built an altar, and that the men “call[ing] on the name of the LORD” (4:26) would have meant the building of altars; but this is the first mention of it in the Bible. Noah was a worshipper of God before he went into the ark: he had proven it by His obedience. He was a worshipper on the ark: he had proven it there by his patient faith. Now, he is off the ark, going back onto the solid soil and rock of the earth. He wanted to start off this new world in the right way, the God-way, and worship the Creator who had delivered them all. The altar is recognition of God’s presence, power, glory, and deliverance from the evil of the world.

This offering was made by the sacrifice of every clean animal – one of each. That would probably have included cattle, sheep, goats, and the clean fowl. It was a complete sacrifice and offering to the LORD God. God Himself received it. “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour…” means that it was pleasant in His sight, and that He received the humble act of His servant Noah. Moses, as the author of Genesis tells us, writing, “…And the LORD said in His heart, ‘I will not curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease”. This was God’s covenant with Himself; as far as Noah was concerned. It was also His covenant with man and the earth.

It is due to this covenant that we are dependent upon the sunshine for heat, and the seasons to guide us when to plant crops, and harvest our crops. It is my opinion that this was the beginning of the seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. That due to the ecological upheaval that happened due to the flood, the caverns of the earth bursting forth, the canopy of the earth bursting and pouring forth the water; all had changed. We all know that the earth is enduring and endures much more than any of us.

It is amazing that God gives us this order of things. It is the only means by which science could be studied. If there is no order to things, there would be nothing sure. The scientist of our day can tell us what time the sun’s rising and setting will be. They can tell us how close a passing comet will pass to the earth or another planet. If there were no order there could be no science, at least, no reliable science. God gives us the means for true science. It is in Him and His Word that we trust.

Baptists and Allah

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There is a growing pressure for Christians to refer to God as Allah, especially when trying to witness to muslims.  It is a sad state of affairs when we have fallen to the state of thinking we can give in to Islam, and also think we can win them to Christ with what has been called the “Camel Method” or something along that line of thought.

From all things that I have read, heard and studied Allah was and is a pagan god.  The moon god of a people of the era of Mohammed.  Evidently the patriarch of Islam was trying to give legitimacy to the worship of the moon.  Now we have professing Christian Baptist trying to tell us how to witness to Islamic people by this method that, in my opinion and I believe also by the Word of God spells S-T-I-N-K, and that is the word “Stink” for those who can’t spell.

God says in His Word, “I am the LORD, and there is none else”  Isaiah 45:6, and He also says, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no savior.”  Isaiah 43:11, and Islam believes they need no savior.  In essence they believe they do not need the true God, Jehovah, YHWH. 

I just heard of a Catholic priests who may be suggesting we start calling God “Allah”.  I can understand them saying that, but not a  professing Christian who happens to be a Baptist.  May God forgive us.  I for one will not call my God “Allah”.  He is bigger than that.  He is greater than the moon, for He created the moon and all things that are around it; both that that is seen and that which is unseen.

Look to the hills and the heavens if you will, but I will trust in the LORD of the hills and the heavens.  His real name is Jesus the Incarnate God.

Go Forth

/ Tim A. / 4 Comments

Go Forth

“And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.” Genesis 8:13-19 (KJV)

This is the first time we are told that God spoke to Noah since He called he and his family into the ark, and closed the door, “and the LORD shut him in” (7:16). O, how reassuring and comforting it must have been to Noah to hear the voice of God again. How do we respond when we do not hear God? Times of God’s silence seem like darkness. If you have never experienced these times then, you will not understand of what I am writing. It just seems like you are alone. You hardly know where to turn, what to do, or know if you should do anything at all. It is especially difficult when you have grown use to knowing and enjoying His speaking to you. What did Noah do during that year of silence?

Here is what Noah did. He did what he had been given commandment to do. When you have heard God speak in the light, and He has given guidance, commandment, or commission, then, that is what you are to do in the dark. Someone has said, “Never doubt in the dark, what God has spoken in the light”. That is good.

Noah uses the faith God has given him, the wisdom, the patience to follow through with everything God has taught him. Then, when all is ready; God speaks again. Going through the flood in that ark was Noah’s assurance that God was going to bring them through. When you experience God’s silence remember His Ark of safety in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. The presence, power and glory of God’s Spirit in you is God’s assurance He is going to bring you through.

“Go forth of the ark” was God’s word to Noah. It was God’s word for the living things and fowl, and cattle that were all on the ark. God’s Word to us is for the whole world. God’s Word is to go, fill the earth.

Again, Noah did all that God had commanded him to do. Though the words are not used he follows God directions. Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives all came off the ark; and all the animals, insects, and fowl came off as well. God’s command was “Go” in this text. It was not come. Noah had to get out of the “sanctuary” of the ark. As Christians we are to be in the world, but not of it. That means we are not to seek living in solitude away from the world; but to be in the world, and not of it. Showing the world by our lives and living faith what Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection means to us, and how He has changed our lives.

Greed is Not Good

/ T. A. Blankenship / 2 Comments

Greed Is Not Good

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:25-34 (KJV).

The best and easiest way to devalue what you have and cheapen your own value as a person is to get caught as a slave to covetousness, or greed. Worry becomes one of the worst culprits of your life and takes away the joy of living. If you are caught in covetousness you are not trusting the Lord, depending upon Him and you will experience the feel of losing everything you have. The very thing you seek to fill your inmost need becomes a cause of grief.

Even though a person may not have much, like me, you can still realize the power of covetousness. I can tell you there have been times that I wanted to be wealthy. I have however learned that wealth is not my greatest need. Peace and contentment with God is the greatest need mankind has. That was my greatest need, and when I am resting, trusting completely in Him, then I have peace and contentment with God my Savior and Lord. I no longer want to be wealthy, not as the world describes wealth, but to be wealthy in God, that is a worthy desire.

The power of covetousness can cause us to lose our testimony. We could lose our testimony because riches is what the whole world in sin is seeking, our light would not shine very brightly if it is covered by a blanket of covetousness. In fact covetousness identifies us with the “Gentiles” the lost of the world. How can we say we have this Someone who gives purpose and meaning to life, if we are enslaved to material things and full of worry? The call of Jesus is to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. He promises these things to those who rely on Him to fill our inner most need.

Craving the things of the world causes us to lose our joy (v. 34). Today hass enough concerns without being caught up in tomorrow’s problems. Only God can fulfill the emptiness of life and He gives us joy.

A Tribute to Jerry Falwell

/ Tim A. / 5 Comments

The man who has been heard and hated around the world.  He has impacted the lives of everyone in the United States of America.  Some see the impact as being good and others not so good.  To me Jerry Falwell was a heroic man of faith.

The faith of Jesus Christ was never shunned by Dr. Falwell.  He never stuttered when it came to presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When he spoke you knew what he was saying.  He would not anyone to worship him, for he preached that we should worship Jesus Christ the Son of the living God.

I only had one opportunity to hear him preach in person, and that was at a Bible conference in Arnold, Missouri.  First Baptist Church of Arnold had an annual Bible/Evangelism Conference sponsored by Bailey Smith’s evangelistic organization and the church there.  It was a blessing to hear him speak in person.  I enjoyed many of his messages as he proclaimed them on the Old Time Gospel Hour as well.

Let’s be sure we pray for his family – his wife, and their children.  The sons will have their hands full taking on all the responsibilities that are at hand.

You may disagree with me about Jerry Falwell, but I believe all would agree, that he always believed in whom he preached.

PROMISES AND PROPHECIES

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

The next few articles were compiled by a good friend of mine who is now in Heaven with the Lord Jesus, whom he loved.  Wayne Stephens was a Pastor, an Evangelist, and a soul winner.  My work on this was only in putting the actual verses in place.

I. PROMISES AND PASSAGES OF THE LAND.

A. THE LORD’S LAND. Hosea 9:3 “They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.”

B. THE LAND OF PROMISE. Hebrews 11:9 ” By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise”.

C. “MY LAND”. 2 Chronicles 7:20; Jeremiah 2:7; 16:18; 2 Chronicles 7:20 – “Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.”

Jeremiah 2:7 – “And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.”

Jeremiah 16:18 – “And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.”.

D. “Zion of the Holy One of Israel…”

Isaiah 60:14 – “The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”

E. Genesis 13:15 – “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever”.

Genesis 17:8 – “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God”.

Deuteronomy 4:40 – “Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever”

Isaiah 60:21 – “Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified”.

All refer to this land as being given by God to Israel, and some say, “Forever”.

Edited by T.A. on 03/12/10

LOOKING FOR JESUS – GENESIS (4)

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

“…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”.

Revelation 19:10bWe have been Looking For Jesus in Genesis. This time we are going to see His appearance in two situations of two different people. The first is to Hagar. Some may ask, “You mean Hagar saw Jesus?” My answer will follow. The other one, of course, would be Abraham. That would not surprise us so much. Would it?

The appearance to Hagar takes place following the conception of Ishmael. Genesis 16. If you will remember the story Sarah became a little impatient waiting on God to fulfill His promise of a son to Abraham, so she offers her husband her servant as a wife to have a child. When Hagar conceives she really wants to “Rub it in” with Sarah. It almost seems that Sarah mistreats Hagar, maybe even to the point of beating her, and that drives her away. Hagar had basically become quite arrogant toward Sarah, and you can hardly blame Sarah for her behavior, yet you can see the weakness and danger of more than one wife.

When Hagar fled, she probably thought for her life, an “Angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water…” (v. 7). This is what has been termed a “Pre-incarnate manifestation of Jesus Christ”. It certainly seems to me to be Jesus before He ever became flesh and blood human. This person is certainly more than an angel of God. He speaks in verse ten saying, “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” (v. 10). No angel could say that. It must of necessity be Jesus Christ the Living Word.

Hagar is believed by many to be the mother of the Arabian people, the muslim people. If you will notice the words of Jesus to Hagar they are ones of comfort, encouragement, yet, rebuke as well. She has flaunted her pregnancy toward Sarah. She is told by the Lord to return to Sarah, “And submit thyself under her hands.” (Genesis 16:9). Hagar is given a promise for her child which would be born to her. In chapter 17 God promises Abraham that He will bless Ishmael in verse 20. “…Twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.”

Why would Jesus reveal Himself to Hagar. Because he cared for her and the nation which would come from her and Abraham’s union. Maybe in seeing this we can stop to hope that maybe there is some hope for the people of Hagar. Only as they turn to the Lord Jesus with all their hearts.

The second appearance of Jesus we see comes as Abraham is at his “Tent door in the heat of the day”. He sees three men approaching. Genesis 18. He runs to meet them. I get the impression that Abraham knew who they were before He jumped up and ran to them. He bowed down before them and verse 3 says, “…My Lord, if now I have found favor in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray Thee, from Thy servant.” Abraham offers the “Men” refreshment and food. It is quite clear that one of these “Men” is the Lord Himself. Remember how the Lord reveals Himself in the Old Testament? When He is seen in a physical form, it must be the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. How would Abraham recognize God in physical form. He knows Him personally. When you know the Lord you know His appearing and appearance. You know His voice.

It was at this time that the Lord renewed His promise to Abraham, and this time Sarah heard the promise made even to her. They were going to have a son in their old age (Abraham was at this time 99 years of age and Sarah was 89), and is it any wonder that Sarah laughed. Thinking, “How can this be?”, and yet, hearing the Lord speak to them with the promise. It came from the Lord Himself, in Person, and physical form. “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”(v.14). This was a word directly from the Lord, not from angels, not in a dream, but from the very mouth of the Lord Jesus.

“The men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.” (v. 16). The “men” headed toward Sodom on a mission of judgment. The Lord decides since Abraham is His friend, that He will reveal why the others are headed toward Sodom. In this passage of the chapter we see Abraham become an intercessor pleading for the cities of the plain. He ask the Lord to spare the city if there are only 10 righteous people in it. The Lord says He will. We know that there were not 10 righteous people in the cities, but God still dragged Abraham’s nephew Lot, Lot’s wife, and two daughters from the city before they were destroyed.

The compassion and faithfulness of the Lord is seen through out all of Scripture. We see the manifestation of Jesus in physical form even before He became flesh and dwelt among men. We see Him to be holy, righteous, All-knowing, All-powerful, All-present, and unchanging. He is the God of mercy, love and grace.

PLEASE PRAY

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

I believe there are a few praying people who come by FIRE AND HAMMER. I am requesting that you pray for the church which I have been the pastor of for almost 2 years now. I presented my resignation this morning because I have accepted a call to another church. Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church which I am pastor until June 11, 2006 will need all the prayers that can be offered to our God and Savior. The resignation left some of the people of Chestnut Ridge stunned and heart broken. Many left in tears.
They will need a good and godly pastor, who loves God, His Word, and will love this people. I believe God has shown me clearly and without doubt that it is time for me to leave. Madge [my wife] and I do need your prayers also. The church to which we are going does not have a parsonage, so we will need to find a home. This is the first time I have left a church with a call from another congregation. Previously, I have left not knowing what God had in store. I still am surprised by this. I am believing that God has great things in store for my wife and I, as well as Carr Lane Baptist Church [where we are going], and for Chestnut Ridge.
I have started a blog site for Carr Lane B.C. which is at Carr Lane Baptist Church if anyone would like to check it out.
THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS.
Bro. Tim A. Blankenship