CALVINISM!

In some places there is a fairly great division in the church over Calvinism. Many are staunch Calvinists and many others are fierce anti-Calvinists.

I feel that this and similar issues should not be approached from the point of view of an overall theology. Although to be honest, I think it is suspect to take any theological system whole cloth. Rather, we should seek to come to understanding of scriptures that lead to certain positions.

Possibly the thornyest issue is the question of limited atonement. How do you reconcile John 3:16 and John 6:44?

John 3:16 tells us God loves the entire world, and gives life to all who believe in Him.

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

But in John 6:44 Jesus said,
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”

Can you honestly say God loves people He is not calling to salvation? I think you can, but you cannot say this is simple.

Some years ago there was a fire on the hill that stretches above the houses on our street. They managed to get the fire out without losing any houses, but it was close. After the fire, the Fire Chief held a town meeting to answer people's questions about how they had addressed the fire. One of the homeowners was angry. He demanded to know why the fire fighters had not sprayed water on his house but they had his neighbor's.

The Fire Chief said, “We didn't see any point in hosing down houses that have cedar roofs or Juniper trees because we couldn't have saved them anyway if the fire hit them.” I am pretty sure that was simple reality rather than some biased intention on the part of the fire department. And we have to assume that God knows who would respond if they were called. There may also be other reasons why He does not call some that we don't and probably couldn't understand. We have to trust that to Him.

I am convinced that praying for people may remove some of the barriers to a person's being drawn to Christ. Of course, some will argue that God's choosing took place before the foundation of the world. There is some legitimacy to this. Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world.”

But I believe it is wrong to press God and eternity into the sequence of time. Before the
foundation of the world God had already heard my prayer for a person whose heart is hard. And because God loves that person, I am convinced my prayers for people who need Jesus are obedient to Him.

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YOUR PEACE

God's peace is a powerful thing in the life of a Believer. It can affect the lives of everyone around you. When He first sent the 12 disciples out to preach the gospel Jesus taught this amazing truth. In Matthew 10:13 we read,

“And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.”

So, let me ask you, How do you allow your peace to rest on another person or home? This is important for us to understand, especially in these days when our world is so divided and disturbed. Let me point out three ways in which we allow our peace to rest on other people. But before I can do this we need to understand two things. First, we need to know that God's peace only flows out of a vital relationship with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. His peace balances and stabilizes everything in our lives. And we also need to understand what makes others worthy of our peace. The next verse explains.

“And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.”

We can know people are worthy of God's peace when we realize that they are receptive to what we have to say about Jesus. This may be a matter of timing. Had Ananias, who went to Paul after he saw Jesus on the Damascus road, gone one day earlier, he would not have found him receptive. This usually requires some conversation. You may need to tell someone something about the gospel to understand how responsive they might be. And you will need some spiritual discernment which comes through prayer.

Communion

When you realize someone is at least open to hear the things of God, you can open yourself up to communion with them. One of the most effective tools of evangelism is our own vulnerability with others. And after people receive Christ our peace with Him is shared with them. You may be familiar with Philippians 4:7 where Paul spoke of peace that comes from prayer.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Note that this peace is plural. It does not simply guard your heart. It stands guard over “our hearts and minds.”

Assurance

Next we share God's peace as we teach the foundations of His truth. We can share God's love and grace by assuring people of the implications of the gospel. We can say things to them like, “God will hold you tightly in His hands.” or “Nothing will ever separate you from God's love.”

Prayer

Finally, the peace that transcends understanding is supernatural. We touch hearts with God's peace when we pray with them and for them. People often become receptive when we pray for them. People who are not yet Believers are often moved when someone prays for them in their hearing. And of course, we help new Believers grow in the assurance of God's peace as we pray together.

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THEIR FAITH

THEIR FAITH

We see something very unusual in the ninth chapter of Matthew. Some people brought a paralytic to Jesus. And when Jesus saw their faith He worked miraculously in the man's life. In this passage Jesus lays out for us some powerful truths about biblical faith. Look with me at this passage.

Matthew 9:1-8

“And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Takeheart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 

And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, 

“This man is blaspheming.” 

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said,  

“Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men”

Let me help you see some vital truths about our faith in Jesus Christ in this passage.

The Cooperation of Faith

These people surely encouraged one another's faith as they got together to take this man to Jesus. Mark 2:4 and Luke 5:19 tell us something of the great extremes they went to to bring the man to Jesus. This ought to encourage us to work together and pray together in the church. When we do this God's power will be unleashed.
And I think we can assume something else here about the encouragement of faith. I believe Jesus included the paralytic when He said “their faith.” Surely his faith was encouraged, possibly even spawned by the faith of those bringing him.

The Comprehensiveness of Faith

But note, when people trust in Jesus, they do not just trust him for the specific thing they are seeking. We put our faith in the person of Christ, seeking His full work in our lives. It is typical of Jesus' miracles for Him to begin by forgiving sins. Many years ago I heard John Bisagno tell about receiving a letter from a young soldier in Vietnam. The boy told about hearing a sermon tape about being saved. And the young man gave a testimony of praying for his life to be saved in a firefight. And thanking God that he came back alive. John wrote him back and told him he needed more than the saving of his physical life. He needed his sins forgiven and the gift of eternal life.

The Confirmation of Faith
Some of the teachers of the law were offended by this. They knew an ordinary human did not have the authority to forgive sins. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, ask them which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or, “Rise up and walk.” And then He said, “So that you will know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, rise take up your bed and go home.”
I have heard people criticize Faith Healers by saying, “If they can really do that, why don't they just go through the hospitals and empty them.” I'm not sure that is always Justified criticism of those who pray for people to be healed. But in fact Jesus did that very thing. He didn't go through hospitals. There were no hospitals then. Hospitals only came after the influence of His ministry spread across the world. But He went through entire towns and villages healing everyone He came to. God did many mighty works revealing Himself in history in the Old Testament. But in Matthew 9:33 the people said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
The miracles of Jesus confirm who He is. But you might say, “How does that help me? I was not there to see Him work those miracles.” In fact you can see some of the miracles of Jesus recorded in Scripture. There have been those who speculated that Jesus intentionally brought things about in His life so it would appear that He was fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. But it is very difficult to orchestrate the time and place of your birth. The Old Testament even gives specific details of his death down to the soldiers gambling for His clothing. And it is very difficult to explain the radical change in the lives of His followers, if He did not rise from the grave.” And when we read of His life and teachings, His compassion and miracles, God will confirm faith in Him in our lives.

The Terror of Faith

In verse 8 we read that the multitudes who saw these things were afraid. When you begin to really believe who Jesus is, His reality will frighten you. He is the God of the universe walking among Us.

The Result of Faith

And when you realize who He is, you will give glory to God. It is very interesting that whatever Jesus did caused people to give glory to His Father. Our faith in Him should do that. If your faith in Him makes people say what a wonderful person you are, it is faulty. When we genuinely place our faith in God others will come to tremble in His presence and place their faith in Him as well.

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DO YOU NEED SPIRITUAL EYE SURGERY?

My eyesight is not as good as it once was. And that affects many things in my life. Astigmatism has distorted my vision since I was a boy, and cataracts do no help. In Matthew 6 Jesus compared eyesight with spiritual vision.

Matthew 6:22,23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Let me point out a few distortions that plunge us into spiritual darkness.

Worldly Eyes

If your focus is only on this world, even for your church or your ministry, you have been blinded to ultimate reality. Many people do this deliberately. Others of us are simply distracted by the worries and desires of this life. If you live as though this life is all there is, all meaning is reduced or eradicated. Your body becomes your soul, and time becomes eternity, the church becomes a club, and life becomes meaningless.

Lustful Eyes

Do you look at others with lust in your heart? Lust distorts people into fleeting pleasures. This shallow vision is soon reinforced by glandular drives. However, lust can be broader than physical desire. The word translated lust in the original language of the New Testament is also used to translate covetousness. If your vision is distorted by anything that you want, you will never be able to understand why things do not satisfy. In Luke 12:15 Jesus warned us to be on our guard against all kinds of covetousness. We have to watch out for it because we seldom recognize it in our own lives. When you cannot even see that you are blind, how deep that darkness is indeed.

Prideful Eyes

These are eyes that see everything in the light of yourself. Pride does not just see yourself as better than others. It pushes you to claim the most prominent position. Pride studies, not to learn, but to impress. Pride dresses, not comfort, or even beauty, but for success. Pride looks at a home or a car as a means of intimidating others. Pride is blind to anything and anyone beyond yourself.

Selfish Eyes

The previous two eye problems are self-centered. But I think we need to see selfishness as a separate category. First, it is always in competition for what you want. Selfishness sees love as a means of personal fulfillment rather than commitment. It treats other people as means to its own ends. And also because it tends to self-pity, this malady turns everything into resentment. It often seeks friends, marriage partners and sometimes even counselors who will reinforce your resentments.

But what can you do about spiritual blindness? In one of my books a doctor tells about a patient who got a thorn in his eye. (In The Wilderness, https://www.amazon.com/WILDERNESS-David-Young-ebook/dp/B00BLNMUIA/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1539279887&sr=8-3 ) He pointed out that the natural defence mechanism in humans kept him from removing the thorn. That is also true of our spiritual blindness. We need God in His tender care to correct our diseased eyesight. To some extent our perspective is transformed at our conversion. “All things become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) But God also puts us through a process of therapy to enable us to see more and more as He sees. And ultimately, we will see as clearly as we ourselves are seen by God. (2 Corinthians 13:12)

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CHOOSING THOSE WHO INFLUENCE YOU

This is the second sermon I have written for you in which God spoke to me from a sermon I heard elsewhere. Rick Warren preached the other sermon I heard. It was titled, Learn How to Recognize God's voice, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-827QmRDjUA . I highly recommend that you find and listen to this whole sermon. It will free you from demonic strongholds, and comfort you as few things you have ever heard. However, I am only focusing on one of his 7 tests for discerning the voice of God.

There is a terrible story in 2nd Samuel 13. The Bible does not sugar-coat the heart of man. Amnon, one of David's sons was driven by desire for his sister, Tamar. And he had a cousin who influenced him to do evil. Is your life driven by desires? And in the light of that, who influences you?

For many years I have loved James 3:13-18. God has spoken to me again and again in this passage. I have always rightly applied these truths to developing wisdom in my own heart. But recently God has spoken to me about using these verses to measure those whom I should or should not allow to influence me. Can we read this passage with this in mind?

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

The passage begins by asking, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” It goes on to tell us to let them show it in the “meekness of wisdom.”

THE INFLUENCE OF THE WORLDLY

The one question this calls us to ask about those who are seeking to influence us here is, “Are their hearts submissive to God” In this context that is what the word meekness connotes. It is not always easy to determine this. Discerning someone else's heart and mind will require thinking and praying, listening to their words, and watching their behavior. James gives us three hearts signs that will eventually show up in speech and behavior. They are bitterness, jealousy, and selfish ambition.

I have actually known people who were drawn to bitter people because bitterness justified their own self-pity. The devil always wants to plant self-pity in our hearts. And bitter people help him. But of course these same people are swallowed up by it themselves. And they will turn their bitterness on you. They will have obvious or hidden selfish motives. They will not hesitate to manipulate you without any regard to your needs or God's will.

The influence of these people is earthly. It will always see from the point of view of present desires. Their influence is unspiritual. Have you ever known people who couched their selfish ambition as prayerful, spiritual, or even biblical? But their underlying motivations were lies, usually lies they told themselves to effectively manipulate you.

The influence of these people is demonic. Selfishness comes right out of the pit of Hell. And it will produce disorder and every vile practice in their own lives and in yours.

Sometimes these are people that are permanently in your life. And it can be very difficult to sever yourself from their influence, while trying to love them.

One important step when you do recognize worldly influence in your life is to make sure you do not act on what they have been pushing you to do. This is often difficult. They will always give arguments as to why they are right. And they will join your accuser in trying to make you feel guilty.

A more practical application may be to recognize when you have already acted on their advice. Admit that it was sin, and thank God that He has washed you clean from it. At that point He will stretch your faith as you learn to trust Him. God will often use the pain of that circumstance, not as judgment but as discipline, because He loves you and has important things to teach you.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE GODLY

In contrast James shows us the wisdom and grace that comes to us through the influence of those who are godly. The first characteristic of godly influences is pure motives. Ask yourself what they want, what they desire. Do they want something that you believe and the Bible teaches is good? Anything less will do harm in your life and theirs.

The next characteristic James lists is peace. Godly wisdom will always be peaceable. Do the people influencing you bless relationships? Do they want help you love people who are hard to love? Or do they exaggerate, express violence or anger, and degrade others?

Are you being influenced by people who are gentle? Are they open to reason? Can you discuss differences in perspective or understanding with them? I have always loved Isaiah 1:18, that begins, “Come let us reason together says the Lord.” God calls us to reason with Him. Of course, we, like our own children, need God just to tell us some things, simply because we could never understand from our limited perspective. But even in those cases He stretches us so that we might eventually understand His will.

Are the people who are influencing you merciful? Do they call you to be patient with others? Are you being influenced by people who reflect God's mercy in their influence and in their own lives?

James’ climaxes with fruitfulness. Fruit is something only God can produce in you and those around you. You cannot put fruit on a tree in your backyard. You cannot produce in other people's lives what only God can do.

The next two things that James mentions relate to trusting God to bear fruit in the lives of other people. Are your influences leading you to be ‘impartial and sincere?” These characteristics are evidence that you trust God to work in people's lives. Do those who Influence you lead you to trust God? I love the wording of verse 18 in the King James Version.

“The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

You can rest in God who produces spiritual fruit in the lives of those around you.


Here are the fundamentals from which I have drawn this sermon. I pray that God will use them to give you a message that will transform the lives of people by His power.

CENTRAL IDEA OF THE TEXT : James tells us that those who are wise we will speak in the meekness of wisdom.

FOCUS : The wise influence will speak to us from the meekness of godly wisdom.

PEOPLE : Believers who are under pressure from unwise and ungodly influences.

Felt/Need : Dealing with stress of self centered influences

PURPOSE : Consecrative; I want my hearers to free themselves from selfish influences.

THRUST : We must seek to free ourselves from selfish influences.

PICTURE : Fruit that God must produce on a tree.

STORY: 2 Samuel 13; The passion of Amnon, the influence of Jonadab.

INTRODUCTION: The meekness of godly wisdom

POINTS :

I. The Influence of the Worldly

Bitterness

Jealousy

Selfish ambition

No matter how right these may sound, they are fundamentally lies; earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.


II. The Influence of the Godly

Pure

Peaceful

Gentle

Reasonable

Full of Mercy

Producing fruit

Impartial and Sincere

Depending on God to do what only God can do.

The fruit of righteousness is sown in the Peace of them that make peace.

If you have questions about the fundamentals of sermons, feel free to ask me.


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UNITY AMONG BROTHERS

Last Sunday our pastor preached on Psalm 133. And God spoke to me as he preached. I am reminded of something I once heard from a spellbinding preacher. He said God gave him his best sermons as He spoke to him when he was listening to other preachers preach. Well, in fact, although my preaching is now done with my pen, God still seems to be giving me sermons. And I would like to share this one with you. And my sharing will be most blessed, if at some point in reading this God gives you a sermon to preach to His people.


UNITY AMONG BROTHERS

I once heard a denominational leader say he could tell the spiritual temperature of a church by simply walking into a worship center as people were gathering for the service on a Sunday morning. I think he was absolutely right. You can sense excitement in the people or the lack of it. And most of all you can feel the love and unity binding the church together. Jesus said all men would know we are his disciples by the way we love one another.

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 133. The first verse of Psalm 133 calls us to see the goodness of unity in the family of God.

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers dwell in unity!”

The wording of this reminds me of the creation account in Genesis 1. There the Hebrew word tov, which translates to our English word “good” is first used in the Bible. Again and again as God creates, the scripture says “God saw that it was good.” But after He created man, we have His greater exclamation in verse 31 which begins with the word, “Behold.”

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

With this call for us to sit up and pay attention, Psalm 133 is calling us to see that in the unity of the family of God, He is restoring the goodness of His creation.

And he says it is good and pleasant. There is a sweetness that is not only enjoyed by our Heavenly Father, but that He shares with us in the unity of the Church of Jesus Christ.

CONSECRATION
Verse 2 of Psalm 133 paints a vivid picture for us.

“It is like the precious oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

on the beard of Aaron,

running down on the collar of his robes!”

The Holy Spirit is comparing unity in the family of God with the consecration of the priesthood. What this must have brought to the minds of the Children of Israel is something very similar to some things God did in my early life.

I grew up in Oklahoma going to Falls Creek Baptist Assembly. You do not have to be from Oklahoma to have herd of the largest Youth Camp in the world. But I remember going as a young person with thousands of other young people and listening to the word of God preached. At the end of each evening service hundreds of young people would go forward in the altarcall to commit their lives to Christ. When they would finally bring that invitation to a close they would lead those young people to the chapel where where there was counseling space. And as they marched away we would all sing, I have decided to follow Jesus. I seldom sing that hymn without chills rising up on my neck and the the backs of my arms as I remember seeing those crowds of young people, and myself being one of those committing our lives to Christ.

The psalmist here is saying our unity is a God thing. He brings it about. And it is an expression of consecration to him.

But I said this reminds me of two things in my early life. The other is when I first sensed God calling me to preach. I struggled with His calling for an entire semester in college. And when I became convinced that God was indeed calling me, that became the driving force of my life. It is that to this day. You may not be called to preach. But as you sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ you have been given a calling by God. And like Aaron and all the priest who followed him you have a special anointing, a purpose that is to be the driving force of your life. This picture says the unity of the church is an expression of our

II. PURPOSE AND THE GOSPEL.

The next picture given in verse 3 is very different but quite as vivid.

“It is like the dew of Hermon,

which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,

life forevermore.”

This is a picture of rich blessing from God.

III. BLESSING

Mount Hermon is a snow capped-mountain, part of a snow-capped range just north of Israel. We lived for 30 years in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by glorious snowy mountains. And the rain fall was a continual mist of blessing. We had a 90 foot Douglas Fir in our backyard. There was a hundred fifty foot tree in the park two blocks from our house. And our library had in a glass case a cutting of the largest Douglas Fir ever removed from the forest. The base of that tree was over 12 feet in diameter. In this picture God is saying unity the church grows from his continual blessing upon us. And it ends by saying this blessing is itself eternal life.

IV. ETERNAL LIFE

When we see and enjoy unity in the family of God we ought to immediately think of John 3:16. Let's say that verse together in the version we have projected.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Do you have a longing in your heart to be part of the unity of God's family?


The sermon that God gave me is different from the sermon our pastor preached. And I suspect if God speaks to you through this brief, the sermon you preach to your people will be much different than mine. However, I suspect any sermon preached on Psalm 133 would depend upon similar fundamentals. In the days when I was preaching week by week I always began with the basics listed below. With these basics in my mind I would usually take a walk. As I walked my sermon I would preach everything that came into my mind on these basic points. And so I actually composed my sermons out loud.

THE CENTRAL IDEA OF THE TEXT : The psalmist exclaims over the God given goodness of unity among brothers.

PEOPLE : believers who make up this church

Felt/Need : unity in the church

PURPOSE : Doctrinal; I want my hearers to know unity in the church is a work of God.

THRUST : Unity in the church is a God thing.

PICTURE : The Dew from Mt. Hermon

STORY : Oil on, Aaron's beard

POINTS :

Introduction : Good and Pleasant

I. Consecration

II. Purpose, Gospel

III. Blessing

IV. Eternal life


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God Is Willing

Many of us have been greatly encouraged in our prayers for lost friends with the words from 2 Peter 3: 9, “God is not willing that any should perish.”
But I think it is important to note that there are a couple of ways in which this verse can be misinterpreted. The two that I have in mind both interpret the will of God here as immutable. But that is not the word used in the original language. The word is “boulomai,’ which is often a weaker term. The ESV translates this as not wishing that any should perish.
In Luke 13: 34 Jesus actually uses Thelo, the stronger Greek word.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . .How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
One misinterpretation of this is that since it is the will of God, everyone will eventually be saved. But the fact that God wants everyone to repent does not mean everyone will. God is always willing for people to turn to Him, but He waits for us to be willing.
The other misinterpretation that concerns me is that this cannot apply two lost people we are praying for because if God wills it, they will be saved, and we know everyone will not be saved.
But you need to understand that when you are praying for someone who has not come to Christ, you are not praying against the will of God. And God will be working on them to draw them to himself.

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THE TRAINING OF GRACE

I fear many Christians have the notion that we are saved by grace, but we are trained for righteousness by legalism. This is a serious mistake for Christians and it misses one of the most wonderful truths of scripture. In Titus Chapter 2 Paul tells us the grace of God trains us for Godly living. Look with me at these verses.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
Titus 2:22-14

Let me point out for you several ways that God uses His grace to train us to live Godly lives.

First, We Are Trained In The Gratitude of Grace.
We do not develop self control and godliness so we will be saved. We obey God out of gratitude that He has already saved us. This gratitude brings great devotion. “Look what He has done for me!” It also produces humility in us that is foundational to a changed life. And focusing on His grace frees us defensiveness about our sin. Our sins were paid for on the cross.

We Are Trained In The Hope of Grace.
We are like a bride being adorned for our bridegroom. We love Him. And we are preparing our hearts to be ushered into His presence. We desire God's grace to be worked into our lives more and more because we are looking forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face.

We Are Trained In The Transformation of Grace.
When we begin to follow Christ God brings about a radical change in our desires. But we still have habits of mind and behavior that must be changed on a deep level. Because the penalty for them has been paid we have freedom to deal with the root motivations of our pride, greed, lust, or whatever sin we would avoid dealing with if we were still being defensive. And God is planting more and more of His thinking and His holiness into our lives. The more we read His word, and live in fellowship with Him, the more like Him we become.

We Are Trained In The Fellowship of Grace.
God's Grace has appeared so that He might make us a people who are zealous for good works. We cannot do this, or be this, alone. We stand together. As we are united with Him by God's grace, we are united with others in the family. We love one another and encourage one another every day while it is still called today. (Hebrews 3:13)

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CALLING MYSELF A FUNDAMENTALIST

Years ago I wrote an article for a state denominational paper beginning with the statement, “I was going to title this article, 'I Call Myself A Fundamentalist.’ But I didn't want to spend the next six months explaining to my friends that I don't own an assault rifle or any plastic explosives.” Even then few pastors in my denomination would call themselves Fundamentalists, although I didn't know one who would reject the basic tenets of the faith. I tried to be careful not to call myself a fundamentalist in places where I was not able to explain what I meant. But I didn't want to give up the term. My reasoning was two fold. First, I did not want to give up the word Fundamentalist to people who whose hearts did not reflect the fruit of the Spirit or the fundamental attitudes of Jesus and the New Testament. And I wanted to resist giving up our language to the barbarians.

My Oxford English Reference Dictionary released in 1996 only has the word as an addendum to “FUNDAMENTALISM,” which they define as, “Strict maintenance of the basic teachings of a religion.” I read a book written earlier that simi-seriously defined a Fundamentalist as a conservative Christian who is angry. Who could read 1 Corinthians 13 and call themselves fundamentalists by that definition? I recently heard someone raise a question about Ephesians 4:31. It reads

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.”
He asked, “Does this mean to put these other things away from you with malice toward them?”
Incidentally, that is not a possible interpretation this verse. In the original language the reading is, put these other things away “together with all malice.” Malice is not the attitude of putting the other things out of our lives, but one, and possibly the worst, of the things of which we are to rid ourselves. However you read this verse, its words, the entirety of Ephesians 4, and everything the New Testament says about our attitudes, completely exclude an angry and divisive expression of the Christian faith.

I first started calling myself a fundamentalist while I was still in seminary. In a Biblical Backgrounds class the teacher presented several lists of hermeneutic principles. Hermeneutics are the underlying principles that determine how you interpret Scripture. One of them was labeled a Fundamentalist Hermeneutic. And as far as I could tell everyone in the class including the teacher agreed with those principles. But the teacher said, “You can hold these without being a Fundamentalist.” I asked, “How?”, and he said “Just because you decide you're not.” I need to say that professor was a great teacher. Even though I'm not giving his name, I don't want to say anything bad about him. But, that didn't make a whole ton of sense to me.

But, I have given you this entire rambling dissertation, because I'm giving up the title, fundamentalist. As much as I hate it, I have to admit that our language has been hijacked. The word no longer means what it should mean to people. It is a little more complicated than that. I recently reread Bodie Thoene’s Zion Chronicles. These are historical novels about the foundation of Israel in the years immediately after millions of Jews were shipped, often in the name of Christianity, to death camps. The refugees of that Holocaust we're trying desperately to reestablish the Jewish state in the face of local and world opposition. I think it may have been in the Gates of Zion, the first book in the series, that a Hebrew archaeologist was explaining to an American friend how he had come to be convinced through the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah. He said “I believe in Him, but I will never call myself a Christian.” I have never understood what this character said as well as I do now.

Steve Brown, the radio preacher on the Key Life broadcast used to say that Jesus was a Pharisee. He was alluding to Acts 23:8 and other passages that indicate that the Pharisees unlike the Sadducees believed in the Spirit, and angels, and the resurrection. Jesus believed in all of these. But Jesus never called himself a Pharisee.

I have recently been exposed to people in several circles in more than one state, who are not only angry, but arrogant, brash, rude, domineering, hateful, and hurtful, all in the name of Scripture. And while I am unhappy about it, I cannot continue to call myself by the term fundamentalist.

However lest everything I write sound so gloomy, I need to add that I do have a solution to my dilemma. From now on I'm going to call myself a Christian. I may even use the term Christ-follower.

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WHEN DID THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE?

Recently I have been memorizing and reveling in some wonderful verses from the book of Revelation. Actually, one of them, Revelation 13:8, has been a favorite of mine for many years. But it is a verse that can confuse and disturb. My dealing with it today may disturb you. There are, in fact, two fairly different ways this verse can be translated into English. I want you to see the emphasis of these two translations as a foundation for what I have to say. We can see one in the English Standard Version of the New Testament that I have been using most recently. I will print verses 7 and 8 to give you the context about the beast rising out of the sea.

“Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Revelation 13:7,8 e.s.v

The emphasis here is that the only people in the whole world who will not worship the Beast are those whose names were written before the foundation of the Earth in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Now, let me show you the other emphasis from verse 8 in The New International Version which I have used for 40-plus years.

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”
Revelation 13:7 n.i.v.

This translation focuses on the Lamb of God being slain from the creation of the world.

It is worth something to try to see which is the correct translation here. Henry A. Sawtelle in the American commentary noted that revisers from England generally focused on the lamb being slain before the foundation of the world. While translators in America focused on names being written in the book of life. Of course the NIV, which was not written when the American commentary was published, is an exception to this. It is also an exception to something I have noted. Translations done in the last 50 or 75 years tend to focus on names being written rather than the Lamb that was slain. I tell you this to make the point that neither of these are good arguments for how it should be translated. I may be more comfortable with one because I'm an American, but I don't think John or the Holy Spirit of God would be impressed.

The same is true of chronological snobbery. The Holy Spirit does not necessarily like what is old simply because it is old, or what is new because it is up to date. And having studied the syntax in Greek has convinced me that John was emphasizing both of these points equally. It does not matter which one of them I am more comfortable with.

This leaves me with a dilemma. When did these two things actually happen? I know very well when I became a child of God. I was there. I remember the monumental struggle, the spiritual war. I knew that my eternal destiny depended on the decision I made. I knew that if I refused God I would be choosing separation from Him, and would spend eternity in hell. To say that my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life before I agreed that it should be, seems to be saying struggle and my decision did not matter. And I know they did matter.

And while it may not be quite as emotional to me, the same was true of the crucifixion of Jesus. It took place at a moment in time in the middle of History. Ask those eyewitnesses who saw him scourged and nailed to the cross, who heard him cry, “Father, forgive them.” They were there when the sun was blotted out, and the Earth shook, and the veil of the temple was torn in two as Jesus breathed His last and died.

But both of these statements overlook some things about the complex nature of the Eternal God. Theologians have pointed out that God experiences time differently than we do. The Bible shows Him to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. The latter two of these especially apply here. Saying God is omnipresent means He is present in every when and where. His omniscience means He knows everything and has known all things from before He created time. A good play will follow a timeline. You can know which scene follows which. But the timeline of a play will not tell you there was a play practice last Thursday night. That is beyond the timeline of the play.

It is true that Jesus suffered for our sins at Calvary. In Romans 6:10 and elsewhere the Bible says Jesus died “once for all” for our sins. Hebrews 5:8-9 speaks to His ordeal.

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,”

The scripture says, Jesus “learned obedience.” He had always been obedient to his Father. But He had to go through the trial. And being made perfect He became the source of eternal salvation. He was always sinless. How could He have been made perfect? Well, He had to go through the ordeal. You do not judge a perfect football player, by the cut of his uniform before the game. You may see something about how he played by the blood on his uniform at the end.

But God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit had been there before.

I've actually heard people blame God for the sin of man and the condition of the Earth because He, being omniscient, knew beforehand we would sin, and yet He still created us. Long before you, or I, or Adam had sinned, God knew, God had experienced what it would cost him to redeem us.

The same is true of my conversion. Before the foundation of the earth God knew that I would receive Him. Does that mean that God knew that I would receive Him, so he wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life? While that is certainly true, I believe that oversimplifies the matter. It misses the wonder and mystery of God's infinite complexity. In John 6:37 Jesus also said all that the Father gives Him would come to Him. In John 6:44 He said no one could come to him without the Father drawing him. The Bible's point is that God, and the things of God, are more complex and more wonderful than we can fully grasp. When we oversimplify them for the sake of our comfort we miss much of what God is saying and doing in history and in our lives.

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THY WORD

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “Thy Word?” Many of you think of the scripture him, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.” others of you have memorized from childhood Psalm 119:11 that begins, “Thy word have I hid in my heart.”

This is what to talk to you about today. I am doing something right now that I would really like to encourage other people to do, starting with you. I am trying to memorize the entire New Testament, verse by verse and chapter by chapter. Here is how I am doing it. I read a chapter and memorize the first verse or verses that go together. The next day I read the same chapter over and memorize the next verses. It takes me about a week, sometimes a week and a half, to get the entire chapter memorized and go on to the next chapter. At that rate it will take me just a little over 3 years to memorize the entire New Testament.

I have been helping adults memorize scripture all of my adult life. I've even helped a few who told me beforehand it was impossible for them to memorize. Let me give you 5 Steps that will help you memorize Scripture.

Memorize in only one translation. Some of you have thought you would understand scripture better if you always looked at multiple translations. There is some truth to that but it never applies to Scripture memory. You might be surprised to hear me say that the easiest version to memorize is King James. It is worth an entire blog post to tell you why. And and I myself do not memorize in the King James.

Memorize out loud. Our educational system for some wonderful reasons teaches us to read silently. But you will never be able to memorize silently. A part of this is emphasizing certain words to stick them in your mind.

Repeat the verses over and over, trying to stick the words in your mind and on your lips. Repetition is the key here.

Think about what you are memorizing. The more you understand it the better it will stick in your mind and heart. One of the good reasons for memorizing Scripture is the amount of insight that you will get after you've memorized a verse. But if you can understand something from the start it will help.

Review what you've memorized. Few organizations know more about scripture Memory then The Navigators. (https://www.navigators.org/) There topical memory system, TMS, teaches those who go through the course to review a verse every day for a month.

I will be honest I am not doing this so that I will be able to witness to people with Scripture. Though I must say Scripture memory helps present the gospel. Nor am I trying to do this to use in sermons or even in my writing. My primary reason for this is for God, planting the Scriptures in my life, to transform my character. I want to be more like Christ. And this helps. This evening I spoke with a friend about this on the phone. He told me he thinks of Scripture memory like the parable Jesus told of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise virgins brought oil with them. He said verses he memorized were the oil he brings with him to meet Christ.

But let me tell you the most enjoyable thing about this. When I've memorized a passage I can meditate on it. God feeds my soul, and He feeds my mind. I see things in scripture I had never dreamed were there. And there seems to be no end to what He will show me in His word. It becomes a never ending joy!

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MEASURING YOUR CHURCH

How do you measure the church? Do you measure it by the beauty and size of the building? Do you measure it by the number of programs and activities? Do you measure it by the number of people who attend or the size of the offerings gathered?

In Revelation 11 John was told to do some measuring. And I think his measurements tell us something about measuring the church.

“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.’”

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

I do not believe that the temple which John was told to measure was just the temple of God in heaven. I believe it is also the temple of God where he dwells in His church. Ephesians 2:21 says we are being built together as a dwelling for God. You measure the church partly by how its members are bonded together like bricks in a wall. This comes from fellowship, from working together, from facing trials together, from believing together, and most of all from praying together. God’s presence blesses a church whose members are bound together in Him. Is your’s a gathering where God dwells? You can sense the presence of God in a church.

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY ITS WORSHIP.

The altar is the place of worship. How important is worship to your church? Do people worship sacrificially, giving everything in their lives to God? Does your church worship joyfully, praising God with all of your hearts? Does service and sacrifice spring up out of love for God?

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY THE GROWTH OF ITS MEMBERS.

I think it is telling that John was told to measure the temple and the altar and those who worship there. You do not measure a church simply by the number of people who attend. A church must be measured by the spiritual growth in the lives that God has trusted to it. Are people becoming more Christ-like. Are people becoming more and more faithful, more and more devoted, more and more loving from the ministry of your church?

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THE PROOF OF THE GOSPEL

There is a notion that someone believes the gospel or not, but there can not be any evidence of it. In fact the proof of the gospel is integral to the presentation itself. On the Day of Pentecost Peter stood before the people and reminded them of the miracles Jesus had done among them which they knew.


I recently heard Tim Keller tell about a man who told a pastor he would believe if he could be shown airtight proof. The pastor said, “”Read the New Testament.” “Will that show me an airtight argument?” he asked. “No, but God gave us an air tight person.” It is difficult to read The New Testament without being impressed with Jesus.


Peter went on to declare that God raised Jesus from the dead, “and we are all witnesses.”


You may be familiar with Vince Vitale, now the Director of The Zacharias Institute in Atlanta.Vince has a PHD from The University of Oxford. He went off to college as a secularist, believing all truth claims were equal. But there his thinking was challenged for the first time. Someone gave him a Bible and invited him to read it. For some time he read skeptically, labeling things he thought unscientific with “b.s.” But as he came to the resurrection of Jesus and studied a little, learning that the resurrection was confirmed early, publically, by multiple witnesses. The testimonies of the witnesses went against their culture. It radically transformed their lives. They willingly, even joyfully gave their lives maintaining their testimony.


This was too much. How could he explain these testimonies? He made an appointment with the two leading New Testament scholars at Princeton where he was studying. Neither were believers, so he was sure they would explain away this problem. But one of them half-heartedly posed the theory of mass hallucination, which, incidentally does not exist. There is no such thing as mass hallucination. The other simply said, “As an historian, I'm not interested in the question.” What was he to do? While still at Princeton Vince gave his life to Christ.


In Acts 2:32 Peter declared,


“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all Witnesses.”


Who were the witnesses included in that declaration? Peter was referring to those believers who were present. That included Thomas who would not believe if he could not touch His hands and side pierced by the soldiers. It probably included James, the brother of Jesus who didn't believe until Jesus rose from the dead. It may not have included Stephen who was later martyred asking God not to count the sin of those stoning him against them, and crying out that he saw Jesus seated by the Majesty on High. It did not include Paul who met Him on the road, and it could not have included all 500 people who saw Him at one time.


But there are still others who are witnesses of the living Christ working in their lives. Are you among them? Has He made a radical difference in your life? If so you too are a witness of His resurrection. You know he rose from the dead because of the difference He has made in your life. Others will see that evidence in you. And that means you know that He is Lord.


Acts 2:36 reads,


Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.





This is the last of several blog entries taken from a sermon I preached at Crosspoint Church in


, NV. You can find the recording and other good things on their website. http://crosspoint.org/index.php/2016-06-01-08-45-06/274-now-to-him-who-is-able-listen-carefully

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THE PLAN OF THE GOSPEL

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood and declared the gospel to people from all nations. He got to the heart of it proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus. Verse 23 says some significant things about the gospel.


“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”


The cross of Jesus was not an afterthought. God was not surprised. The crucifixion of Jesus was in God's heart before the foundation of the Earth. Before you had ever committed any sin, before Adam and Eve turned the human race away from God's plan, a loving God knew what it would cost Him to redeem you, to restore us to fellowship with Him.


This ought to effect the way we look at people God has brought into our lives. Getting a grip on this will give us great confidence in the gospel that we have to share. You can be sure when you begin to interact with someone, that God has already been at work in them. God still loves people even when He knows they will reject Him. He is showing them His grace by sending you to tell them they could turn to Him if they would.


When we share Christ we are joining in God's plan from everlasting to everlasting.

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THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up in the midst of all the people and declared to them the gospel. In Acts 2:22 he described Jesus as,


“A man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know”


Don’t you think that was a strange way for Peter to say that. Wouldn’t you have simply said, Jesus performed miracles? He said “that God did through him.” You need to understand that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem He really became a man. He did not lay down His position as the Son of God. But He laid down His power. John 5:19 says,


“The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.”


Ephesians 3:20,21 says something crucial here.


“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”


What is the power at work within us? It is the moving of the Holy Spirit. And that is the exact same power that was it work in the life of Jesus. In fact in John 14:12 he said,


“Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”


Now what does that say to us about sharing the gospel? It tells us that the key to sharing Christ is prayer. In John 15 7,8 Jesus said,


“If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. This is to my father's Glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”


Every one of us needs to have a list of the people who do not know Christ, that God in His sovereignty has put us in contact with. And we need to pray for them everyday.


You know what else? Occasionally we have opportunities to witness that we didn't know were coming. Of course that means we need to and can have a consistent daily prayer life. But it also calls us to get into the habit of praying for people wherever we are. You can pray for a hundred people walking through a Walmart store. Have you ever stood in line say at the grocery store you don't have anything else to do I pray for those people one at a time in front of you.


Now some of you are asking, “What in the world would I pray for those people I do not know?” over the years I have Acquired and developed some memory Guides of things that I really do know to pray for people. But I was going in the article without telling you any of them. That is because part of developing the habit of praying for people Wherever You Are is going through the struggle of allowing the Holy Spirit to show you what to pray for people. And He will do that. I wait for that my wife's purging I will share one with you. It is not original with me I have forgotten exactly where I got it. It is an acrostic for the word B.L.E.S.S. We bless people in prayer.


BODY


Right for a person's physical needs.


LABOR


Pray for a person's work, ability, income, and purpose in life.


EMOTIONS


I pray for a hunger for God, and for ultimate peace.


SOCIAL


Pray for their relationships. Pray for a person's marriage. Relationships will be a barrier or an aid to a person's coming to Christ.


And SPIRITUAL


Pray for the Holy Spirit to draw them.


Who knows who God is preparing to use you to bring to Himself?





This is one of several blog entries taken from a sermon I preached at Crosspoint Church in Reno, NV. You can find the recording and other good things on their website.  http://crosspoint.org/index.php/2016-06-01-08-45-06/274-now-to-him-who-is-able-listen-carefully

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THE PERSON OF THE GOSPEL

Do you know the central teaching of Scripture? It can be found in every book of the Bible and brings it all together. It is the gospel. “For God so loved the world. . .” “That Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” That, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself.”

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood and explained what God was pouring out into the world and in Acts 2:22-24 Peter focused everything on the gospel.

Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

It is important to understand that Peter did not present the gospel as an abstract concept.

Look at Peter’s words. “Hear these words, ‘Jesus of Nazareth!’”

Jesus is the gospel. If you have never come to know Jesus Christ personally, you need to understand that Jesus Himself is reaching out to you in His incomparable love. In John 14:6 Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life. 1 John 5:20 tells us He is eternal life.

You who are believers need to understand that the gospel is not something you will ever grow beyond. The privilege of knowing Jesus is the wonderful foundation of everything you will ever learn, or need, or enjoy in Christ. Let me point out just one narrow application of this truth. Do you know why the fellowship of the church is so wonderful? It is because Jesus indwells us. You can see Jesus, you can hear His voice and feel His embrace when we get together in the church.

But there are many applications of the gospel in our lives. If we look at the fruit of the Spirit for example. Galatians 5:22-23 begins the list with love. “We love because He first loved us.” The next is joy. At the birth of Jesus the Angel told the shepherds he brought them “Good news of great joy!” Next comes peace. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The list continues from patience through self-control. Each of these and every other facet of spiritual growth comes as we understand and apply the gospel to our lives. And the gospel is Jesus Christ. We do not believe in it. We believe in Him.

This and the next few entries in this blog come from a sermon I preached at Crosspoint Church in Reno, NV. You can find the recording and other good things on their website.  http://crosspoint.org/index.php/2016-06-01-08-45-06/274-now-to-him-who-is-able-listen-carefully

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WAS GOD PLEASED?

I preached Sunday for the first time in over a year. I have some serious health problems and I was exhausted, really before I finished the sermon. When we got home I was thinking with a critical mind about my sermon when my wife asked me if I thought God was pleased with the service. It took me some time to bring my mind into the right perspective. To be honest I needed to sleep like Elijah in the cave before I could properly answer the question. Later in the evening, still very tired although I had slept, I remembered something I said as I began to preach. “God loves us. He has our picture on His refrigerator.” Some of you, like much of the gathered worshippers, are too young to know what I was talking about. But those of you who have grandchildren, knew immediately.

God was thrilled with the service. He loved the music. Most of the people were blessed as well. Our Lord was present in the fellowship. And He spoke through the Scriptures and preaching, despite the weakness of the preacher. He is God, and He still loves His church.

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