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guardian Snow
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 Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject: How do you know you follow God? |
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Do you follow Jesus or Apostle Paul?
Ask yourself this question first, when your responding to people, who
do you quote more, Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah or Saul? If you conduct a
discussion about religion with somebody about the Christian religion,
youâll always notice the same pattern appearing... One person will say
Jesus said this in Matthew and the respondent will reply but Paul
said.
Pick any topic in the bible from keeping the Sabbath to Baptism or
anything in between and youâll notice a common thread in all the
conversations.. the disagreements are all between Jesus and Paulâs
words.
Now, if your like me, you were raised to believe that the bible is all
from the same authority and itâs all the inspired word âof Godâ. I
believed that for the majority of my life and it wasnât until I looked
at it from outside my own ingrained convictions about â2Ti 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of Godâ that I realized what the
problem was.
That and the never ending debate I had with a friend of mine.. Randy.
I love the guy and heâs a tried and true faithful follower of the
scriptures.. so donât think that Iâm putting him down. Randy by his
constant disagreement showed me the truth. Iâve always preferred the
voice of the Messiah and clearly understood that we are to keep the
Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments is what brought me to the
truth, just like the Psalm says it will..
Psa 19:7 The Torah of ×××× is perfect, bringing back the being; The
witness of ×××× is trustworthy, making wise the simple;
Let me tell you that that is one of the most important and true
scriptures in the bible!!! But look at what Hebrews says of it:
Heb 7:18 For there is indeed a setting aside of the former command
because of its weakness and unprofitableness,
Now if we know the Ten Commandments are written by the very finger of
Elohim almighty:
Exo 31:18 And when He had ended speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He
gave Mosheh two tablets of the Witness, tablets of stone, written with
the finger of Elohim.
Then how can Hebrews be truth? Something doesnât add up and we have a
major conflict of scriptures. Itâs that very conflict that led me to
look deeper into what Paul was saying. Now my Critics like to point
out that Peter and the other Apostle approved of Paul as an apostle
but the only person that says Paul was an apostle, is Paul.
I know of only one other passage that is frequently misused to assume
Luke says heâs an apostle in Acts.. but Luke never said that and in
fact.. Luke makes a point of showing that Paul claimed to be a god on
numerous occasions and never refuted the men.
Act 28:6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen
down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw
no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a
god.
The Messiah spoke about one that would come showing signs and wonders
and told us several things to âbeware ofâ... including...
Mar 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Act 13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch âŚwith Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul.
One who would come after him showing âSigns and wondersââŚ
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
2Co 12:9 ..that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all
patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
2Co 12:16 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being
crafty, I caught you with guile.
That last verse explains why Paul is so beloved over even the
Messiah. Because he removed the burden placed upon believers to keep
the Commandments of Elohim.
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not
expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
If all things are lawful, itâs because there is no law to break by his
account. The law being the Torah of Elohim and the Ten Commandments.
Most Christians will then argue that they keep the Ten Commands when
in fact they donât keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath ends up being a
topic of my conversation all the time because it is THE SIGN.
Eze 20:20 âAnd set apart My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between
Me and you, to know that I am ×××× your Elohim.â
Christians will fight to the death to claim that SUNday is the Sabbath
and disregard the clear teachings of Moses and ×××× in the Exodus.
Did you know that the word Sabbath was removed from the King James
bible on almost every occasion after the death of the Messiah?
(Mar 16:2) (Mar 16:9) (Luk 18:12) (Luk 24:1)
(Joh 20:1) (Joh 20:19) (Act 20:7) (1Co 16:2)
The Roman Catholic Church has worked hard for centuries to suppress
this truth and many, many people along the way fight tooth and nail to
hide the facts but download e-sword, it comes with KJV + Strongâs
numbers⌠look for yourself and see that Iâm telling the truth. The
Sabbath is mentioned in all those passages and has been removed to
justify Sun worshipping. Now if we know that Paul was a Gentile Roman
and only a âJew by implicationâ (Gal 2:15) it becomes clear that we
need to disregard his âleavenâ.
Go thru this with me, pleaseâŚ
Isa 45:15 Truly You are Äl, who hide Yourself, O Elohim of YisraâÄl,
Saviour!
First, we have to understand that God hid himself because we have
rejected his commandments.
Isa 45:19 âI have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth.
I have not said to the seed of YaĘ˝aqobĚą, âSeek Me in vain..â I am ××××,
speaking righteousness, declaring matters that are straight.
It is Clear that God is telling us that if we seek him⌠But⌠Notice
what he clearly says he doesnât do⌠itâs not a secret what he says..
we all have Isaiah and Moses and the Prophets in our bible, so why do
we disregard all those teachings and run to Paul? We claim to follow
Jesus and then say âPaul is the word of GodââŚ.
Isa 45:20 âGather yourselves and come; draw near together, you who
have escaped from the gentiles. No knowledge have they who are lifting
up the wood of their carved image, and pray to a mighty one that does
not save.
The GENTILES have no knowledge⌠But what knowledge did Paul claim to
teach??
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of
this mystery,
Rom 16:25 âŚaccording to the revelation of the mystery,
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
1Co 4:1 and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Dozens of references to the âmysteryâ religion. What was the false
religion spoken of by John in Revelation?
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Until you can connect the fact that Paul is in fact part of the
âmysteryâ religion of the Roman Church, youâll continue to be enslaved
in the false doctrine of Paul.
The Good News of ×××׊ע Messiah is that we can turn back from our pride
and ââCome out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest
you receive of her plagues.â The only way we can do that is by true
repentance to Elohim.
Pro 28:19 He who tills his land is satisfied with bread, But he who
pursues vanities is filled with poverty.
Most people will ignore this message and some will spam me or make
false claims.. itâs really up to you. So many people are so heavily
invested into Sun day worship they will refuse to acknowledge the
truth when they see it.
Ecc 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
all is vanity.
The end result is you know you follow God when you keep his words and
obey. Not just paying lip service like so many people that claim they
believe and then ignore the clear teachings of Christ by claiming
obedience is only for "Jews".
Mat 16:24 Then ×××׊ע said to His taught ones, âIf anyone wishes to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow
Me.
Mat 16:25 âFor whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, and
whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.
Mat 16:26 âFor what is a man profited if he gains all the world, and
loses his own life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
life?
Shalom,
*´¨)
¸.â˘Â´ ¸.â˘*´¨) ¸.â˘*¨)
(¸.â˘Â´ (¸.⢠(Snow(.¸.â˘*´¨)
If he who employs coercion against me could mould me to his purposes
by argument, no doubt he would. He pretends to punish me because his
argument is strong; but he really punishes me because his argument is
weak.
William Godwin
Argument is meant to reveal the truth, not to create it.
Edward de Bono
It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing.
John Henry Newman |
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 Back to top |
guardian Snow
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject: How do you know you follow God? |
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|
Do you follow Jesus or Apostle Paul?
Ask yourself this question first, when your responding to people, who
do you quote more, Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah or Saul? If you conduct a
discussion about religion with somebody about the Christian religion,
youâll always notice the same pattern appearing... One person will say
Jesus said this in Matthew and the respondent will reply but Paul
said.
Pick any topic in the bible from keeping the Sabbath to Baptism or
anything in between and youâll notice a common thread in all the
conversations.. the disagreements are all between Jesus and Paulâs
words.
Now, if your like me, you were raised to believe that the bible is all
from the same authority and itâs all the inspired word âof Godâ. I
believed that for the majority of my life and it wasnât until I looked
at it from outside my own ingrained convictions about â2Ti 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of Godâ that I realized what the
problem was.
That and the never ending debate I had with a friend of mine.. Randy.
I love the guy and heâs a tried and true faithful follower of the
scriptures.. so donât think that Iâm putting him down. Randy by his
constant disagreement showed me the truth. Iâve always preferred the
voice of the Messiah and clearly understood that we are to keep the
Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments is what brought me to the
truth, just like the Psalm says it will..
Psa 19:7 The Torah of ×××× is perfect, bringing back the being; The
witness of ×××× is trustworthy, making wise the simple;
Let me tell you that that is one of the most important and true
scriptures in the bible!!! But look at what Hebrews says of it:
Heb 7:18 For there is indeed a setting aside of the former command
because of its weakness and unprofitableness,
Now if we know the Ten Commandments are written by the very finger of
Elohim almighty:
Exo 31:18 And when He had ended speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He
gave Mosheh two tablets of the Witness, tablets of stone, written with
the finger of Elohim.
Then how can Hebrews be truth? Something doesnât add up and we have a
major conflict of scriptures. Itâs that very conflict that led me to
look deeper into what Paul was saying. Now my Critics like to point
out that Peter and the other Apostle approved of Paul as an apostle
but the only person that says Paul was an apostle, is Paul.
I know of only one other passage that is frequently misused to assume
Luke says heâs an apostle in Acts.. but Luke never said that and in
fact.. Luke makes a point of showing that Paul claimed to be a god on
numerous occasions and never refuted the men.
Act 28:6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen
down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw
no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a
god.
The Messiah spoke about one that would come showing signs and wonders
and told us several things to âbeware ofâ... including...
Mar 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Act 13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch âŚwith Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul.
One who would come after him showing âSigns and wondersââŚ
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
2Co 12:9 ..that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all
patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
2Co 12:16 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being
crafty, I caught you with guile.
That last verse explains why Paul is so beloved over even the
Messiah. Because he removed the burden placed upon believers to keep
the Commandments of Elohim.
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not
expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
If all things are lawful, itâs because there is no law to break by his
account. The law being the Torah of Elohim and the Ten Commandments.
Most Christians will then argue that they keep the Ten Commands when
in fact they donât keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath ends up being a
topic of my conversation all the time because it is THE SIGN.
Eze 20:20 âAnd set apart My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between
Me and you, to know that I am ×××× your Elohim.â
Christians will fight to the death to claim that SUNday is the Sabbath
and disregard the clear teachings of Moses and ×××× in the Exodus.
Did you know that the word Sabbath was removed from the King James
bible on almost every occasion after the death of the Messiah?
(Mar 16:2) (Mar 16:9) (Luk 18:12) (Luk 24:1)
(Joh 20:1) (Joh 20:19) (Act 20:7) (1Co 16:2)
The Roman Catholic Church has worked hard for centuries to suppress
this truth and many, many people along the way fight tooth and nail to
hide the facts but download e-sword, it comes with KJV + Strongâs
numbers⌠look for yourself and see that Iâm telling the truth. The
Sabbath is mentioned in all those passages and has been removed to
justify Sun worshipping. Now if we know that Paul was a Gentile Roman
and only a âJew by implicationâ (Gal 2:15) it becomes clear that we
need to disregard his âleavenâ.
Go thru this with me, pleaseâŚ
Isa 45:15 Truly You are Äl, who hide Yourself, O Elohim of YisraâÄl,
Saviour!
First, we have to understand that God hid himself because we have
rejected his commandments.
Isa 45:19 âI have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth.
I have not said to the seed of YaĘ˝aqobĚą, âSeek Me in vain..â I am ××××,
speaking righteousness, declaring matters that are straight.
It is Clear that God is telling us that if we seek him⌠But⌠Notice
what he clearly says he doesnât do⌠itâs not a secret what he says..
we all have Isaiah and Moses and the Prophets in our bible, so why do
we disregard all those teachings and run to Paul? We claim to follow
Jesus and then say âPaul is the word of GodââŚ.
Isa 45:20 âGather yourselves and come; draw near together, you who
have escaped from the gentiles. No knowledge have they who are lifting
up the wood of their carved image, and pray to a mighty one that does
not save.
The GENTILES have no knowledge⌠But what knowledge did Paul claim to
teach??
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of
this mystery,
Rom 16:25 âŚaccording to the revelation of the mystery,
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
1Co 4:1 and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Dozens of references to the âmysteryâ religion. What was the false
religion spoken of by John in Revelation?
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Until you can connect the fact that Paul is in fact part of the
âmysteryâ religion of the Roman Church, youâll continue to be enslaved
in the false doctrine of Paul.
The Good News of ×××׊ע Messiah is that we can turn back from our pride
and ââCome out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest
you receive of her plagues.â The only way we can do that is by true
repentance to Elohim.
Pro 28:19 He who tills his land is satisfied with bread, But he who
pursues vanities is filled with poverty.
Most people will ignore this message and some will spam me or make
false claims.. itâs really up to you. So many people are so heavily
invested into Sun day worship they will refuse to acknowledge the
truth when they see it.
Ecc 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
all is vanity.
The end result is you know you follow God when you keep his words and
obey. Not just paying lip service like so many people that claim they
believe and then ignore the clear teachings of Christ by claiming
obedience is only for "Jews".
Mat 16:24 Then ×××׊ע said to His taught ones, âIf anyone wishes to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow
Me.
Mat 16:25 âFor whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, and
whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.
Mat 16:26 âFor what is a man profited if he gains all the world, and
loses his own life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
life?
Shalom,
*´¨)
¸.â˘Â´ ¸.â˘*´¨) ¸.â˘*¨)
(¸.â˘Â´ (¸.⢠(Snow(.¸.â˘*´¨)
If he who employs coercion against me could mould me to his purposes
by argument, no doubt he would. He pretends to punish me because his
argument is strong; but he really punishes me because his argument is
weak.
William Godwin
Argument is meant to reveal the truth, not to create it.
Edward de Bono
It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing.
John Henry Newman |
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Carl
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:20 am Post subject: The Word Was God And Became Flesh |
|
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The following sermon from John Piper teaches us, from the Bible, about the
deity of Jesus Christ and why He deserves our worship.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
The Word Was God And Became Flesh
by John Piper
[February 6, 2000]
John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being
through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into
being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There came
a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify
about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the
Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light
which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world,
and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He
came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of
the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about
Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after
me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His
fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was
given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has explained Him.
EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION
We began the last decade of the 20th century by putting up a building for
exultation; God willing, we will begin the first decade of the 21st century
by putting up a building for education. That is the order of priority, but
it is not the order of life. Exultation in God is first in the order of
importance. But it doesn't come first in life. In life, true education
precedes true exultation. Learning truth precedes loving truth. Right
reflection on God precedes right affection for God. Seeing the glory of
Christ precedes savoring the glory of Christ. Good theology is the
foundation of great doxology. That's the order of life.
So we call the vision behind and beneath this new building, EDUCATION FOR
EXULTATION. The word "for" means that what we know and believe and teach
about God is foundational for all our worship - not just the corporate
worship in this building, but the exultation in God that overflows in lives
of love, where others will see the glory of God (Matthew 5:16). Our
education of children and youth and adults aims at exultation. Or, which is
the same thing, it aims at "spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in
all things for the joy of all peoples."
God Is Alone and God Is Sovereign
I said last week that my task in these next ten weeks is to relate this
vision of EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION to the larger picture of what we are
about here at Bethlehem. What do we as a church exist for, and how does this
vision - this plan and this building - fit in to that larger picture? We
began with the foundation of the foundation. We began with God. And in
particular with the deity of God - the God-ness of God - or the sovereignty
of God. "You are My witnesses, declares the LORD (Yahweh), and I am God.
Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My
hand; I act and who can reverse it?" (Isaiah 43:12b-13). "I am God . . . I
am He" - that's the deity of God. "I act and no one can turn it" - that's
the sovereignty of God (see also Isaiah 14:27; 45:5-7; 46:9-10). And of
this, God says, "You are my witnesses."
This is the foundation of our EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION. We will teach that
Yahweh is God and that God is sovereign, and that this is wonderful news
because it is the foundation of all his grace and all his promises.
Therefore, it is the foundation of true and high and passionate exultation.
We will say to our children and to our youth and to each other and to anyone
who will listen the words of Deuteronomy 4:39, "Know [!] therefore today,
and take it to your heart [!], that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and
on the earth below; there is no other." That is the foundation of EDUCATION
FOR EXULTATION: God is God alone, and God is sovereign.
Jesus Is God
Today, I add one thing to this, one huge thing: Jesus is God. When we say
EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION - IN GOD, we mean EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION - IN
JESUS. When we say "We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in
all things for the joy of all peoples," we mean, "We exist to spread a
passion for the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things for the joy of all
peoples."
To see the basis of this from the Bible, look with me at our text and let's
make three observations.
1. Jesus Christ, who is called "the Word," is the eternal God.
John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into
being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come
into being."
The main thing to see here is the statement at the end of verse 1: "The Word
was God." Here Jesus Christ is called "the Word." We will see that in just a
moment from verses 14 and 17. Verse 3 clarifies what it means for "the Word"
to be God. "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him
nothing came into being that has come into being." In other words, he did
not come into being. All that did come into being came into being through
him. He has always existed.
This clarifies what is meant by "in the beginning." Not just "at the time of
creation," but at the time before anything came into being. The Word was
with God and the Word was God because the Word never had a beginning. The
Word is co-eternal with God the Father. He is not the Father, because he was
"with God" the Father. But he is equally God with God the Father because
"the Word was God."
That is the first observation.
2. The Word became flesh; that is, God was united with a human nature in one
Person, and was truly man and truly God who lived in history as Jesus
Christ.
Verse 14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His
glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and
truth." Then in verse 17 this Person called "the Word" is named: "For the
Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus
Christ." So Jesus Christ is "the Word" who was in the beginning with God and
who was God.
3. If you receive him, you become a child of God and enjoy everlasting waves
of grace.
Combine verses 12 and 16: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. . ..
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." If you
receive him for who he really is, you are granted to be a child of God and
that means receiving "grace upon grace" that corresponds to his
fullness -which is an infinite fullness. And so the waves never cease. And
so our exultation in Jesus Christ will never cease. His fullness is
inexhaustible and it will overflow with waves of grace forever and ever and
never run dry or become stagnant.
This is because, as Colossians 2:9 says, "In Him all the fullness of Deity
dwells in bodily form." His fullness is the fullness of "deity". Therefore,
it is an infinite fullness, and the grace that flows from infinite fullness
is infinite grace. Therefore, we will exult in Jesus Christ with ever-new
and ever-increasing joy forever and ever. This is the aim of all our
education - namely, exultation in Jesus Christ, who is God - forever and
ever.
The Price We must Pay
We will talk next week about why the Word was made flesh - why Jesus Christ
came: the central act of history, the death of the Son of God for sin. But
this morning I want to draw attention to a price we must pay if we are going
to pursue EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION in Jesus as God. The price is going to be
controversy. On the way to exultation in Jesus, education inevitably leads
to disputation. Why is this?
We live in a world of sin and futility and finitude. 2 Timothy 4:3 makes it
clear that "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine." In
Acts 20:30 Paul warns the elders of Ephesus, "From among your own selves men
will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after
them." And 1 John 4:1-2 says specifically, "Beloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. . . . By this
you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh is from God."
If you believe in Truth and make it the foundation of your education, you
will have adversaries. I say this because I want you to have a realistic
view, and not a romantic one, about what it will mean in the coming years to
be a part of Bethlehem Baptist Church and a part of EDUCATION FOR
EXULTATION. Most of us love exultation. But we don't love disputation. We
would love to move straight from education to exultation all the time. From
learning the truth to leaping with joy. From meditation to celebration
without any disputation. That would be wonderful. But it would be cheap and
short-lived, perhaps a generation or so. And then true celebration would
collapse.
An Illustration of the Cost
Let me give you just one illustration so that you can count the cost,
whether you want to be a part of a fellowship that will have to pay the
price of controversy. Last September I wrote an editorial that was printed
in the Minneapolis StarTribune. It had to do with the deity and supremacy of
Jesus Christ, and specifically, it had to do with whether Christians should
try to win Jewish people to Christ. In it I said,
According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the
hopes of Israel. He is the yes to all God's promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).
He is the Messiah (Mark 14:61-62; Matthew 16:16; John 20:31; Acts 9:22; 1
John 2:22; 5:1). To reject him is to reject God the Father, and to confess
him as Lord of your life is to be reconciled to God. "Whoever denies the Son
does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also"
(1 John 2:23). . . . Even though it is perceived as offensive by many Jewish
people, the . . . call for prayer that Israel would believe on her Messiah
is a profoundly loving act. For "he who has the Son has the life; he who
does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12).
In other words, if you don't worship Jesus, you don't worship God. "He who
does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:23).
This is what it means to educate on the basis of the radical truth that
Jesus is God. And if we do this, we will bring out strong opposition.
Four pastors of major, influential churches in Minneapolis (three Protestant
and one Catholic) signed a letter to the editor that said this:
The Rev. Piper . . . claims that the . . . appeal [to pray that Jewish
people accept Jesus as their Messiah] is a "profoundly loving" act. But
genuine love does not harbor the kind of aggressive agenda that is implicit
in visions of "Christianizing" the world. Love, including the agape that
lies at the heart of the Christian gospel, is more respectful and less
intrusive, more open and less controlling than that. Unfortunately,
"arrogant" is the right word to describe any attempts at proselytizing - in
this case the effort of Christians to "win over" their Jewish brothers and
sisters. Thoughtful Christians will disassociate themselves from any such
effort. (Letter submitted to the Editor of the StarTribune, Oct. 12, 1999,
and faxed to me. Part of it was published in the paper.)
The saddest thing about this letter is not that it puts you and me in the
category of arrogant, unthinking, and unloving people (which it does), but
that the shepherds of major Christian churches do not believe faith in
Christ is essential for salvation.
True Education Is Founded on Biblical Truth
So let's be very clear as we move forward in the vision of EDUCATION FOR
EXULTATION. We love exultation. That is the goal of all things: joyful,
loving, humble, soul-satisfying exultation in Jesus Christ, "who is over
all, God blessed for ever" (Romans 9:5). We don't love disputation and
confrontation. We long for the day when controversy will no longer be
necessary for "the defense and confirmation of the Gospel" (Philippians
1:7). But until then, true education will be founded on Biblical truth. And
Biblical truth will include the glorious realities that Yahweh is God and
God is sovereign and Jesus is God. And "he who does not honor the Son does
not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:23). And "he who does not have
the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12).
So in the coming weeks, as you ponder whether you want to be a part this
vision of EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION, weigh seriously whether you believe it
is loving or arrogant to say that Jesus is God and to call all people who
don't believe in him to be reconciled to God through him. Don't be naive.
Christianity is a life and death issue. It is not a therapy to make things
go better. It is a conviction about reality and a faith that in some places
can get you killed, and in other places will get you criticized. We are not
playing games.
At stake in EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION are the lives of our children and our
own lives and the lives of many others. But we have learned as a church from
hard experience and from Romans 5:3 to "exult in tribulation" because it
produces hope. And so, even the tribulation of controversy can lead to
deeper and sweeter exultation in God. John Owen put it like this, over three
hundred years ago: "When we have communion with God in the doctrine we
contend for - then shall we be garrisoned by the grace of God against all
the assaults of men."* Communion with God. There's the key. We will not just
argue about Christ or discuss him or analyze him. But we will know him and
trust him and commune with him and exult in him. That's the goal of
EDUCATION FOR EXULTATION. And not for us only, but for the whole world. Pray
earnestly as we move toward it, and ask God to show you where you fit.
Š Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute
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any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web
posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions
to the above must be approved by Desiring God.
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2000/6_The_Word_Was_God_and_Became_Flesh/
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Carl
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: Growing In Grace |
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This sermon by Steve Zeisler is emphasizing God's Grace in relationship to
families and family settings. Even God puts it in a familial terms since He
is ur Heavenly Father and we Christians are His children. It is an uplifting
sermon about God's Love and Grace.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
GROWING IN GRACE
by Steve Zeisler
Think for a moment about all the ways in which family language shapes us.
Paul says that every family in heaven and on earth derives its name from God
the Father (see Ephesians 3:15). The fatherhood of God is the foundation for
every family experience. It is what makes it possible for any woman to be a
good mother and any man to be a good father to their children. It is what
makes it possible for brothers and sisters to care for one another in a
home, a church, or any extended family. It is what makes it possible to be
godly uncles, aunts and grandparents.
There is nothing more important to us than family life. It is longed for by
everyone in every setting. The most successful businesses in the modern
world try to emphasize a sense of family or community rather than just
competition alone. Even gangs that exist in modern cities think of
themselves as families. In West Side Story (in which gangs were more benign
than they are now), there is a song talking about gang experience:
When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way,
From your first cigarette to your last dying day.
When you're a Jet, you say what you can.
You've got brothers around, you're a family man.
The fatherhood of God is the foundation for every family experience.
In the passage before us John has used a literary form, like a poem, to
encourage his readers. It is filled with family family language; it speaks
of children, youths, fathers, and, by implication. John casts himself in the
role of grandfather. All this family language is based on God the Father,
and it is written to encourage believers in their faith. Let's read 1 John
2:12-14:
I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
Bear in mind that none of these family words have any particular gender
significance. There are places in the Bible when masculine and feminine need
to be distinguished from each other; there are some important truths that
are related to the respective and unique roles of father and mother, brother
and sister, and so on. But gender is not at all in view here. He is talking
about stages of growth from childhood to youth to older age. Note also, the
two sections into which this poem naturally divides.
John as a grandparent can write to children, youths, and fathers from the
position of greater age than theirs. He is writing as a warrior who has
survived the wars, from a position of the most senior disciple; the last
apostle.
This little poem repeats images in each of its two stanzas. In the New
International Version (NIV), which we're using here, it is specifically set
out as verse, which is helpful because it makes clear what John is
attempting. But there are some ways in which most English translations cover
up some interpretive difficulties with this poem.
One question has to do with verse 12: "I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name." In this verse
John may be beginning the poem, which would then be two stanzas of three
addresses, one each to children, fathers, and youths. Or he may be
hearkening back to chapter 2 verse 1 where he says similarly, "My dear
children, I write this to you so that you will not sin." (The word teknia,
"little born ones" or little babies, is used seven times in this book. It is
one of John's favorite addresses. As a loving grandfather he speaks to
everyone as "my dear little children.") If we didn't have the verses that
follow, we would naturally assume this is the bookend to the statement that
begins chapter 2. "I write this to you so that you will not sin" and "I
write to you...because your sins have been forgiven...." are the great twin
truths of the gospel. We are free not to sin any longer, and we are forgiven
when we do sin-both operate together to give us life. But verse 12 also fits
very well with what follows, and so we have to make a decision as to which
set of ideas it belongs in. Perhaps John intended it to belong to both.
A second difficulty is that while in most English translations the present
tense of the verb "write" is used ("I write to you") throughout both
sections actually in Greek the aorist tense is used in the second stanza.
There are grammatical reasons why the aorist or past tense may very well be
understood to be present, but there is some debate among scholars about
this.
Lastly, John uses different terms for "children" in verse 12 and verse 13.
(The word for youths and the word for fathers is the same in each stanza.)
Teknia, which means little babies, as we have just seen, is used in verse
12, while paidia, which means children who are school-aged, is used in verse
13. Having noted these things, however, we still find that what John teaches
is clear and not difficult to understand.
A grandfather's encouragement
Recall the stirring truths that open this letter. John writes, "God is
light; and in him is no darkness at all," and he issues the challenge:
"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light...." We have tremendous
opportunity to live as God lives, to love as he loves, to experience his
life, to pass it on to others.
The opening 1 1/2 chapters are also filled with warning. God cannot
lie-"...in him is no darkness at all"-but you and I are fully capable of
lying to other people, deceiving ourselves, and calling God a liar.
"...Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the
darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has
blinded him." These great themes of challenge and warning have been preached
faithfully by the one who is both witness and apostle, the grandfather who
cares enough for his children to tell them of these things.
But this little poem, is all about encouragment: "You're doing great, you're
going to make it! What I see in you is beauty. When I look at the little
children [let's assume that verse 12 is part of the poem], what I see are
those who are experiencing forgiveness and identity in their Father. When I
look at the youths, what I see are those succeeding in all the challenges of
life. When I look at the fathers among you, what I see are those who have a
marvelously deep and rich and unchanging relationship with Jesus Christ.
What I see is good!" He doesn't just say, "I hope it works out for you."
Isn't it great to have a grandparent to support and believe in you, or
someone who has lived with the Lord a long time1? I hope what John writes is
encouraging to you personally.
Children-given grace and identity
Let's look at these three stages. What word of encouragement does Grandpa
want to give to a newcomer to the faith, one who has just stepped into the
glorious freedom of knowing Christ? Two things: First, at the end of verse
12, "Your sins have been forgiven on account of his name." How often do we
return to the very first thing-that we're forgiven? We're forgiven not
because we deserve to be forgiven, not because we're doing better, but on
account of his name. We have an awesome Savior, who has paid the price for
our sins. In his name we are forgiven for what we did yesterday, for what we
did this morning. There is no end to this remarkable experience of
forgiveness, the truth that begins our life in Christ.
The other thing he says of children in the second stanza is,"I write to you,
dear children, because you have known the Father." In this the identity
issue is solved. You know in whose family you are. You know what your name
is because you know your Father's name. However dysfunctional and chaotic
our pre-Christian world was, the fatherhood of God becomes a source of
security for us. Our new identity can't be taken away. Two great truths-we
are forgiven and we are accepted by God-are the great foundation on which
babies in Christ can start living life.
Fathers-captivated by the Lord
What distinguishes fathers? What is characteristic of the stage of maturity?
Interestingly, John makes no changes at all between his first and second
addresses to fathers. In the respective stanzas he changes the focus in what
he says about little ones and what he says about youths. But he says twice,
"I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the
beginning."
In chapter 1 verse 1, "that which was from the beginning" refers to the
person of Christ. John is saying that maturity is a relationship with God in
all his infinite, amazing beauty. It is a relationship that is deep and
fulfilling and challenging and new every morning and satisfying enough that
we become freer and freer to think of him, not ourselves. It is not just the
fatherhood of God that we appreciate, nor the freedom from sin that comes
from Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. More and more are we captivated by the
Lord's personality, his heart, his creativity, by the beauty and joy that
make up who he is.
It is characteristic of children and youths that they are aware of
themselves in the way they relate to God, "My sins have been forgiven, and
my Father has given me an identity," or, "I am battling the evil one and
becoming strong and knowing the word of God." And it's perfectly good; there
is no censure of this. John likes children to be children and youths to be
youths. But the focus of the grownups is captured by One who is so much
greater that they are less and less aware of themselves in his presence.
Now, it isn't as if grownups are different from the youths in the sense of
no longer being engaged in battle with the enemy. They aren't put out to
pasture someplace. Nor are they any less a child of their Father, nor any
less a forgiven sinner. All of the things that apply to the first two stages
apply to them as well. It's just that they don't have to invest as much
self-focus in doing battle or in recognizing God's fatherhood.
You have probably seen that principle at work in many other experiences of
life. When you first engage a problem, it demands a great deal of your
attention, and you're very aware of yourself working on it. When I was eight
years old my dad took me to a barber shop, opened the door, and said, "Son,
go in and tell the barber what kind of haircut you want. The rest of your
life you're going to have to get haircuts. Today you're going to start
learning how to do so on your own." I remember thinking that it was a big
deal at the time; I was shy and I didn't know what I would tell the barber;
I thought I would probably get it wrong. But I don't have a lot of
trepidation anymore about going to the barber. I still have to look him in
the eye and tell him what kind of haircut I want, but it doesn't take a lot
of attention. I'm not very much aware of myself doing it.
The first time you drove on the freeway, it was scary, right? There was so
much to focus on; you were looking in mirrors and watching the speedometer
and paying attention to all the cars around you. It took a lot of effort,
and you were very aware of yourself doing it. An experienced freeway driver
has to focus on all the same things and make just as many judgments, but the
process requires less self awareness.
The other day some friends were telling me about an anticipated audit by the
IRS. They were nervous, having never been through the experience before.
Shortly after that I talked to someone who had been audited many times, and
to them it was an inconvenience but no big deal. IRS audits are something
you can get through. It's a hassle, but nothing more.
The point in John's poem is similar. What is characteristic of fathers is
that they have become able to think about someone other than themselves.
They are overtaken by their sense of the Eternal One, the One who is from
the beginning.
I have a Scripture verse hanging on the wall in my study, Psalm 27:4:
"One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to meditate in his temple."
In writing that psalm, David reduced life to one thing that deserved all his
attention: to dwell in the presence of God, to gaze on his beauty, with all
the emotional satisfaction that goes with that; and to meditate on or to
seek to know his thoughts, with all the intellectual satisfaction that goes
with that. In spiritual maturity the mind and heart of the Lord himself
become completely satisfying.
Youths---defeating the evil one
The third group John addresses is youths. This is that long stage between
childhood and seniority. In the first stanza he says, "I write to you, young
men, because you have overcome the evil one." In the second stanza, the end
of verse 14, he says, "I write to you, young men, because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one." Jesus
said of the evil one, or the devil, "He was a murderer from the
beginning...he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Death and
deception are the trademarks of the evil one. And John sees in the youths
before him, in those who are in the growing stage of their faith, who are
expanding in their knowledge of God and taking a stand for Jesus' sake, the
defeat of the murderer and liar. What a marvelous thing to say! He doesn't
say, "Well, you might turn out okay-one in ten do. You've got a chance."
Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning" (Luke 10:1 . We
already have the victory in Christ, John the grandfather and Jesus the Lord
both speak confidently of the disciples who are making a mark in this world
for the sake of life and truth, so that the murderer and liar is defeated.
What a marvelous calling it is to minister in a world where the enemy has
sown death and destruction, robbing people by broadcasting darkness. Where
he has murdered we stand for truth and life.
The second stanza says,"...You are strong, and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one." In this church the majority of us are
probably spiritual youths. There are a good many new Christians among us,
those who are savoring their identity with God as their Father and the fact
that their sins are forgiven. There are, thank God, grownups among us, too.
This church is very privileged to have a high percentage of fathers. But
most of us are in the middle, still aware of ourselves in the battle; still
making both good and bad choices. So John says, "You are strong," whether we
feel like we are or not. We have strength; we know nothing of power, we know
nothing of support, we know nothing of armies behind us that we cannot see.
We're strong in the face of the evil one and his machinations.
And the word of God lives in us. The weapon with which we battle the evil
one is the truth, to have it live in us, to believe it, to speak it, to be
fitted with the word of God and his thoughts, the realities of God and all
that he has done. It is the truth of Scripture, not just warm Christian
sentiment or religious platitudes, that is our source of strength.
Family language
Family language is the most powerful language in the world. It is on this
basis that we will be shaped, made to understand ourselves, motivated, and
strengthened to be who we ought to be and experience life as we ought to
experience it.
In 2 Timothy Paul encourages a tentative young man who had a great deal of
responsibility and unlimited opportunity in front of him, but who didn't
believe in himself. The book of 2 Timothy is a bucking-up letter to him. It
begins, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to
the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus...." That is very reminiscent of
the beginning of 1 John: Life appeared-the promise of life in Christ Jesus!
"...To Timothy, my dear son...." Timothy was almost certainly abandoned by
his father at some early age. Paul became his spiritual father, filling the
needed role for a godly senior man who was there for Timothy. He frequently
calls Timothy "my dear son" in his writings.
"Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I
thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did...." Paul himself had
fathers, perhaps his own biological father and grandfathers in Judaism who
taught him the word of God (although they couldn't have been Christians, but
they may have been godly). But Paul is able to look back to all of his
forebears in the faith, to David, Moses, Daniel, and the others. He is
saying, "I'm not the first one. I stand in a stream of believing humanity. I
have fathers, and you're my son." Both of those ideas encouraged Timothy to
be who he needed to be. "...With a clear conscience, as night and day I
constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see
you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere
faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice
and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." As Paul had forefathers,
Timothy had foremothers. They served as inspirations to Timothy, and in the
long run God would form himself in this young man because of family ties.
That is why John in this letter talks about believers as growing up from
childhood to young adulthood to seniority. It is appropriate for us to
remember that ultimately this language is the language that God is going to
use to form the life of Christ in us, too. He is our Father, and every
family in heaven and on earth derives its name from him. Let's be grateful
for the human instruments who have taught us that. Let's see beyond them to
him, to the point where we know the One who is from the beginning and we
love him more than we love anyone or anything else.
Copyright Š 1995 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church.
This data file is the sole property of Discovery Publishing, a ministry of
Peninsula Bible Church. It may be copied only in its entirety for
circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain
the above copyright notice. This data file may not be copied in part,
edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial
publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other
products offered for sale, without the written permission of Discovery
Publishing. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed
to Discovery Publishing, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA. 94306-3695. |
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john w
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:56 am Post subject: Re: Where Is Safety And Security? |
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x-no-archive: yes
On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:46:10 -0700 (PDT), "<Kelly>"
<316kcbk@gmail.com> wrote:
Š 2008 John D Weatherly all rights reserved; no portion of this post
may be used anywhere else without written permission of the author.
| Quote: | On Jul 11, 7:30 pm, Raymond <rwkn...@aim.com> wrote:
Are you saying you are well trained and educated read person and know
it all?
He probably is, but it's certain that you are not a "well trained and
educated read person", but you are definitely a "know it all", Ray.
I would think it is you that have these problems and your
just trying to make it look like them that see you as such, are wrong,
but not you.
More drivel from Ray that makes little sense - English is his first
language, but one would never know it from reading what he writes.
I'm willing to BET you call yourself "a Pentecostal Christian."'
So like to bet? I believe the bible says those that were at the cross
of Jesus also did BET.
Yeah...and?
It also seems you are not a Pentecostal
Christian so to them you are lost and not very smart either.
Are you saying that only "Pentecostal Christian[s]" are saved, Ray?
and thats DEAD FAITH but you ignore the clear teachings of the
Your statement really says nothing at all.
Considering what you generally try to write, his statement says
volumes while yours generally say "nothing at all".
I would think a smart learned person would know a demon or evil spirit
would never want to be saved, at all, to them Heaven would be pain and
suffering.
"Heaven would be pain and suffering"? What are you basing *that* on?
Something Scriptural?
|
If you actually understood (your comments are fairly right on so
far), Ray-- if he were actually tested-- likely has an IQ that doesn't
break triple digits. I'd put him in the "mildly retarded" category.
I think he probably does pretty well with what he has.
But he obviously has real reading issues. He doesn't get 1/2 of
what's on the page. What he does manage to read, he doesn't
comprehend.
Several have commented that he gives Ph Ds and Th Ds a bad name.
His official title is "Dr Raymond Knapp."
If you looked up his "alma mater", it's a Ph D mill.
Near as I could tell, he's its only caucasian grad.
Apparently the school is popular with disadvantaged black students
who haven't had a proper education.
At the "school" he "attended", it appears that anyone with a few $$
can "earn " a Ph D.
If you are not aware, Ray is what's called "Oneness."
| Quote: |
Like a drunk that has no beer or wiskey and knows no one
else will ever given him a drink if he is in Heaven.
Hmmm...more "Scriptural" analogies, Ray? Where did you get that one?
It looks like
you are doing all the cooking up of false doctrines.
Right now you appear to be guilty of same.
Act 19:15 And the wicked spirit answering, said, ????? I know, and
Shaul I know, but who are you?
His name is Paul or Saul not the spelling you playing with.
Wow, Ray. Thought you had all of those "real" theology degrees -
seems to me that someone who's been through a complete course of study
from a real, accredited school of theology would be able to recognize
transliterated Hebrew, Ray. Paul's Hebrew name was "Sha'ul", and it
means "asked" or "borrowed".
Now, why doesn't someone who considers themselves a "well trained and
educated read person" such as yourself already know that (with all of
your real and authetic degrees and all)?
Then
since you also have no name snow, I would thing the demons would say
who are you?
What is it with you and people using their real names in Usenet?
Usenet allows for anonymity, Ray. Get with the program and get over
it.
Then turn on you like they did that person and then you
would wish you never played your game.
Huh? Was that supposed to be English?
Have a nice day if you can.
Great missionary attitude, Ray. Does that superb evangelistic
technique work well at winning souls for Christ? |
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Rod
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:38 am Post subject: Re: Carl's spam |
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guardian Snow wrote:
| Quote: | On Jul 11, 3:16 am, "Carl" <sai...@nettally.com> wrote:
The following is an enlightening and uplifting sermon by Robert Murray
M'Cheyne concerning the perfect and holy love of Jesus Christ. I personally
found it a sermon that touched my heart and I hope it touches your heart as
well.
The following is spam from a person who has no ideas of his own and is
unable to actually author his own post.
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Use your filters. You can't stop him from lying about you
but you can ignore him ! |
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Carl
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject: Amazing Grace! |
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This sermon is all about God's amazing Grace and was preached by David
Legge. It is a Biblically-based sermon that is uplifting and encouraging for
Christians. I hope you are edified by its reading.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
Amazing Grace!
by Pastor David Legge
If you have your Bible with you, we're turning to Ephesians. Ephesians
chapter 2 - and we began chapter 2, last week, at verse 1 - and we went
through verses 1 to 7 and we looked at the subject: 'From Death to Life'.
But we'll read those verses again, and we're specifically homing in on
verses 8 to 10 of chapter 2 and we're looking at the subject of: 'Amazing
Grace!'. Verse 1: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even
as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them".
Last Monday evening we looked, and we saw in verses 1 to 3 of the chapter
that sinners are utterly dead - that the human being, when he is born into
the world, is born in sin and shapen in iniquity. This is something that
cannot be changed - and it is not the fact that man is alright and he'll be
alright in the end, and we looked [at] how it's not the fact that man is
mortally sick and one day he will die from the sins and the trespasses that
he commits. It's not even as good as all that, but the word of God teaches
that man is dead. There is the absence of life, and being dead he cannot
help himself. There he is, a spiritual corpse, the spirit within him that is
the part of the human being that relates to God, that is there to worship
God and to know God and to have a relationship with God, is dead. If man is
to know God - we saw in verses 4 to 7 - that he has to be made alive. He has
to have a spiritual resurrection where God, the Holy Ghost, comes into the
spirit - the inside, the inner man - of a dead unbeliever and breathes new
life. He has to be born again, born from above.
We remember that we saw Paul, and he brought us to that pinnacle of faith in
all of chapter 1, looking at the history of salvation - what God has done
for us. There from that mountain top, in chapter 2 and verses 1 to 3, he now
makes us look into the depths of the valley of death where man was before he
was converted. Then, as it were, again he lifts us from that valley and he
says: 'But God!' - He is the answer. We saw from that pinnacle of saving
grace, and all the blessings that we are blessed with in heavenly places in
Christ, we saw a journey from hell to heaven, a journey from darkness to
ultimate light, a journey from bondage to total and utter freedom, a journey
from wrath to glory, a journey from death unto life! From that surveying
point he assesses the whole relationship that we have with Christ Jesus -
how once we were dead and now we have been brought into life. And now, as it
were, sitting there contemplating on the blessing of what God has done in
salvation, he summarises the whole thing up in 2 verses - verses 8 and 9.
Let's look at them. He tells us how this great change, this great
regeneration from death to life has happened: 'For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast'.
You could say that these two verses are the gospel in a nutshell. My friend,
this is what it's all about. Paul, in these 2 verses, gives us the dynamics
of salvation - how salvation happens, what salvation means, the whole
process and mechanics of how you are saved, why God has saved you, what God
has saved you from, what He has saved you to, and how it has all been done.
It is one of the greatest declarations of the gospel of God that we find
within the word of God. So many people have been converted through these
verses, it's no wonder! But let me say this to you: if you're not saved
tonight, you're not converted, or you're a backslider, I want you to listen
very carefully to these words. Listen carefully to what God is saying to
your heart about how we are saved. How are we saved?
Now I want to begin with verse 9, to clear away all the rubbish first of
all. For verse 9 makes a declaration that we are not saved of works 'lest
any man should boast'. How are we saved? Well, we could answer that with a
negative first of all - how we are not saved - we are not saved by works!
Now let me say this: that modern day Protestantism has become a religion of
works, and indeed it outstrips pope-ishness at times - and the extent to
which men of the cloth rely on works, and climbing a celestial ladder to God
of good works, morality, theology and all that they can think of just to
reach God, to be good enough to get into heaven. But yet God the Holy Spirit
denounces it, and declares: 'Not by works, lest any man should boast'.
They believe and they preach the frog and the milk philosophy. I don't know
whether you've ever heard of that philosophy or not. You'll not hear about
it in the halls of the universities or the theological colleges, but do you
know what it is? It's the wee frog that you put into a carton of milk that
can't get out. How does it get out? The only way for that little frog to get
out of that carton of milk is for it to start to paddle away and beat its
feet, until it beats so much that it makes butter. Then it gets a little pad
and it's able to jump out of that carton. That's the gospel of so many of
our churches today: 'Try your best! Work for God! Work with God! Keep the
commandments! Go to your church! Give to the poor! Do all you can! Be nice
to your neighbour!' - but my friend, listen to what God says: 'Not of works,
lest any man should boast'.
Och, if you stopped 20 people in Templemore Avenue this evening and asked
them: 'When you get to the Judgement Seat, and you stand before your Maker,
and you are asked why you should be let into Heaven, what will you say?'.
'Oh, I'm a good person you know. I try my best, and I do no harm to anybody,
and I'm trying to do good to everyone, and I go to my church, and I give to
the poor - there are much people worse off than I am. There are people that
do terrible things, and I'm not like that. I'm no murderer. I'm no burglar,
or terrorist, or rapist, or anything like that. I try my best!'. Now listen
friends, that attitude will get the frog out of the milk, but it'll not
deliver the soul from hell. God says: 'Not of works'. Listen to it! It's
categoric! It's emphatic! No buts about it! You can't water it down! You'll
never get into heaven by works! But do you know what the trouble is? That
we have, ingrained within our very nature, something that is called pride.
That simply means that the stumbling block of the gospel to many people is
this: that they want to do a wee bit about it. You see, people don't want a
gospel of grace where they don't do anything. They want to add a wee bit.
They want, at the end of the day, for there to be a wee brass plaque where,
at least, it says: 'This person - David Legge - added a little bit to his
salvation'. They want some of the glory, some of the time - when they get to
heaven they want to have it themselves.
Why is it not of works? Paul tells us in verse 9, in the second half of the
verse - what does he say? Look at it: 'Lest any man should boast'. Imagine
if you got to heaven, or I got to heaven on my own steam, imagine what it
would be like. There wouldn't be enough room to keep all the celestial big
heads that there were, isn't that right? Peter would have to widen the
golden gates to get you in, isn't that true? 'Lest any man should boast' -
that's why Paul says it, that's why the Holy Spirit made him say it, that if
there are people in heaven that are glorying in the fact that they got
themselves there, [then] God's not God and they are. That's what it's down
to. That's what it means! God would have to play - and I say it reverently -
second fiddle for a soul that is in heaven that saved himself, or added to
his own salvation. My friend, this is why God has declared this.
It's interesting - if you go into the gospels, into Matthew's gospel, you
see there that the Lord, on occasions describes the judgements at the end of
the age. Do you know the only people at the judgements that are boasting?
It's the ones that are going to hell. If you turn with me now to Matthew
chapter 7 and verse 22 you see that. Matthew 7 and [verse] 22, and Jesus
depicts them standing there before Him, and what is it that they're saying
to Him? '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?'. 'Depart
form me ye cursed into everlasting fire', is the reply that comes from the
Lord Jesus. They're boasting, but no one shall boast in the face of God for
their salvation. That's why it's by grace. If you turn to chapter 25 you see
that the sheep that are saved, the ones that will go into eternal life and
enjoy the blessings of God's salvation forever - they're the very ones that
can't even remember the good deeds that they did do! Matthew 25 verse 37:
'Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?', and so on. They
can't even remember! They are there, and that proves that they don't get
there by their good works, because they can't even remember them!
You know, my friend, salvation doesn't come by works, and anyone that is
truly saved has nothing to boast about. There's nobody boasting in heaven
this evening. There's nobody lifting their head high because they saved
themselves, or they did something about their salvation, but it gets worse
than this. The situation of man is more tragic, because the gulf between the
deadness of man and the awesome righteousness of a holy God is so far away
that man can't do anything about his salvation. Maybe you don't believe that
type of religion. Well, turn with me to Romans chapter 3, for we need to
look at this - and I want to say that everything I'm saying is from the word
of God. In Romans chapter 3 we read two things about the awful state of man.
What Paul does is, he employs a rabbinical technique of writing. It used to
be called the string of pearls, where he puts a whole lot of truths
together, but it's not a string of pearls because they're awful pearls. It's
more like a string of perils! He lists the overwhelming evidence that man -
listen - is universally corrupted.
The first thing he mentions is their character. Look at verse 10. Verse 10,
through to 12: 'As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God'. Now
take that in my friend! When God says that there is none that seeketh after
God, He means that there is none that seeketh after God. 'They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good, no, not one'. Man is universally corrupt in his character! Then
he goes on, verse 13 to 18, to say that man is corrupt in his conduct:
'Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used
deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of
cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and
misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is
no fear of God before their eyes'.
It's awful, and Paul in Ephesians declares that all people, no matter
whether they're Jew or Gentile, whether they're pagan or pious, whether
they're pope or Protestant, they're all condemned and done under sin! This
is awful! If you look at Ephesians 2, that we've taken our text from, that's
why Paul does not relate these works that he talks about: 'Not by works,
lest any man should boast'. Often when Paul was talking about works he
referred it to the works of the law, keeping the commands of the Old
Testament, but he knew that the Gentiles, those that weren't Jews, didn't
even know what the commandments were of the Old Testament! He wants to make
categorically clear that he's talking about every human being that has ever
been born or lived, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you got it? It's
an awful scene, isn't it?
Someone has said that: 'Our good works are no more beneficial than
rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic', isn't that right? Can you
imagine being on the Titanic and when it's going down and you escape into
the circumference of where the boat is about to sink? And there's a man
trying to swim beside you and he gives you a dig and he says, 'You know, I'm
the Olympic gold medallist winner in swimming'. And he says to you, 'Now
look! You follow me and you swim with me, and if you even want to hold onto
my foot you do it!' - and they're off the coast of America (you know where
the Titanic sunk). Will they get there? No. Why? Because the distance is too
far to reach. My friend, that's what God's distance is like! That is what
the law of God is like my friend, it is beyond us. Anyway, how can a dead
man do any swimming? A dead man can't do anything. The unsaved person is
dead in their sins, and they're there helpless and hopeless, and all they
have is hell, and all they deserve is hell, says the word of God.
My friend, this is an awful situation - and here Paul pronounces that this
is why it needs to be so great a salvation. Is it any wonder that the Lord
Jesus said in the Beatitudes, in Matthew 5 and verse 3: 'Blessed are the
poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'? One paraphrase puts it
like this: 'Blessed are those who realise that they have nothing within
themselves to commend them to God, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'.
That's what it means. Do you realise that tonight, my friend? Don't come
with all of your righteousnesses whatever you do - and I'm talking to both
Christians and non-Christians here tonight. Because sometimes Christians get
a thing about themselves, and about how much they know, and what they do,
and how much they pray, and how much they preach - and they just think that
God loves them for what they can do for God or even for who they are - not a
bit of it! God loves us unconditionally! He loves us for one reason: because
He chooses to love us, nothing else. If we are to know Him, if we are to be
saved by Him, if we are to enter into the kingdom of God, we must become as
little children. That means there's not to be pride about us. What does the
hymn say?
'Boasting excluded, pride I abase
For I'm only a sinner saved by grace'.
You see that's what Paul said in the book of Romans and chapter 3 and verse
27. He asked: 'Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of
works? Nay: but by the law of faith'. You can't have faith and works
together to secure your salvation - no! The word of God teaches, the book of
Ephesians, the book of Romans, even the book of James teaches that faith,
and faith alone will save the soul alone. You see the tragedy of religion
today - and sadly much of Protestantism and a lot of evangelicalism is going
in that direction - is that it blasphemes the Saviour and it castrates the
cross. You see, that's what Paul talked of in Galatians chapter 2 and 21,
look what he says: 'I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if
righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain'. If I could get
there through my works, through inner righteousness, through a false
religion or a denomination, Christ need not have died at Calvary! Do you
know why He died? Because there was no other way!
Do you think God would spend so great a price for your soul if you could get
there on your own steam? Not a bit of it! That's why the word of God is
laying down here for us - Paul doesn't want us to miss it - as if we could
already through all the verses that we've been looking at - but he wants to
set down absolutely, so that there's no doubt about it in our minds, that if
we are to be saved we must be saved by God, and God alone. You see, if man
could save himself [then] man is his own saviour. Do you understand that?
And if man could meet God halfway and help him out in the salvation then man
has two saviours: himself and God. But the word of God is teaching,
categorically, that there is one Saviour - and God says, Isaiah 42:8: 'I am
the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither
my praise to graven images'.
Old John Nelson was a godless, blaspheming blacksmith until God saved him.
Then what happened [was] a tremendous transformation of grace in his life,
and he became one of John Wesley's preachers. One day when he was out
preaching the gospel, he began a conversation with a very self-righteous
man, and that man said to him - listen: 'I don't need your Saviour. My life
is all that I need. I can present my own life to God and I'm satisfied He
won't be hard on me. If anybody gets into heaven I'll get there because of
the way I've lived'. 'Look here!', said Nelson, 'If you got into Heaven you
would bring discord, because do you know what they're doing in heaven?
They're singing: 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, that was slain! Worthy
is He for the finished work that He has done at Calvary' - that's what
they're singing. But if you went in by your own works, you'd have to sing:
'Worthy am I! For I did a good work. I tried my best and it worked. I got
the goal. I achieved everything that needed to be done. I ticked all the
boxes that God wanted to get me here. Worthy am I!''. And do you know what
he said? 'An angel, if they heard you singing that, would take you by the
scruff of the neck and throw you over the wall'.
No flesh shall glory in His sight, and if there's an inch of you that thinks
you're going to get to heaven by anything to do with you - my friend, you
are in trouble. For if man has to have anything to do with his salvation, do
you know what it means? It means God would owe man heaven at the end of His
life. Do you think you can bargain with God? If you do your best that at the
end of the road God's going to have to, He's obliged to take the chequebook
down and give you an eternity in Heaven? Do you know what the book of Romans
says? Chapter 11 and verse 35: 'Or who hath first given to him', God, 'and
it shall be recompensed unto him?'. There's nobody owes God anything, and
God doesn't owe him. God is no man's debtor, and Paul teaches in the book of
Romans that if we have to have, or feel we have to have, some part in our
salvation - God is in our debt! But Paul says: 'Now to him that worketh is
the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt'. You see, if you've to work
for your salvation, you're being saved because God's in your debt, and God
can't be in anybody's debt. Do you understand this?
This isn't some bargain, you know. Some people preach the gospel as if it's
some bargain, and you would need to be a fool to refuse it. 'Eternal life?
The slate wiped clean? Everything you want - a home in Heaven when you die,
and everybody at church for your friends?' - that's not the gospel! You see,
the gospel costs you everything, but it cost Christ everything. I wonder, is
there anybody here this evening - you know, this is something that has been
argued for years, debated in the church, even from the fifth century;
Palagius brought this doctrine into the church that men could help God with
their salvation, that men could meet God some way, [and hold] out their hand
to God heavenward some of the way, and then God would reach down and pull
them up to heaven. But the word of God says this, and it's our first point:
that grace is working for us. You see, that's the way you're saved. By
grace! We are saved by grace. Look at verse 8: 'through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God'. By grace are ye saved!
What is grace? Grace is simply - to give a simple definition of it - is
God's unmerited favour to those who are totally undeserving. Do you know
what it is? It's verse 4: 'But God'. Verses 1 to 3 have been describing what
a terrible pit that we're all in from birth and then, in verse 4: 'But God,
who is rich in mercy'. God reaches down. It's grace, He doesn't have to do
it, He wasn't obliged to do it and He certainly wasn't in anybody's debt to
do it. We're all on our way to hell, and God would have been righteous and
just to let us go there, but God who is rich in mercy poured unmerited
favour upon us - those who didn't deserve anything. Do you know what this
verse means? Look at verse 8: 'By grace are ye saved through faith'. Do you
know what it literally means? You are being saved? No. You shall be saved?
No. You can be saved? No. You may be saved? No. If you travel on the way
that you're going, and keep the slate clean, you will be saved? No! By grace
ye are saved through faith! Do you know what that is? It's in the perfect
passive participle. Do you know what that means? The perfect tense describes
an action which is a state of being at the present time, and Paul is
literally saying this: 'By grace we are in the state of being, of having
been, saved'. That's the state of being that you're in. The state of living
and existence - if you've put your trust and faith in Christ - is of
'have-being' saved already. No doubt about it!
Can you say that? Are you in a state of having already been saved, so that
you know in the depths of your soul that you'll never die spiritually? That
you'll never lift up your eyes in hell? That you'll never smell your flesh
burning in the lake of fire? That you'll never have God say: 'Depart from
me, I never knew you'? Even though you've known the gospel all your life, do
you know what it is to have that deep assurance: 'I have been saved'? You
need to have no doubt about it. Some of you, when you go shopping you make
sure you get a receipt for whatever you bought just in case it's not right,
yet some of you are taking shoddy goods for an eternity. My friend, is there
anything more important than that? You need a guarantee that you are saved,
secured!
What is this grace? There was once a mission in the slums and there were all
sorts of creatures came into that mission - drunkards and drug abusers,
murderers - all sorts of sinners. One night - and there were many people
getting saved every night - and one night, there at the altar kneeling down
before the preacher were two men. One was a judge and one was a robber, and
both of them were shedding tears and crying to God for mercy to be saved. As
the pastor walked out of the church that night, he happened to walk out with
the judge. The judge turned to him and said: 'Did you see who was kneeling
down there beside me tonight?'. The pastor said: 'I didn't know you
noticed'. 'Oh yes! What a miracle of grace,' he said. The pastor replied,
'Oh yes! A convict being saved!'. 'Oh no!', said the judge, 'I meant me. For
I was brought up a gentleman. I was taught to say my prayers. I took
communion regularly. My bond was my word. I went to Oxford. I got my
degrees. I learnt law and then I went to the courts, and I was debating and
challenging men about the right and wrong of the law, but there I was and
God was able to save a self-righteous wretch like me! That's grace, my
friend!'. He said, 'You know, for a convict to come out of jail - it would
have been the greatest news that he could ever hear, to know that the slate
could be wiped clean. But for me, I thought my slate was wiped clean. But it
wasn't'.
My friend, this is the type of grace that we are preaching. This is the
grace that we have in the word of God, and it takes this grace to save all.
It's all of grace, and the minute, my friend - now listen to this,
Christians, because there's a lot of watered down word preached in these
days - immediately you begin to mix what man does with what God does, and
add a little bit and you tell people that man can meet God halfway, or that
God will save them and then they have to run the race themselves and keep
themselves, and if they sin the next day, well, if they died they'd be in
hell - that's not a gospel at all! That is not grace, it's certainly not the
grace of God. My friend, salvation is not co-operation - man and God. It is
absolute regeneration! Do you know what Pascal said? 'Grace is indeed
required to turn a man into a saint, and he who doubts this does not know
what either a man or a saint is'.
You see, if you think that you can be saved by your works, or you can meet
God halfway, or that you in some way came to Christ and He was obliged to
take you because you're such a good person - my friend, listen to this: you
have no idea what a sinner is, because a sinner is dead and he can't even
help himself. Have you any idea what a saint is? Do you know what a saint
is? It's a person who is clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and unless
you have His holiness - His righteous standard - you will never stand before
God, because it's only that standard that He accepts. All that God asks of a
sinner - not that he work his way, not that he do his best - the only work
that God asks a man to do is a work of fact! Admitting a fact! Throwing the
hands of rebellion down, and saying: 'Lord, You were right, I'm dead. Lord,
I need You!'. For the gift of God is eternal life, and you need to admit
that you can't do it, that only God can save you - and the work that God has
done with Christ at Calvary, where He put Him through my hell and my
judgement, where He took my place and my transgressions, and the iniquity of
us all was laid on Him. Unless you are trusting on the finished work - it's
completed, you don't need to add to it by the way - unless that's what
you're resting on, you can never be saved. For it's by grace.
Look at the second bit, verse 8: 'For by grace are ye saved through faith'.
Now what's Paul saying? He's simply saying this: that faith is the medium
for this salvation. It's the condition upon which the salvation is given.
But beware of something here - faith is not a quality. You'll hear people
talking in our world today and they might be a Muslim, they might be Roman
Catholic, they might be a dead dyed Protestant, they might be a Mormon, they
might be a Jehovah's Witness, they could be anything in the whole wide world
and they have faith. Now it's their own faith. It's man's faith. They have a
faith in a god, but don't make the mistake that faith is a quality that men
have: 'Ach, he's religious. That's just his inclination. He was born that
way. I don't know whether it's a gene or something, or it ran in his family.
That's just his persuasion. He likes to worship God, go to church and be
good living'. Not a bit of it! It's not a virtue. It's not a quality. It's
not even a faculty of the human spirit that, because of sin and because of
the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, has been ignored or trampled
down or neglected. My friend, listen! This response of the faith of man is
by God's grace! Can a dead man have faith? No. This is something that man
cannot produce.
You see, the response of faith in a man, even that very thing, must be
evoked by the Holy Spirit of God. To make sure that we don't [make the]
mistake of thinking that God does the grace, and then we need to work up the
faith within us to believe what God is saying, Paul says, and repeats in
verse 8 - look at it: 'Not of yourselves...For by grace are ye saved through
faith, not of yourselves'. It is a free gift, the gift of God! And every | |
