Mike Abendroth's Blog, page 3

The Sinfulness of Sin

Recently at a wedding someone was telling me how there is to too much negativity preached from the pulpit today and that what we need is more positive and uplifting messages. So would it be safe to assume she would not be a fan of this particular blog on the sinfulness of sin?

One of the people she mentioned who gives these positive and uplifting messages was Joel Osteen. Enough said. I made it unequivocally clear to her that he does not believe in the Jesus of the Bible.

Of course a man-centered message that strokes people’s felt needs and avoids any mention of sin and divine judgment will be attractive to the flesh. But any biblical message must include what one of the Puritans called the sinfulness of sin.

“On the contrary, as God is holy, all holy, only holy, altogether holy, and always holy, so sin is sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful, and always sinful.”

Ralph Venning, The Sinfulness of Sin

Let me suggest 7 Biblical reasons for the sinfulness of sin.

1. Sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you.

This was the graphic way God Himself personified sin when He confronted Cain about his anger toward his brother Abel.(Genesis 4:7) What vivid imagery. Like a crouching predator ready to pounce on its prey, so sin is ready to pounce on you.

2.Guilty of one, guilty of all.

“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”

Jams 2:10

If one of my children disobey in one thing, yet I punished them for disobeying in all things, that would not be fair. Yet with God it is fair of Him to punish us for breaking all of His holy Law even if we had only broken it at only one point. That is because God by nature is a just Judge and therefore judges with righteousness and with equity(Psalm 51:4; 98:9).

3. It takes the Holy Spirit Himself to bring conviction of sin.

No person can convict another of their sin. They can teach them what the Bible clearly says about sin and that it is an offence first and foremost against God and there is divine judgment for it. But it takes a divine and supernatural work to convict someone of sin. While teaching His disciples Jesus Himself said it is the work of the Holy Spirit.(John 16:8)

After Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, doctor Luke describes the conviction of the Holy Spirit on the people by saying that they were cut to the heart and so much so that they saw they needed to respond to the message as they asked, “What shall we do?”(Acts 2:37-38) Peter was the human instrument that God used to preach the message. But let no one wrongly think that it was Peter who brought conviction. It was the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

4. Its extent is universal.

Sin affects the entire human race. We are polluted with sin. Our spiritual garments are stained with sin.(Isaiah 64:6) Like sheep, we have all gone astray(Isaiah 53:5) Each of us has turned to his own way(Isaiah 53:5). The charge against us is that all are under sin(Romans 3:9). All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God(Romans 3:23).

5. God hates sinners.

Wait just a moment. Doesn’t God hate sin but love the sinner. Sounds good, right? Even catchy. But the Bible declares otherwise.

“The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.”

Psalm 5:5

After all, God punishes the unrepentant sinner.

6. Sin is first and foremost against God.

In the opening chapter of the book of Romans, the apostle Paul gives a list of sins in which murder is grouped with disobedience to parents(Romans 1:29-30). How is that possible? Because all the sins in that list, including murder and disobedience to parents, are first and foremost against God. That is why within the context of the first chapter Paul says that…

…”they did not honor him as God or give thanks to Him”(Romans 1:21)

…”worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”(Romans1:25)

…”they did not see fit to acknowledge God”(Romans 1:28)

…”they are…haters of God.”(Romans 1:29-30)

David knew this truth well when he penned the following.

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,”

Psalm 51:4a

He was responsible for committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband, yet he realised his sins were first and foremost against God Himself.

7. Christ came into the world to save sinners.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

1 Timothy 1:15

It took the eternal Son to lay aside His heavenly glory temporarily in order to come to earth to save sinners. That is how sinful sin is.

Why is He the only one who can save sinners. Because…

…He “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”(Hebrews 4:15)

…He is “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners”(Hebrews 7:26)

…He “knew no sin”(2 Corinthians 5:21)

…He “committed no sin”(1 Peter 2:22)

…”in Him there is no sin.”(1 John 3:5)

…He is the Holy One of God(John 6:69)

…He is “the Holy and Righteous One”(Acts 3:14)

The sinfulness of sin. Yes. But O the sinlessness of the Savior!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am The Greatest

With the recent death of Muhammad Ali, many of the morning shows on TV were paying tribute to him. Whether it was the Thrilla in Manila when he fought Joe Frazier, or the Rumble in the Jungle when he fought George Foreman, Muhammad Ali was known for his self-proclaimed “I am the greatest.”

BUT…

The only one who could ever say “I am the greatest” and in reality IS the greatest is Jesus Christ.

To the Jews of Jesus’ day, the temple represented the worship of God, yet Jesus Christ Himself emphatically declared…

“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”

Matthew 12:6

Jonah was one of God’s prophets, yet Jesus Christ Himself emphatically declared…

“The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Matthew 12:41

And king Solomon was so well known for his wisdom, yet Jesus Christ Himself emphatically declared…

“The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

Matthew 12:42

Furthermore, if you thought like a Jew in Jesus’ day, you would have an exalted view of angels. According to the Talmud and rabbinical teaching, Jews viewed angels as the highest next to God. Above everything else, what exalted angels in the mind of a Jew was that the Law was brought to them from God by angels. They believed that the angels were the mediators of their covenant with God.(Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19)

Yet Scripture emphatically declares Jesus is superior to the angels.

“After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,  having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

Hebrews 1:3b-4

Jesus is superior to angels because He is…

1)…addressed by the Father as “My Son”(Hebrews 1:5)

2)…adored by the angles as firstborn(Hebrews 1:6)

3)…anointed by the Father as King(Hebrews 1:7-9)

4)…addressed by the Father as “God”(Hebrews 1:8-9)

5)…addressed by the Father as “Lord”(Hebrews 1:10)

6)…ascribed by the Father the divine act of creation(Hebrews 1:10)

7)…ascribed by the Father the divine attribute of immutability(Hebrews 1:12)

8)…ascribed by the Father the divine attribute of eternality(Hebrews 1:10-12)

9)…appointed by the Father to His right hand(Hebrews 1:13-14)

God raised up Moses to lead the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. Yet Jesus is greater than Moses.

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)  Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son.”

Hebrews 3:1-6

And the icing on the cake so to speak is that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

Hebrews 8:6

So,

Jesus is greater than the temple.

Jesus is greater than Jonah.

Jesus is greater than Solomon.

Jesus is superior to angels.

Jesus is superior to Moses.

Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.

HE ALONE IS THE GREATEST!!!

 

 

 

 

Mother’s Day or The Lord’s Day

Mother’s Day, which we just celebrated this past Sunday May 8, is one of the most celebrated holidays. Hallmark and FTD look forward to this day annually with salivating anticipation.

So while our regular calendars say Sunday was Mother’s Day, our church calendars say Sundays is the Lord’s day. So what’s a pastor to do? Should he give in to the culture and therefore preach a sermon about mothers? Or should he dismiss the culture and preach about the One whose resurrection we celebrate Sundays, the Lord Jesus Christ, even at the risk of offending people who may think to themselves, “The pastor doesn’t love mothers, probably not even his own.”

Now don’t get me wrong. I love my mother. I surprised her with a bouquet of flowers delivered to her doorstep.(not FTD but flowers.com) I love my wife as the mother of our children. I took my daughters shopping to help them get a gift for their mother.

But, when it comes to the church, we preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified(1 Corinthians 2:3) because He alone is the cornerstone of the church(Ephesians 2:20). We proclaim Jesus Christ because He alone is the head of the church and therefore should have the preeminence(Colossians 1:18).

I asked a friend what his pastor preached this Mother’s Day. He said his pastor preached from 1 Samuel on Hannah. I love Hannah from the Bible. We gave that name to our oldest daughter as her middle name. But, as our pastor said Sunday, Mother’s Day, if you are here to hear a sermon about mothers you will be disappointed. But if you are here to hear a sermon about Jesus Christ, you will be excited.

When you preach verse by verse through a book of the Bible in an expository fashion then even on Mother’s Day you continue preaching the Word where you left off the previous Sunday.

Jesus never drew a crowd to please them. Whenever large crowds would gather He would filter all those just showing a superficial interest by laying down some hardline parameters. On one such occasion, Jesus confronted people with that which they hold most dear and valuable, namely family, including mothers.

“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”(emphasis added)

Luke 14:25-26

Jesus is to be a true disciple’s supreme love(Matthew 10:37) because a genuine believer has an unrivalled commitment to his Lord. Someone may point out that Jesus here contradicts some of the other teachings in the Bible because He says to hate even your own wife whereas the Bible teaches husbands to love their wives(Ephesians 5:25). I said it before and I will say it again. Husbands will never be able to fulfil their calling in marriage to love their wives as Christ loved the Church unless they love Jesus supremely more than their wives.

In the same manner, we love our moms, but we love Jesus more. I told both my mother and my wife Happy Mother’s Day. Mothers would lay down their lives for their own children. BUT…God the Father, in His divine justice, will only accept one sacrifice as the perfect substitute to satisfy the demands of His wrath and as the grounds for granting forgiveness of sins.

How about you? Is your love for Jesus so supreme that in comparison it seems that you hate your mom? If not, then come to Him. Is Jesus the one you love more than your own life? If not, then by faith embrace Him. I know my Savior will not turn you away.

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.“(emphasis added)

John 6:37

 

 

Save the Planet…or Your Soul?

As a manager of a retail store, when I offer to put customers’ items in a plastic bag, they refuse the bag with the retort “Save the planet.” Now don’t get me wrong. In our home we recycle, but in our church you would not find us practicing church discipline on someone for failing to recycle or for using plastic bags. After all, what is more important? The saving of the planet or the saving of a human soul? That ought to be a no brainer. But unfortunately we lose site of priorities in God’s economy.

When a certain man approached Jesus and asked him to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him, Jesus responded “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”(Luke 12:15). Then he said the following parable.

“And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:16-21

Are you like the man in this parable who said, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”(Luke 12:19)? Is that your motto in life: relax, eat, drink, be merry? If so, God calls you…a Fool! Why? Because of your soul. Note the urgency. THIS NIGHT your soul is required of you! What will it profit you if you gain the whole world and forfeit your soul?(Matthew 16:26)

Ought not you to be anxious for your soul? Do you care more about saving the planet than the salvation of your soul? Let me give you two reasons you should be anxious for your soul and concerned.

First of all, you are at eternal being. You will live forever. Question is: where? Jesus said there are two groups of people, those for the resurrection of life and those for the resurrection of judgment(John 5:29). Elsewhere Jesus describes these two distinct groups as the sheep and the goat.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus(Matthew 25)

These penetrating words of Jesus cut on a number of fronts.

First of all, at the end of time, when He returns again, there will be a separation. There are two distinct groups that will be separated, the sheep and the goat.

Furthermore, the one who will be separate them is Jesus, the Son of Man, in all His full splendid glory, seated on His glorious throne in majesty and full authority. Therefore you will have no excuse. There will be no second chances. No argument you present will stand at the fury of His wrath.

Also, His words to you will be stark and striking: “Depart from Me, you cursed.” Jesus elsewhere said, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’(Matthew 7:23).

And note that this is eternal. F O R E V E R and E V E R!!! Everlasting. You will be cast into the eternal fire for eternal punishment. And this will be a conscious existence. This will be your reality, you who take more delight in saving the planet than in being anxious for the state and condition of your soul.

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

Jesus(Luke 16)

You will be in eternal torment. You will be in anguish in this flame, this eternal fire. You will be for eternity in this place of torment. And for you it will be too late. Consider this then your warning. Take heed!

“You are an immortal creature, a being born for eternity, a creature that will never go out of existence. Millions of ages, as numerous as the sands upon the shore, and the drops of the ocean, and the leaves of all the forests on the globe, will not shorten the duration of your being ; eternity, vast eternity, incomprehensible eternity, is before you. Every day brings you nearer to everlasting torments or felicity. You may die any moment, and you are as near to heaven or hell as you are to death.”

John Angell James, The Anxious Enquirer After Salvation(1834)

But not only should you be anxious for your soul because you are an eternal being, but also because God is a Holy and Just being and you are a sinner. You are corrupt at the very heart(Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19) Your sin is a direct offense and affront against God(Psalm 51:4), who cannot ignore or overlook it.

“You have broken God’s law; you have rebelled against his authority ; you have acted as an enemy to him, and made him your ene my. If you had committed only one single act of transgression, your situation would be alarming. One sin would have subjected you to the sentence of his law, and exposed you to his displeasure : but you have committed sins more in number and greater in magnitude than you know, or can conceive of. Your whole life has been one continued sin : you have, so far as God is considered, done nothing but sin. Your transgressions have sent up to heaven a cry for vengeance. You are actually under the curse of the Almighty.”

John Angell James, The Anxious Enquirer After Salvation(1834)

BUT, there is Good News. It is called the Gospel. It is the substitutionary death of Jesus and His resurrection(1 Corinthians 15:3-4). You are a great sinner, but there is a greater Savior. There is salvation in no one else other than the Lord Jesus Christ(Acts 4:12). Would you come to Him, today? Today is the day of salvation.(2 Corinthians 6:2)

“These people do not see their need of a Savior. They appear to think it an easy matter to get to heaven, and that God will of course be merciful to them at last, some way or other, though they do not exactly know how. Yet God says that He is just and holy, and never changes—that Christ is the only way, and none can come unto the Father but by Him—that without His blood there can be no forgiveness of sin—that a man without Christ is a man without hope—that those who would be saved must believe on Jesus and come to Him, and that he who believes not shall he damned. Surely they are asleep!

Once more I say, is this the state of your soul? Remember my question. Are you asleep?

Worst of all, these people do not appear to feel their danger. They walk on with their eyes shut, and seem not to know, that the end of their path is hell! Some dreamers imagine that they are rich—when they are poor, or full—when they are hungry, or well—when they are sick, and awake to find it all a mistake! And this is the way that many dream about their souls. They flatter themselves they will have peace—and there will be no peace; they imagine that they are all right—and in truth they will find that they are all wrong. Surely they are asleep!

Once more I say, is this the state of your soul? Remember my question. Are you asleep?

If conscience pricks you, and tells you you are yet asleep, what can I say to arouse you? Your soul is in awful peril. Without a mighty change it will be lost. When shall that change once be?

Oh, awake! and sleep no more.

This day, as the ambassador of Christ, I beg you to be reconciled to God. The Lord Jesus who came into the world to save sinners—Jesus the appointed Mediator between God and man—Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us—Jesus sends you a message of peace—He says, “Come unto Me!” Come is a precious word indeed, and ought to draw you. You have sinned against heaven—heaven has not sinned against you. Yet see how the first step towards peace is on heaven’s side. It is the Lord’s message—”Come unto Me.” ”

J.C. Ryle, Are You Asleep?

 

The Word’s Inexhaustible Ministry

The Word of God is inexhaustible in its ministry! Its ministry is continuous and abiding. It’s active, operative and at work. Paul said that the Word of God is at work in believers(1 Thessalonians 2:13).

So let’s look at the Word’s inexhaustible ministries as outlined by the apostle Paul to young pastor Timothy.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Salvation

The first ministry of the Word of God is salvation. Note how Paul reminds Timothy from whom he learned and what he learned. From whom he learned was from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice(2 Timothy 1:5). What he learned was the sacred writings. Then he gives this first ministry of the Word of God, namely that it has the ability to make one wise for salvation. Why does the Word have this ability to make you wise for salvation? Because unlike the grass that withers and the flower that fades, the Word of God is the living, abiding, imperishable seed through which one is born again(1 Peter 1:23-24). And furthermore that salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus, the one of whom the Scriptures bear witness about(John 5:39).

This is the starting point. All the other ministries of the Word of God are irrelevant and inoperative unless salvation comes. The natural, unsaved, unregenerate person is not able to understand the Bible as it is folly, literally moronic, to him(1 Corinthians 2:14). The seed that must be planted in the soil of one’s heart for salvation to occur is the Word of God(Luke 8:11-12).

Instruction

The second ministry of the Word of God is instruction. Scripture is profitable or useful for instruction, for doctrine. This happens after salvation. This is where a strong foundation is established. This is where the new Christian grows and matures. This is where theological convictions are formed. All this is the ministry of the Word instructing. The newborn has both a hunger for the Word(1Peter 2:2) and the ability to understand divine truth and embrace it.

Conviction

The third ministry of the Word of God is conviction. Christ uses the same Greek term when talking about the convicting work of the Holy Spirit(John 16:8). And why is the Word of God able to convict? Because it is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword(Hebrews 4:12a). So its convicting ministry means that it cuts so deep that it pierces to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart(Hebrews 4:12b)

Correction

The fourth ministry of the Word of God is correction. The Greek literally means to “straighten up”. This word appears only here in the New Testament, but was used in extrabiblical Greek of righting a fallen object or helping back to their feet those who had stumbled.

Sanctification

The fifth ministry of the Word of God is sanctification. Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. Our justification is being declared righteous. Our sanctification is being made righteous. And the Word is that which trains us for this righteousness. Jesus Himself said that sanctification comes from the truth, namely the Word of God(John 17:17).

Preparation

The sixth ministry of the Word of God is preparation. Preparation for the man of God to be complete, equipped for every good work. There is no better tool to prepare you for ministry and service than God’s Word.

So there you have it. The inexhaustible ministries of the Word of God.

Salvation

Instruction

Conviction

Correction

Sanctification

Preparation

Why are the ministries of the Word of God inexhaustible and sufficient? Because “All Scripture is breathed out by God.”(2 Timothy 3:16) Because “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”(2 Peter 1:21) Because it is not the word of men, but the word of God(1 Thessalonians 2:13).

So in light of all this, Paul gives Timothy this solemn and sacred charge.

“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

2 Timothy 4:2

If you still are wondering about the inexhaustible ministries of the Word, meditate on this portion from the book of Psalms, and then you can exclaim like the Psalmist, “Oh how I love Your law!”(Psalm 119:97) and “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”(Psalm 119:103)

“Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,

for it is ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged,

for I keep your precepts.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,

in order to keep your word.

102 I do not turn aside from your rules,

for you have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your precepts I get understanding;

therefore I hate every false way.”

Psalm 119:97-104

 

 

 

The Perseverance of the Saints

The theological controversy that was stirring back when I was in seminary was the Lordship Salvation controversy. The issue was whether or not submission to Jesus as Lord is a post-conversion thing or part of the essence of saving faith. I recall vividly fellow students asking me what I thought of Zane Hodges book Absolutely Free.

So I was glad when at this year’s Shepherd’s Conference, during the Q & A panel discussion, John MacArthur mentioned this. It was actually in remembrance of Charles Ryrie, DTS systematic theologian, who went to be with the Lord recently. MacArthur was recalling a time when he had asked Ryrie where Hodges got the idea for the book. Ryrie told MacArthur that Hodges had discipled a guy who had defected from the faith near the end of his life so Hodges let his theology accommodate that difficult personal experience.

So can true believers defect from the faith or will true believers persevere in the faith?

MacArthur understood a similar heartache in his own life. In his book Hard to Believe, he recalls 3 incidents. One was a high school friend. They would evangelise in downtown L.A. and each was the head of their church’s youth group. He seemed to be on fire for Christ, but when he went of to college he abandoned the faith. Another was a college friend. They both taught Bible studies and their dads were pastors. They naturally talked about serving the Lord. But he too abandoned the faith. And then there was a his best friend from seminary, whose father was a dean. He put a Buddhist altar in his house after he graduated.

I too had a personal experience with a close friend I went to seminary with. We prayed together, studied the Bible together, talked about serving the Lord. Years after we graduated I reached out to him through social media to see how he was doing and I received the following response.

“I have apostatized from ‘the church’ and put the Bible aside … I do not go to any church or ‘study group’ and do not plan to ever again either. The last thing I want is any teaching, preaching, instructing or supposed enlightenment from a well-intentioned born again believer. I studied, memorized and read enough Scripture to quote anyone into oblivion. And I have no intention to enter that ring anytime soon.”

Friend from seminary

So we must interpret our experience of those who profess faith in Christ and defect through the lens of Scripture rather than allowing the heartache of personal experiences like these cause us to change our theology in order to accommodate them.

First we must understand what is meant by the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

“They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will.”

Westminster Confession of Faith(Chapter 17, Section 1)

Now that does not mean that genuine believers do not sin. Genuine believers can and do commit heinous sins. But they will never ultimately deny the Lord Jesus Christ and they will persevere through any trial.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:6-7

Let me give you 3 reasons the Bible teaches the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

The character of God

“so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:7-9

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

The faithful character of God preserves the saints to the very end.

“But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”

2 Timothy 1:12

The omnipotent character of God preserves the saints to the very end because He is able.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,”

Jude 24

Martin Luther knew of this when he penned the great hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Peter said that we are guarded, Greek term for fortress, by God’s power(1 Peter 1:5).

God, by His very character, will sustain believers to the very end. He will surely do it. He is able. He will keep them from stumbling. He is a mighty fortress. True believers will persevere in the faith because they are kept by the preserving power of Almighty God.

The Intercessory Work of Christ

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Hebrews 7:25

This powerful truth is highlighted in Christ’s High Priestly Prayer.

“And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

John 17:11-12

Peter knew first hand of this preserving prayer of Jesus on his behalf.

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31-32

Sovereign Election

“Were the Bible to say nothing of perseverance, what it says about God’s electing grace would be sufficient to convince us of the doctrine of perseverance.”

R.C. Sproul, Grace Unknown

God’s character, His sovereign electing purposes, and the current, ongoing intercessory work of Christ are the biblical foundations for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

“I must confess that the doctrine of the final preservation of the saints was a bait that my soul could not resist. I thought it was sort of life insurance – an insurance of my character, an insurance of my soul, an insurance of my eternal destiny. I knew that I could not keep myself, but if Christ promised to keep me, then I should be safe for ever; and I longed and prayed to find Christ, because I knew that, if I found Him, He would not give me a temporary and trumpery salvation, such as some preach, but eternal life which could never be lost.”

Charles Spurgeon

 

Take the Last Step toward Jesus?

Talking with a friend recently, he said that Jesus will take 99 steps toward you, but you have to take the last step. Is that really true and Biblical? Is someone’s salvation dependent on that person taking that one final step? Is even God Himself somehow dependent upon man to take the final step before He can save?

“And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Luke 18:18

Could you imagine? Here is the perfect scenario and set up for a successful evangelistic encounter. The person is inquiring about eternal life. Not only that, but he also comes to the right person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself “is the true God and eternal life.”(1 John 5:20) This is a slam dunk. The fish is nibbling at the bait. Catching this lost soul would be a sure thing.

And yet this young ruler left this personal encounter with Jesus Christ without eternal life. Jesus confronted this ruler’s claim that he kept all the commandments since his youth.

“When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”

Luke 18:22-23

This ruler’s God was his riches, which proved that he did not love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, the first 4 commandments of the Decalogue. And by not being willing to sell and distribute his riches to the poor proved that he did not love his neighbor as himself , the last 6 commandments of the Decalogue.

The disciples were shocked. Here was the perfect scenario and Jesus let this evangelistic prospect get away.

“Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

Luke 18:26

Could Jesus have benefited from taking a class in Evangelism 101? Perish the thought. Here was the Son Incarnate who knew that salvation is completely s sovereign work of God.

“But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Luke 18:27

Like this ruler, there are 3 reasons why nobody can take the final step toward Jesus for salvation.

They are spiritually dead.
They are spiritually blind.
They are spiritually enslaved.

They are spiritually dead.

In writing to the Ephesian believers, Paul tells them what they were(past tense) before salvation in Christ.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked,…”

Ephesians 2:1-2a

Dead in sin. That is the condition and spiritual state of a person apart from Christ and without salvation. As dead as a corpse is, that is how dead a person is spiritually. In the same way there is nothing one can do to invoke a response from a corpse, so there is nothing one can do to solicit a response from a spiritual corpse!

They are spiritually blind.

Not only are people spiritually dead, but also they are spiritually blind.

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

2 Corinthians 4:4

Their minds have been blinded from the light of the Gospel. It is like a veil that covers them that can only be taken away through Christ(2 Corinthians 3:14). And that is why they cannot understand the things of the Lord.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 2:14

They are folly, literally “moronic” in the Greek text. True spiritual blindness.

They are spiritually enslaved.

“and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

2 Timothy 2:26

Enslaved and captured by the devil to do his will.

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”

Jesus(John 8:44)

According to Scripture, there are 2 categories of people, children of God and children of the devil.

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil:”

1 John 3:10a

So, my question is:

a) How can a person who is spiritually dead in sin, a spiritual corpse, take the last step toward Jesus?

b) How can a person who is spiritually blind see Jesus to take the final step toward Him?

c) How can a person who is spiritually enslaved by the devil unshackle himself to take that last step to Jesus?

Answer to all: He can’t take the last step or any step for that matter. It is impossible.

The question of the disciples still remains today as our question and the answer still remains the same, from the lips of the Lord Jesus.

“Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Luke 18:26-27

 

 

 

 

 

Peddlers of God’s Word

“The Cowboy Pastor” or better yet “The Bull-Riding Pastor”. No, this was not a typo. Yes, you read correctly. Lawrence Bishop II, pastor of Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, rides bulls in a built in rodeo arena in his church to attract people.

On May 19, 2015, ABC News Nightline aired a program about this phenomenon. When asked during the interview if this was a gimmick, Bishop said it was not because the Bible says to compel them to come in but it doesn’t say how to compel them. So I guess  the theological deduction is use any means to compel them to come in, as in this case, bull riding in the church. So much for the pastor-theologian.

And to think they taught me the Bible in seminary and not how to ride a bull.

At The Shepherd’s Conference last month, Phil Johnson began by highlighting a similar kind of gimmickry performed by pastors. There are pastors who now zip line from the back of the church and land by the pulpit in a grand entrance.

In a 2-part series of the Master’s Seminary blog Preachers and Preaching on the Legacy of Long-term Ministry, posted March 10 & 11, 2015, John MacArthur gives 10 practical suggestions for sustaining a long-term ministry. His sixth point was: “Don’t lose sight of the priority.”

“You are a pastor. You are not primarily an event coordinator, a financial analyst, a vision-caster, or even a leader. Your ultimate responsibility is not to innovate or administrate but to disseminate divine truth. Only in that way will you be training up people within your congregation to live and serve effectively and obediently for the honor of God and the impact of the gospel.”

John MacArthur

So I will call these bull-riding people and zip-lining people disguised as pastors what the Bible calls them, namely peddlers of God’s Word.

“For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:17

The Greek term for peddlers, καπηλεύοντες, means to…

…be a retailer, to peddle

…make money by selling anything

…get sordid gain by dealing in anything

…try to get base gain by teaching divine truth

…to corrupt and adulterate.

Bottomline: Peddlers were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain. And in our case they are adulterating the very Word of God, sacred Scripture, for personal gain. These peddlers trade in the Word of God as it were. They are marketing the Gospel, using human means to accomplish that which can only be done by divine means. To these peddlers, the Gospel, the Word of God, the Church, is a commodity to be sold, not a truth divinely revealed.

You see, your theology determines your methodology. If you believe you can humanly sell the Bible, the Gospel, Jesus and His Church, then you will ride a bull in church and zip line into the pulpit. But if you believe that salvation is solely a sovereign work of God(Luke 18:26-27) and that only the Gospel is the power of God for salvation(Romans 1:16), then you will preach the Word, in season and out of season(2 Timothy 4:1-2).

Note in the text quoted above(2 Corinthians 2:17) that Paul emphasises that many, not just a few, are peddlers of God’s Word. Also Paul contrasts peddlers of God’s Word with those men of sincerity who are commissioned by God and therefore speak in Christ. This was Paul’s attitude about the ministry and it should be the attitude of everyone who is a pastor/shepherd of God’s people and preacher of the Word.

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

2 Corinthians 4:2-3

Peddlers of God’s Word are characterised by…

disgraceful, underhanded ways
cunning
tampering with God’s Word

But true biblical pastors and preachers have renounced these worldly ways and therefore refuse to practice them.

“For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 2:3-6

Note some further characteristics by which peddlers of God’s Word can be spotted.

error
impurity
deception
flattery
greed
seek glory from people

If you are following so called pastors who are peddlers of God’s Word like these bull-riders and zip-liners, repent, turn to Jesus Christ and go to a church where these things have been renounced. If you you are one of these peddlers of God’s Word, repent because you have no authority to tamper with God’s Word. The commission of God for His ministry is a serious, sacred and solemn thing.

“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

1 Timothy 6:13-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter’s Glass Case Display

 

Walk with me. We are taking a stroll down the long hall way of your high school. Each side is lined with classrooms and lockers. At the very end, funneling down like a tunnel, stands a tall and wide glass case displaying the championship trophies of your football team and basketball team, of which you were the star of course.  That glass case display is our destination. It highlights the accomplishments and victories of young athletes in their youthful prime.

But for a moment, we will take a walk down a different hallway. It is long, the length of history. It is lined with great men of faith. Men like Enoch who pleased God(Hebrews 11:5) and Abraham who obeyed God(Hebrews11:8). They, along with us, are looking, with fixed gaze, at the end of the hallway because there stands in full majestic glory Easter’s Glass Case Display. In this case are highlighted the accomplishments and victories of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate Easter, we once again turn our attention to the Gospel, which is that Christ died for our sins and that He was raised the third day, both in accordance with the Scriptures(1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The majesty and glory of this Easter Glass Case Display is the Sovereign authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I Have received from My Father.”

John 10:17-18

Here Christ highlights His Sovereignty. He has the authority to lay down His life and He has the authority to take it up again. He alone is Sovereign over His crucifixion and resurrection. And to top it all off, He emphatically says that no one takes His life from Him. Pontius Pilate had a first hand experience with Jesus concerning this.

“He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you? Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over Me at all unless it had been given you from above.”

John 19:9-11

Pilate had no authority over Jesus other than what was given him from above. Jesus was in complete and total control. He is Sovereign and even at the time of his trial before His crucifixion, He still had full Sovereign authority!

“Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels?”

Matthew 26:53

In the Roman army, a legion consisted of 6,000 soldiers. So twelve legions of angels was 72,000 angels. Jesus said that He had the authority to appeal to His Father and at once He would send 72,000 angels. So why did He not? Because in His Sovereign authority He willingly laid down His life in obedience to the Father’s command.

“This charge I received from My Father.”

John 10:18b

The term “charge” in the Greek literally means “command.” So the Son was obedient to the Father in laying down His life and taking it up again.

Jesus always did the things that were pleasing to the Father, and that included going to the cross.

“And He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

John 8:29

Jesus, who manifested His Sovereign authority in time at His crucifixion and resurrection, committed in eternity past to the will of the Father(Hebrews 10:1-10) Note how the author of Hebrews twice highlights that Christ came to do the will of the Father.

“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God,” Behold, I have come to do Your will.”

Hebrews 10:5, 7, 9

Enoch pleased God, but He looks with fixed gaze at the One who always pleased God. Abraham obeyed God, but he looks with fixed gaze at the One who obeyed “to the point of death, even death on a cross.”(Philippians 2:8) This Easter, may you join Enoch and Abraham in the corridor leading to the Easter Glass Case Display, in wonder and awe at the Sovereign authority of Jesus who willingly laid down His life and took it up again to obey, please and do the Father’s will.

 

 

For His Own Possession

Why did Jesus die?

A church I visited a few years ago was giving out as part of their welcome package for visitors a book on the 50 reasons why Jesus came to die. Chapter 23 of that book was entitled: “So That We Might Belong to Him.” Exactly.

Paul, in writing to Titus, highlights this particular reason for the death of Christ.

“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Titus 2:14

There it is. For His own possession. Before coming to Christ, a person belongs to the domain of darkness(Colossians 1:13). Jesus died to make you His own possession. But note as well that He gave Himself to purify for Himself a people for His own possession. Those “people for His own possession” the Bible calls the church. And that is why Peter says what he says to persecuted Christians as to their true identity.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

1 Peter 2:9-10

Peter says that “once”, at one point in time, they were not a people. but now they are God’s people. Please note that the reason for this is not because of anything in themselves, but because of the mercy of God. This marvellous truth is further illustrated in God’s words to the nation of Israel.

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples”

Deuteronomy 7:6-7

God Himself chose them for His possession. And they were His “treasured” possession.

Christian, do you realize that the reason Jesus died was so that you are no longer your own. After all, you were bought at a price, that of His shed blood. May this be your mediation and adoration this Easter season, praising and thanking Him that you are part of His church, His own treasured possession.

“You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price.”

1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a