Temple Baptist Church - 4-24-2011
Luke 23:46-24:12
Introduction:
A. Jesus Christ died “just right!”
1. Jesus Christ died when He planned to die. Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (5) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
2. He died where He planned to die. Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
2 Chronicles 3:2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3. He died how He planned to die. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: (23) His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
4. He resurrected just right. Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
B. For the past 6 weeks, we have studied the first 6 sayings of our Lord from the cross. In them we find the blessedness of Calvary.
1. Calvary’s Pardon as Jesus Christ cried out for the forgiveness of Herod the king of Galilee, Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea, the Roman soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet carried out the brutal torture, to the Jews who planned it and for all the human race who are responsible for His crucifixion. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”
2. Calvary’s Promise as Jesus Christ responded to the penitent cry of a dying thief. To the thief He promised, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” thus giving hope to all who put their faith in Him.
3. Calvary’s Provision as Jesus Christ placed His loving mother into the hands of John the beloved. “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother.” Dying, our Lord entrusted His earthly family to His earthly church.
4. Calvary’s Price as our Lord became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Because Jesus Christ literally became sin for us that we might one day live forever with Him.
5. Calvary’s Pain as, in the darkness of the noon day, Jesus Christ’s voice was heard once more. “I thirst.” He suffered as no man has ever suffered and His suffering was for our sins.
6. Calvary’s Purpose. “It is finished!” Our Lord finished the work that the Father had sent Him to do. Nothing can either be added to or taken away from Calvary. Calvary covers it all!
7. This Resurrection Sunday Morning, we come to Calvary’s Peace! The final saying of our Lord from the cross: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
C. I purposely left this 7th saying for this morning because the peace of the cross does not rest in the death and burial of Jesus Christ alone. Our peace is not the grave nor is the grave the resting place for our spirits. One man put it this way, “Our body is simply the husk while our spirit is the living kernel.”
D. Here, we find our Lord committing His body to the ground but His spirit to the Father. In the remainder of our verses, we find the glorious, bodily resurrection that soon followed. One of these days, I will die. One of these day, if the Lord has not come yet, you will die! “Life is short; death is sure; sin the cause; Christ the cure!”
E. I thank God that I can face death with confidence.
1. David said, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5)
2. Stephen said, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59)
3. Paul said, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
4. Peter said, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” (1 Peter 4:19)
1. In These Words, We Find An Eternal Relationship – “Father”
a. Our Relationship is Birth Based – Ye must be Born Again.
b. Our Relationship is Unchanging – Nothing can separate us?
c. Our Relationship is a Personal Relationship –We are His children.
2. In These Words, We Find An Undying Confidence – “Into thy hands”
a. Confidence in God’s Presence – He will not leave nor forsake us.
b. Confidence In God’s Person – He is God in death as He is in life.
c. Confidence In God’s Promise – Let no your hearts be troubled.
3. In These Words, We Find A Blessed Assurance – “I commend my spirit”
a. Life’s Assurance – I am never out of His sight or care.
b. Death’s Assurance – absent from the body is present with Him.
c. Heaven’s Assurance – Our “long home” awaits.
Conclusion:
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
One day, the Lord will say to me, “It is finished!” That day, death will call for me. In that day, with blessed assurance, I will say to Him, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!”
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
7 Sayings Of The Cross – Part 6 - "It Is Finished"
Temple Baptist Church - 4-17-2011
John 19:28-37
Introduction:
A. Thus far, we have seen:
1. Calvary’s Pardon as Jesus Christ cried out for the forgiveness of Herod the king of Galilee, Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea, the Roman soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet carried out the brutal torture, to the Jews who planned it and for all the human race who are responsible for His crucifixion. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”
2. Calvary’s Promise as Jesus Christ responded to the penitent cry of a dying thief. To the thief He promised, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” thus giving hope to all who put their faith in Him.
3. Calvary’s Provision as Jesus Christ placed His loving mother into the hands of John the beloved. “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother.” Dying, our Lord entrusted His earthly family to His earthly church.
4. Calvary’s Price as our Lord became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Because Jesus Christ literally became sin for us that we might one day live forever with Him.
5. Calvary’s Pain as, in the darkness of the noon day, Jesus Christ’s voice was heard once more. “I thirst.” He suffered as no man has ever suffered and His suffering was for our sins.
6. This morning, we come to Calvary’s Purpose. “It is finished!”
In 1921, Jennie Evelyn Hussey wrote the hymn “Lead Me To Calvary. It starts out:
“King of my life I crown Thee now— Thine shall Thy glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, Lead me to Calvary.
“Lest I forget Gethsemane; Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget thy love for me, Lead me to Calvary.”
B. Here we find words of finality! Years ago, I heard Dr. James Crumpton preach on this subject and remember well his emphasis on the Greek word used here: “teleo.” The last stroke of the artist’s paint brush!
C. Jesus Christ, Jehovah God incarnate, came to die for the sins of the world. He came to finish the work that the Father gave Him to do. In the phrase “it is finished” we find accomplishment. His life; His work finished and summed up in one short phrase.
1. Calvary, where redemption’s price was paid.
2. Calvary, where the Just became the Justifier.
3. Calvary, where the Innocent took the place of the guilty.
4. Calvary, where the blood shed covers my sin, my guilt, and my shame.
5. Calvary, where God’s mercy is great and His grace is free.
6. Calvary, where the burdened soul finds true liberty!
D. This morning, we find: not a distressed voice, not a cry of defeat, BUT a clarion cry of victory! “IT IS FINISHED!”
E. As I thought on this sixth saying from the cross, I pondered on just what Jesus Christ had finished. I hope and pray that these will be a blessing to you as they were to me.
1. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Word Of God Verified – Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. (There were hundreds of prophecies written concerning Jesus Christ and He fulfilled every prophecy, every promise, every “jot and tittle” perfectly and completely! God’s Word can be depended upon not only in the performance of this life but also the expectation of the life to come. Jesus Christ left nothing undone!)
2. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Work Of Propitiation Finished – John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (At Calvary, we find the finishing of 4,000 years of sacrifices! Millions and millions of lambs had died while awaiting the death of THE Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Mankind had long awaited Messiah’s coming and we look back to His coming in wonder and amazement. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was saying that the substitutionary work on the cross for us had been accomplished.)
Peter said, in I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” (Jesus Christ became the “scapegoat” for you and me. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking my place and dying for my sins!)
3. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Way Of Salvation Established – John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (Man can teach and preach anything that he chooses but it does not change the fact that salvation is through Jesus Christ and Him alone! Not a church, not a denomination, not a movement, not a baptism, not a sacrament, not a dogma, and not an individual theology—but the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Man can go his own way but he will not go to heaven until he comes God’s way!)
4. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Wages Paid In Full – Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ezekiel 18:20a The soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Jesus Christ became the “Sinner’s Substitute.” Our sin separated us from a holy God and Jesus Christ, our Propitiation, reconciled us back to Him through the finished work of Calvary.)
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (The cross upon which Jesus died was an “altar” and He was the “sacrifice.”)
5. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Lost World Condemned – John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (As Christ suffered for us as no man ever suffered, so the sinner who rejects Christ will one day suffer for all of eternity!)
6. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Works Of The Devil Destroyed – 1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (God will destroy Satan’s position, his purpose, his power, his people, and ultimately his person. Because of Calvary, one day there will be no more Satan!)
7. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Wealth Of Eternity Secured – Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Because of the finished work of Christ on Calvary, one day we that are saved will be “finally home!)
John 19:28-37
Introduction:
A. Thus far, we have seen:
1. Calvary’s Pardon as Jesus Christ cried out for the forgiveness of Herod the king of Galilee, Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea, the Roman soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet carried out the brutal torture, to the Jews who planned it and for all the human race who are responsible for His crucifixion. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”
2. Calvary’s Promise as Jesus Christ responded to the penitent cry of a dying thief. To the thief He promised, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” thus giving hope to all who put their faith in Him.
3. Calvary’s Provision as Jesus Christ placed His loving mother into the hands of John the beloved. “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother.” Dying, our Lord entrusted His earthly family to His earthly church.
4. Calvary’s Price as our Lord became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Because Jesus Christ literally became sin for us that we might one day live forever with Him.
5. Calvary’s Pain as, in the darkness of the noon day, Jesus Christ’s voice was heard once more. “I thirst.” He suffered as no man has ever suffered and His suffering was for our sins.
6. This morning, we come to Calvary’s Purpose. “It is finished!”
In 1921, Jennie Evelyn Hussey wrote the hymn “Lead Me To Calvary. It starts out:
“King of my life I crown Thee now— Thine shall Thy glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, Lead me to Calvary.
“Lest I forget Gethsemane; Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget thy love for me, Lead me to Calvary.”
B. Here we find words of finality! Years ago, I heard Dr. James Crumpton preach on this subject and remember well his emphasis on the Greek word used here: “teleo.” The last stroke of the artist’s paint brush!
C. Jesus Christ, Jehovah God incarnate, came to die for the sins of the world. He came to finish the work that the Father gave Him to do. In the phrase “it is finished” we find accomplishment. His life; His work finished and summed up in one short phrase.
1. Calvary, where redemption’s price was paid.
2. Calvary, where the Just became the Justifier.
3. Calvary, where the Innocent took the place of the guilty.
4. Calvary, where the blood shed covers my sin, my guilt, and my shame.
5. Calvary, where God’s mercy is great and His grace is free.
6. Calvary, where the burdened soul finds true liberty!
D. This morning, we find: not a distressed voice, not a cry of defeat, BUT a clarion cry of victory! “IT IS FINISHED!”
E. As I thought on this sixth saying from the cross, I pondered on just what Jesus Christ had finished. I hope and pray that these will be a blessing to you as they were to me.
1. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Word Of God Verified – Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. (There were hundreds of prophecies written concerning Jesus Christ and He fulfilled every prophecy, every promise, every “jot and tittle” perfectly and completely! God’s Word can be depended upon not only in the performance of this life but also the expectation of the life to come. Jesus Christ left nothing undone!)
2. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Work Of Propitiation Finished – John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (At Calvary, we find the finishing of 4,000 years of sacrifices! Millions and millions of lambs had died while awaiting the death of THE Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Mankind had long awaited Messiah’s coming and we look back to His coming in wonder and amazement. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was saying that the substitutionary work on the cross for us had been accomplished.)
Peter said, in I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” (Jesus Christ became the “scapegoat” for you and me. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking my place and dying for my sins!)
3. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Way Of Salvation Established – John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (Man can teach and preach anything that he chooses but it does not change the fact that salvation is through Jesus Christ and Him alone! Not a church, not a denomination, not a movement, not a baptism, not a sacrament, not a dogma, and not an individual theology—but the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Man can go his own way but he will not go to heaven until he comes God’s way!)
4. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Wages Paid In Full – Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ezekiel 18:20a The soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Jesus Christ became the “Sinner’s Substitute.” Our sin separated us from a holy God and Jesus Christ, our Propitiation, reconciled us back to Him through the finished work of Calvary.)
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (The cross upon which Jesus died was an “altar” and He was the “sacrifice.”)
5. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Lost World Condemned – John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (As Christ suffered for us as no man ever suffered, so the sinner who rejects Christ will one day suffer for all of eternity!)
6. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Works Of The Devil Destroyed – 1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (God will destroy Satan’s position, his purpose, his power, his people, and ultimately his person. Because of Calvary, one day there will be no more Satan!)
7. In “It Is Finished,” We Find The Wealth Of Eternity Secured – Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Because of the finished work of Christ on Calvary, one day we that are saved will be “finally home!)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Fallacies of Logic: An Analysis of ABC’s “20/20” View of IFB
Fallacies of Logic: An Analysis of ABC’s “20/20” View of IFB
By Dr. Charles L. Surrett,
Academic Dean of Ambassador Baptist College
and
Pastor of Emmanuel Independent Baptist Church
On Friday, April 8, 2011, the ABC television network broadcast, on their weekly “20/20” program, a journalistic view of Independent Fundamental Baptist churches. The conclusion they were trying to reach is that the doctrines of IFB churches lead to physical and sexual abuse, and that such churches should be considered to constitute a cult.
As a college-level teacher of Logic, this writer noted several ways that the fundamental rules of Aristotelian logic were broken by the network and the hostess of the program, Elizabeth Vargas.
One such rule is that “Evidence should be presented as fairly and completely as possible.” The fallacy which breaks that rule is called “special pleading,” which is intentionally presenting favorable evidence to one’s case, while at the same time purposely omitting unfavorable evidence. It is commonly practiced in courtrooms, where attorneys for one side of the argument present only that evidence which is favorable, and attempt to suppress evidence that is unfavorable. This is acceptable in the courtroom, because the whole truth should come out, if both sides do their jobs properly.
However, when ABC’s case was presented, it was totally one-sided, with a great deal of evidence that did not favor their argument being completely ignored. This may be sensational journalism, but it is not fair to present our nation with such a slanted view of those who call themselves Independent Fundamental Baptists. It is neither fair to the IFB churches and constituents, nor fair to the general public.
Elizabeth Vargas said there are currently “hundreds of thousands” of Americans in IFB churches. If we accept that assessment on the lower end of the scale, that should amount to a minimum of about a quarter of a million people in those churches today, and in reality there may be many more. Of that number, ABC showed two cases of young ladies who had allegedly been sexually abused by individuals who were members of IFB churches. If one were to accept that the allegations are true, and take into account that these allegations go back at least thirteen years, no doubt millions of people have gone through IFB churches in that same time frame. It would not be surprising, in any group of that size, to find some instances of abuse, due to the depraved nature of mankind. There was also reference to a website for people who consider themselves “survivors” of IFB churches and their supposed abuse. Nothing was said in the ABC report about the numbers of people whose lives have been dramatically improved as a result of the ministries of these same kinds of churches, such as broken homes repaired, alcoholics and drug addicts changed, children spared from child abuse, and workers becoming productive in society. In addition to the great spiritual work accomplished in these churches, the social implications could be recounted endlessly, with many testimonials presented as documentation. But ABC did not present these facts in their report, because it was not their purpose to balance the nation’s
view of IFB churches. Their agenda was to present the movement in as negative a light as possible, so they purposely practiced the fallacy of “special pleading.”
“Special pleading” was also done in the specific case of Pastor Chuck Phelps and Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire. A number of years after the alleged case of abuse, ABC was able to present a handful of former church members who gave their assessments of what had happened in a public church meeting thirteen years prior. ABC did not seem interested in the viewpoints of the hundreds of others who attended that same church service. ABC was content to accept without challenge the opinions of a very small minority of those who were actual eye-witnesses, and present to the nation that minority report as if it led to the appropriate conclusion.
ABC was also guilty of “special pleading” by failing to present information they had previously been given by both Pastor Phelps and the Christian Law Association, which documented that the Concord police and a social services organization had been told of the situation, which ABC alleges Pastor Phelps tried to “cover up.” The pastor accepted his responsibility by reporting the alleged abuse to the proper authorities, who apparently did not follow through with their responsibilities in the matter. Anyone who wishes documentation of this should consult the website, drchuckphelps.com, where it is clearly seen that ABC knew of this as early as July, 2010. If ABC were desirous of presenting “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” why did they not show Americans an interview of the mother of the teenaged girl who was at the center of the controversy?
Yet another example of “special pleading” was seen in a few short excerpts from sermons presumed (but not documented) to be quotations from pastors of IFB churches. There appeared to be three different pastors whose words were heard, without the contexts of those words being presented. While some of those statements seemed improper, they were not substantiated by Scripture, and were evidently the subjective opinions of those individual pastors. While multitudes of sermons by IFB preachers which are designed to build families, instruct parents in child-rearing, and help young people to avoid sexual disasters could have been cited to give a fairer representation of the IFB churches, ABC chose to omit that significant information.
A second fallacy of logic committed on the “20/20” program is termed, “argumentum ad hominem,” which attempts to disprove reasoning by discrediting the speaker. That is, appealing to a speaker’s undesirable traits is substituted for dealing with the substance of his reasoning. In ABC’s case, the attempt is to “disprove” the entire doctrinal position of thousands of IFB churches by noting undesirable characteristics of a few individuals. Thinking people can see through this kind of fallacious reporting.
A third rule of logic that ABC violated in this report states that, “nothing is true simply because a human being said so.” The statements of those who disapproved of IFB churches was accepted without challenge, despite the fact that “hundreds of thousands” (ABC’s term) of others would be likely to give opposing views.
A fourth rule of logic broken by ABC says that, “emotion is not an acceptable substitute for proof.” While emotion can be used to supplement proof, it cannot legitimately substitute for it. The network showed the tears of the two young ladies who opposed the IFB churches, but not the tears of those pastors, parents, and others who had given of themselves to help them. There was also an obvious attempt to play upon the emotions of viewers, to make up for the lack of complete information in these cases.
Logic was abused in the ABC report when they used limited observation to draw firm conclusions. The selected examples of two or three objectionable portions of sermons and two cases of sexual impropriety were intended to “broad brush” all who consider themselves to be Independent Fundamental Baptists as being susceptible, either as perpetrators or as victims, to physical and sexual abuse. There was an unveiled attempt to “warn” Americans against involvement in IFB churches. In addition to being very faulty logic, this is grossly unjustifiable and misleading.
The overall purpose of ABC’s “20/20” program on April 8, 2011 was to foist yet another fallacy of logic upon the American people. Using the “guilt by association” method, ABC seemed to indict all of the “hundreds of thousands” of IFB church members and their pastors, because they choose to identify themselves as Independent Fundamental Baptists. Perhaps ABC should be reminded of what the word “independent” means. It means that there is no organic connection between the churches they are attacking. There is not one standard doctrinal statement, nor are there universal standards of dress, music, and entertainment that apply to all IFB churches. Without an organic connection, no one individual, church, or group of churches has control over what others with similar doctrinal positions do or say. If all of the allegations against these specific churches were to be accepted as absolute truth (and that is by no means agreed to here), it still would not be a reflection upon other IFB churches, because there is no regulatory or disciplinary power that one IFB church has over any other. In similar fashion, it would be unfair to attack ABC news on the basis of abuses found in other news sources that are not affiliated with their network. ABC would not want to be held responsible for what is disseminated by every tabloid, blog, newspaper, magazine, radio or television station or network, and be condemned for abuses found in them. That kind of unfair treatment would certainly be analogous to what ABC has tried to do to IFB churches.
The “guilt by association” attempt was furthered when ABC allowed IFB churches to be represented as a cult. An article in the World Book Encyclopedia, from 1985, Volume 4, p 941, gives the following explanation in their article on “cults,” under the subtitle of “Characteristics of Cults”:
“Traditionally, the term cult referred to any form of worship or ritual observance, or even to any group of persons pursuing common goals. But publicity about cults since the middle 1900’s has given the term a more specific meaning. Today, cults tend to follow a living leader who promotes new and occult (strange and mysterious) doctrines and practices. Most leaders demand that members live apart from everyday society in groups called communes. Leaders claim that they possess exclusive religious truth, and they command absolute obedience and allegiance from members. Many cults require that members contribute all their possessions to the group.”
Since we today are well past the middle of the 1900’s, the current concept of the term, “cult,” takes upon the latter, more negative connotation, and should be examined, to see if IFB churches qualify. There is no “living leader,” except for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and IFB churches could hardly be blamed for following Him! Since these churches follow a Bible that is ancient, their doctrines cannot be called “new,” or “strange and mysterious.” They do not live in communes, nor do they require people to contribute all their possessions. Their “exclusive religious truth” is not of their own subjective invention, but is extended to all who will accept the Bible as authoritative. Although there are some that demand more from their members than do others, it is not even close to the truth to assert that all IFB churches “command absolute obedience.” Each individual local church should be judged upon its own merits. Therefore, since IFB churches do not have any of the characteristics of a cult, it is dishonest and unfair to label them as such.
ABC seemed content, rather than using any clear standards for defining a cult, to allow a small group of people in a room to verbalize that they think IFB churches constitute a cult. Without any real evidence, then, the assessment of an extremely small minority is taken as an indictment against “hundreds of thousands” of people. Merely stating that some think IFB is a cult does not make it so! But then, that is another fallacy, called “begging the question.”
Instead of being wary of what they might hear in an Independent Fundamental Baptist church, as the “20/20” article so obviously intended, thinking people should become more wary of what they hear on ABC!
By Dr. Charles L. Surrett,
Academic Dean of Ambassador Baptist College
and
Pastor of Emmanuel Independent Baptist Church
On Friday, April 8, 2011, the ABC television network broadcast, on their weekly “20/20” program, a journalistic view of Independent Fundamental Baptist churches. The conclusion they were trying to reach is that the doctrines of IFB churches lead to physical and sexual abuse, and that such churches should be considered to constitute a cult.
As a college-level teacher of Logic, this writer noted several ways that the fundamental rules of Aristotelian logic were broken by the network and the hostess of the program, Elizabeth Vargas.
One such rule is that “Evidence should be presented as fairly and completely as possible.” The fallacy which breaks that rule is called “special pleading,” which is intentionally presenting favorable evidence to one’s case, while at the same time purposely omitting unfavorable evidence. It is commonly practiced in courtrooms, where attorneys for one side of the argument present only that evidence which is favorable, and attempt to suppress evidence that is unfavorable. This is acceptable in the courtroom, because the whole truth should come out, if both sides do their jobs properly.
However, when ABC’s case was presented, it was totally one-sided, with a great deal of evidence that did not favor their argument being completely ignored. This may be sensational journalism, but it is not fair to present our nation with such a slanted view of those who call themselves Independent Fundamental Baptists. It is neither fair to the IFB churches and constituents, nor fair to the general public.
Elizabeth Vargas said there are currently “hundreds of thousands” of Americans in IFB churches. If we accept that assessment on the lower end of the scale, that should amount to a minimum of about a quarter of a million people in those churches today, and in reality there may be many more. Of that number, ABC showed two cases of young ladies who had allegedly been sexually abused by individuals who were members of IFB churches. If one were to accept that the allegations are true, and take into account that these allegations go back at least thirteen years, no doubt millions of people have gone through IFB churches in that same time frame. It would not be surprising, in any group of that size, to find some instances of abuse, due to the depraved nature of mankind. There was also reference to a website for people who consider themselves “survivors” of IFB churches and their supposed abuse. Nothing was said in the ABC report about the numbers of people whose lives have been dramatically improved as a result of the ministries of these same kinds of churches, such as broken homes repaired, alcoholics and drug addicts changed, children spared from child abuse, and workers becoming productive in society. In addition to the great spiritual work accomplished in these churches, the social implications could be recounted endlessly, with many testimonials presented as documentation. But ABC did not present these facts in their report, because it was not their purpose to balance the nation’s
view of IFB churches. Their agenda was to present the movement in as negative a light as possible, so they purposely practiced the fallacy of “special pleading.”
“Special pleading” was also done in the specific case of Pastor Chuck Phelps and Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire. A number of years after the alleged case of abuse, ABC was able to present a handful of former church members who gave their assessments of what had happened in a public church meeting thirteen years prior. ABC did not seem interested in the viewpoints of the hundreds of others who attended that same church service. ABC was content to accept without challenge the opinions of a very small minority of those who were actual eye-witnesses, and present to the nation that minority report as if it led to the appropriate conclusion.
ABC was also guilty of “special pleading” by failing to present information they had previously been given by both Pastor Phelps and the Christian Law Association, which documented that the Concord police and a social services organization had been told of the situation, which ABC alleges Pastor Phelps tried to “cover up.” The pastor accepted his responsibility by reporting the alleged abuse to the proper authorities, who apparently did not follow through with their responsibilities in the matter. Anyone who wishes documentation of this should consult the website, drchuckphelps.com, where it is clearly seen that ABC knew of this as early as July, 2010. If ABC were desirous of presenting “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” why did they not show Americans an interview of the mother of the teenaged girl who was at the center of the controversy?
Yet another example of “special pleading” was seen in a few short excerpts from sermons presumed (but not documented) to be quotations from pastors of IFB churches. There appeared to be three different pastors whose words were heard, without the contexts of those words being presented. While some of those statements seemed improper, they were not substantiated by Scripture, and were evidently the subjective opinions of those individual pastors. While multitudes of sermons by IFB preachers which are designed to build families, instruct parents in child-rearing, and help young people to avoid sexual disasters could have been cited to give a fairer representation of the IFB churches, ABC chose to omit that significant information.
A second fallacy of logic committed on the “20/20” program is termed, “argumentum ad hominem,” which attempts to disprove reasoning by discrediting the speaker. That is, appealing to a speaker’s undesirable traits is substituted for dealing with the substance of his reasoning. In ABC’s case, the attempt is to “disprove” the entire doctrinal position of thousands of IFB churches by noting undesirable characteristics of a few individuals. Thinking people can see through this kind of fallacious reporting.
A third rule of logic that ABC violated in this report states that, “nothing is true simply because a human being said so.” The statements of those who disapproved of IFB churches was accepted without challenge, despite the fact that “hundreds of thousands” (ABC’s term) of others would be likely to give opposing views.
A fourth rule of logic broken by ABC says that, “emotion is not an acceptable substitute for proof.” While emotion can be used to supplement proof, it cannot legitimately substitute for it. The network showed the tears of the two young ladies who opposed the IFB churches, but not the tears of those pastors, parents, and others who had given of themselves to help them. There was also an obvious attempt to play upon the emotions of viewers, to make up for the lack of complete information in these cases.
Logic was abused in the ABC report when they used limited observation to draw firm conclusions. The selected examples of two or three objectionable portions of sermons and two cases of sexual impropriety were intended to “broad brush” all who consider themselves to be Independent Fundamental Baptists as being susceptible, either as perpetrators or as victims, to physical and sexual abuse. There was an unveiled attempt to “warn” Americans against involvement in IFB churches. In addition to being very faulty logic, this is grossly unjustifiable and misleading.
The overall purpose of ABC’s “20/20” program on April 8, 2011 was to foist yet another fallacy of logic upon the American people. Using the “guilt by association” method, ABC seemed to indict all of the “hundreds of thousands” of IFB church members and their pastors, because they choose to identify themselves as Independent Fundamental Baptists. Perhaps ABC should be reminded of what the word “independent” means. It means that there is no organic connection between the churches they are attacking. There is not one standard doctrinal statement, nor are there universal standards of dress, music, and entertainment that apply to all IFB churches. Without an organic connection, no one individual, church, or group of churches has control over what others with similar doctrinal positions do or say. If all of the allegations against these specific churches were to be accepted as absolute truth (and that is by no means agreed to here), it still would not be a reflection upon other IFB churches, because there is no regulatory or disciplinary power that one IFB church has over any other. In similar fashion, it would be unfair to attack ABC news on the basis of abuses found in other news sources that are not affiliated with their network. ABC would not want to be held responsible for what is disseminated by every tabloid, blog, newspaper, magazine, radio or television station or network, and be condemned for abuses found in them. That kind of unfair treatment would certainly be analogous to what ABC has tried to do to IFB churches.
The “guilt by association” attempt was furthered when ABC allowed IFB churches to be represented as a cult. An article in the World Book Encyclopedia, from 1985, Volume 4, p 941, gives the following explanation in their article on “cults,” under the subtitle of “Characteristics of Cults”:
“Traditionally, the term cult referred to any form of worship or ritual observance, or even to any group of persons pursuing common goals. But publicity about cults since the middle 1900’s has given the term a more specific meaning. Today, cults tend to follow a living leader who promotes new and occult (strange and mysterious) doctrines and practices. Most leaders demand that members live apart from everyday society in groups called communes. Leaders claim that they possess exclusive religious truth, and they command absolute obedience and allegiance from members. Many cults require that members contribute all their possessions to the group.”
Since we today are well past the middle of the 1900’s, the current concept of the term, “cult,” takes upon the latter, more negative connotation, and should be examined, to see if IFB churches qualify. There is no “living leader,” except for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and IFB churches could hardly be blamed for following Him! Since these churches follow a Bible that is ancient, their doctrines cannot be called “new,” or “strange and mysterious.” They do not live in communes, nor do they require people to contribute all their possessions. Their “exclusive religious truth” is not of their own subjective invention, but is extended to all who will accept the Bible as authoritative. Although there are some that demand more from their members than do others, it is not even close to the truth to assert that all IFB churches “command absolute obedience.” Each individual local church should be judged upon its own merits. Therefore, since IFB churches do not have any of the characteristics of a cult, it is dishonest and unfair to label them as such.
ABC seemed content, rather than using any clear standards for defining a cult, to allow a small group of people in a room to verbalize that they think IFB churches constitute a cult. Without any real evidence, then, the assessment of an extremely small minority is taken as an indictment against “hundreds of thousands” of people. Merely stating that some think IFB is a cult does not make it so! But then, that is another fallacy, called “begging the question.”
Instead of being wary of what they might hear in an Independent Fundamental Baptist church, as the “20/20” article so obviously intended, thinking people should become more wary of what they hear on ABC!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
How To Get Along In Church
Temple Baptist Church - 4-13-2011
Ephesians 4:31-32
Introduction:
A. The Pastor’s Nightmare! What recurring dream do you have that leaves you thanking God when you wake up and find that it is not real? Every has had one of those dreams? I remember, as a little boy, having a recurring dream that would awaken me screaming and crying. Mom would take me into the bathroom and wash my face. Then she would have me say my ABC’s to make sure that I was awake before letting me go back to bed. I could never quite remember what the dream was after I woke up. It finally went away when, after one of these screaming in the night episodes, I went back to bed and tried to dream it again. I guess that it went away because I faced my fear.
B. Now, as a pastor, I have another too often occurring nightmare: people in the church getting offended, mad at each other, leaving over petty differences, etc. I preach much on the subject of division within the church. In Genesis, Satan divided Eve from Adam in his deception concerning the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Sin did the rest as it separated Adam and Eve from the Lord who walked in the Garden with them. Satan has pulled out all of the “stops” in his unending efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the local church. The pastor’s nightmare is division! We must not be ignorant of Satan’s devices and one of his best is division.
C. There are many Baptist churches that are without a pastor with some of them having actually “run the pastor off.” Many churches have been hurt or rendered ineffective because of division or good people leaving the church.
1. Sometimes, wicked people get into the church and divide it.
2. More often, saved people get their priorities wrong and strive, one with another.
a) Through Carnality
b) Through Biblical Ignorance
c) Through Willful Immaturity
d) Through Satanic Influence
D. I have preached and will continue to preach against division within the local church body. It is imperative that we remain united and strong as the work of the Lord is of the utmost importance. This type of preaching is not a new thing nor can it be a sporadic one. It must be preached often with a no-nonsense approach. Look in Acts 20:28-31 with me.
Acts 20:28-31 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
E. The most important unit on the face of the earth (other than the family) is the local church. Satan hates the local Church!
F. Division causes much damage to the local church:
1. Division Destroys The Fellowship Of The Church. (People sit on the pews of the church with malice and unforgiveness in their hearts. They are Achans!)
2. Division Destroys The Commission Of The Church. (Missions has been damaged because of gaining a family and then loosing a family through spiritual nonsense!)
3. Division Destroys The Testimony Of The Church. (Church fights and splits have been detrimental to the prosperity of the church, both physically and financially.)
4. Division Destroys The Posterity Of The Church. (Children both see and hear the ungodliness of the parents. It affects their spirituality and, eventually, they are lost.)
5. Division Destroys The Worship Of The Church. (God and His Holy Spirit are grieved with this division and worship is neither holy nor acceptable.)
6. Division Destroys The Evangelism Of The Church. (Instead of keeping our eyes upon the harvest and doing all that we can to win souls, our time is spent in bitterness and souls are lost.)
7. Division Hinders The Prayers Of The Saints. (Malice and unforgiveness are sins and when we regard iniquity in our hearts, our prayers go unheard.)
G. Division damages the individual believer. Let’s look at what division will do to you personally.
1. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Pulpit - God’s Message - Satan will tell you that the preaching is opinionated! A man left the church years ago because he was tired of “independent Baptist mentality!” His problem was that he was not right with the Lord and still isn’t.
a) You Will Not Heed To God’s Message - Hebrews 5:11-12 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Zechariah 7:11-12 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
b) You Will Not Hear God’s Man - Ezekiel 33:30-33 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,)then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
2. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Place – God’s House - Satan will tell you that you can worship the Lord at home or wherever you are! God has both ordained and ordered worship in His house on a regular basis.
a) It Will Rob Your Joy - Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Psalms 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
b) It Will Bring You Judgment - Hebrews 10:25-27 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (You will disobey this direct command and blame others for your disobedience! Satan does not want you at church. He wants you isolated!)
3. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Pastor – Your Friend - Satan will tell you that people are following a man and not the Lord! The Lord has commanded that you follow His man.
a) You Will Forsake God’s Man - 1 Corinthians 4:16-21 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. 17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
b) You Will Withstand God’s Man - 2 Timothy 4:14-15 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
c) You Will Speak Evil Of God’s Man - 3 John 9-10 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
4. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s People – Your Brethren - Satan has efficiently divided one believer from the other. The Bible teaches us to love one another. John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
a) Divided Because Of Opinions - Acts 15:37-39 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.
b) Divided Because Of Offenses - Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Matthew 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
5. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Purpose – God’s Harvest - Satanic division has efficiently divided one church from the other. Satanic division has efficiently confused the purpose of the church. The definition for confusion is to be ashamed, to be disconcerted, or to delay. Where Satan cannot stop the Lord or take the eternal life of the saint, he simply tries to divide and delay. I believe in the autonomy of the local church, but Satan has turned one against another and divided our fellowship. Tanker trucks use baffles to confuse the forward motion of the liquid that they carry in order to more easily control the trucks and help with braking. Satan has baffled the churches to confuse their forward motion and bring them to a grinding halt!
a) Division Brings Reproach To The Name Of Christ - 1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
b) Division Brings Devastation To The Local Church - Matthew 12:25-26 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
c) Division Brings Confusion To The Cause Of Christ - 2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
d) Division Brings About A Shortage Of Workers In The Harvest - John 21:3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
HOW DIVISION COMES
1. Division Comes Through Carnality.
James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (God is never the author of confusion! God is the author of peace! The moment that you become divided in any of these areas that I spoke to you about, you are out of God’s will! Learn to keep your eye on God’s purpose: souls!)
2. Division Comes Through Biblical Ignorance.
Ephesians 4:2-7 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (We are all on the same side and have a common enemy! Endeavouring = Making an effort or striving.)
1 John 1:2-4 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
3. Division Comes Through False Brethren.
3 John 9-11 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. (Follow that which is good! Stay away from complainers, criticizers, and carnal professors!)
4. Division Comes Through Satanic Influence.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (Learn to recognize that division is satanic and do not give Satan a toehold in your life.)
5. Division Comes Through Unforgiveness.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (No matter what someone does to you, says about you, your biblical responsibility is forgiveness and oneness! If you are mad, hurt, or divided, it is your problem! Get it right!)
How To Stop Division!
A. Always Give Others The Benefit Of The Doubt - 1 Corinthians 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
B. Learn To Forgive And To Forget - Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
C. Keep Your Eye Focused Upon The Purpose - Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
D. Esteem Others Better Than Self - Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:1-4 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
E. Learn To Keep Your Mouth Shut When There Is A Problem - Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Introduction:
A. The Pastor’s Nightmare! What recurring dream do you have that leaves you thanking God when you wake up and find that it is not real? Every has had one of those dreams? I remember, as a little boy, having a recurring dream that would awaken me screaming and crying. Mom would take me into the bathroom and wash my face. Then she would have me say my ABC’s to make sure that I was awake before letting me go back to bed. I could never quite remember what the dream was after I woke up. It finally went away when, after one of these screaming in the night episodes, I went back to bed and tried to dream it again. I guess that it went away because I faced my fear.
B. Now, as a pastor, I have another too often occurring nightmare: people in the church getting offended, mad at each other, leaving over petty differences, etc. I preach much on the subject of division within the church. In Genesis, Satan divided Eve from Adam in his deception concerning the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Sin did the rest as it separated Adam and Eve from the Lord who walked in the Garden with them. Satan has pulled out all of the “stops” in his unending efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the local church. The pastor’s nightmare is division! We must not be ignorant of Satan’s devices and one of his best is division.
C. There are many Baptist churches that are without a pastor with some of them having actually “run the pastor off.” Many churches have been hurt or rendered ineffective because of division or good people leaving the church.
1. Sometimes, wicked people get into the church and divide it.
2. More often, saved people get their priorities wrong and strive, one with another.
a) Through Carnality
b) Through Biblical Ignorance
c) Through Willful Immaturity
d) Through Satanic Influence
D. I have preached and will continue to preach against division within the local church body. It is imperative that we remain united and strong as the work of the Lord is of the utmost importance. This type of preaching is not a new thing nor can it be a sporadic one. It must be preached often with a no-nonsense approach. Look in Acts 20:28-31 with me.
Acts 20:28-31 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
E. The most important unit on the face of the earth (other than the family) is the local church. Satan hates the local Church!
F. Division causes much damage to the local church:
1. Division Destroys The Fellowship Of The Church. (People sit on the pews of the church with malice and unforgiveness in their hearts. They are Achans!)
2. Division Destroys The Commission Of The Church. (Missions has been damaged because of gaining a family and then loosing a family through spiritual nonsense!)
3. Division Destroys The Testimony Of The Church. (Church fights and splits have been detrimental to the prosperity of the church, both physically and financially.)
4. Division Destroys The Posterity Of The Church. (Children both see and hear the ungodliness of the parents. It affects their spirituality and, eventually, they are lost.)
5. Division Destroys The Worship Of The Church. (God and His Holy Spirit are grieved with this division and worship is neither holy nor acceptable.)
6. Division Destroys The Evangelism Of The Church. (Instead of keeping our eyes upon the harvest and doing all that we can to win souls, our time is spent in bitterness and souls are lost.)
7. Division Hinders The Prayers Of The Saints. (Malice and unforgiveness are sins and when we regard iniquity in our hearts, our prayers go unheard.)
G. Division damages the individual believer. Let’s look at what division will do to you personally.
1. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Pulpit - God’s Message - Satan will tell you that the preaching is opinionated! A man left the church years ago because he was tired of “independent Baptist mentality!” His problem was that he was not right with the Lord and still isn’t.
a) You Will Not Heed To God’s Message - Hebrews 5:11-12 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Zechariah 7:11-12 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
b) You Will Not Hear God’s Man - Ezekiel 33:30-33 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,)then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
2. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Place – God’s House - Satan will tell you that you can worship the Lord at home or wherever you are! God has both ordained and ordered worship in His house on a regular basis.
a) It Will Rob Your Joy - Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Psalms 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
b) It Will Bring You Judgment - Hebrews 10:25-27 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (You will disobey this direct command and blame others for your disobedience! Satan does not want you at church. He wants you isolated!)
3. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Pastor – Your Friend - Satan will tell you that people are following a man and not the Lord! The Lord has commanded that you follow His man.
a) You Will Forsake God’s Man - 1 Corinthians 4:16-21 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. 17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
b) You Will Withstand God’s Man - 2 Timothy 4:14-15 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
c) You Will Speak Evil Of God’s Man - 3 John 9-10 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
4. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s People – Your Brethren - Satan has efficiently divided one believer from the other. The Bible teaches us to love one another. John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
a) Divided Because Of Opinions - Acts 15:37-39 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.
b) Divided Because Of Offenses - Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Matthew 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
5. Satanic Division Will Divide You From The Lord’s Purpose – God’s Harvest - Satanic division has efficiently divided one church from the other. Satanic division has efficiently confused the purpose of the church. The definition for confusion is to be ashamed, to be disconcerted, or to delay. Where Satan cannot stop the Lord or take the eternal life of the saint, he simply tries to divide and delay. I believe in the autonomy of the local church, but Satan has turned one against another and divided our fellowship. Tanker trucks use baffles to confuse the forward motion of the liquid that they carry in order to more easily control the trucks and help with braking. Satan has baffled the churches to confuse their forward motion and bring them to a grinding halt!
a) Division Brings Reproach To The Name Of Christ - 1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
b) Division Brings Devastation To The Local Church - Matthew 12:25-26 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
c) Division Brings Confusion To The Cause Of Christ - 2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
d) Division Brings About A Shortage Of Workers In The Harvest - John 21:3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
HOW DIVISION COMES
1. Division Comes Through Carnality.
James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (God is never the author of confusion! God is the author of peace! The moment that you become divided in any of these areas that I spoke to you about, you are out of God’s will! Learn to keep your eye on God’s purpose: souls!)
2. Division Comes Through Biblical Ignorance.
Ephesians 4:2-7 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (We are all on the same side and have a common enemy! Endeavouring = Making an effort or striving.)
1 John 1:2-4 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
3. Division Comes Through False Brethren.
3 John 9-11 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. (Follow that which is good! Stay away from complainers, criticizers, and carnal professors!)
4. Division Comes Through Satanic Influence.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (Learn to recognize that division is satanic and do not give Satan a toehold in your life.)
5. Division Comes Through Unforgiveness.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (No matter what someone does to you, says about you, your biblical responsibility is forgiveness and oneness! If you are mad, hurt, or divided, it is your problem! Get it right!)
How To Stop Division!
A. Always Give Others The Benefit Of The Doubt - 1 Corinthians 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
B. Learn To Forgive And To Forget - Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
C. Keep Your Eye Focused Upon The Purpose - Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
D. Esteem Others Better Than Self - Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:1-4 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
E. Learn To Keep Your Mouth Shut When There Is A Problem - Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
7 Sayings Of The Cross – Part 5 - "I Thirst"
Temple Baptist Church - 4-10-2011
John 19:28-30
Introduction:
A. Calvary is an inexhaustible subject as it involves the infinite love, mercy, grace, and sacrifice of God for sinful man. Sinful man, loved by a holy God in spite of fault and failure. The reconciliation of the irreconcilable! Oh, what a Saviour Jesus Christ is!
B. Thus far, we have seen:
1. Calvary’s Pardon as Jesus Christ cried out for the forgiveness of Herod the king of Galilee, Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea, the Roman soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet carried out the brutal torture, to the Jews who planned it and for all the human race who are responsible for His crucifixion. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”
2. Calvary’s Promise as Jesus Christ responded to the penitent cry of a dying thief. To the thief He promised, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” thus giving hope to all who put their faith in Him.
3. Calvary’s Provision as Jesus Christ placed His loving mother into the hands of John the beloved. “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother.” Dying, our Lord entrusted His earthly family to His earthly church.
4. Calvary’s Price as our Lord became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Because Jesus Christ literally became sin for us that we might one day live forever with Him.
5. Now we come to Calvary’s Pain as, in the darkness of the noon day, Jesus Christ’s voice was heard once more. “I thirst.”
C. All things are now accomplished! Jesus Christ has done all that He came to do. He has left nothing undone including the care of His earthly mother. I continue to emphasis “His earthly mother” because Jesus Christ—as Jehovah God—had no mother! He has now become sin for us and is “forsaken” of the Father. As we were separated from the Father by our sin, Jesus Christ is now separated from the Father by our sin!
Romans 14:8-9 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (9) For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
D. At Calvary, we find the climax of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry; the culmination of God’s Salvation Plan which was pre-determined from the foundation of the world. During these hours of darkness, we find the payment of sin manifested in a twofold suffering.
1. One: the suffering of separation from God the Father! In hell, the rich man of Luke 16 was separated from Abraham’s Bosom by a gulf that was “fixed” by God. It was a gulf that could not be breached. Sin separates and this division must be reconciled in order for men to eternally live with the Lord.
2. Two: the suffering of physical pain! In hell, the rich man was tormented in the flames! He thirsted! Hell is a literal place with an eternal, painful separation from God.
E. “I thirst!” For the first time, Jesus Christ requested something for Himself! In Matthew 27, before His crucifixion, the Roman soldiers offered Him vinegar mingled with gall—which would have dulled the pain and lessened the suffering. Jesus Christ refused the sedation offered!
Matthew 27:33-35a And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, (34) They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. (35) And they crucified him…
F. That the scripture might be fulfilled - Psalms 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Our Lord fulfilled every Old Testament prophesy during His earthly life. This was proof positive that Jesus Christ was Jehovah God in the flesh! One could possibly find one or two prophecies fulfilled in other men, but not all 61 major prophecies! In fact the chance of one man fulfilling even eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power [1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 or 100 quadrillion] This has been illustrated by imagining placing 100 quadrillion silver dollars on the State of Texas which would result in two feet "sea" of silver wherever you tread! Now is where the odds get interesting. Mark one of the silver dollars distinctively and throw it into the state. Stir it all up and blindfold a man who has one pick to select the marked coin. That's the odds against anyone fulfilling only 8 prophecies, much less what most authorities feel is something like 330 plus Old Testament prophecies in some way fulfilled in the Messiah. To phrase it another way, these incredible odds just illustrated are the same chance that the OT prophets would have had of writing eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man providing they wrote them in their own wisdom. One can conclude that the fulfilment of even just eight prophecies proves that God inspired the writing of these prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 10 to the 17th power! The odds against all 330 plus OT prophecies being fulfilled in one man cannot even be reasonably illustrated, as they are so high!)
G. An ordinary man would not have made it to this point! Isaiah 52:14, 53:5 “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men… But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (No man has ever been beaten as Christ was beaten! He was unrecognizable as a man before He went to the cross.)
H. The pain and suffering was beyond our human imagination! I have read much concerning the suffering from a medical viewpoint and the agony must have been beyond anything that we have ever experienced. I do not want to major on these physical sufferings but do want us to realize that no man has ever or ever will suffer as He suffered.
I. The Roman soldiers could not kill Him! The crucifixion could not kill Him!
John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (We will find in a later message that Jesus Christ had to dismiss (lay down) His life for us. His death was entirely voluntary!)
J. The Sufferings of Christ were manifold:
1. The Sufferings of Gethsemane
a. Suffering at the hands of Sorrow - Matthew 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
b. Suffering at the hands of Sleeping Saints - Matthew 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
c. Suffering at the hands of Sinners - Matthew 26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
d. Suffering at the hands of a Supposed Saint - Matthew 26:47-49 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. (48) Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. (49) And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
2. The Sufferings Of Gabbatha
a. He was lied about - Mark 14:55-56 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. (56) For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
b. They spit upon Him - Matthew 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
c. They smote Him - Matthew 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
d. They mocked Him - Luke 23:11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
e. They scourged Him - John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
f. They crowned Him with thorns - Mark 15:17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
g. They smote Him on the crown of thorns - Mark 15:19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
h. They rejected Him for a thief - Luke 23:18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
i. They caused Him to bear His cross - John 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
3. The Suffering of Golgotha
a. They nailed Him - Psalms 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
b. They railed on Him - Matthew 27:39-44 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, (40) And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. (41) Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, (42) He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. (43) He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (44) The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
c. They crucified Him – Three little words! Psalms 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (He suffered physically in almost every way – I know that the death and suffering of Christ was not like that of others but here is a description of what crucifixion would feel like to the human body and Christ had one.)
Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild sedative. He refuses to drink. He is placed on the cross on His back. His flesh in ribbons, the pain is excruciating. The Roman soldier drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through a hand and deep into the wood. He moves to the other side and repeats the action being careful not to pull the arms to tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The left foot is now pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The cross is then lifted into place and then drops into place. His weight falls helplessly upon the nailed hands and feet. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the hands excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain -- the nails in the hands and feet are putting pressure on the nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded. Now follows hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins...A terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, "I thirst." One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soaked in vinegar is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn't take any of the liquid. The body of Jesus is now in extremes and death now nears. He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. His mission of atonement has completed as He cries, "It is finished." With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit." Now He wills His body to die.
Conclusion: So few words to describe such suffering. “They crucified him…I thirst!"
1. The Magnitude Of That Thirst can never be fully realized.
2. The Meaning Of That Thirst takes to the depths of hell and a rich man who cried for water out of his torments.
3. The Message Of That Thirst is once again that Christ died for the sins of the world!
John 19:28-30
Introduction:
A. Calvary is an inexhaustible subject as it involves the infinite love, mercy, grace, and sacrifice of God for sinful man. Sinful man, loved by a holy God in spite of fault and failure. The reconciliation of the irreconcilable! Oh, what a Saviour Jesus Christ is!
B. Thus far, we have seen:
1. Calvary’s Pardon as Jesus Christ cried out for the forgiveness of Herod the king of Galilee, Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea, the Roman soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet carried out the brutal torture, to the Jews who planned it and for all the human race who are responsible for His crucifixion. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”
2. Calvary’s Promise as Jesus Christ responded to the penitent cry of a dying thief. To the thief He promised, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” thus giving hope to all who put their faith in Him.
3. Calvary’s Provision as Jesus Christ placed His loving mother into the hands of John the beloved. “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother.” Dying, our Lord entrusted His earthly family to His earthly church.
4. Calvary’s Price as our Lord became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Because Jesus Christ literally became sin for us that we might one day live forever with Him.
5. Now we come to Calvary’s Pain as, in the darkness of the noon day, Jesus Christ’s voice was heard once more. “I thirst.”
C. All things are now accomplished! Jesus Christ has done all that He came to do. He has left nothing undone including the care of His earthly mother. I continue to emphasis “His earthly mother” because Jesus Christ—as Jehovah God—had no mother! He has now become sin for us and is “forsaken” of the Father. As we were separated from the Father by our sin, Jesus Christ is now separated from the Father by our sin!
Romans 14:8-9 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (9) For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
D. At Calvary, we find the climax of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry; the culmination of God’s Salvation Plan which was pre-determined from the foundation of the world. During these hours of darkness, we find the payment of sin manifested in a twofold suffering.
1. One: the suffering of separation from God the Father! In hell, the rich man of Luke 16 was separated from Abraham’s Bosom by a gulf that was “fixed” by God. It was a gulf that could not be breached. Sin separates and this division must be reconciled in order for men to eternally live with the Lord.
2. Two: the suffering of physical pain! In hell, the rich man was tormented in the flames! He thirsted! Hell is a literal place with an eternal, painful separation from God.
E. “I thirst!” For the first time, Jesus Christ requested something for Himself! In Matthew 27, before His crucifixion, the Roman soldiers offered Him vinegar mingled with gall—which would have dulled the pain and lessened the suffering. Jesus Christ refused the sedation offered!
Matthew 27:33-35a And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, (34) They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. (35) And they crucified him…
F. That the scripture might be fulfilled - Psalms 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Our Lord fulfilled every Old Testament prophesy during His earthly life. This was proof positive that Jesus Christ was Jehovah God in the flesh! One could possibly find one or two prophecies fulfilled in other men, but not all 61 major prophecies! In fact the chance of one man fulfilling even eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power [1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 or 100 quadrillion] This has been illustrated by imagining placing 100 quadrillion silver dollars on the State of Texas which would result in two feet "sea" of silver wherever you tread! Now is where the odds get interesting. Mark one of the silver dollars distinctively and throw it into the state. Stir it all up and blindfold a man who has one pick to select the marked coin. That's the odds against anyone fulfilling only 8 prophecies, much less what most authorities feel is something like 330 plus Old Testament prophecies in some way fulfilled in the Messiah. To phrase it another way, these incredible odds just illustrated are the same chance that the OT prophets would have had of writing eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man providing they wrote them in their own wisdom. One can conclude that the fulfilment of even just eight prophecies proves that God inspired the writing of these prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 10 to the 17th power! The odds against all 330 plus OT prophecies being fulfilled in one man cannot even be reasonably illustrated, as they are so high!)
G. An ordinary man would not have made it to this point! Isaiah 52:14, 53:5 “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men… But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (No man has ever been beaten as Christ was beaten! He was unrecognizable as a man before He went to the cross.)
H. The pain and suffering was beyond our human imagination! I have read much concerning the suffering from a medical viewpoint and the agony must have been beyond anything that we have ever experienced. I do not want to major on these physical sufferings but do want us to realize that no man has ever or ever will suffer as He suffered.
I. The Roman soldiers could not kill Him! The crucifixion could not kill Him!
John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (We will find in a later message that Jesus Christ had to dismiss (lay down) His life for us. His death was entirely voluntary!)
J. The Sufferings of Christ were manifold:
1. The Sufferings of Gethsemane
a. Suffering at the hands of Sorrow - Matthew 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
b. Suffering at the hands of Sleeping Saints - Matthew 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
c. Suffering at the hands of Sinners - Matthew 26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
d. Suffering at the hands of a Supposed Saint - Matthew 26:47-49 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. (48) Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. (49) And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
2. The Sufferings Of Gabbatha
a. He was lied about - Mark 14:55-56 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. (56) For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
b. They spit upon Him - Matthew 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
c. They smote Him - Matthew 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
d. They mocked Him - Luke 23:11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
e. They scourged Him - John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
f. They crowned Him with thorns - Mark 15:17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
g. They smote Him on the crown of thorns - Mark 15:19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
h. They rejected Him for a thief - Luke 23:18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
i. They caused Him to bear His cross - John 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
3. The Suffering of Golgotha
a. They nailed Him - Psalms 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
b. They railed on Him - Matthew 27:39-44 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, (40) And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. (41) Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, (42) He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. (43) He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (44) The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
c. They crucified Him – Three little words! Psalms 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (He suffered physically in almost every way – I know that the death and suffering of Christ was not like that of others but here is a description of what crucifixion would feel like to the human body and Christ had one.)
Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild sedative. He refuses to drink. He is placed on the cross on His back. His flesh in ribbons, the pain is excruciating. The Roman soldier drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through a hand and deep into the wood. He moves to the other side and repeats the action being careful not to pull the arms to tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The left foot is now pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The cross is then lifted into place and then drops into place. His weight falls helplessly upon the nailed hands and feet. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the hands excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain -- the nails in the hands and feet are putting pressure on the nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded. Now follows hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins...A terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, "I thirst." One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soaked in vinegar is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn't take any of the liquid. The body of Jesus is now in extremes and death now nears. He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. His mission of atonement has completed as He cries, "It is finished." With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit." Now He wills His body to die.
Conclusion: So few words to describe such suffering. “They crucified him…I thirst!"
1. The Magnitude Of That Thirst can never be fully realized.
2. The Meaning Of That Thirst takes to the depths of hell and a rich man who cried for water out of his torments.
3. The Message Of That Thirst is once again that Christ died for the sins of the world!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sealed Unto The Day Of Redemption
Temple Baptist Church - 4-6-2011
Ephesians 4:30
A. One of the most attacked doctrines of the Bible is that of eternal salvation. This message is not to attack anyone or any denomination, but to try to help those who remain in bondage. The greatest protection against false doctrine is sound doctrinal teaching. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
B. I want to give a short synopsis of two heretical teachings that have evolved over the past 400 years: Calvinism and Arminianism. These unbiblical doctrines were instituted by John Calvin 1509-1564 (French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation) and Jacobus Arminius 1560-1609 (Professor of theology at the University of Leiden). I will not deal with them in their entirety because of the length of that study. Calvinists - Calvinists believe that you are saved from the foundation of the world and there is nothing that you can do to either be saved or stay saved, thus eternally saved through predestination.
Total Inability or Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption
Irresistible Grace or The Efficacious Call of The Spirit
Perseverance of the Saints
Arminians - Arminians believe that salvation can be lost but differ on the after affects. There is the older school of thought that, if a saint “falls from grace,” then they are eternally lost with no hope of revival of heart and redemption (Hebrews 6:4-6) There are the newer groups (especially in the Pentecostal Holiness and Charismatic churches) that believe that salvation can be lost and regained more than once but you must die in a state of grace in order to go to heaven. Both of these theologies try to reconcile the wickedness of man with the holiness of God in different ways. Calvinists believe that man can only be right with God through election and predestination. Arminians believe that man can only be right with God by living a life that is holy enough to be accepted of God. Both views are heretical.
Free Will or Human Ability
Conditional Election
General Atonement or Universal Redemption
The Holy Spirit can be Effectually Resisted
Falling from Grace
C. Both groups believe that you are either Calvinist or Arminian. We are neither! We are Bible believers who get our doctrines totally from the Word of God, not from theologians. We believe that God is a sovereign God, needing nothing or any man. He does as He wills when He wills and how He wills. He asks counsel from no man. He knows the end from the beginning and nothing has ever either occurred to Him or surprised Him. In God’s sovereignty, He has given to man a free will to be exercised in both salvation and service. This in no way affects His sovereignty in a negative way. Calvinism and Arminianism are both perversions of the truth of the Bible. Our forefathers lived and preached the truth before either John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius came to their unbiblical conclusions.
D. John 10 is one of the “great” chapters in the New Testament as our Lord explains so simply the way of salvation verses the way of religion. He called the religionists “thieves and robbers” because they rejected the “Door” of salvation. Religion is man-made and involves a devilish mixture of faith and works! I emphasize the word “devilish!” Religion is Cain worship with man’s goodness meriting favor with God and, therefore, obtaining salvation through self worth. Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
E. In John 10:27-30, our Lord said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” What a blessing it is to the child of God to know that they are saved and saved eternally!
F. Now, let us look at verse 31! “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.” My, how the religious crowd hated the Lord Jesus! They still hate Him today and the “Jesus” that they worship is “another Jesus!” Religion is an enemy of the Christ of the Bible for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is set forth in these verses: the blessed doctrine of “Eternal Life.”
G. It is one if not the most hated of all doctrines found in the Bible because it destroys the goodness of man and man’s ability to both earn and keep his salvation. Eternal security has been referred to as a “doctrine of devils.” That is a dangerous statement for this reason: eternal life is a work of the Holy Spirit! It is He that seals us unto the day of redemption.
H. You would think that “eternal life” is something that every sinner would love to have but this is not the case. I thank God for “Eternal Life!” I am the least of all saints and the worst of all sinners! I am so glad this morning that salvation is of the Lord and I will go to Heaven on day by the amazing grace of God!!
I. The words everlasting and eternal are used many times in the Bible: Everlasting Life” 11 times, “Eternal Life” 26 times. A man once said that “One who does not believe in ‘eternal security’ is doomed to live in ‘eternal insecurity.’" Let us look at this “eternal life” unto which we have been sealed.
1. The Meaning Of The Word Eternal – it means for ever and for ever and for ever...
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
2. Eternal Life Is An Unconditional Covenant Of God – this means that it does not depend upon us but upon His promises!
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Romans 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.
3. Eternal Life States The Sufficiency Of Christ’s Death – His sacrifice is sufficient to not only save but to save eternally.
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
4. Eternal Life Depends Upon The Ability Of God To Keep That Which Belongs To Him – Eternal Life is the responsibility of God, not man!
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
5. Eternal Life Is Our Lord’s Prayer For Us – His prayers always get answered!
John 11:41-42 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are].
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
6. Eternal Life Is A Product Of The Integrity Of God’s Word – if God said it, you can “take it to the bank!” Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.
7. Eternal Life Is The Fidelity Of God’s Love For Us – He has loved us with an everlasting love! John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:8-11 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Romans 8:34-39 Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
8. Eternal Life Has The Seal Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit – we that are saved have the Spirit Of God living in us until the day He takes us home!
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Conclusion: Not wonder the Devil hates the doctrine of Eternal Life! He may try to rob you of your peace and profitableness but he CANNOT rob you of your salvation! Glory to God! We are saved! We are secure! We are safe! FOREVER! Eternal life is the only kind that God gives and not to have it is not to be saved! Not to know it is to live in insecurity and fear.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
7 Sayings Of The Cross – Part 4 - Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?
Temple Baptist Church - 4-3-2011
Mark 15:25-36
Introduction:
A. “Father, forgive them” showed us the mission of Calvary for without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Christ dying for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
B. “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” showed us the men of salvation. Though Christ died for all, not all are saved. Only those who come to Him are born again.
C. “Woman, behold thy son” showed us the importance of both family and church family in the absence of the Lord. We need our families and we also need the church.
D. This morning, I want to look at next of the seven sayings. “Why hast thou forsaken me?” Here we find a change. Psalms 22-24 are a trilogy that foreshadows the cross of Calvary in 22, the care of the sheep in 23, and the coming of the King in 24. In this saying, we find the fulfillment of Psalm 22:1 as Christ is now suffering for the sins of the world.
E. Until this point—as far as I can discern—Jesus Christ is still sinless because of His continued intercession for sinners. At some point, He became sin for us: 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. My personal interpretation of these verses leads me to believe that He became sin for us when the darkness came.
F. Until then, He was not only interceding but was also praying to the Father as well as saving the dying thief. I want to look at that 3 hour period of darkness and try, with my finite mind, to grasp what infinitely took place. In those three hours of darkness we find:
1. Darkness – “There was darkness”
a. Christ was crucified the 3rd hour or at 9 AM.
Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. There was 3 hours of light in which they watched our Lord. From 12 noon until 3 PM (6th until the 9th hour) there was darkness upon the face of the earth. This was a preternatural event – this was not a Solar Eclipse as this would have caused a twilight effect. According to Luke’s gospel, the “sun was darkened.” (Luke 23:45a)
Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
b. When the Lord judged the sin of Egypt, He cause a darkness which may be felt.
Exodus 10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. It was an absolute darkness in which you could not see your hand in front of your face. I have experienced such darkness while miles underground. There is a complete absence of light. Many of you have been in a cave when they turned out the lights and have felt the smothering effect of that darkness.
c. As sin brings about darkness, it also causes the heart to be darkened.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
John 3:19-21 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (21) But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
d. There was darkness because the payment of sin at Calvary was between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. God allowed no one else to observe. The remission of sin is an act of God, not man!
Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Jude 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
2. Division – “why hast thou forsaken me?”
a. There has always been a division between darkness and light.
Genesis 1:1-5 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
b. Christ became sin for us! Sin separates man from God.
Habakkuk 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
c. Sin must be paid for before relationship can be restored.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
3. Despair – “My God, my God, why?”
a. There is earthly despair.
Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
b. There is eternal despair.
Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
4. Death – “forsaken me”
a. The wages of sin has been set.
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Ezekiel 18:20a The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
b. The wages of sin never changes.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Conclusion: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” For me! For you! For the world!
Inspiration And Preservation
Temple Baptist Church - 4-3-2011
I Peter 1:18-25
Introduction:
Happy Birthday KJV: 400 years you've stood the test, Converted lost souls and often blessed! While others sought an easier read, You've met my every spiritual need! You gave me faith when my soul was lost, You calmed my fears when my ship was tossed! You've led me step by step each day, You kept my heart from going astray! I can't express what you mean to me, Happy Birthday KJV -- poem by David Panther
A. Last week, we saw “The Imperative Word” or “Why we need an inerrant, infallible Bible.”
1. Everything that we know and believe about God, Jesus Christ, sin, salvation, heaven and hell, and godly living come from the Bible. If the Bible is flawed then our thinking and belief is flawed because the foundation is weakened.
2. We must have a final authority! How can I base my faith on the teachings of a man when that man is flawed? Every cult and schism would then be as authoritative as the true Bible believers. The Bible is an anchor in the shifting sands of human theology!
B. Why do men not accept the Bible as God’s Word?
1. These words ring in my ears when one undercuts the Bible: “We will not have this man to reign over us!”
2. In the Book of Judges (just before the coming of the king in 1 Samuel) we find these words given twice: “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (The problem is this: if the Bible is God’s Word and the final authority then man must bow to that authority and man wants no authority other than his own.)
3. Four things can be your authority in the religious realm:
a) The Church – Catholicism
b) Personal Experience – Pentecostalism
c) Human Reason – Intellectualism
d) The Bible - Fundamentalism
C. The saved, spiritual man allows the Word of God to correct his goings while the lost or carnal man corrects the Word of God and justifies his goings. The problem with the Bible continues to be an authority problem. The word “Laodicea” means “the rights of the people” and that IS THE PROBLEM!
D. This week, I want to look at what we believe about the King James Bible and why we believe and stand where we stand. If you get your Bible stand from this pastor alone, you will eventually be “blown about by every wind of doctrine.” I want you to follow me as I follow Christ but I also want to study the Word of God and anchor your faith there.
E. The Bible says:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
1. Bible Students Are Not Ashamed – They are neither ashamed nor do they cause shame! The Holy Ghost leads the Bible student into “all truth!”
2. Bible Students Are Not Confused – They both know what they believe and why they believe!
3. Bible Students Can Share Their Faith - 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
F. Many will ridicule us for simply believing what the Bible says about the Bible. If this is God’s Word and—it says that it is—and we believe that it is, then we should believe what it says! Is that not simple enough? I have been asked why I stand where I stand on the Bible and the answer is that the Bible declares itself to be the perfect Word of God.
G. Let me also say that there is no place in Scripture where it says that any minute part of the Word of God will either pass away or fail. If so, then why do the vast majority of so-called Bible scholars believe that it is no longer inerrant and infallible? Many will even agree to our terminology and yet still correct and belittle its authority.
H. The Bible is a supernatural Book and is like no other that has ever existed, either secular or sacred. And not even the greatest of religious books can come close to the Bible! Although a few other religious writings, such as the Koran and the Book of Mormon, make claim to being special revelation from God, it will be found in every case that they lack the credentials, which authenticate the Bible as the true record of God's revelation.
I. The claim to be the true revelation of God is not of human origin, but rather it is the claim the Bible makes for itself. Over and over again it states that the words are from God Himself: "Thus saith the Lord." Other books may contain some measure of truth but cannot claim either inerrancy or infallibility.
J. The book that is the true revelation of God must in fact be infallible and without error in all matters of history, science, medicine, etc., as well as theology and morals. Thus the inspiration of the Bible is a supernatural miracle. Consider the following statements:
John 10:35b . . .the scripture cannot be broken.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God. . .
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
1. Human Penmanship - "holy men of God spake"
2. Divine Authorship - "moved by the Holy Ghost"
K. I believe that the Word of God teaches that it is the inerrant, infallible, verbally and plenarily inspired, preserved, and absolutely perfect Word of God! (A statement like that makes even some of the strong-hearted faint. Many will declare that the King James Version is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people, but will shy away from inspiration because of the false teaching of double inspiration. There was only one act of inspiration with a continuing act of preservation that kept the inspiration intact.)
L. Now, we need to biblically define out terms. What I believe about the Bible is what the Bible says about the Bible! That makes sense doesn’t it? Let God’s Word speak for itself and the let God be true and every man a liar! (I want to reiterate the words “biblically define!”) I will use both Scripture and Webster’s 1828 Dictionary to define these terms in order to get them into the simplest form.
OUR TERMINOLOGY DEFINED
1. Inerrant Defined: INERRABIL'ITY, n. [from inerrable.] Exemption from error or from the possibility of erring. This means the message was written down accurately and without error, whether it be the words of God, man or Satan. Heb 6:18b; Titus 1:2c; John 10:35 (Inspiration does not change lies into truth and certainly not truth into lies!)
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Jeremiah 36:4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. (Mechanical Dictation? I believe that these passages make it perfectly clear that these men wrote the exact words of God and nothing else. Where I come from, that is called dictation! The word “MECHANICAL” has been supplied by those who try to discredit Bible believers.)
2. Infallible Defined: INFAL'LIBLE, a. [L. fallo.] Not fallible; not capable of erring; entirely exempt from liability to mistake; applied to persons. No man is infallible; to be infallible is the prerogative of God only. Not liable to fail, or to deceive confidence; This means the Bible is without error in it’s teaching. It cannot teach deception.
Psalms 19:7-8 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
3. Inspiration Defined: INSPI'RED, pp. Breathed in; inhaled; infused.
1. Informed or directed by the Holy Spirit. By Inspiration we mean that the Holy Spirit moved the human writers of the Bible in such a way that they recorded the very words of God. From this people get the phrase God Breathed.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (This verse has nothing to do with original manuscripts as the liberal scholar would have you believe but, rather, with the copies or translation that Timothy had as a child. This is verified by verse 15 and anyone who interprets vs. 16 as the originals is either ignorant or deceitful!)
a. Verbal Defined: VERB'AL, a. [L. verbalis.] Minutely exact in words, or attending to words only; as a verbal critic. Literal; having word answering to word; as a verbal translation. This means "word for word." It is abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed the authors as they either dictated or wrote their portion of the Scriptures.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Proverbs 30:5a "Every word of God is pure: v 6 Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
b. Plenary Defined: PLE'NARY, a. [L. plenus.] Full; entire; complete. This meaning is two-fold: it means both extending to all parts alike and complete." Our Bible is both completely inspired and completely finished. 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God…
Hebrews 1:1-2a God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. . . (Note the inference here that the writings of the Old Testament prophets have the same infallibility as the New Testament message of Christ Himself! We are dealing with a supernatural, God-breathed Book!)
4. Preserved Defined: PRESERV'ED, pp. Saved from injury, destruction or decay; kept or defended from evil.
Psalms 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. (We need to understand that Bible preservation is a work of God, not man. Sinful man could not keep the Word of God for one generation much less to each generation and forever. It is hard enough to get two to agree on anything!)
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Psalms 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations.
Psalms 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (“Jot” is the word “iota” or the 8th letter of the Greek Alphabet. In our day, we refer to it as the “dotting of an i) while a “tittle” is a horn like apex of a Hebrew letter which changes the inflection of a word. In our day, we refer to it as the “crossing of the t. Combined, “jot and tittle” means the smallest change or variation.)
1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
5. Perfect Defined: PER'FECT, a. [L. perfectus, perficio, to complete; per and facio, to do or make through, to carry to the end.]
Psalms 119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (If it is God’s Word, it is pure. If it is not pure, it is not God’s Word!)
1 Corinthians 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (Finished; complete; consummate; not defective; brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; the last in any succession or series.)
I believe that the Word of God teaches that it is the inerrant, infallible, verbally and plenarily inspired, preserved, and absolutely perfect Word of God! Why? Because God said so!
Evidences Of Inspiration
A. Internal Evidences
1. Details of Events Beyond Human Knowledge - The Bible records details about Creation, reveals what is in the heart of certain people, the words of Satan, etc., which no human could possibly know about. For example, Moses is the human author of Genesis, and he did not have personal knowledge of many of the details recorded there. Scientists continue to postulate theories but the Bible sets forth the creation as fact, not theory!
2. The Unity of the Book - The Bible is a Book authored by some 40 human writers and compiled over 1,600 years -- yet it has an incredible doctrinal and structural unity! There is one theme; and no conflict! No other piece of literature, sacred or secular, has anything approaching this. Not one mistake or contradiction by any of those whom God used to write this wonderful book.
“The Book of God, Not of Men!”
The Holy Bible must have been
Inspired of God and not of men.
I could not, if I would, believe
That good men wrote it to deceive;
And bad men could not, if they would,
And surely would not, if they could,
Proceed to write a book so good.
And certainly no crazy
Could e’er conceive its wondrous plan.
And pray, what other kinds of men
Than do these three groups comprehend?
Hence it must be that God inspired
The Word which souls of prophets fired.
3. The Supernatural Doctrines it Contains - For example:
a. The Doctrine of God -- Compare the triune, infinite, sovereign, holy, and loving God of the Bible with the various "deities" concocted by men. Man could not have invented the God of the Bible, for He altogether transcends our finite intellect. We could not have known God at all if He had not revealed Himself to us through His Word, both written and "made flesh."
b. The Doctrine of Man -- The painfully honest presentation of man as base, corrupt, vile, and helplessly depraved would never have been written so by natural man. Even the hideous sins of David, "man after God's own heart," are revealed!
c. The Doctrine of Sin -- Natural man minimizes sin and extols man's "innate goodness." The Bible does the opposite. And, of course, the natural man could never accept the fact of a literal hell as the just punishment of sinful, unrepentant mankind.
d. The Doctrine of Salvation -- Man, universally and innately, seeks salvation through his own efforts. Thus, if the Bible were a human book, works would obtain salvation. BUT, the Bible clearly presents salvation ONLY through the shed blood of the Son of God!
4. Fulfilled Prophecy - A major portion of the Bible was prophetic at the time of its writing, and much of this has already been fulfilled in the minutest detail! This is one of the strongest internal proofs of Inspiration. For example, over 300 prophecies about the birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ have already been fulfilled. In the 24-hr period of the crucifixion, some 21 different prophecies were fulfilled. The odds of this being mere chance are staggering! The Bible alone predicts the future with 100 % accuracy! It has never been proven to be wrong. As the prophecies concerning the 1st coming of Christ have been 100 % accurate, those concerning the 2nd coming of Christ will also surely come to pass.
B. External Evidences
1. The Bible's Credibility - This has to do with its truthfulness, its inerrancy -- Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
2. Scientific Trustworthiness - Although the Bible does not claim to be a book of science, it is correct wherever it addresses scientific matters. It has never had to be revised to harmonize with established scientific facts!!! (And NEVER will!)
a) "Every-day" Scientific Facts -- such as Human anatomy, Botany, Geography and Astronomy are always correct in the Bible and were stated long before scientists “discovered” them.
b) The Importance Of The Blood - Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (As late as the 18th Century, doctors still treated certain sicknesses with blood letting.)
c) The Earth’s Position In Space - Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. (Not on a turtle’s back or held up by Hercules!)
d) The Existence Of Jet Streams - Ecclesiastes 1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
e) The Fact That Air Has Weight - Job 28:25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
f) The Hydrologic Cycle - Ecclesiastes 1:6-7 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. (7) All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
g) The Fact That The Earth Was Round - Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
h) That The Stars Were Innumerable - Jeremiah 33:22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. (The universe may glitter with far more stars than even Carl Sagan imagined when he rhapsodized about billions upon billions. A new study suggests there are a mind-blowing 300 sextillion of them, or three times as many as scientists previously calculated. That is a 3 followed by 23 zeros. Or 3 trillion times 100 billion.)
i) That There Is An Empty Place Over The North - Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. (The universe has a huge hole in it that dwarfs anything else of its kind. The discovery caught astronomers by surprise. It is not a black hole, which is a small sphere of densely packed matter. Rather, this one is mostly devoid of stars, gas and other normal matter, and it's also strangely empty of the mysterious "dark matter" that permeates the cosmos. Other space voids have been found before, but nothing on this scale. This "gap" is in the Northern Hemisphere, lying in the general direction of the constellation Bootes. This "hole in space" is a 300 million light year gap in the distribution of galaxies, has taken cosmologists by surprise, not because it exists, but because it is so big. Indeed, He stretches out the north over the empty place.)
j) That Man Could Be Put To Sleep In Order To Perform Surgery - Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
k) That The Woman Also Has A “seed of life” - Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (This verse reveals that the female possesses the "seed of life." This was not the common knowledge until a few centuries ago. It was widely believed that the male only possessed the "seed of life" and that the woman’s womb was simply an incubator.)
l) The Fact That All Men Have The Same Blood - Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (Until recent times, it was believed there was significant differences in the blood of various human races. However statistical divisions of humanity based on different kinds of genetic data do not group people consistently into races. Blood is separated by type, not race.)
m) The List could go on but I think that the accuracy of the Bible in matters of space, medicine, and general health—prior to discovery by others—is conclusive that this is God’s Word.
3. Archaeological Trustworthiness - This is perhaps the greatest of external proofs -- no archaeological discovery has ever contradicted the Word of God!
a) Topographical & Geographical—The hills, valleys, plains, deserts and mountains are all where the Bible says they are.
b) Ethnological—The family tree of the nations in Genesis 10, and the various migrations mentioned in the Bible have been verified. (Contrasted by the embarrassing situation with the Book of Mormon!) E.g., the ancestry of the Hebrews from Mesopotamia through Abraham has been verified. Excavations at Ur reveal it to be the idolatrous pagan city so stated in Joshua 24:2.
c) Chronological—All the pertinent evidence uncovered has supported the record and order of Biblical events and the circumstances involved.
d) Historical—The collapse of the Jericho walls, the presence of Hebrews in Egypt, and a number of other startling archaeological discoveries have confirmed the historical trustworthiness of the Word of God.
4. The Bible's Transforming Results - Not only has the Bible changed the course of nations, but also the most heathen of cultures have been literally transformed by its life-changing power! No other piece of literature in the history of mankind has even come close! Education, philosophy and social programs have all been a dismal failure in comparison to the effect that the Bible has had on the human heart. It has the power to take the most base persons of society and transform them from the inside out! Drunks have been made sober, harlots made chaste and lives ruined by sin have been made whole again.
5. The Bible's Inexhaustible Treasures - How many books have you read twice or three times? Can you think of how many sermons by Bible-believing preachers are preached out of this book each week? How many doctrinally sound books have been written about it in the last decade?!!? Psalm 119:162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
Psalms 19:7-11 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (8) The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (9) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. (10) More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. (11) Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
6. The Bible's Honored Promises - Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Whoever follows what the Bible says receives what the Bible promises. The Bible works!)
7. The Bible's Mystery to Unregenerate Minds - 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (The unsaved can understand “natural” books and put the knowledge that they find in them to use but the Bible remains a mystery to the unregenerated.)
8. The Bible's Standards - Holy, but Workable - The Ten Commandments used to be the basis of British and U. S. law. (Still are, technically, in the U.S.) But whenever man has sought to make laws contrary to the Bible, it has brought tragic and destructive consequences! (Example: doing away with the death penalty)
I Peter 1:18-25
Introduction:
Happy Birthday KJV: 400 years you've stood the test, Converted lost souls and often blessed! While others sought an easier read, You've met my every spiritual need! You gave me faith when my soul was lost, You calmed my fears when my ship was tossed! You've led me step by step each day, You kept my heart from going astray! I can't express what you mean to me, Happy Birthday KJV -- poem by David Panther
A. Last week, we saw “The Imperative Word” or “Why we need an inerrant, infallible Bible.”
1. Everything that we know and believe about God, Jesus Christ, sin, salvation, heaven and hell, and godly living come from the Bible. If the Bible is flawed then our thinking and belief is flawed because the foundation is weakened.
2. We must have a final authority! How can I base my faith on the teachings of a man when that man is flawed? Every cult and schism would then be as authoritative as the true Bible believers. The Bible is an anchor in the shifting sands of human theology!
B. Why do men not accept the Bible as God’s Word?
1. These words ring in my ears when one undercuts the Bible: “We will not have this man to reign over us!”
2. In the Book of Judges (just before the coming of the king in 1 Samuel) we find these words given twice: “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (The problem is this: if the Bible is God’s Word and the final authority then man must bow to that authority and man wants no authority other than his own.)
3. Four things can be your authority in the religious realm:
a) The Church – Catholicism
b) Personal Experience – Pentecostalism
c) Human Reason – Intellectualism
d) The Bible - Fundamentalism
C. The saved, spiritual man allows the Word of God to correct his goings while the lost or carnal man corrects the Word of God and justifies his goings. The problem with the Bible continues to be an authority problem. The word “Laodicea” means “the rights of the people” and that IS THE PROBLEM!
D. This week, I want to look at what we believe about the King James Bible and why we believe and stand where we stand. If you get your Bible stand from this pastor alone, you will eventually be “blown about by every wind of doctrine.” I want you to follow me as I follow Christ but I also want to study the Word of God and anchor your faith there.
E. The Bible says:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
1. Bible Students Are Not Ashamed – They are neither ashamed nor do they cause shame! The Holy Ghost leads the Bible student into “all truth!”
2. Bible Students Are Not Confused – They both know what they believe and why they believe!
3. Bible Students Can Share Their Faith - 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
F. Many will ridicule us for simply believing what the Bible says about the Bible. If this is God’s Word and—it says that it is—and we believe that it is, then we should believe what it says! Is that not simple enough? I have been asked why I stand where I stand on the Bible and the answer is that the Bible declares itself to be the perfect Word of God.
G. Let me also say that there is no place in Scripture where it says that any minute part of the Word of God will either pass away or fail. If so, then why do the vast majority of so-called Bible scholars believe that it is no longer inerrant and infallible? Many will even agree to our terminology and yet still correct and belittle its authority.
H. The Bible is a supernatural Book and is like no other that has ever existed, either secular or sacred. And not even the greatest of religious books can come close to the Bible! Although a few other religious writings, such as the Koran and the Book of Mormon, make claim to being special revelation from God, it will be found in every case that they lack the credentials, which authenticate the Bible as the true record of God's revelation.
I. The claim to be the true revelation of God is not of human origin, but rather it is the claim the Bible makes for itself. Over and over again it states that the words are from God Himself: "Thus saith the Lord." Other books may contain some measure of truth but cannot claim either inerrancy or infallibility.
J. The book that is the true revelation of God must in fact be infallible and without error in all matters of history, science, medicine, etc., as well as theology and morals. Thus the inspiration of the Bible is a supernatural miracle. Consider the following statements:
John 10:35b . . .the scripture cannot be broken.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God. . .
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
1. Human Penmanship - "holy men of God spake"
2. Divine Authorship - "moved by the Holy Ghost"
K. I believe that the Word of God teaches that it is the inerrant, infallible, verbally and plenarily inspired, preserved, and absolutely perfect Word of God! (A statement like that makes even some of the strong-hearted faint. Many will declare that the King James Version is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people, but will shy away from inspiration because of the false teaching of double inspiration. There was only one act of inspiration with a continuing act of preservation that kept the inspiration intact.)
L. Now, we need to biblically define out terms. What I believe about the Bible is what the Bible says about the Bible! That makes sense doesn’t it? Let God’s Word speak for itself and the let God be true and every man a liar! (I want to reiterate the words “biblically define!”) I will use both Scripture and Webster’s 1828 Dictionary to define these terms in order to get them into the simplest form.
OUR TERMINOLOGY DEFINED
1. Inerrant Defined: INERRABIL'ITY, n. [from inerrable.] Exemption from error or from the possibility of erring. This means the message was written down accurately and without error, whether it be the words of God, man or Satan. Heb 6:18b; Titus 1:2c; John 10:35 (Inspiration does not change lies into truth and certainly not truth into lies!)
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Jeremiah 36:4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. (Mechanical Dictation? I believe that these passages make it perfectly clear that these men wrote the exact words of God and nothing else. Where I come from, that is called dictation! The word “MECHANICAL” has been supplied by those who try to discredit Bible believers.)
2. Infallible Defined: INFAL'LIBLE, a. [L. fallo.] Not fallible; not capable of erring; entirely exempt from liability to mistake; applied to persons. No man is infallible; to be infallible is the prerogative of God only. Not liable to fail, or to deceive confidence; This means the Bible is without error in it’s teaching. It cannot teach deception.
Psalms 19:7-8 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
3. Inspiration Defined: INSPI'RED, pp. Breathed in; inhaled; infused.
1. Informed or directed by the Holy Spirit. By Inspiration we mean that the Holy Spirit moved the human writers of the Bible in such a way that they recorded the very words of God. From this people get the phrase God Breathed.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (This verse has nothing to do with original manuscripts as the liberal scholar would have you believe but, rather, with the copies or translation that Timothy had as a child. This is verified by verse 15 and anyone who interprets vs. 16 as the originals is either ignorant or deceitful!)
a. Verbal Defined: VERB'AL, a. [L. verbalis.] Minutely exact in words, or attending to words only; as a verbal critic. Literal; having word answering to word; as a verbal translation. This means "word for word." It is abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed the authors as they either dictated or wrote their portion of the Scriptures.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Proverbs 30:5a "Every word of God is pure: v 6 Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
b. Plenary Defined: PLE'NARY, a. [L. plenus.] Full; entire; complete. This meaning is two-fold: it means both extending to all parts alike and complete." Our Bible is both completely inspired and completely finished. 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God…
Hebrews 1:1-2a God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. . . (Note the inference here that the writings of the Old Testament prophets have the same infallibility as the New Testament message of Christ Himself! We are dealing with a supernatural, God-breathed Book!)
4. Preserved Defined: PRESERV'ED, pp. Saved from injury, destruction or decay; kept or defended from evil.
Psalms 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. (We need to understand that Bible preservation is a work of God, not man. Sinful man could not keep the Word of God for one generation much less to each generation and forever. It is hard enough to get two to agree on anything!)
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Psalms 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations.
Psalms 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (“Jot” is the word “iota” or the 8th letter of the Greek Alphabet. In our day, we refer to it as the “dotting of an i) while a “tittle” is a horn like apex of a Hebrew letter which changes the inflection of a word. In our day, we refer to it as the “crossing of the t. Combined, “jot and tittle” means the smallest change or variation.)
1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
5. Perfect Defined: PER'FECT, a. [L. perfectus, perficio, to complete; per and facio, to do or make through, to carry to the end.]
Psalms 119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (If it is God’s Word, it is pure. If it is not pure, it is not God’s Word!)
1 Corinthians 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (Finished; complete; consummate; not defective; brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; the last in any succession or series.)
I believe that the Word of God teaches that it is the inerrant, infallible, verbally and plenarily inspired, preserved, and absolutely perfect Word of God! Why? Because God said so!
Evidences Of Inspiration
A. Internal Evidences
1. Details of Events Beyond Human Knowledge - The Bible records details about Creation, reveals what is in the heart of certain people, the words of Satan, etc., which no human could possibly know about. For example, Moses is the human author of Genesis, and he did not have personal knowledge of many of the details recorded there. Scientists continue to postulate theories but the Bible sets forth the creation as fact, not theory!
2. The Unity of the Book - The Bible is a Book authored by some 40 human writers and compiled over 1,600 years -- yet it has an incredible doctrinal and structural unity! There is one theme; and no conflict! No other piece of literature, sacred or secular, has anything approaching this. Not one mistake or contradiction by any of those whom God used to write this wonderful book.
“The Book of God, Not of Men!”
The Holy Bible must have been
Inspired of God and not of men.
I could not, if I would, believe
That good men wrote it to deceive;
And bad men could not, if they would,
And surely would not, if they could,
Proceed to write a book so good.
And certainly no crazy
Could e’er conceive its wondrous plan.
And pray, what other kinds of men
Than do these three groups comprehend?
Hence it must be that God inspired
The Word which souls of prophets fired.
3. The Supernatural Doctrines it Contains - For example:
a. The Doctrine of God -- Compare the triune, infinite, sovereign, holy, and loving God of the Bible with the various "deities" concocted by men. Man could not have invented the God of the Bible, for He altogether transcends our finite intellect. We could not have known God at all if He had not revealed Himself to us through His Word, both written and "made flesh."
b. The Doctrine of Man -- The painfully honest presentation of man as base, corrupt, vile, and helplessly depraved would never have been written so by natural man. Even the hideous sins of David, "man after God's own heart," are revealed!
c. The Doctrine of Sin -- Natural man minimizes sin and extols man's "innate goodness." The Bible does the opposite. And, of course, the natural man could never accept the fact of a literal hell as the just punishment of sinful, unrepentant mankind.
d. The Doctrine of Salvation -- Man, universally and innately, seeks salvation through his own efforts. Thus, if the Bible were a human book, works would obtain salvation. BUT, the Bible clearly presents salvation ONLY through the shed blood of the Son of God!
4. Fulfilled Prophecy - A major portion of the Bible was prophetic at the time of its writing, and much of this has already been fulfilled in the minutest detail! This is one of the strongest internal proofs of Inspiration. For example, over 300 prophecies about the birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ have already been fulfilled. In the 24-hr period of the crucifixion, some 21 different prophecies were fulfilled. The odds of this being mere chance are staggering! The Bible alone predicts the future with 100 % accuracy! It has never been proven to be wrong. As the prophecies concerning the 1st coming of Christ have been 100 % accurate, those concerning the 2nd coming of Christ will also surely come to pass.
B. External Evidences
1. The Bible's Credibility - This has to do with its truthfulness, its inerrancy -- Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
2. Scientific Trustworthiness - Although the Bible does not claim to be a book of science, it is correct wherever it addresses scientific matters. It has never had to be revised to harmonize with established scientific facts!!! (And NEVER will!)
a) "Every-day" Scientific Facts -- such as Human anatomy, Botany, Geography and Astronomy are always correct in the Bible and were stated long before scientists “discovered” them.
b) The Importance Of The Blood - Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (As late as the 18th Century, doctors still treated certain sicknesses with blood letting.)
c) The Earth’s Position In Space - Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. (Not on a turtle’s back or held up by Hercules!)
d) The Existence Of Jet Streams - Ecclesiastes 1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
e) The Fact That Air Has Weight - Job 28:25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
f) The Hydrologic Cycle - Ecclesiastes 1:6-7 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. (7) All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
g) The Fact That The Earth Was Round - Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
h) That The Stars Were Innumerable - Jeremiah 33:22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. (The universe may glitter with far more stars than even Carl Sagan imagined when he rhapsodized about billions upon billions. A new study suggests there are a mind-blowing 300 sextillion of them, or three times as many as scientists previously calculated. That is a 3 followed by 23 zeros. Or 3 trillion times 100 billion.)
i) That There Is An Empty Place Over The North - Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. (The universe has a huge hole in it that dwarfs anything else of its kind. The discovery caught astronomers by surprise. It is not a black hole, which is a small sphere of densely packed matter. Rather, this one is mostly devoid of stars, gas and other normal matter, and it's also strangely empty of the mysterious "dark matter" that permeates the cosmos. Other space voids have been found before, but nothing on this scale. This "gap" is in the Northern Hemisphere, lying in the general direction of the constellation Bootes. This "hole in space" is a 300 million light year gap in the distribution of galaxies, has taken cosmologists by surprise, not because it exists, but because it is so big. Indeed, He stretches out the north over the empty place.)
j) That Man Could Be Put To Sleep In Order To Perform Surgery - Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
k) That The Woman Also Has A “seed of life” - Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (This verse reveals that the female possesses the "seed of life." This was not the common knowledge until a few centuries ago. It was widely believed that the male only possessed the "seed of life" and that the woman’s womb was simply an incubator.)
l) The Fact That All Men Have The Same Blood - Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (Until recent times, it was believed there was significant differences in the blood of various human races. However statistical divisions of humanity based on different kinds of genetic data do not group people consistently into races. Blood is separated by type, not race.)
m) The List could go on but I think that the accuracy of the Bible in matters of space, medicine, and general health—prior to discovery by others—is conclusive that this is God’s Word.
3. Archaeological Trustworthiness - This is perhaps the greatest of external proofs -- no archaeological discovery has ever contradicted the Word of God!
a) Topographical & Geographical—The hills, valleys, plains, deserts and mountains are all where the Bible says they are.
b) Ethnological—The family tree of the nations in Genesis 10, and the various migrations mentioned in the Bible have been verified. (Contrasted by the embarrassing situation with the Book of Mormon!) E.g., the ancestry of the Hebrews from Mesopotamia through Abraham has been verified. Excavations at Ur reveal it to be the idolatrous pagan city so stated in Joshua 24:2.
c) Chronological—All the pertinent evidence uncovered has supported the record and order of Biblical events and the circumstances involved.
d) Historical—The collapse of the Jericho walls, the presence of Hebrews in Egypt, and a number of other startling archaeological discoveries have confirmed the historical trustworthiness of the Word of God.
4. The Bible's Transforming Results - Not only has the Bible changed the course of nations, but also the most heathen of cultures have been literally transformed by its life-changing power! No other piece of literature in the history of mankind has even come close! Education, philosophy and social programs have all been a dismal failure in comparison to the effect that the Bible has had on the human heart. It has the power to take the most base persons of society and transform them from the inside out! Drunks have been made sober, harlots made chaste and lives ruined by sin have been made whole again.
5. The Bible's Inexhaustible Treasures - How many books have you read twice or three times? Can you think of how many sermons by Bible-believing preachers are preached out of this book each week? How many doctrinally sound books have been written about it in the last decade?!!? Psalm 119:162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
Psalms 19:7-11 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (8) The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (9) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. (10) More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. (11) Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
6. The Bible's Honored Promises - Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Whoever follows what the Bible says receives what the Bible promises. The Bible works!)
7. The Bible's Mystery to Unregenerate Minds - 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (The unsaved can understand “natural” books and put the knowledge that they find in them to use but the Bible remains a mystery to the unregenerated.)
8. The Bible's Standards - Holy, but Workable - The Ten Commandments used to be the basis of British and U. S. law. (Still are, technically, in the U.S.) But whenever man has sought to make laws contrary to the Bible, it has brought tragic and destructive consequences! (Example: doing away with the death penalty)
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